Updated October 13, 2026
Iowa had 289,962 small businesses in 2022, which is 99.3% of all businesses in the state, and they employed 637,557 people, or 46.0% of the state's employees. BizBuySell's published tables do not include a metro area centered in Iowa, so this page has no sale-price figures.
Iowa had 289,962 small businesses in 2022, which is 99.3% of all businesses in the state.
| Measure | Figure | Data year |
|---|---|---|
| Small businesses | 289,962 (99.3% of all businesses) | 2022 |
| Small businesses without employees | 228,133 | 2022 |
| Employers with 1 to 19 employees | 54,310 | 2022 |
| Employers with 20 to 499 employees | 7,519 | 2022 |
| Small business employees | 637,557 (46.0% of state employees) | 2022 |
| Establishments opened, all businesses | 9,349 | March 2023 to March 2024 |
| Establishments closed, all businesses | 8,325 | March 2023 to March 2024 |
| Openings by small businesses | 8,689 | March 2023 to March 2024 |
| Closings by small businesses | 7,712 | March 2023 to March 2024 |
| Net job change, all businesses | +11,719 | March 2023 to March 2024 |
| Net job change, small businesses | +12,573 | March 2023 to March 2024 |
| Female-owned businesses | 103,688 (43.4%) | 2022 |
| Veteran-owned businesses | 15,387 (6.5%) | 2022 |
Source: SBA Office of Advocacy, Iowa 2025 Small Business Profile. Business counts and owner demographics are Census data. Opening, closing, and job figures are Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Small businesses are firms with fewer than 500 employees.
To see what drives these numbers for your own business, read our valuation guides or browse industries.
The SBA Office of Advocacy counted 289,962 small businesses in Iowa in 2022, which is 99.3% of all businesses in the state. Of these, 61,829 had employees.
Small businesses in Iowa employed 637,557 people in 2022, which is 46.0% of the state's employees, according to the SBA Office of Advocacy.
Between March 2023 and March 2024, 9,349 establishments opened and 8,325 closed in Iowa. Small businesses accounted for 8,689 of the openings and 7,712 of the closings.
You are welcome to quote these figures with a link back to this page. Suggested citation and link:
Get a confidential estimate in about two minutes, or talk it through with an advisor first. No obligation.
This page is informational. It is not an appraisal, an offer, or a prediction of what any business will sell for. Figures come from the sources listed and may change when those sources are updated.
Alabama · Arizona · Arkansas · California · Colorado · Connecticut · Delaware · District of Columbia · Florida · Georgia · Hawaii · Illinois · Indiana · Kansas · Kentucky · Louisiana · Maryland · Massachusetts · Michigan · Minnesota · Mississippi · Missouri · Nevada · New Hampshire · New Jersey · New Mexico · New York · North Carolina · Ohio · Oklahoma · Oregon · Pennsylvania · Rhode Island · South Carolina · Tennessee · Texas · Utah · Virginia · Washington · West Virginia · Wisconsin