What does the do?

Refreshed annually

The Small Business Administration (SBA) is an independent executive agency responsible for supporting small business owners and entrepreneurs in their business ventures. Its functions include providing small businesses access to capital, offering free or low-cost counseling and training, working with other government agencies to contract small businesses, and advocating on behalf of the small business sector in front of Congress. It was established in 1953.

In FY 2025,

$837M

was spent by the Small Business Administration
In FY 2025,

<0.1%

of federal spending was by the Small Business Administration

How much does the Small Business Administration spend?

The Small Business Administration spent $837 million in fiscal year (FY) 2025. This was 0.012% of the $7.04 trillion in overall federal spending. The department ranked 35th among federal agencies in total spending.

The Small Business Administration accounted for <0.1% of all federal spending in FY 2025.

Share of SBA net spending compared to the top ten highest spending agencies in FY 2025

Federal spending may shift over time due to population growth, changes in policy and programs, and emerging problems to address. Adjusting for inflation, the Small Business Administration’s federal spending has decreased from $8.1 billion in 1980 to $837 million in 2025.

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The Small Business Administration’s federal spending in FY 2025 was lower than in FY 1980.

Yearly federal net spending by SBA, adjusted for inflation (2025 dollars), FYs 1980–2025

Since 1980, Small Business Administration's spending has decreased 89.7%, while overall spending has increased 196.9%.
The department’s spending grew less than overall spending, which means that the department’s share of the federal budget decreased. In 2025, SBA accounted for 0.012% of all federal spending. That’s 0.032 percentage points lower than 2015 and 0.3 points lower than in 1980.
Major legislation, internal or global economic conditions, and acute events like the COVID-19 pandemic can affect spending year to year. For example, the federal budget fluctuated during the pandemic, rising from $5.3 trillion (in 2023 dollars) in 2019 to $7.7 trillion in 2020 and $7.8 trillion in 2021.

The Small Business Administration's share of federal spending in FY 2025 was lower than in FY 1980.

Percentage of federal budget dedicated to SBA, FYs 1980–2025

Most federal spending can be categorized as direct or indirect. Direct spending refers to money the federal government spends on budget items such as federal programs, employee salaries, and debt interest. Indirect spending refers to federal transfers to state and local governments.
In FY 2025, all of the Small Business Administration's spending was direct.
The chart below outlines all net SBA spending.

How did the Small Business Administration spend its budget in 2025?

Federal government net spending isolated to SBA, FY 2025

How many people work for the Small Business Administration?

Some 5,000 of the 2.02 million total civilian federal employees work for the Small Business Administration as of May 2026. This is 16.8% more people than the department staffed in 2012.

The number of federal employees working for the Small Business Administration has increased 16.8% since 2012.

Number of federal employees working for SBA, May 2012–2026

SBA accounts for 0.3% of the overall federal workforce. As the number of federal employees has changed, so too has the way the workforce is organized, with resources allocated to agencies depending on government priorities. SBA constituted a larger share of the overall federal workforce in May 2026 than in 2012 (0.2%).
While the number of employees on an agency’s payroll contributes to that agency’s expenditures, some agencies have relatively few employees compared to their budget or vice versa, giving them an outsized share of either the budget or the workforce. According to the most recent data, the Small Business Administration’s share of the workforce (0.3%) is larger than its share of the budget (0.012%).

Who leads the Small Business Administration?

The SBA is led by an administrator, a position appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. They oversee the agency’s programs, initiatives, and the execution of its mission to support small businesses. SBA also has 10 regional offices, each with its own administrator.

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Methodology

USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.

Page sources

USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.