Key finding: Retail Trade had 161,695 U.S. business applications in July 2026. It had 109,480 in July 2025.
That was a rise of 52,215 applications, or 47.7%.
Across the U.S., applications rose by 121,068.
Retail made up 43.1% of that increase.
Business applications by industry
| Industry | July 2025 | July 2026 | Change | YoY change | Share of U.S. increase |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 513,667 | 634,735 | +121,068 | +23.6% | 100.0% |
| Retail Trade | 109,480 | 161,695 | +52,215 | +47.7% | 43.1% |
| Professional Services | 66,525 | 84,727 | +18,202 | +27.4% | 15.0% |
| Construction | 45,145 | 51,819 | +6,674 | +14.8% | 5.5% |
| Administrative and Support | 34,987 | 41,658 | +6,671 | +19.1% | 5.5% |
| Accommodation and Food Services | 27,808 | 33,875 | +6,067 | +21.8% | 5.0% |
| Other Services | 41,218 | 46,775 | +5,557 | +13.5% | 4.6% |
| Transportation and Warehousing | 33,781 | 39,337 | +5,556 | +16.4% | 4.6% |
| Real Estate | 23,857 | 28,309 | +4,452 | +18.7% | 3.7% |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 32,573 | 36,940 | +4,367 | +13.4% | 3.6% |
| Information | 10,211 | 14,497 | +4,286 | +42.0% | 3.5% |
| Educational Services | 7,899 | 9,706 | +1,807 | +22.9% | 1.5% |
| Manufacturing | 6,942 | 8,533 | +1,591 | +22.9% | 1.3% |
| Management of Companies | 6,055 | 7,216 | +1,161 | +19.2% | 1.0% |
| Finance and Insurance | 21,371 | 22,225 | +854 | +4.0% | 0.7% |
| Arts and Entertainment | 15,704 | 16,522 | +818 | +5.2% | 0.7% |
| Wholesale Trade | 10,149 | 10,724 | +575 | +5.7% | 0.5% |
| Agriculture | 3,638 | 3,796 | +158 | +4.3% | 0.1% |
| Unclassified | 15,139 | 15,196 | +57 | +0.4% | 0.0% |
| Mining | 499 | 537 | +38 | +7.6% | 0.0% |
| Utilities | 686 | 648 | -38 | -5.5% | -0.0% |
Source: RecurSave analysis of U.S. Census Bureau Business Formation Statistics. The figures are not seasonally adjusted. They compare July 2026 with July 2025.
Retail made up 43.1% of the increase
U.S. business applications rose from 513,667 to 634,735.
That was a rise of 121,068, or 23.6%.
Retail Trade rose by 52,215 applications.
That was 43.1% of the full U.S. increase.
Professional Services was second. It rose by 18,202 applications.
Retail and Professional Services made up 58.2% of the increase together.
What the data show
Business Applications count selected applications for Employer Identification Numbers, or EINs.
They are not a count of new businesses that opened.
Some applications may not lead to an active employer business.
The data show how application counts changed from July 2025 to July 2026.
They do not show why retail applications rose.
Method
RecurSave used the U.S. Census Bureau Business Formation Statistics monthly data.
The data cover the U.S. in July 2025 and July 2026.
The figures are not seasonally adjusted.
For each industry, RecurSave used:
July 2026 applications − July 2025 applications
To find each industry's share of the U.S. increase, RecurSave used:
Industry increase ÷ U.S. increase × 100
The same current Census data set was used for both years.
Limitations
Business Applications are not confirmed business openings.
This article compares July 2026 with July 2025.
One year of data does not prove a long-term trend.
The Census Bureau can revise past Business Formation Statistics.
In 2026, Census also moved the industry series to the 2022 NAICS system.
This article uses the current Census values for both years.
The data show what changed. They do not show why it changed.
Why the finding is useful
The U.S. total shows that business applications rose.
The industry data show where much of that rise came from.
Retail made up 43.1% of the net increase.
That gives more detail than the U.S. total alone.