Small Business Credit Survey: Had Outstanding Debt: Business Support and Consumer Services Employer Firms (SBCSS11B5V8FRB)

Source: Federal Reserve Banks (Fed Small Business)  

Release: Small Business Credit Survey  

Units:  Percent, Not Seasonally Adjusted

Frequency:  Annual

The Small Business Credit Survey (SBCS) is an annual survey of firms with fewer than 500 employees that is fielded from approximately September through November each year. The SBCS is not a random sample; results should be analyzed with awareness of potential biases that are associated with convenience samples.

This series is based on the question: “Does your business have any debt outstanding?” and is the share of firms with outstanding debt at the time of the survey. Respondents were instructed to consider funds borrowed from external parties, including formal borrowing from financial institutions and loans from friends and family. In the 2020 and 2021 surveys, respondents were instructed to exclude loans they expected would be forgiven from their outstanding debt (for example, Paycheck Protection Program loans).

See SBCS questionnaires for detailed information on the questions in the survey.