Research

Main Street America conducted an online survey in late March to assess the impact of the COVID-19 on the approximately 300,000 small businesses across the network. Specifically, this survey was designed to help us understand small businesses’ ability to withstand what may be several months of suppressed revenue and what kinds of support programs will have the most impact. With thanks to our Main Street Network for encouraging participation in the survey, more than 5,850 small business owners responded. 

The findings in our report, The Impact of COVID-19 on Small Businesses: Findings from Main Street America’s Small Business Survey, highlight the profound impact on the smallest, locally-owned businesses that are the backbone of many downtown districts. See the findings from a follow-up survey we conducted in May here. 

Building on this survey research, we conducted a survey in  August 2020 aimed at understanding how business owners are managing the recovery from COVID-19 and responding to recent protests and social unrest. See key findings here.

To better understand what is happening on the state and local level, explore a pair of interactive maps where you can access a summary of results for all states and communities where we received five or more completed surveys. To explore the data, simply click on any community that has a colored dot or any state shaded in blue. The results can be easily copied and pasted into a Word doc or Excel spreadsheet. Please note that the maps may take a few moments to load.