BUSINESS OPERATIONS STUDY
The Life of a Business
How many businesses remain operating after they open? This study follows U.S. private-sector business establishments born in March 2013 and examines their survival over the following ten years.
10-YEAR SURVIVAL
of U.S. private-sector establishments born in March 2013 were still operating in March 2023.
ESTABLISHMENT SURVIVAL
100 establishments over time
Move through the timeline to see how the share of surviving establishments changes.
INDUSTRY COMPARISON
Survival differs across industries
Percentage of establishments from the March 2013 cohort still operating ten years later.
INTERPRETING THE DATA
Survival is not the same as success.
These figures describe whether establishments remained operating. They do not measure profitability, revenue, employment growth, productivity, or the quality of an individual business.
Industry conditions, economic cycles, competition, financing, location, management decisions, and many other factors can influence establishment survival.
ABOUT THE DATA
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Business Employment Dynamics program measures establishment births, deaths, age, and survival using administrative employment records. An establishment represents an economic unit at a single physical location and should not necessarily be interpreted as an entire company.
Percentages shown here represent historical outcomes for groups of establishments. They should not be interpreted as predictions for an individual business.
SOURCE
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Business Employment Dynamics
Establishment Age and Survival Data