YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The Federal Reserve’s 2025 Small Business Credit Survey is now open, and the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber is partnering to encourage local businesses to participate.
Owners and key financial decision-makers of for-profit businesses are invited to share their recent experiences about whether and how they use debt, what financial conditions they face and more.
Completing the survey takes about 12 minutes, and responses will inform the Fed, federal agencies, service providers and policymakers. With changes in the small-business credit environment in recent years, the survey provides important insights into how those changes affect small businesses and their ability to obtain the credit needed to operate and grow.
The SBCS questionnaire includes two key areas:
- Firm performance and challenges: Changes in revenue, number of employees, outlook for the business and financial challenges the business is experiencing.
- Financing needs and borrower experiences: Sources of financing, credit products used and experiences applying for and obtaining credit.
The SBCS is an annual national survey of small business owners that has been conducted since 2016 through a collaboration of the 12 Federal Reserve Banks. As of 2020, the national SBCS team leads the survey from the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland.
The survey captures the perspectives of businesses with fewer than 500 employees and is conducted in partnership with business and industry associations, local agencies and nonprofits. Results are weighted using U.S. Census Bureau data to reflect the distribution of small employer firms by industry, age, size, geography and owner demographics including race, ethnicity and gender.
The survey is conducted each fall, with reports released beginning in the spring.
The survey, which is available HERE, closes Nov. 14.