New Poll: Gas Prices Impacting Most Small Businesses

Washington, D.C.— A majority of small business owners say their expenses have increased over the last three months as fuel and other expenses rose while profit margins have decreased and customer growth has slowed at the same time, according to a new survey.

Voice of Main Street, a quarterly opinion poll of entrepreneurs in Small Business Majority’s network, which consists primarily of women- and minority-owned businesses with fewer than 10 employees, finds small businesses concerned about a range of affordability challenges: 74% report that they are being impacted by recent increases in fuel and transportation costs, 88% say the cost of raw goods and materials has increased, 89% say healthcare premiums are up and 72% say their commercial rent has risen this year. 

Additionally, just 14% say their business revenues have increased over the past three months while half say it has decreased. More than one-quarter of small businesses report their employee headcount has decreased over the past three months. At the same time, 57% of small business owners say they are experiencing a slowdown in customer growth and 63% report decreased profit margins this year. Only 5% report that they have seen no change in costs or business conditions. In the face of these challenges, just 43% of business owners say they are optimistic about their prospects over the next six months.

“Rising fuel costs continue to have an impact on my business,” said Shayai Lucero, matriarch of Earth and Sky Floral Designs and Gallery in the Pueblo of Laguna, N.M. “Unlike businesses concentrated in a single metropolitan area, my delivery routes cover large geographic regions, including rural and tribal communities where access to floral services is limited. Increased gas prices have raised my vehicle expenses, affecting everything from product procurement to customer deliveries to market attendance. High fuel costs also reduce resources that could otherwise be invested in business growth, marketing and inventory.”

As a result of financial challenges, small biz owners are facing difficult decisions just to maintain their operations:

• 65% have increased prices of goods or services;

• 43% have delayed business investments; and 

• 34% have frozen hiring while 11% have laid off employees.

“Due to a combination of ballooning gas prices, rising healthcare costs, global tariffs and workforce pressures driven by escalating immigration policies, the challenges facing small businesses today are practically insurmountable,” said Small Business Majority Senior Director of Federal Government Affairs Alexis D’Amato Falvey. “Now more than ever, Main Street is looking to Congress to support and strengthen access to programs with a long-standing track-record of providing established pathways to capital, technical assistance, and growth opportunities for the small businesses that are the economic engines of our nation.”

The Q2 2026 Voice of Main Street survey is a poll of 237 small business owners in Small Business Majority’s national network. Forty percent of respondents in the sample report business revenues of less than $100,000 while 62% identify as female and 40% identify as a race other than white. The survey was conducted May 15 to June 8, 2026. The margin of error is +/- 6% at a 95% confidence level.