U.S. New Business Formations Hit All-Time Record in March 2026

New business formations in the United States reached an all-time high in March 2026 with 624,915 companies registered in a single month, according to Registered Agents. The total set a record for any month on record. Momentum continued into April with 560,194 new business formations, a 9% increase over April 2025.

Florida led the nation in March with more than 67,000 new business registrations. Texas followed with 47,348, California with 40,399 and Delaware with 28,882. Registered Agents tracks new entity filings at the state level across all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

The surge occurred even as inflation remained elevated. 8% in April 2026 before seasonal adjustment. 2, comparable to the trough reached in June 2022.

’s largest business formation services provider, cited its client base of hundreds of thousands of people in describing the trend. Molly Cavanah, VP of revenue growth and data at Registered Agents, said the growth reflected Americans building side hustles.

““We are witnessing a profound shift in the American workforce. This growth is in direct response to an economy where ‘under-employed’ Americans are building side hustles to bridge the gap between rising costs and limited income.””

“— Molly Cavanah, VP of revenue growth and data at Registered Agents A KeyBank survey of more than 1,000 American respondents last year found that 35% said they were pursuing a side hustle to help pay the bills. The Registered Agents report echoed those findings. Business owners expressed optimism despite weak consumer sentiment. Forty-six percent of business owners said their companies were in a stronger position compared to the same time last year. Fifty-four percent of people said they were very optimistic about the next 12 months for their organizations. Broader business confidence measures also improved. OECD business confidence sentiment for May 2026 ticked up by 0.06%. The increase marked a change compared to 2025 when sentiment was negative. The Conference Board’s CEO Confidence report rose by 11 points from 48 in Q4 2025. A reading above 50 on the Conference Board CEO Confidence index reflects more positive than negative responses. @FortuneMagazine reported that the formations come as everyday Americans face strained wallets from sticky inflation, with pressure from energy prices tied to tensions in the Middle East. UBS’s Paul Donovan noted price increases consumers notice since President Trump took office, including coffee up 24%, beef over 19%, gasoline over 19% and vegetables 10.5%. The data points to individuals taking matters into their own hands through entrepreneurship amid the affordability challenges that have persisted into 2026.”