# Solopreneur Statistics 2026: How Many Are There, and What Do They Earn?

> How many solopreneurs are in the US? 29.8M nonemployer firms, what they earn, profit rates, AI use and solo-founder trends, each stat tied to a source.

Last updated: 2026-11-08T07:30:00

Canonical URL: https://crevio.co/blog/solopreneur-statistics

**There are about 29.8 million solopreneurs in the United States.** That is the Census Bureau's count of nonemployer businesses in 2023, the most recent year published, and together they generated roughly $1.8 trillion, or 6.4% of US GDP. They are also the fastest-growing part of the small-business economy.

This page collects the solopreneur statistics that matter in 2026: how many there are, what they earn, how often they turn a profit, how they use AI, and how many startups are now founded by one person. Every number below links to the source we checked, and the year is stated next to it. Where a number from the first version of this post could not be re-verified, we removed it.

_Last updated: November 8, 2026_

## Key takeaways

| # | Stat | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 29.8M nonemployer firms in the US (2023) | [US Census Bureau](https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2025/07/nonemployer-business-growth.html) |
| 2 | Nonemployers grew 2.7% a year on average from 2012 to 2023, employers 1.1% | [US Census Bureau](https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2025/07/nonemployer-business-growth.html) |
| 3 | 77% of solopreneurs are profitable in year one | [Gusto via Founder Reports](https://founderreports.com/solopreneur-statistics/) |
| 4 | 55% earn under $50K, 79% under $100K | [Branch and Mastercard via Founder Reports](https://founderreports.com/solopreneur-statistics/) |
| 5 | 64% use generative AI for marketing | [Gusto via Founder Reports](https://founderreports.com/solopreneur-statistics/) |
| 6 | Solo founders: 23.7% of new startups in 2019, 36.3% in H1 2025 | [Carta](https://carta.com/data/solo-founders-report) |

**Jump to:** [How many solopreneurs](#how-many-solopreneurs-are-there-in-the-us) · [Growth](#how-fast-is-solopreneurship-growing) · [Income](#how-much-do-solopreneurs-earn) · [Startups](#solo-founders-and-startups) · [AI](#how-solopreneurs-use-ai) · [FAQ](#faq)

## What is a solopreneur?

A solopreneur runs a business alone, with no full-time employees. They may hire freelancers or contractors, but the business does not depend on a team. The Census Bureau does not use the word. Its closest measure is the **nonemployer establishment**: a business with no paid employees that is subject to federal income tax. That category includes freelancers, consultants, creators, and sellers of digital products, as well as people with a small side business, so treat it as an upper bound on full-time solopreneurs.

## How many solopreneurs are there in the US?

### 1. There are 29.8 million nonemployer firms

[The Census Bureau's Nonemployer Statistics](https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2025/07/nonemployer-business-growth.html) count **29.8 million** nonemployer establishments in 2023.

### 2. Employers are only about one in five US businesses

Employer businesses made up **21.6%** of all US businesses in 2023, down from 24.6% in 2012, according to the same [Census analysis](https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2025/07/nonemployer-business-growth.html). The rest are businesses without employees.

### 3. Nonemployers produce 6.4% of GDP

Nonemployer establishments accounted for about **6.4% ($1.8 trillion)** of 2023 US current-dollar GDP, about 0.4 points less than in 2022 ([Census](https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2025/07/nonemployer-business-growth.html)). Their share of the businesses is huge; their share of output is modest, because most are small.

### 4. Women own 42.7% of nonemployer businesses

[Founder Reports, citing the Census Bureau](https://founderreports.com/solopreneur-statistics/), puts women's share of nonemployer businesses at 42.7%.

## How fast is solopreneurship growing?

### 5. Nonemployers grew 4.9% in 2021 and 4.7% in 2022

Those were the highest growth rates in nearly two decades, far ahead of employer growth of 1.9% in 2021 and 1.8% in 2022 ([Census](https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2025/07/nonemployer-business-growth.html)). Growth slowed to **2.1% in 2023**.

### 6. The long-run gap is bigger than the pandemic spike

From 2012 to 2023, nonemployers averaged **2.7% annual growth** while employers averaged **1.1%** ([Census](https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2025/07/nonemployer-business-growth.html)). Solopreneurship has outgrown the rest of small business for a decade.

### 7. New firm creation accelerated again in 2026

In the [Stripe Sessions 2026 keynote](https://stripe.com/sessions/2026/opening-remarks-and-product), Stripe's Emily Glassberg Sands said that since the start of 2026 Stripe has seen a "parabolic rise in new firm creation." The rate rose after the pandemic and stayed elevated; the 2026 acceleration is new. Stripe did not publish a solopreneur-only breakdown in that talk, so read it as a signal about all new businesses, not only solo ones.

## How much do solopreneurs earn?

### 8. The typical solopreneur pays themselves about $41,000 in year one

[Gusto data](https://founderreports.com/solopreneur-statistics/) shows owner pay of about **$41,000 in year one, $76,000 by year two, and more than $87,000 by year five**. Gusto's data skews toward established solo businesses that run payroll, such as S-corps, so it describes solopreneurs on Gusto, not all 29.8 million.

### 9. Most solopreneurs earn under $50,000

A January 2026 survey of more than 1,400 solopreneurs by Branch and Mastercard found that **55% earn less than $50,000** a year and **79% earn less than $100,000**. 47% said they struggle to make ends meet, yet 75% believe their future is bright ([via Founder Reports](https://founderreports.com/solopreneur-statistics/)).

### 10. Solopreneurs say they need $219,000 to feel successful

The same roundup reports solopreneurs need about **$219,000 a year** on average to feel successful, far above what most earn.

### 11. Only 41% depend on the business for their main income

For just **41%** of solopreneurs the business is the primary source of income ([QuickBooks and Simply Business via Founder Reports](https://founderreports.com/solopreneur-statistics/)). For most it sits next to another job. If that is you, see our guide to [turning extra income into a full-time income](/blog/extra-income-full-time).

### 12. 77% are profitable in their first year

[Gusto's data](https://founderreports.com/solopreneur-statistics/) shows **77%** of solopreneurs are profitable in year one, helped by low overhead. Almost half started with less than $5,000, and 84% used their own money.

### 13. 35% report high stress

**35%** of solopreneurs describe their stress level as high, against **26%** of business owners with employees ([Founder Reports](https://founderreports.com/solopreneur-statistics/)).

The numbers above explain why headline stories about seven-figure one-person companies need care. The distribution is wide and bottom-heavy: most solo businesses are small, and a small group does very well.

## Solo founders and startups

### 14. Solo founders went from 23.7% to 36.3% of new startups

[Carta's Solo Founders Report](https://carta.com/data/solo-founders-report) shows the share of new startups with a single founder rising from **23.7% in 2019 to 36.3% in the first half of 2025**.

![Bar chart comparing solo-founded startups as a share of all new companies on Carta, rising from 23.7% in 2019 to 36.3% in mid-2025, a gain of 12.6 percentage points](https://crevio.co/vite/assets/carta-solo-founded-startups-ij6fwvpx.webp)
*Source: [Carta, Solo Founders Report 2025](https://carta.com/data/solo-founders-report)*

Carta also found that solo-led companies founded in 2024 were 30% of startups but received only **14.7%** of the cash raised in priced equity rounds that year. Investors still back teams over individuals, which is one reason solo founders lean on bootstrapping and AI tools.

### 15. One in five Atlas startups charges its first customer within 30 days

[Stripe's Atlas year in review](https://stripe.com/blog/stripe-atlas-startups-in-2025-year-in-review) reports that **20%** of startups incorporated through Atlas landed a first paying customer within 30 days in 2025, up from **8% in 2020**. Among the roughly 23,000 companies that incorporated through Atlas in 2025, **56% more** reached $100,000 in revenue in their first six months than in 2024.

### 16. Delaware company formations rose 28% in 2025

Total Delaware C-corporation formations were up **28% in 2025**, per the Delaware Division of Corporations as cited in the [Stripe report](https://stripe.com/blog/stripe-atlas-startups-in-2025-year-in-review). Stripe notes that Carta's pre-seed deal count was largely flat, so formation growth is not the same as funded-startup growth.

## How solopreneurs use AI

### 17. 64% use generative AI for marketing

[Gusto's survey](https://founderreports.com/solopreneur-statistics/) found **64%** of solopreneurs use generative AI for marketing, **37%** for customer service, and **36%** for sales help. One in three has hired at least one contractor.

AI is the lever that lets one person cover work that used to need a small team. For a deeper look at the tools, see our guide to [AI tools to build a one-person business](/blog/ai-tools-to-build-a-one-person-business).

## Old playbook vs. solo playbook

| Dimension | Traditional small business | AI-assisted solopreneur |
|---|---|---|
| Hiring | Hire to scale | Use AI and contractors, stay solo |
| Time to first customer | Months | 20% of Atlas startups within 30 days |
| Startup capital | Often tens of thousands | Almost half start with under $5,000 |
| Funding | Seed rounds | Mostly self-funded |

## What a solopreneur's stack looks like

The practical question behind the data is what stack lets one person run a business. [Crevio](https://crevio.co/) is built for this. You describe your business, and Crevio's AI builds the website, sets up payments, drafts the marketing, and handles day-to-day operations in one workspace.

If you want to go deeper, read about [the one-person billion-dollar company](/blog/one-person-billion-dollar-company), ask [whether AI can run a business](/blog/can-ai-run-a-business), or see [AI that runs your business](/blog/ai-that-runs-your-business).

## FAQ

### How many solopreneurs are there in the US?

About **29.8 million** nonemployer businesses operated in the US in 2023, according to the [Census Bureau](https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2025/07/nonemployer-business-growth.html). Not all are full-time: only 41% of solopreneurs rely on the business as their main income.

### How much do solopreneurs make?

Gusto's data shows typical owner pay of about **$41,000 in year one**, rising to more than **$87,000 by year five**. In the Branch and Mastercard survey, 55% earned under $50,000 and 79% under $100,000.

### What percentage of solopreneurs are profitable?

**77%** report being profitable in their first year, according to [Gusto](https://founderreports.com/solopreneur-statistics/).

### Are solopreneurs growing faster than regular businesses?

Yes. From 2012 to 2023, nonemployer businesses grew **2.7% a year** on average against **1.1%** for employer businesses ([Census](https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2025/07/nonemployer-business-growth.html)).

### How many startups are founded by one person?

Carta reports that **36.3%** of new startups in H1 2025 had a solo founder, up from 23.7% in 2019 ([Carta](https://carta.com/data/solo-founders-report)).

### How many solopreneurs use AI?

**64%** use generative AI for marketing, 37% for customer service, and 36% for sales ([Gusto](https://founderreports.com/solopreneur-statistics/)).

## Methodology and sources

- **US Census Bureau**: [Nonemployer Statistics, 2023 data](https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2025/07/nonemployer-business-growth.html). Nonemployer firms are a proxy for solopreneurs.
- **Founder Reports**: [Solopreneur Statistics 2026](https://founderreports.com/solopreneur-statistics/), updated September 2, 2026, which compiles Gusto, QuickBooks, Simply Business, and Branch and Mastercard surveys. These are survey figures, not census counts.
- **Stripe**: [Atlas startups in 2025: Year in review](https://stripe.com/blog/stripe-atlas-startups-in-2025-year-in-review) and the [Sessions 2026 keynote](https://stripe.com/sessions/2026/opening-remarks-and-product).
- **Carta**: [Solo Founders Report 2025](https://carta.com/data/solo-founders-report).

We removed statistics from the previous version that we could not tie to a published source. This page is reviewed regularly.

## The takeaway

Solopreneurship is large, growing faster than employer business, and mostly modest in income: a few million people earn well, and most earn less than a full-time salary. AI lowers the cost of starting and the time to the first sale. If you want to act on it, our step-by-step on [how to start an online business](/blog/how-to-start-an-online-business) is the practical follow-up.

## Related Blog Posts

- [AI Tools to Build a One-Person Business](/blog/ai-tools-to-build-a-one-person-business)
- [The One-Person Billion-Dollar Company](/blog/one-person-billion-dollar-company)
- [Can AI Run a Business?](/blog/can-ai-run-a-business)
- [AI That Runs Your Business](/blog/ai-that-runs-your-business)
- [AI Side Hustles That Actually Work](/blog/ai-side-hustles)