Reader Writes In

A reader writes in with a common question, "how many small businesses are there in America?" The number of small businesses depends on how you define small business. If you include the number of tax returns filed by all small business entities, the number is 26.4 million, based on 2002 IRS tax returns. (Office of Advocacy)

According to NFIB Small Business Policy Guide, if you segment the market based on full and part-time business owners, it's a 50:50 split; 12 million full-time and 12 million part-time business owners.