Updated October 15, 2026. Data: U.S. Census Bureau, through September 2026. Next update: after Census posts the October numbers in mid-November.
Pennsylvania logged 131,016 new business applications from January through September 2026, up 9% from the same months of 2025 and 64% above 2019. That’s the most for those nine months since Census records begin in 2005. Nationally, applications rose 15%.
A business application here means someone asked the IRS for an employer ID number (EIN) for a new business with a Pennsylvania address. Not every application turns into an operating business. Some are side projects, and some never open. But the count is the fastest public signal of how many people are starting something, and Census publishes it every month.
The trend, month by month
April was the busiest month, at 18,092. September jumped 33% over last September. About 29% of this year’s applications were what Census calls high-propensity: ones that show signs of becoming a business with employees, such as planned payroll or a corporate filing. Those were up 5% from last year.
| Month | 2019 | 2025 | 2026 | 2026 vs 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 9,966 | 14,185 | 14,616 | +3% |
| Feb | 8,912 | 11,817 | 13,364 | +13% |
| Mar | 9,800 | 13,929 | 14,599 | +5% |
| Apr | 8,974 | 15,936 | 18,092 | +14% |
| May | 10,172 | 11,446 | 13,375 | +17% |
| Jun | 8,045 | 12,885 | 12,834 | -0% |
| Jul | 7,039 | 15,834 | 15,438 | -3% |
| Aug | 9,509 | 12,099 | 12,648 | +5% |
| Sep | 7,430 | 12,061 | 16,050 | +33% |
| Jan–Sep | 79,847 | 120,192 | 131,016 | +9% |
Which industries are opening new businesses
Monthly application counts don’t come broken out by industry for each state, so this section uses a second Census data set that does: new employer locations, meaning a business site with at least one paid employee opening for the first time. The latest year is 2023. Pennsylvania saw 23,346 open that year, 7% more than in 2019.
Health care and social assistance opened the most new sites (2,874), followed by construction and professional services. Among industries with at least 500 openings, the fastest growth since 2019 was in real estate and rental (+28%); repair, personal care and other services (+21%); and manufacturing (+14%). Construction and office support services were roughly flat.
| Industry | 2019 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 2,646 | 2,874 | +9% |
| Construction | 2,665 | 2,681 | +1% |
| Professional services (legal, accounting, design, consulting) | 2,457 | 2,602 | +6% |
| Restaurants, bars and hotels | 2,427 | 2,586 | +7% |
| Repair, personal care and other services | 2,122 | 2,558 | +21% |
| Retail stores | 2,370 | 2,459 | +4% |
| Office support, cleaning and landscaping services | 1,545 | 1,522 | -1% |
| Trucking and warehousing | 1,066 | 1,123 | +5% |
| All industries | 21,888 | 23,346 | +7% |
New employer locations only. Most new applications are for businesses with no employees, so this table shows a different, smaller slice than the monthly counts above.
What forming an LLC costs in Pennsylvania
Many new owners set up a limited liability company (LLC) to keep business debts separate from personal savings. Filing a Pennsylvania LLC costs $125. Starting in 2025, LLCs also file a $7 annual report each year by September 30, beginning the year after they form. For the full breakdown and filing steps, see how much a Pennsylvania LLC costs.
| State fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Certificate of Organization (Department of State) | $125 |
| Docketing Statement filed with it | $0 |
| Annual Report, due by September 30 starting the year after you form | $7 |
| Certificate of Annual Registration, restricted professional companies only | At least $500 |
State fees are only part of the startup bill. If you need money for equipment, a lease or your first hires, compare your options in our guide to Pennsylvania business loans.
Download the data
Download the CSV with the monthly counts for 2019, 2025 and 2026 and the new-employer-location counts by industry. Free to use with credit to StartBusinessByState.
Source: StartBusinessByState analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data, https://startbusinessbystate.com/pennsylvania-startups-by-industry/
How we counted
- Applications: the business applications series from the Census Bureau’s Business Formation Statistics, monthly, not seasonally adjusted, Pennsylvania only. We added up January through September for each year so the comparison is like for like. Data were downloaded October 15, 2026.
- What counts: EIN applications for new businesses. Census leaves out tax liens, estates, trusts, some financial filings and a few other types. One person can file more than one application.
- High-propensity applications: the Census subset with features linked to later hiring, such as planned wages or a corporate filing.
- Industries: establishment openings from Census’s Business Dynamics Statistics, 2019 and 2023 (latest available). Industry names are shortened.
- LLC fees: taken from our Pennsylvania LLC guide, which cites the state’s own fee schedule. Fees can change; check with the state before you file.
FAQ
How many businesses started in Pennsylvania in 2026?
Census counted 131,016 new business applications in Pennsylvania from January through September 2026, up 9% from the same months of 2025. Not every application becomes an operating business.
How much does it cost to start an LLC in Pennsylvania?
Filing a Pennsylvania LLC costs $125. Starting in 2025, LLCs also file a $7 annual report each year by September 30, beginning the year after they form.
Where does this data come from?
The U.S. Census Bureau’s Business Formation Statistics, which count applications for employer ID numbers (EINs) each month, and its Business Dynamics Statistics for new employer locations by industry.
Last updated October 15, 2026 by StartBusinessByState.