Homebase
Get started
Sign inGet started
← All Main Street Health Reports

Main Street Health Report

April 2026

Labor and wage stats

Every month we measure how small businesses are actually doing, from the timesheets of more than 100,000 of them: who is working, how many hours, what they are paid, and how that compares with the same month in previous years.

April marked the first negative Mar–Apr reading in three years (-0.2%), reversing the +1.1% to +1.2% gains seen in 2024 and 2025, continuing a pattern of slower growth than in the prior two years. This could reflect, at least in part, a slower pace of labor force growth as net immigration has declined.

Download the PDFEmail the data teamSee every monthly report
Hourly employees
2M+

Hourly employees

Small businesses
100K+

Small businesses

Measured, not surveyed
Timesheet data

Measured, not surveyed

The owners of Antique Taco standing outside their restaurant

Main Street at a glance

The top things to know this month

  • -0.2%

    April marked the first negative Mar–Apr reading in three years (-0.2%), reversing the +1.1% to +1.2% gains seen in 2024 and 2025, continuing a pattern of slower growth than in the prior two years. This could reflect, at least in part, a slower pace of labor force growth as net immigration has declined.

  • -0.7%

    Hours fell -0.7% from March to April, a sharp departure from the +0.4% (2024) and +0.6% (2025) seasonal pattern. As with the number of employees, hours are growing more slowly than it did 1 and 2 years ago.

  • -2.1%

    Southwest (-2.1%) and West (-2.0%) posted their steepest April declines in three years, while the Midwest (+0.3%) and Northeast (+0.4%) stayed positive, a sharper divergence than in the prior 2 years.

What the data shows

Each finding below takes one measure of Main Street, participation, hours, wages, hiring and turnover, and compares April 2026 with the same month in the two years before it. Every chart is drawn from the figures, which are published alongside it for anyone who wants to check or reuse them.

Employees Working

Workforce Participation Stalls Heading Into Spring

April marked the first negative Mar–Apr reading in three years (-0.2%), reversing the +1.1% to +1.2% gains seen in 2024 and 2025, continuing a pattern of slower growth than in the prior two years. This could reflect, at least in part, a slower pace of labor force growth as net immigration has declined.

(Monthly change in 7-day average of “Employees Working”, relative to January of respective year)

202420252026(2.0%)(1.0%)0.0%1.0%2.0%3.0%2.1%(1.4%)0.0%Jan – Feb1.2%2.1%0.9%Feb – Mar0.3%1.1%0.8%Mar – Apr
Grouped column chart of the month-over-month change in employees working, one group per month and one column per year (2024, 2025 and 2026). Most recent month: 2026 up 0.8%.
Grouped column chart of the month-over-month change in employees working, one group per month and one column per year (2024, 2025 and 2026). Most recent month: 2026 up 0.8%.
Category202420252026
Jan – Feb2.1%(1.4%)0.0%
Feb – Mar1.2%2.1%0.9%
Mar – Apr0.3%1.1%0.8%

Hours Worked

Hours Worked Turn Negative for First Time Since 2024

Hours fell -0.7% from March to April, a sharp departure from the +0.4% (2024) and +0.6% (2025) seasonal pattern. As with the number of employees, hours are growing more slowly than it did 1 and 2 years ago.

(Monthly change in 7-day average of “Hours Worked”, relative to January of respective year)

202420252026(2.0%)(1.0%)0.0%1.0%2.0%3.0%2.7%(1.4%)0.7%Jan – Feb2.1%2.9%1.0%Feb – Mar(0.6%)0.6%0.4%Mar – Apr
Grouped column chart of the month-over-month change in hours worked, one group per month and one column per year (2024, 2025 and 2026). Most recent month: 2026 up 0.4%.
Grouped column chart of the month-over-month change in hours worked, one group per month and one column per year (2024, 2025 and 2026). Most recent month: 2026 up 0.4%.
Category202420252026
Jan – Feb2.7%(1.4%)0.7%
Feb – Mar2.1%2.9%1.0%
Mar – Apr(0.6%)0.6%0.4%

Businesses Open, by region

Sun Belt Drives the Pullback in Open Businesses

Southwest (-2.1%) and West (-2.0%) posted their steepest April declines in three years, while the Midwest (+0.3%) and Northeast (+0.4%) stayed positive, a sharper divergence than in the prior 2 years.

(Month-over-month change in “Businesses Open”, by Census region)

Map of month-over-month change by Census region, with the figures for 2024, 2025 and 2026. In 2026: Mid-Atlantic up 0.7%, Midwest up 0.8%, Northeast up 1.0%, Other down 0.8%, Southeast down 0.5%, Southwest down 1.5%, West down 1.4%.+0.8%Midwest+1.0%Northeast−0.5%Southeast−1.5%Southwest−1.4%West
Map of month-over-month change by Census region, with the figures for 2024, 2025 and 2026. In 2026: Mid-Atlantic up 0.7%, Midwest up 0.8%, Northeast up 1.0%, Other down 0.8%, Southeast down 0.5%, Southwest down 1.5%, West down 1.4%.
Region202420252026
Midwest+0.3%+0.7%+0.8%
Northeast+0.5%+0.5%+1.0%
Southeast−0.9%−0.7%−0.5%
Southwest−0.7%−0.3%−1.5%
West−0.7%−0.8%−1.4%
Mid-Atlantic−0.2%+0.3%+0.7%
Other−0.9%−0.2%−0.8%

Region classification - Midwest: ND, SD, NE, KS, MN, IA, MO, WI, IL, IN, OH, MI; West: NV, UT, AZ, NM, CO, WY, MT, ID, OR, WA,

Employees Working

Personal Services Contract While Home & Repair Holds Up

Beauty & Wellness (-3.2%), Caregiving (-1.9%), and Medical/Veterinary (-1.5%) flipped negative versus prior-year gains, while Home & Repair (+3.8%) and Entertainment (+3.5%) preserved seasonal momentum, albeit below 2024 highs.

(Monthly change in 7-day average of “Employees Working”, relative to January of respective year)

202420252026(2.0%)(1.0%)0.0%1.0%2.0%3.0%2.1%(1.4%)0.0%Jan – Feb1.2%2.1%0.9%Feb – Mar0.3%1.1%0.8%Mar – Apr
Grouped column chart of the month-over-month change in employees working, one group per month and one column per year (2024, 2025 and 2026). Most recent month: 2026 up 0.8%.
Grouped column chart of the month-over-month change in employees working, one group per month and one column per year (2024, 2025 and 2026). Most recent month: 2026 up 0.8%.
Category202420252026
Jan – Feb2.1%(1.4%)0.0%
Feb – Mar1.2%2.1%0.9%
Mar – Apr0.3%1.1%0.8%

Entertainment includes events/festivals, sports/recreation, parks, movie theaters, and other categories.

Hourly Wages

Wage Growth Continues to Decelerate

Wages grew by 5.7% year-over-year in April, slower than a year earlier (7.6%) and two years earlier (11.3%).

(Percent change in average “Hourly Wages” across all jobs, relative to January 2022)

All industries0.0%8.0%16.0%24.0%32.0%40.0%48.0%43.7%Jan'23Jan'24Jan'25Jan'26Apr'26
Line chart of average hourly wages against January 2022, monthly. It reaches 43.7% above the January 2022 level by April 2026.
Line chart of average hourly wages against January 2022, monthly. It reaches 43.7% above the January 2022 level by April 2026.
PeriodAll industries
Point 11.3%
Point 21.1%
Point 32.7%
Point 43.3%
Point 53.7%
Point 64.4%
Point 75.1%
Point 86.0%
Point 97.3%
Point 107.7%
Point 119.4%
Jan'2311.8%
Point 1313.4%
Point 1413.5%
Point 1514.1%
Point 1615.0%
Point 1715.7%
Point 1816.6%
Point 1916.7%
Point 2018.5%
Point 2119.8%
Point 2221.2%
Point 2322.2%
Jan'2424.7%
Point 2525.9%
Point 2625.8%
Point 2726.5%
Point 2826.9%
Point 2927.5%
Point 3027.9%
Point 3128.5%
Point 3229.3%
Point 3329.8%
Point 3430.9%
Point 3531.4%
Jan'2533.7%
Point 3735.6%
Point 3835.8%
Point 3935.9%
Point 4035.9%
Point 4136.6%
Point 4237.5%
Point 4337.3%
Point 4438.8%
Point 4540.1%
Point 4640.8%
Point 4741.6%
Jan'2642.6%
Point 4943.5%
Point 5043.7%
Apr'2643.7%

Hourly Wages

Wage Divergence Emerges Between Service Tiers

Over the past year, wage growth has been slowest in the two highest-paid sectors: professional services and health care.

(Average “Hourly Wages” across all jobs)

April 2026$0.00$2.00$4.00$6.00$8.00$10.00$12.00$14.00$16.00$18.00$20.00$22.00$13.98Food & Drink$14.96Entertainment$15.73Retail$20.42Health Care$17.82ProfessionalServices
Column chart of the average hourly wage by sector in April 2026: Food & Drink $13.98, Entertainment $14.96, Retail $15.73, Health Care $20.42, Professional Services $17.82.
Column chart of the average hourly wage by sector in April 2026: Food & Drink $13.98, Entertainment $14.96, Retail $15.73, Health Care $20.42, Professional Services $17.82.
CategoryApril 2026
Food & Drink$13.98
Entertainment$14.96
Retail$15.73
Health Care$20.42
Professional Services$17.82

Number of Jobs Added

Despite a soft April, hiring approaches stabilization

April's +4.4% m/m hiring gain was smaller than in 2024 and 2025. But zooming out, hiring declines are gradually moderating: the -2.2% y/y decline is more moderate than in any month during 2025.

(Monthly change in average “Number of Jobs Added” across all jobs)

2024202520260.0%2.0%4.0%6.0%8.0%3.1%5.0%3.8%Jan – Feb0.7%0.4%2.9%Feb – Mar7.0%5.5%4.5%Mar – Apr
Grouped column chart of the month-over-month change in jobs added per location, one group per month and one column per year (2024, 2025 and 2026). Most recent month: 2026 up 4.5%.
Grouped column chart of the month-over-month change in jobs added per location, one group per month and one column per year (2024, 2025 and 2026). Most recent month: 2026 up 4.5%.
Category202420252026
Jan – Feb3.1%5.0%3.8%
Feb – Mar0.7%0.4%2.9%
Mar – Apr7.0%5.5%4.5%

Number of Jobs Archived

Turnover Climbs Sharply Above 2025 Levels

Jobs archived rose +7.4% m/m in April, nearly three times the +2.5% pace of April 2025. And on a y/y basis, turnover was up 1.2% - the first positive number since last August.

(Monthly change in average “Number of Jobs Archived” across all jobs)

202420252026(6.0%)(3.0%)0.0%3.0%6.0%9.0%12.0%(1.7%)0.4%(3.4%)Jan – Feb(0.1%)(3.9%)(0.3%)Feb – Mar9.6%2.5%7.1%Mar – Apr
Grouped column chart of the month-over-month change in jobs archived per location, one group per month and one column per year (2024, 2025 and 2026). Most recent month: 2026 up 7.1%.
Grouped column chart of the month-over-month change in jobs archived per location, one group per month and one column per year (2024, 2025 and 2026). Most recent month: 2026 up 7.1%.
Category202420252026
Jan – Feb(1.7%)0.4%(3.4%)
Feb – Mar(0.1%)(3.9%)(0.3%)
Mar – Apr9.6%2.5%7.1%

How we measure Main Street

The dataset is based on Homebase data gathered from more than 100,000 businesses and 2 million hourly employees active in the US on our platform, one of the largest and most trusted sources of real-time data on employment growth across the small business landscape.

Data from prior years uses similar cohort-based logic. Unless indicated otherwise, daily figures are calculated relative to the median value for that specific day for the baseline month, net of the first four days of the month.

Every chart on this page is drawn from the underlying figures rather than copied from the PDF. Those figures come from the same model the report is built on, which is refreshed each month as more timesheets land, so a value here may differ slightly from the one printed in the original slide. The PDF stays available above as published.

If you use any content from this report, please include a link to joinhomebase.com.

Measured from timesheets, not surveys

Hourly employees
2M+

Hourly employees

Small businesses
100K+

Small businesses

Hours worked

Calculated from hours recorded in Homebase timecards.

Businesses open

Based on whether a business had at least one employee clock-in.

Employees working

The distinct number of hourly workers with at least one clock-in.

Wage inflation

The monthly change in average hourly wages at businesses that ran Payroll with Homebase in March 2026 and March 2025.

The story behind the numbers

Read the monthly analysis

Every month the team writes up what these figures mean for the people running the businesses behind them: what changed, what it costs, and what to do about it.

Read this monthEvery data story

Top-rated app built for small business teams.

  • USA Today
  • The Wall Street Journal
  • Forbes
  • The New York Times

We love talking data

Questions, or real-time access to Homebase data feeds?

Email the data team

Get the next report

A new report publishes every month. Leave an email and we will send the next one, or take this month with you now.

One email a month, the report and nothing else.

Download this month’s PDF

Run your team on the data behind Main Street

Scheduling, time clocks, payroll, hiring and team communication, free to get started.

Get started for free

Recognized by the people who cover small business.

Best Payroll for Hourly Teams

2024

Best in Business for Best AI Implementation

2025

Best Employee Scheduling

2025

Best HR & Employee App

2025