Main Street Health Report
September 2024
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.
years Decline in “Employees Working” was similar to last month and better compared to previous years 7.5%
- Hourly employees
- 2M+
- Small businesses
- 100K+
- Measured, not surveyed
- Timesheet data
Hourly employees
Small businesses
Measured, not surveyed
Main Street at a glance
The top things to know this month
7.5%
years Decline in “Employees Working” was similar to last month and better compared to previous years 7.5%
7.5%
years “Hours Worked” declined more in September, after a good August, similar to last years 7.5%
Homebase data, by region
Northeast Severe - weather events, in the two regions, likely caused fewer employees to work
What the data shows
Each finding below takes one measure of Main Street, participation, hours, wages, hiring and turnover, and compares September 2024 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
Seasonal slowdown continues but better than last years
Decline in “Employees Working” was similar to last month and better compared to previous years
(Monthly change in 7-day average of “Employees Working”, relative to January 2024)
| Category | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan – Feb | 6.0% | 1.4% | 2.1% |
| Feb – Mar | (0.2%) | 0.1% | 1.2% |
| Mar – Apr | 0.7% | 1.5% | 0.3% |
| Apr – May | 1.5% | 1.0% | 1.1% |
| May – Jun | 3.2% | 1.8% | 2.5% |
| Jun – Jul | (0.9%) | (0.4%) | (1.9%) |
| Jul – Aug | (2.5%) | (3.2%) | (2.8%) |
| Aug – Sep | (4.1%) | (3.8%) | (3.1%) |
Hours Worked
September continued to be low, in line with prior years
“Hours Worked” declined more in September, after a good August, similar to last years
(Monthly change in 7-day average of “Hours Worked”, relative to January 2024)
| Category | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan – Feb | 6.2% | 1.5% | 2.7% |
| Feb – Mar | (0.2%) | 0.9% | 2.1% |
| Mar – Apr | 0.6% | 0.6% | (0.6%) |
| Apr – May | 2.1% | 1.6% | 2.0% |
| May – Jun | 3.3% | 2.2% | 2.7% |
| Jun – Jul | (0.6%) | (0.1%) | (2.0%) |
| Jul – Aug | (2.4%) | (3.1%) | (2.5%) |
| Aug – Sep | (5.2%) | (4.8%) | (4.0%) |
Homebase data, by region
Employee activity declined across Midwest & Northeast
Severe weather events, in the two regions, likely caused fewer employees to work
(Month-over-month change in core economic indicators, by Census region)
| Region | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Midwest | no data | no data | −2.0% |
| Northeast | no data | no data | −2.2% |
| Southeast | no data | no data | −1.7% |
| Southwest | no data | no data | −2.5% |
| West | no data | no data | −1.5% |
| Mid-Atlantic | no data | no data | −1.6% |
| Other | no data | no data | +0.5% |
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
All industries followed the same trend as last year
Industries with seasonal employment fared better than last years but still lag behind others
(Monthly change in 7-day average of “Employees Working”, relative to January 2024)
| Category | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan – Feb | 6.0% | 1.4% | 2.1% |
| Feb – Mar | (0.2%) | 0.1% | 1.2% |
| Mar – Apr | 0.7% | 1.5% | 0.3% |
| Apr – May | 1.5% | 1.0% | 1.1% |
| May – Jun | 3.2% | 1.8% | 2.5% |
| Jun – Jul | (0.9%) | (0.4%) | (1.9%) |
| Jul – Aug | (2.5%) | (3.2%) | (2.8%) |
| Aug – Sep | (4.1%) | (3.8%) | (3.1%) |
Entertainment includes events/festivals, sports/recreation, parks, movie theaters, and other categories.
Hourly Wages
Wages continue to grow, similar to last 2 years
“Hourly Wages” continued to pick up following a growth in July and August
(Monthly change in average “Hourly Wages” across all jobs)
| Category | September 2024 |
|---|---|
| Food & Drink | $12.88 |
| Entertainment | $13.77 |
| Retail | $14.37 |
| Health Care | $18.87 |
| Professional Services | $15.60 |
Hourly Wages
Hourly wages continue to pick up across industries
Month over month growth in “Hourly Wages” was even across industries
(Average “Hourly Wages” across all jobs)
| Category | September 2024 |
|---|---|
| Food & Drink | $12.88 |
| Entertainment | $13.77 |
| Retail | $14.37 |
| Health Care | $18.87 |
| Professional Services | $15.60 |
Hourly Wages
Rising labor costs persist for small businesses
Businesses continue to experience upward cost pressure, driven by wages
(Percent change in average “Hourly Wages” across all jobs, relative to January 2022)
| Period | All industries |
|---|---|
| Point 1 | 1.3% |
| Point 2 | 1.1% |
| Point 3 | 2.7% |
| Point 4 | 3.3% |
| Point 5 | 3.7% |
| Point 6 | 4.4% |
| Point 7 | 5.1% |
| Point 8 | 6.0% |
| Point 9 | 7.3% |
| Point 10 | 7.7% |
| Point 11 | 9.4% |
| Jan'23 | 11.8% |
| Point 13 | 13.4% |
| Point 14 | 13.5% |
| Point 15 | 14.1% |
| Point 16 | 15.0% |
| Point 17 | 15.7% |
| Point 18 | 16.6% |
| Point 19 | 16.7% |
| Point 20 | 18.5% |
| Point 21 | 19.8% |
| Point 22 | 21.2% |
| Point 23 | 22.2% |
| Jan'24 | 24.7% |
| Point 25 | 25.9% |
| Point 26 | 25.8% |
| Point 27 | 26.5% |
| Point 28 | 26.9% |
| Point 29 | 27.5% |
| Point 30 | 27.9% |
| Point 31 | 28.5% |
| Sep'24 | 29.3% |
Number of Jobs Added
Hiring demand was flat in September
Post-summer boom in seasonal staff turnover shifted earlier to August this year
(Monthly change in average “Number of Jobs Added” across all jobs)
| Category | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan – Feb | (2.9%) | 2.0% | 3.1% |
| Feb – Mar | 1.4% | (3.3%) | 0.7% |
| Mar – Apr | 8.7% | 7.3% | 7.0% |
| Apr – May | 1.9% | 3.8% | 2.8% |
| May – Jun | (1.8%) | (1.4%) | 1.2% |
| Jun – Jul | (6.1%) | (7.0%) | (11.7%) |
| Jul – Aug | 3.7% | 5.4% | 8.1% |
| Aug – Sep | (1.5%) | 1.1% | 0.1% |
Number of Jobs Archived
Employee turnover came out flat compared to August
After peak summer demand, season staff has turnover mostly took place prior to September
(Monthly change in average “Number of Jobs Archived” across all jobs)
| Category | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan – Feb | 1.4% | (3.9%) | (1.7%) |
| Feb – Mar | (5.0%) | (2.1%) | (0.1%) |
| Mar – Apr | 3.4% | 3.7% | 9.6% |
| Apr – May | (0.1%) | 7.7% | 6.0% |
| May – Jun | 1.8% | 1.9% | (10.8%) |
| Jun – Jul | (4.0%) | (0.2%) | (4.8%) |
| Jul – Aug | 12.1% | 12.1% | 5.7% |
| Aug – Sep | (5.8%) | (3.9%) | 1.7% |
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+
- Small businesses
- 100K+
Hourly employees
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.
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