Small Business Saturday by the Numbers: How Much Shoppers Spend, and Why It Matters (2026 Guide)
Small Business Saturday 2026 falls on Nov. 28. Shoppers reported spending an estimated $18 billion in 2025 and $241 billion since tracking began. The numbers explained.
Key takeaways
- Small Business Saturday 2026 is Saturday, November 28, the Saturday after Thanksgiving (November 26).
- U.S. consumers reported spending an estimated $18 billion at independent retailers and restaurants on Small Business Saturday 2025, according to an American Express survey, after $22 billion in 2024.
- Reported spending has totaled an estimated $241 billion since American Express began tracking the day.
- These are survey-based estimates of about 2,400–2,900 consumers each year, not sales receipts, so year-to-year swings should be read loosely.
- In a 2022 study cited by American Express, about 68 cents of every dollar spent at a small business in the U.S. stayed in the local community.
The weekend after Thanksgiving kicks off holiday shopping, and one day in the middle of it is set aside for independent stores and restaurants. Small Business Saturday 2026 falls on November 28. Here's what the numbers say about how much shoppers spend, where the figures come from, and how to make your own shopping count.
When is Small Business Saturday 2026?
Saturday, November 28, 2026. Small Business Saturday is always the Saturday after Thanksgiving, which falls on November 26 this year. That puts it between Black Friday and Cyber Monday. American Express created the day; its December 2024 release called that year's event the 15th annual Small Business Saturday.
How much do shoppers spend on Small Business Saturday?
Each year American Express runs a survey of U.S. consumers right after the event and projects how much people spent at independent retailers and restaurants:
Estimated reported spending on Small Business Saturday
Billions of U.S. dollars, at independent retailers and restaurants, per American Express consumer surveys
Estimates projected from online surveys of roughly 2,400 to 2,950 U.S. adults each year (2,426 in 2021; 2,471 in 2022; 2,483 in 2023; 2,601 in 2024; 2,945 in 2025). They are self-reported, not measured sales.
Source: American Express (2024, 2025 newsroom releases) · American Express via WebWire (2022, 2023) · American Express SEC filing (2021)
View the data
| Year | Estimated reported spending ($ billions) |
|---|---|
| 2021 | $23.3 |
| 2022 | $17.9 |
| 2023 | $17.0 |
| 2024 | $22.0 |
| 2025 | $18.0 |
- 2021: an estimated $23.3 billion
- 2022: $17.9 billion
- 2023: $17 billion
- 2024: $22 billion
- 2025: $18 billion
The swings look big, but treat them with caution. Each estimate is projected from an online survey of about 2,400 to 2,950 adults, based on what people say they spent. So some of the year-to-year change may reflect survey noise rather than a real shift in shopping. The more reliable takeaway is the scale: roughly $17 billion to $23 billion of reported spending in a single day.
How much has Small Business Saturday added up to over time?
Cumulative reported spending since tracking began
Billions of U.S. dollars, through each year's Small Business Saturday
As reported by American Express in each year's release.
Source: American Express
View the data
| Period | Cumulative ($ billions) |
|---|---|
| Through 2023 | $201 |
| Through 2024 | $223 |
| Through 2025 | $241 |
American Express says reported spending has reached an estimated $241 billion since it began tracking the day, up from $201 billion through 2023 and $223 billion through 2024.
In December 2025, American Express also said it had reached its goal of helping drive $100 billion in spending to small businesses in the U.S. and U.K. from 2021 through 2025. It is funding more than $10 million in grants, including more than 500 grants of $20,000 each through Main Street America.
How much of your money stays local?
This is the argument for shopping small in the first place. American Express cites a 2022 study finding that about 68 cents of every dollar spent at a small business in the U.S. stays in the local community, and that each dollar spent creates an additional 48 cents in local business activity.
The idea is that local owners often hire, bank and buy services close to home, so more of each sale recirculates nearby. We dig into that "local multiplier" in more detail in why buying local matters.
Do shoppers come back after Small Business Saturday?
The surveys suggest the day builds habits, not just one-day sales:
- In 2022, 72% of consumers surveyed said Small Business Saturday makes them want to shop small all year.
- In 2023, 59% of those aware of the day said they shopped small, and 61% found a place they planned to return to. 86% shopped in person.
- In 2024, 85% of shoppers went in-store, 66% found a place they'll return to, and 73% said they plan to keep participating.
- In 2025, 86% of consumers surveyed said they were likely to shop small, including 89% of Millennials and Gen Z.
Online shopping is part of it too. In 2023, 53% of participants said they shopped small businesses online, compared with 34% who shopped large retailers online.
How do small business owners see the day?
In American Express's annual Shop Small Impact Study, 84% of small business owners in 2024 said the day was more critical than ever, up from 48% the year before. In 2025, 95% of owners said community support keeps their business thriving, up from 86%.
How can you make the most of Small Business Saturday?
A few practical ideas:
- Plan a route. Pick a few independent shops in one downtown and walk it, the way people do at farmers markets.
- Ask where things are made. Many independent shops carry regional makers. Our guide on how to verify Made in USA claims explains what labels really mean.
- Buy gift cards for later. They're cash flow for the shop now.
- Leave a review and tell friends. It costs nothing and helps small shops get found.
- Shop small online if you can't get out; many independent stores sell through their own websites.
Which U.S.-made gifts can you buy from American makers?
If you're shopping online, look for American companies still making products in their hometowns:
Uncle Goose makes wooden blocks in Grand Rapids, Michigan; Stormy Kromer makes its caps in Ironwood, Michigan; and Darn Tough makes socks in Northfield, Vermont. Browse gifts, toys and made in Vermont for more ideas.
Sources
- On Small Business Saturday, American Express reaches goal to drive $100 billion to small businessesAmerican Express, December 17, 2025
- 15th annual Small Business Saturday sees estimated $22 billion in reported spendingAmerican Express, December 3, 2024
- Small Business Saturday 2023 consumer spending estimate (American Express release)American Express via WebWire, November 28, 2023
- Small Business Saturday 2022 consumer spending estimate (American Express release)American Express via WebWire, November 28, 2022
- American Express Company, Definitive Additional Proxy Materials (DEFA14A), including Small Business Saturday 2021 resultsU.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (EDGAR), April 5, 2022
