According to the SBA Scorecard in 2018, 9.65% of federal sales (or $46.5B) went to Certified Small Disadvantaged Businesses or 8(a) Certified firms. This was a $6B increase over the 2017 amount of $40.5B, which was the previous high-water mark. 

Based upon this large increase in sales dollars one would expect the number of 8(a) firms in the program to be growing. This is not the case as the number of 8(a) firms has decreased by almost 13% over the past two years. Some US States have even lost a third of their 8(a) certified firms during this three-year period. Therefore, firms that are on the fence about a potential 8(a) application should revisit obtaining the 8(a) Certification because current figures show the average 8(a) firm makes almost $8MM per year in federal revenue. Take a look at your state and the overall number of participants to see just how many opportunities there are at this time.

State - # of 8(a) Firms in 2016 - # of 8(a) Firms in 2018 - Gain / (Loss)

Alabama – 96 – 92 - -4%

Alaska – 249 – 292 - 17%

Arizona – 160 – 115 - -28%

Arkansas – 16 – 17 - 6%

California – 789 – 598 - -24%

Colorado – 160 – 144 - -10%

Connecticut – 18 – 18 - 0%

Delaware – 11 – 12 - 9%

D.C. – 160 – 171 - 7%

Florida – 412 – 345 - -16%

Georgia – 265 – 234 - -12%

Hawaii – 120 – 88 - -27%

Idaho – 29 – 30 - 3%

Illinois – 179 – 117 - -35%

Indiana – 44 – 34 - -23%

Iowa – 18 – 12 - -33%

Kansas – 33 – 40 - 21%

Kentucky – 23 – 20 - -13%

Louisiana – 122 – 113 - -7%

Maine – 11 – 8 - -27%

Maryland – 655 – 606 - -7%

Massachusetts – 40 – 38 - -5%

Michigan – 103 – 82 - -20%

Minnesota – 19 – 23 - 21%

Mississippi – 54 – 46 - -15%

Missouri – 71 – 73 - 3%

Montana – 18 – 15 - -17%

Nebraska – 15 – 20 - 33%

Nevada – 55 – 40 - -27%

New Hampshire – 10 – 9 - -10%

New Jersey – 96 – 89 - -7%

New Mexico – 115 – 86 - -25%

New York – 98 – 92 - -6%

North Carolina – 115 – 94 - -18%

North Dakota – 14 – 22 - 57%

Ohio – 135 – 105 - -22%

Oklahoma – 107 – 93 - -13%

Oregon – 43 – 33 - -23%

Pennsylvania – 85 – 72 - -15%

Rhode Island – 13 – 9 - -31%

South Carolina – 63 – 48 - -24%

South Dakota – 11 – 10 - -9%

Tennessee – 65 – 51 - -22%

Texas – 543 – 443 - -18%

Utah – 73 – 65 - -11%

Vermont – 1 – 1 - 0%

Virginia – 940 – 915 - -3%

Washington – 124 – 102 - -18%

West Virginia – 17 – 15 - -12%

Wisconsin – 53 – 37 - -30%

Wyoming – 15 – 8 - -47%

Totals - 6,681 - 5,842 - -13%

If you have any questions about getting qualified for an 8(a) Certification, or would like a more in-depth analysis on your business development opportunities, I recommend contacting the industry experts of ez8a at (859)442-3300. They do not charge for an initial consultation.