In April of 2020, there were 5,245 8(a) certified firms in the United States. Today, there are 6,603 active 8(a) firms, which is a growth in number of 8(a) firms by 25.9% in one year. Several states saw a growth in their number of 8(a) firms as high as 100%.
From talking to clients, there are several factors that are leading to renewed interest in the SBA’s 8(a) BD Program.
1. Word of mouth concerning the success folks are having in the program. Around 40% of my business comes from referrals. More firms doing well within the 8(a) BD Program has more firms talking to me about the 8(a) BD Program, funny how that works.
2. Uncertainty in the marketplace created by COVID.
3. SBA increasing the thresholds for being classified as economically disadvantaged.
Because of these factors, I expect the number of 8(a) firms to continue to rise during 2021 and beyond. Now may be a good time to consider growing your business through federal contracting.
Below is a table of State by State data showing how fast the number of 8(a) firms has increased in a very short time:
STATE |
# of Active 8(a) per State April, 2021 |
# of Active 8(a) per State April, 2020 |
8(a) Growth Rate |
AK |
321 |
272 |
18.0% |
AL |
124 |
91 |
36.3% |
AR |
21 |
15 |
40.0% |
AZ |
130 |
96 |
35.4% |
CA |
592 |
516 |
14.7% |
CO |
157 |
130 |
20.8% |
CT |
18 |
15 |
20.0% |
DC |
194 |
154 |
26.0% |
DE |
12 |
12 |
0.0% |
FL |
389 |
290 |
34.1% |
GA |
253 |
212 |
19.3% |
HI |
102 |
82 |
24.4% |
IA |
17 |
12 |
41.7% |
ID |
37 |
24 |
54.2% |
IL |
112 |
104 |
7.7% |
IN |
41 |
28 |
46.4% |
KS |
44 |
39 |
12.8% |
KY |
20 |
15 |
33.3% |
LA |
124 |
103 |
20.4% |
MA |
49 |
37 |
32.4% |
MD |
685 |
526 |
30.2% |
ME |
12 |
6 |
100.0% |
MI |
92 |
70 |
31.4% |
MN |
26 |
25 |
4.0% |
MO |
81 |
60 |
35.0% |
MS |
48 |
37 |
29.7% |
MT |
18 |
13 |
38.5% |
NC |
102 |
74 |
37.8% |
ND |
25 |
13 |
92.3% |
NE |
31 |
25 |
24.0% |
NH |
11 |
8 |
37.5% |
NJ |
104 |
83 |
25.3% |
NM |
84 |
71 |
18.3% |
NV |
42 |
36 |
16.7% |
NY |
94 |
91 |
3.3% |
OH |
107 |
86 |
24.4% |
OK |
115 |
83 |
38.6% |
OR |
44 |
31 |
41.9% |
PA |
85 |
65 |
30.8% |
PR |
98 |
82 |
19.5% |
RI |
12 |
8 |
50.0% |
SC |
68 |
40 |
70.0% |
SD |
10 |
11 |
-9.1% |
TN |
66 |
48 |
37.5% |
TX |
464 |
387 |
19.9% |
UT |
63 |
53 |
18.9% |
VA |
1078 |
834 |
29.3% |
VT |
2 |
1 |
100.0% |
WA |
102 |
87 |
17.2% |
WI |
56 |
28 |
100.0% |
WV |
13 |
10 |
30.0% |
WY |
8 |
6 |
33.3% |
Total |
6,603 |
5,245 |
25.9% |
If you have any questions about getting qualified for an 8(a) Certification or would like a more in-depth analysis, I always recommend contacting an industry expert such as ez8a or Advance 8a. Neither charge for an initial consultation.
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