MADISON, WI (July 20, 2026) – A new Wisconsin Small Business Economic Trends (SBET) report, produced by the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) Research Center and released today, highlights responses from Wisconsin small business owners on a variety of issues compared to national averages from the NFIB’s monthly SBET surveys throughout the year. The Small Business Optimism Index for Wisconsin small businesses in Winter (October-March) 2025-26 was 98.8, 0.3 points above the national average. “Wisconsin’s SBET report confirms how destructive high taxes – especially property taxes – and excessive red tape are to small businesses,” said NFIB Wisconsin State Director Luke Bacher. Wisconsin small business owners reported that their top issue is labor quality, followed by taxes. The data for this report is sourced from NFIB’s Small Business Economic Trends (SBET) Survey.