145 million adults have seriously considered starting a business, a third of them are actively doing it

Introduction

More than half of U.S. adults (54%, or 145 million people) have seriously considered starting a business, yet only one-third of them are currently working toward one, according to a new survey conducted by Morning Consult on behalf of Gusto in September 2026.

People are drawn to entrepreneurship by the opportunity to pursue a passion, control their schedule, and build financial security for their family. Uncertainty about the process of starting a business is making it harder for many aspiring owners to reach those goals. Here's what we learned (click the image below or here to download the full report).

Key Findings

• More than half of U.S. adults have seriously considered starting a business, yet only one-third of them are currently working toward one. Fifty-four percent of U.S. adults have considered starting a business at some point in their life, representing 145 million people. Interest is particularly strong among Gen Z and Millennials, at 66% each.

• Process and knowledge gaps are among the leading obstacles to moving forward. When asked why they had not moved beyond a sticking point, 28% of aspiring entrepreneurs cited a process or knowledge barrier. This leads to a real misunderstanding of how long it will take to overcome these obstacles: aspiring entrepreneurs expect 50 hours of administrative work versus the 32 that owners who recently launched businesses report spending.

• Aspiring entrepreneurs are turning to AI for advice and encouragement. Forty-three percent of people who have seriously considered starting a business have used AI in the planning process. Within that group, 28% have talked to AI about their doubts or sought encouragement, and about two-thirds say it prompted them to make a different choice than they would have if they hadn’t consulted it.

• Many prospective owners say guided support would help them start a business sooner. Forty-one percent of aspiring business owners said they’d start a business sooner if they had access to a service that walked them through key setup tasks.

Prospective owners want more control over their careers

Aspiring entrepreneurs are driven by the desire for more freedom and agency in their working lives. Turning a passion into a business is the most common motivation, at 30%, followed by the ability to control their schedule (26%) and build long-term financial security for their family (24%). Just over one in five (21%) want to stop working for someone else.

Few aspiring entrepreneurs say they want to start a business out of financial necessity, though financial pressure plays a role for some. Eighteen percent said they need more income than their job provides, and 16% want to be paid what they believe their work is worth. Concern about losing a job to technology such as AI is relatively uncommon, cited by just 7%.

Two-thirds of Gen Z and Millennials have considered business ownership

Interest in ownership is especially strong among younger generations. Two-thirds of Gen Z and Millennials have seriously considered starting a business at some point in their lives, compared with 52% of Gen X and 34% of Baby Boomers.

Aspiring entrepreneurs are turning to AI for practical guidance

Forty-three percent of aspiring entrepreneurs have used AI for something related to the start-up process. Among these AI users, 37% have used it to investigate legal requirements, and the same percentage have used it to estimate start-up costs. About a third (34%) have asked whether their idea is worth pursuing.

Conclusion

Entrepreneurial ambition is widespread in the U.S., but there is a substantial gap between the share of adults considering business ownership and the share working toward it. Not understanding the processes and requirements to turn a passion into a business is among the most common barriers, and it is among the most easily solvable. Many aspiring owners are already working for their business but do not know how to proceed when it comes to formalizing it.

These prospective owners have already done much of the work. They have written plans, researched requirements, or even found customers. Clearer information and stronger support around the setup process could help them build on those initial steps and experience the full benefits of business ownership.

Methodology

This report is based on a survey of U.S. adults conducted by Morning Consult on behalf of Gusto from September 1 to September 8, 2026, among 6,105 U.S. adults, weighted to the U.S. adult population. At the full sample, the margin of error is plus or minus 1.25 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. Every subgroup and crosstab draws on a smaller base and carries a wider margin of error.