About half of small business owners in Washington State say their operations during the pandemic either have returned to normal or will in the next six months, according to a U.S. Census Bureau survey conducted two weeks ago.

The bureau reported the optimism level from last month was at the highest level it has been since May of last year. A total of 50.4% of Washington small business operators responded that business was normal or expected to recover within six months.

The results were a little better nationally with about 52% reporting normal sales or the expectation of recovery within six months. The results were reported earlier this week in The Seattle Times.

The paper also reported the glass-half-empty side of the survey; that almost half of the state’s small businesses don’t see economic conditions improving much in the future, or their business has already closed.

Data for the survey comes from the bureau’s Small Business Pulse Survey that started in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Results from it are released weekly.

Source: Seattle Times