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Small business price indicators
The rates and prices behind what a small business pays to borrow, fuel its vehicles, buy materials and make payroll, from official U.S. government data.
Updated Nov 10, 2026, 9:57 PM ET
Borrowing costs
The benchmark rates that business loans, lines of credit and SBA loans are priced from.
| Indicator | Latest | Change | From a year earlier | Five years | As of |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime rate | 7.00% | unchangedvs. a month earlier | unchanged | Nov 9, 2026 | |
| Fed funds rate | 3.88% | unchangedvs. a month earlier | ▲ +0.01 pt | Nov 9, 2026 | |
| 10-yr Treasury | 4.88% | ▼ −0.36 ptvs. a month earlier | ▲ +0.77 pt | Nov 9, 2026 | |
| 5-yr Treasury | 4.67% | ▼ −0.35 ptvs. a month earlier | ▲ +1.00 pt | Nov 9, 2026 | |
| Banks tightening standardsnet share of banks | 5.1% | ▲ +3.3 ptvs. a quarter earlier | ▼ −3.2 pt | Q4 2026 |
SBA 7(a) maximum rates at today's prime rate
| Loan size | Maximum spread | Maximum rate today |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 or less | Prime + 6.5% | 13.50% |
| $50,001 to $250,000 | Prime + 6.0% | 13.00% |
| $250,001 to $350,000 | Prime + 4.5% | 11.50% |
| Over $350,000 | Prime + 3.0% | 10.00% |
The SBA caps variable-rate 7(a) loans at a base rate plus a spread that depends on loan size (13 CFR 120.214). This table uses the bank prime loan rate of 7.00% as of Nov 9, 2026 as the base. These are ceilings, not quotes: lenders can and often do offer less.
Fuel & energy
What it costs to run trucks, equipment and buildings.
| Indicator | Latest | Change | From a year earlier | Five years | As of |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dieselper gallon | $6.127 | ▼ −$0.165 (−2.6%)vs. a week earlier | ▲ +$2.374 (+63.3%) | Nov 9, 2026 | |
| Gasolineper gallon | $3.995 | ▼ −$0.158 (−3.8%)vs. a week earlier | ▲ +$0.976 (+32.3%) | Nov 9, 2026 | |
| Crude oil (WTI)per barrel | $99.64 | ▲ +$1.75 (+1.8%)vs. a month earlier | ▲ +$37.85 (+61.3%) | Nov 3, 2026 | |
| Natural gasper million BTU | $2.63 | ▼ −$0.27 (−9.3%)vs. a month earlier | ▼ −$0.74 (−22.0%) | Nov 3, 2026 | |
| Electricityper kWh | $0.190 | ▼ −$0.006 (−3.1%)vs. a month earlier | ▲ +$0.002 (+1.1%) | Oct 2026 |
Materials & freight
Wholesale price changes for the inputs that contractors, restaurants and distributors buy.
| Indicator | Latest | Change | From a year earlier | Five years | As of |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Construction materialsover 12 months | 11.0% | ▲ +1.0 ptvs. a month earlier | ▲ +5.8 pt | Sep 2026 | |
| Lumberover 12 months | 8.7% | ▲ +1.2 ptvs. a month earlier | ▲ +6.9 pt | Sep 2026 | |
| Iron & steelover 12 months | 20.7% | ▲ +2.9 ptvs. a month earlier | ▲ +11.8 pt | Sep 2026 | |
| Concreteover 12 months | 4.2% | ▲ +0.1 ptvs. a month earlier | ▲ +2.2 pt | Sep 2026 | |
| Wholesale foodover 12 months | −0.9% | ▼ −0.6 ptvs. a month earlier | ▼ −5.3 pt | Sep 2026 | |
| Truckload freightover 12 months | 17.9% | ▲ +2.8 ptvs. a month earlier | ▲ +9.8 pt | Sep 2026 |
Inflation & labor
How fast prices and wages are rising across the economy.
| Indicator | Latest | Change | From a year earlier | Five years | As of |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inflation (CPI)over 12 months | 3.7% | ▲ +0.4 ptvs. a month earlier | ▲ +0.7 pt | Sep 2026 | |
| Core inflationover 12 months | 2.6% | ▲ +0.1 ptvs. a month earlier | ▼ −0.5 pt | Sep 2026 | |
| Producer pricesover 12 months | 6.3% | ▲ +0.8 ptvs. a month earlier | ▲ +3.3 pt | Sep 2026 | |
| Avg. hourly earningsper hour | $38.00 | ▲ +$0.14 (+0.4%)vs. a month earlier | ▲ +$1.15 (+3.1%) | Oct 2026 | |
| Unemployment | 4.1% | ▼ −0.1 ptvs. a month earlier | ▼ −0.3 pt | Oct 2026 |
An index-based indicator (materials, freight, inflation) is shown as its change over 12 months, because the index level means little on its own. "pt" is percentage points. Where a cost rises, the change is marked in red; where it falls, in green. Read where the numbers come from.
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