Real-time data on COVID-19 impacts
The state of hourly work at US small businesses | National Summary
The spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) is having a devastating impact on small businesses and hourly workers. At Homebase, we are in a unique position to see this happen in real-time. In the interest of transparency, we’re sharing our data publicly here, so that governments and communities can understand and support the people who are most impacted. We’ve also created guides and resources to help small businesses navigate the crisis.
The data on this site is delayed 4 weeks. If you are interested in access to real-time data feeds, please reach out to us at data@joinhomebase.com.
The impacts of COVID-19 on the US economy have been far-reaching. The Homebase data gives us insight into these impacts through three key measures:
1) the volume of hours worked by employees
2) the number businesses open at all
3) the number of employees working
Compared to January benchmarks, all three measures have shown dramatic declines before stabilizing at a “new normal.”
Want to dig deeper? Check out our state comparison tool.
This dataset is based on Homebase data for over 60,000 businesses and 1 million hourly employees active in the US in January 2020. All the rates compare that day vs. the median for that day of the week for the period Jan 4, 2020 – Jan 31, 2020.
- Hours worked is calculated from the hours recorded in Homebase timecards.
- Locations open is based on whether or not a business had at least one employee clock-in.
- Employees working is based on the distinct number of hourly workers with at least one clock-in.
Note that the cyclical dips represent the weekends—one interesting insight from the data is that businesses are more likely to be closed on the weekends, relative to weekdays, in comparison to the January benchmark.
How does the impact vary by state?
COVID-19 has not impacted all states in the same way, nor at the same time. Across the three key metrics, you’ll see larger impacts among states with higher population density, as well as states with higher virus intensities. For example, New York has seen a larger reduction in hours worked compared to Texas. As states ease lockdown restrictions at different times and at different rates, the key metrics will continue to diverge. Use this page to monitor those changes in real-time.
Some charts may not render well on mobile phones. We recommend viewing this page on a larger screen.
Some charts may not render well on mobile phones. We recommend viewing this page on a larger screen.
Some charts may not render well on mobile phones. We recommend viewing this page on a larger screen.
Want to dig deeper? Check out our state comparison tool.
By Business Type
Not all industries have been impacted in the same manner. The Home and Repair segment (think your local hardware store), for example, has been relatively more resilient than the Beauty and Personal Care segment (think your local hair salon). As lockdown restrictions are eased, the dynamics across industry will continue to change.
Note that the Homebase data set is more heavily weighted towards Food & Drink and Retail businesses. As a result, some of the smaller segments (e.g. Transportation) may experience more volatility due to smaller samples.
Food & Drink
Retail
Home and Repair
Beauty & Personal Care
Health Care & Fitness
Leisure & Entertainment
Professional Services
Transportation
Homebase makes work easier for 100,000+ small (but mighty) businesses with everything they need to manage an hourly team: employee scheduling, time clocks, team communication, hiring, onboarding, and compliance. Don’t call us HR or Human Capital Management. We’re tools built for the busiest businesses, so owners and employees can spend less time on paperwork and more time on what matters.