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.”


This data is delayed 4 weeks. If you’re interested in real-time data email us at data@joinhomebase.com.

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


This data is delayed 4 weeks. If you’re interested in real-time data email us at data@joinhomebase.com.

Retail


This data is delayed 4 weeks. If you’re interested in real-time data email us at data@joinhomebase.com.

Home and Repair


This data is delayed 4 weeks. If you’re interested in real-time data email us at data@joinhomebase.com.

Beauty & Personal Care


This data is delayed 4 weeks. If you’re interested in real-time data email us at data@joinhomebase.com.

Health Care & Fitness


This data is delayed 4 weeks. If you’re interested in real-time data email us at data@joinhomebase.com.

Leisure & Entertainment


This data is delayed 4 weeks. If you’re interested in real-time data email us at data@joinhomebase.com.

Professional Services


This data is delayed 4 weeks. If you’re interested in real-time data email us at data@joinhomebase.com.

Transportation


This data is delayed 4 weeks. If you’re interested in real-time data email us at data@joinhomebase.com.