Heartland Small Businesses Match the Nation on AI Adoption as Owners Say AI Boosts Their Bottom Line

A national survey of small business owners finds AI users are saving hours each week and putting that time toward growth.

BENTONVILLE, Ark., Oct. 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Heartland Forward, a non-profit think-and-do tank accelerating economic growth across the heartland, today released a new survey titled "AI on Main Street," showing that small business owners who have adopted artificial intelligence (AI) now treat it as part of their everyday operations, using it to save time, take on new work and strengthen their bottom lines. The survey of 691 small business owners nationwide, conducted by Echelon Insights and including an oversample of 308 small business owners in heartland states, found that 43% of small businesses currently use AI and that 70% of those businesses say it has had a net-positive effect on their finances. Echelon also held a focus group with nine small business owners from Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee and Texas to hear, in their own words, how AI is changing their work.

Key findings include:

• AI is becoming everyday business infrastructure.
  • 43% of small businesses use AI.
  • About 7 in 10 of those say it's a routine part of their workflow.
• AI gives business owners back time in their day.
  • 93% of business owners who use AI say it saves them time.
  • More than half save five or more hours a week.
• Small teams are doing more.
  • 81% say AI lets them do more with the same staff.
  • 1 in 5 say AI-driven growth has helped them afford to hire new employees.
• The heartland is keeping pace.
  • Heartland small businesses use AI at exactly the same rate as the rest of the country.

"Our AI on Main Street research shows AI is delivering for small businesses, and heartland businesses are keeping pace with the rest of the country," said Angie Cooper, president of Heartland Forward. "Seventy percent of owners using AI say it has improved their bottom line, and they're putting the time it saves right back into growing their businesses. Through the Heartland AI Caucus, we're working with leaders across the region to make sure Main Street has the tools and know-how to build on that momentum."

The survey also points to a clear opportunity for training and support. Among owners using AI for their business, 83% say they taught themselves by trying it, while only 12% learned through a class or training program. In heartland states, owners say that receiving training on how to use AI for marketing and finding customers (38%) and choosing the right AI tools for their business (29%) would be most valuable.

Among the 57% of small businesses not yet using AI, cost and complexity are rarely the obstacle (6% each). The bigger barrier is relevance: 52% say they haven't seen a need for it. That makes practical, hands-on training an opportunity to show owners how AI can solve the problems in a business like theirs. After hearing other owners' experiences, one focus group participant said she planned to explore how AI could help her company after hearing how others were using it.

"AI is giving small businesses capabilities that once only large companies could afford," said John Bailey, AI fellow, Heartland Forward. "With the right training, it can help launch a new generation of entrepreneurs and drive economic growth across the heartland."

This survey builds on Heartland Forward's work to responsibly and strategically integrate artificial intelligence for good through polling, surveys, convenings and the Heartland AI Caucus. Launched in November 2025, the Heartland AI Caucus is a bipartisan coalition of policymakers and executive leaders from Arkansas, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Ohio, Oklahoma and Tennessee.

 "Small business owners may not realize the potential AI tools can have for saving them time and expanding their capabilities, and hearing how their peers use these tools can pique their interest in adopting them for their own company," said Kristen Soltis Anderson, founding partner of Echelon Insights.

Methodology: Echelon Insights conducted the survey online from Sept. 3-11, 2026, using a non-probability sample of 691 small business owners with 0 to 499 employees nationwide, including a base sample of 600 owners nationwide and an oversample to reach 308 owners in heartland states. The sample was weighted to U.S. Census Bureau benchmarks for small businesses. The margin of sampling error is ±5.2 percentage points for the overall sample and ±7.0 percentage points for heartland states. Echelon Insights also conducted a 90-minute online focus group on Sept. 14, 2026, with nine small business owners from heartland states.

For more information on Heartland Forward's work in artificial intelligence,please visit https://heartlandforward.org/regional-competitiveness/harnessing-ai/.

About Heartland Forward
Heartland Forward is a non-profit, policy think-and-do tank that turns ideas into action for states and local communities. Our mission is to accelerate economic growth, change the narrative about the middle of the country and generate $500 million of economic impact to the heartland by 2030. We do this through applied research, community-driven programs, policy and convenings—focusing on regional competitiveness, talent pipeline and health and wellness.

About the Heartland Summit
The Heartland Summit was co-founded by Olivia and Tom Walton and Steuart Walton in 2018 to kick-start economic growth and help change the narrative about the middle of the country. The Summit is a forum for frank conversation about our shared challenges, creating positive action and strengthening connections.

SOURCE Heartland Forward