Report: Business rent delinquency rate hits nearly 40%

Nearly 4 of 10 independent business owners struggled to pay rent in full and on time in April, according to a new report, with Florida high on the delinquent list.

The report, from online referral network Alignable, found that 39% of small business owners nationwide were behind in rent in April. That’s the highest rate in 2023, up 1 percentage point from March and 9 from January. 

The Alignable report, released April 27, is from a poll of 4,205 randomly selected businesses taken April 1-26. Industries with the highest delinquency rates include transportation, manufacturing, restaurants and retail — all of which were above the 39% mark. Gyms, lodging/travel businesses and real estate entities had some of the lowest delinquency rates.