Business & Professional Associations NAICS 813910, 813920

Mar 4, 2026 - Commercial Bankruptcies Soared In 2025

• Commercial bankruptcies increased in 2025, rivaling levels not seen since the immediate aftermath of the Great Recession, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence. Business and professional associations may be impacted if membership decreases due to bankruptcy filings. At least 717 companies filed for bankruptcy through November. That’s about 14% more than the same 11 months of 2024, and the highest number since 2010. The increase in filings was greatest for manufacturing, construction, and transportation firms. Consumer-oriented businesses with discretionary products or services like fashion or home furnishings represented the second-largest group. The second group usually tops the list and includes many retailers.
• Professional associations are offering less professional development than members desire, according to a Momentive Software survey. While nearly half of members say that job opportunities and career development are "very important", fewer than 1 in 4 associations recognize this priority, according to Momentive's Bridging the Gap survey. There’s a 35-point gap between members who desire short videos and associations that provide them, and a 41-point gap between those who want recommended learning paths and those that provide them.

• President Donald Trump signed an executive order stating that federal agencies must ensure that political appointees sign off on all grants and that such awards comply with administration policy. Some business and professional associations apply for government grants to fund community outreach activities or educational programs. The Improving Oversight of Federal Grantmaking EO requires all agencies to designate a senior political appointee to be responsible for reviewing grants, at both the announcement and award stages, to ensure they are “consistent with agency priorities and the national interest.” The appointee can include subject matter experts in their reviews when warranted. President Trump called on agencies to improve coordination in awarding grants to “promote consistency and eliminate redundancy.” Grants are often written in an overly complicated way, President Trump said, and he instructed agencies to use plain language that minimizes the need for legal and technical expertise from applicants.
• Business and professional association industry employment increased slightly while average wages for nonsupervisory employees decreased slightly during the first eight months of 2025, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Business and professional association industry sales are forecast to grow at a 4.23% compounded annual rate from 2025 to 2029, comparable to the growth of the overall economy, according to Inforum and the Interindustry Economic Research Fund, Inc. Business and professional associations generate revenue primarily through membership fees and dues.