The Census Bureau’s Small Business Pulse Survey collects data weekly to measure the effect of changing conditions during the pandemic.

The latest survey finds 36% of Arizona small businesses expect to hire over the next six months, that’s 4 percentage points higher than the national average. It also finds nearly 12% surveyed said they need to better learn how to provide for the safety of customers and employees.

Arizona businesses with fewer than 500 employees requested disaster loans (14.3%), paid sick and family leave credits (9.1%) and loan forgiveness from the Paycheck Protection Program (27.4%) at higher rates than the national average.

While nearly 70% of small business owners in Arizona surveyed said the pandemic had a negative effect on operations, 10% said it has been positive.