Small businesses in Georgia were increasingly worried about economic conditions in July, according to the Thumbtack.com Small Business Sentiment Survey, a monthly survey of independent local service businesses in the U.S., including 523 responses in Georgia. Designed with Bloomberg, the survey is housed and integrated into the economic functions of the Bloomberg Professional service.

Key findings for Georgia include:

• Georgia small business owners' feelings about their current finances declined by 2% while expectations for the economy as a whole dropped by 4%.

• Concerns over tightening access to credit were particular pronounced: expectations for availability of credit declined by 5% this month.

• Nevertheless, Georgia's independent local service professionals remain more optimistic about future economic conditions than the rest of the South and the nation as a whole.

Small businesses in Georgia reported that their biggest concern was acquiring new customers. In regards to hiring, Georgia's small business owners reported a 3% decline in plans to add employees to their ranks.

“Although the economy as seen through the eyes of America's small businesses has improved over the last year, and some areas reported stronger economic sentiment, recent trends show that small businesses overall are not feeling optimistic about the future," said Thumbtack’s Chief Economist Jon Lieber. “Expectations about future economic conditions have been on a five-month decline, even though hiring expectations nationwide are holding steady, which is a continued good sign in the labor market.”

Further information is available at https://www.thumbtack.com/ga/#/sentiment. Bloomberg Professional service customers can access this data and additional industry level analysis at {ECST T TACKUSBS }.