Main Street has been feeling the pinch of inflation over the last two years, and that is especially true for small and rural businesses.
The National Federation of Independent Businesses says inflation remains a big challenge for everyone. The group uses its Small Business Optimism Index for rating how the local business economy is doing. The June read marked the 30th month in a row where the Index was below the historical average of 98. It landed at 91.5 and was the lowest read of the year.
Economists say Main Street will likely remain in a pessimistic outlook on the economy for the remainder of the year.
