Mid-Year 2026 Middle Market Indicator
National Center for the Middle Market's Mid-Year 2026 Middle Market Indicator (July 2026; n=1,000, fielded June 2026) found that 9 in 10 middle market companies report using AI.
Key findings
- 01Year-over-year revenue growth held at 11% while employment growth slowed to 7.2%, its lowest post-pandemic level.
- 02Nine in ten middle market companies report using AI, and AI remains the leading investment priority.
- 03More than four in five report AI concerns, including data privacy and security, implementation costs, data quality and workforce capabilities.
By the numbers
9 in 10middle market companies report using AI
83%of companies express AI-related concerns, such as data quality, privacy, implementation costs and skill atrophy
30%of investment dollars are allocated to AI, the largest single category
What it means for you Draft
For executives at $10–100M companies
This is the closest match to our audience's size band, and it suggests peers are growing revenue faster than headcount, with AI as part of the explanation. For a $10–100M company, that points to a practical test: are we planning our next hires assuming today's workflows, or assuming the productivity our competitors are chasing? Worth noting that 'using AI' here is a low bar.
Limitations
High trust.Long-running academic index, large C-suite sample in our exact revenue band; AI measured loosely ('using'); corporate partners co-fund the center.
The headline figure measures the “Tried it” stage of adoption (any use of ai).Why adoption numbers disagree
National Center for the Middle Market. "Mid-Year 2026 Middle Market Indicator." July 29, 2026. https://www.middlemarketcenter.org/u-s-middle-market-sustains-double-digit-growth-while-ai-fuels-a-shift-toward-productivity/
Related reports
RSM Middle Market AI Survey 2026: U.S. and Canada86% have partially or fully integrated AI into operations, and 97% say they are satisfied with the business value AI delivers.
Large Firms With at Least 20 Employees Biggest AI Users (America Counts story, Business Trends and Outlook Survey)37% of firms with 250+ employees and 32% of firms with 100–249 employees reported using AI.
Ramp AI Index, September 2026: Cracks in the AI Thesis, Part 2Business AI adoption keeps rising but more slowly; heavy spenders cut per-employee AI spend as token prices fell 41% from their 2026 peak.