A year and a half after the COVID-19 pandemic began, some parts of the U.S. are showing signs of economic recovery, while some are still struggling to combat COVID-19's effects. 

To measure the progress small businesses have made since the start of the pandemic, the U.S. Census Bureau conducted their Small Business Pulse Survey. The survey took place from July 5 to July 11. 

The survey revealed Wisconsin small businesses have struggled more than those in most states, with 64% of businesses reporting a "moderate or large" negative impact due to COVID-19. The negative effects were associated with restrictions still being placed on the state; the 64% reported is higher than the national average. 

"The target population is all nonfarm, single-location employer businesses with 1-499 employees and receipts of $1,000 or more in the 50 states, District of Columbia and Puerto Rico," The Census reported in their study. 

Researchers measured the progress of small businesses by collecting data on their finances, requests for assistance, overall business operations, number of vaccines, capital expenditures and their expectations for recovery.

Additionally, only 3.1% of businesses reported that they expect their business to return to normal in the next two to three months. 

Another study conducted by WalletHub, made up of a team of researchers from the top U.S. universities, found that Wisconsin is in the bottom 10% of states recovering from pandemic employment rates and continued restrictions being enforced by Gov. Tom Evers. 

In the week leading up to the study on July 15, Wisconsin landed itself in spot 21 out of 51 for states recovering from unemployment claims for the week. 

WalletHub's survey rankings are based on a comparison of data from the most recent weeks to key weeks during the peak of the pandemic.