A recent poll has found that the majority, 58 percent, of minority small business owners don't have the money to cover February rent, according to a think tank associated with Alignable, a small business referral company. When divided only by gender, the data also shows that 41 percent of female business owners had the same issue. Overall, 38 percent of small businesses in general could not make rent this month.

While rent difficulties are a common feature of the pandemic era, the Alignable poll shows that the problem is getting worse. This month's poll results are 9 percent worse than last months for minority-owned businesses, 6 percent worse for woman-owned businesses and 5 percent worse overall. Similarly, the number of states that have 40 percent or more of their small businesses unable to pay rent has also exploded. While in January only New Jersey, Maryland and Georgia were in these ranks, in February they are now joined by New York, Tennessee, California and Connecticut. The worsening situation is likely due to the fact that businesses are running out of money as they await new aid from the latest stimulus bill.