- with more than HALF saying their prices have been hiked at least 10% over the past six months

Small businesses in various states are struggling to pay their rent, a new report shows, with rent delinquency at nearly 40 percent this month.

The findings, published Tuesday by Boston-based business tracker Alignable, are raising more than eyebrows, as they illustrate the stark effect inflation is having on everyday Americans.

The survey of 4,789 randomly selected small business owners saw more than half of respondents say their rent is at least 10 percent higher than six months ago.

If you go back seven months, the majority said their rents had increased by at least 20 percent.

Moreover, the study found that roughly 37 percent of small businesses - almost half of all Americans working in the private sector - were left unable to pay rent in October.

Compounding concerns is the fact that several states, including New York and California, are well over the already-high national average.