A single composite score (0-100) measuring AI adoption depth at B2B mid-market companies, with the underlying methodology, May 2026 sample distribution, and benchmark scores by industry and company size. Designed for journalists, analysts, and CEOs benchmarking their own organizations.
What the index measures: A single 0-100 composite score capturing how deeply a B2B mid-market company has actually adopted AI in production work — not awareness, not licenses bought, but real workflow integration and measurable outcomes.
Why a single number: Aggregated scores are easier to cite, benchmark against, and track over time. The underlying methodology (below) is the substance; the number is the headline.
Permission to cite: Yes. Attribution: "Treetop Growth Strategy, 2026 B2B AI Adoption Index, May 2026 — treetopgrowthstrategy.com/b2b-ai-adoption-index-2026". Stable URL; refreshed quarterly.
| Metric | May 2026 score | Direction vs Q1 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Overall sample median | 42 | +5 |
| 75th percentile | 64 | +7 |
| 25th percentile | 24 | +3 |
| Top decile | 78 | +5 |
| Bottom decile | 12 | +2 |
Reading the score: 0-25 = Exploring; 26-50 = Piloting; 51-75 = Operationalizing; 76-100 = Compounding. Median company is mid-Piloting in May 2026.
Each company is scored 0-10 on each of 10 dimensions. Total: 0-100.
| # | Dimension | What 10/10 looks like |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leadership commitment | CEO uses AI daily; AI is a documented exec priority |
| 2 | Named ownership | One human accountable with 10+ hrs/week protected |
| 3 | Platform consolidation | One LLM platform deeply adopted across functions |
| 4 | Production workflows | 5+ workflows in daily production use across functions |
| 5 | Documentation discipline | Each workflow has a one-page doc; prompt library maintained |
| 6 | Measurement | Baseline + post-rollout metrics tracked quarterly |
| 7 | Team adoption breadth | 80%+ of affected team uses AI tools weekly |
| 8 | Policy & governance | Written policy published; data classes defined; incident process exists |
| 9 | Hiring alignment | AI fluency is a documented role requirement; assessed in interviews |
| 10 | Investment compounding | Year-over-year increase in workflows; budget allocated for next year |
| Company size | Median Index score | Range (25-75) | % scoring 50+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-25 people | 38 | 22-58 | ~35% |
| 25-50 people | 42 | 25-60 | ~40% |
| 50-100 people | 45 | 28-65 | ~45% |
| 100-250 people | 48 | 30-70 | ~50% |
Observation: Company size correlates weakly with Index score in our sample. The strongest predictor is leadership commitment (dimension 1), not size. Some 25-person companies score 70+; some 200-person companies score below 30.
| Industry | Median Index score | % scoring 50+ |
|---|---|---|
| B2B SaaS | 52 | ~55% |
| Professional services (agencies, consulting) | 48 | ~50% |
| E-commerce / DTC | 45 | ~45% |
| Financial services | 38 | ~35% |
| Manufacturing (mid-market industrial) | 35 | ~30% |
| Healthcare (private practices) | 32 | ~25% |
| Nonprofit | 28 | ~20% |
| Real estate (brokerages) | 28 | ~20% |
| Date | Sample median | Top quartile | Bottom quartile |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2024 | 18 | 38 | 6 |
| Nov 2024 | 24 | 46 | 8 |
| May 2025 | 32 | 56 | 14 |
| Nov 2025 | 37 | 60 | 20 |
| May 2026 | 42 | 64 | 24 |
Observation: The median has roughly doubled over 24 months. The bottom quartile has moved up faster than the top — the floor is rising. The top quartile continues advancing but at a slower rate; pushing from 60 to 80 is harder than 30 to 50.
Score honestly 0-10 on each dimension. Sum for your Index score.
Methodology caveat: The sample is biased toward companies investing seriously in AI rollout (they hired a consultancy). Treat the absolute numbers as biased upward; treat year-over-year deltas and distributional patterns as more reliable.