Thanks partly to the Bay State economy’s reliance on health care and education, Massachusetts-based small business owners seem to be more optimistic about economic issues than their national counterparts, suggests the recently released American Express OPEN Small Business Monitor, which looks to take the temperature of the small business climate twice a year.

Released each spring and fall, the American Express OPEN Small Business Monitor is based on a nationally representative sample of 839 small business owners and managers of companies with fewer than 100 employees. The anonymous survey was conducted via telephone by Echo Research in August and September, American Express said.