New Study Documents Dramatic Growth of Women Entrepreneurs in Top 25 Largest U.S. Cities
March 1, 2016 /3BL Media/ - To commence Women’s History Month, the Center for an Urban Future today published a groundbreaking new study, with support from Capital One’s Future EdgeSM initiative, that reveals a dramatic surge in women entrepreneurs in the nation’s 25 largest cities but also shows that women still face a number of challenges as they start and grow businesses. The report documents that that the number of women-owned businesses in the 25 largest American cities increased by 43 percent over the past five years, far outpacing the overall growth in women-owned businesses nationally (27 percent). Indeed, of the 25 most populous cities in the U.S., only one had a slower growth rate in women-owned businesses than the nation.
The report, titled “Breaking Through: Harnessing the Economic Potential of Women Entrepreneurs”, includes fresh data for each of the 25 largest U.S. cities, specifically the number of women-owned businesses, five-year and 10-year growth rates for the number of women-owned businesses, and revenues per women-owned business.
Among the findings from the report:
- Of the nation’s 25 most populous cities, Memphis had the fastest growth in women-owned businesses between 2007 and 2012, the most recent year for which data from the U.S. Economic Census is available. The number of women-owned businesses in Memphis increased by 116 percent.
- Fort Worth had the second highest five-year growth rate, with women-owned firms growing by 78 percent, followed by Atlanta (65 percent), Houston (62 percent), and Dallas (58 percent).
- Of the 25 largest cities, Dallas ranks first in revenues per women-owned businesses, with $198,599 in average sales. San Antonio was second, with $191,223 in average sales, followed Fort Worth ($186,435), Houston ($181,122), and San Francisco ($175,766).
- In terms of the overall numbers of women-owned businesses, New York City tops the list, with 413,899—more than double than the second-ranked city, Los Angeles (192,358). Chicago ranks third with 123,632 women owned firms, followed by Houston with 102,813, and Dallas with 52,798.
- Over the last decade, from 2002–2012, the number of women-owned businesses in the United States increased by 52 percent. This amounts to 928 new businesses every day, adding over 1,290,245 jobs and $90,191,545 billion in payroll to the nation’s economy.
- Ninety percent of all women-owned businesses in the U.S. have no paid employees.
- If only one quarter of the existing 8,842,742 women-owned businesses in the United States with no employees added a single employee in the next three years, it would result in more than 2.2 million new jobs.
- The cities with the slowest growth in women-owned businesses over the past five years include San Diego (which experienced a 20 percent increase in the number of women-owned businesses), San Francisco (27 percent increase), Boston (31 percent), San Jose (32 percent), and Seattle (32 percent).
More detailed data charts can be viewed below.
The report demonstrates that women entrepreneurs have made great strides and economic contributions in recent years; however, it also highlights several challenges that women face as they start and grow businesses and features a number of actionable recommendations to support and promote women entrepreneurship. The report includes an in-depth look at women entrepreneurs in New York City, as well as detailed chapters on the role of women entrepreneurs in four other cities: Atlanta, Dallas, Washington D.C., and San Francisco.
“Women entrepreneurs have become a major catalyst for economic growth in cities across the country, but there is still more that could be done to harness their tremendous economic potential,” says Jonathan Bowles, executive director of the Center for an Urban Future.
“Women are making significant strides as business leaders and entrepreneurs, yet many continue to face common challenges related to managing and securing financing, as well as adopting technology,” said Keri Gohman, head of Small Business Banking at Capital One. “The great news is there are a variety of quality, accessible resources—through organizations and programs like Grameen America, BusinessAdvising.org and others—designed to help business owners understand, plan, and communicate their financials effectively.”
This study was made possible through Capital One’s Future Edge initiative, a $150 million, five-year effort to help more American workers and entrepreneurs succeed in the 21st century economy. Through Future Edge, Capital One works with hundreds of leading community organizations empowering women entrepreneurs such as Grameen America, Accion, Kiva, and BusinessAdvising.org. Learn more at www.capitalone.com/investingforgood or join the conversation on Twitter at @YourFutureEdge.
Click here for “Women-Owned Businesses in the Nation’s 25 Largest Cities,” our index of graphs detailing the growth of women-owned firms in the 25 most populous cities in the United States.
Click here for “Breaking Through: Harnessing the Economic Potential of Women Entrepreneurs,” our extensive report about women entrepreneurs in New York City, Atlanta, Dallas, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C.
The Center for an Urban Future is a New York City–based think tank based that publishes studies about opportunities to grow and diversify the economy in New York and other cities.
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Rate of Growth in Number of Women-Owned Businesses, 25 Most Populous Cities, 2007–2012
Memphis 116%
Fort Worth 78%
Atlanta 65%
Houston 62%
Dallas 58%
Detroit 54%
Indianapolis 52%
Austin 51%
Jacksonville 50%
Charlotte 50%
El Paso 48%
Phoenix 48%
Philadelphia 46%
San Antonio 45%
Columbus 43%
Denver 41%
Los Angeles 41%
Washington, D.C. 40%
New York 36%
Chicago 34%
Seattle 32%
San Jose 32%
Boston 31%
San Francisco 27%
USA 27%
San Diego 20%
Average Revenues per Women-Owned Businesses, 25 Most Populous Cities, 2012
Dallas $198,599
San Antonio $191,223
Fort Worth $186,435
Houston $181,122
San Francisco $175,766
Indianapolis $170,920
Boston $169,020
San Diego $163,769
Phoenix $163,721
Seattle $162,948
Washington, D.C. $162,495
Austin $150,694
Denver $150,067
USA $143,731
Los Angeles $142,378
Atlanta $135,772
Charlotte $133,467
San Jose $132,661
New York $128,268
Columbus $124,449
Philadelphia $111,697
Jacksonville $98,762
Memphis $98,414
Chicago $94,777
El Paso $74,462
Detroit $58,167
Most Women-Owned Businesses, 25 Most Populous Cities, 2012
New York 413,899
Los Angeles 192,358
Chicago 123,632
Houston 102,813
Dallas 52,798
San Diego 47,942
San Antonio 44,295
Phoenix 44,294
Philadelphia 40,906
San Francisco 40,135
Detroit 38,576
Memphis 35,710
Austin 34,253
Charlotte 32,008
Seattle 29,617
Fort Worth 29,425
San Jose 28,981
Jacksonville 28,749
Denver 28,725
Atlanta 28,172
Indianapolis 27,668
Washington, D.C. 27,064
Columbus 27,044
El Paso 21,872
Boston 19,390
