www.sba.gov/advocacy

Office of Advocacy

Developments in 

Women-owned Business, 

1997-2007

Office of Advocacy

U.S. Small Business Administration

September 2011
Created by Congress in 1976, the Office of Advocacy of the U.S. Small Business

Administration (SBA) is an independent voice for small business within the federal

government. Appointed by the President and confirmed by the U.S. Senate,

the Chief Counsel for Advocacy directs the office. The Chief Counsel advances

the views, concerns, and interests of small business before Congress, the White

House, federal agencies, federal courts, and state policy makers. Economic

research, policy analyses, and small business outreach help identify issues of

concern. Regional Advocates and an office in Washington, D.C., support the Chief

Counsel’s efforts.

For more information on the Office of Advocacy, visit www.sba.gov/advocacy or call

(202) 205-6533. Receive email notices of new Office of Advocacy information

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i 

Foreword 

It is my pleasure to present Developments in Women-owned Business, 1997-2007, the most 

recent in Advocacy’s periodic series of reports on businesses owned by women and men. The 

report shows that women’s share of total U.S. firms increased from 26 percent in 1997 to almost 

29 percent in 2007. 

This edition relies on the Survey of Business Owners (SBO) for 1997, 2002, and 2007, the latest 

three comprehensive datasets released by the U.S. Bureau of the Census. Business ownership 

categories include businesses owned by women, men, and equally by women and men, as well as 

publicly held firms and other firms not classifiable by the gender of their ownership.

I appreciate your interest in and support for small business. 

Dr. Winslow Sargeant

Chief Counsel for Advocacy 

U.S. Small Business Administration
iii

Table of Contents 

Foreword .......................................................................................................................................... i

Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1

Business Characteristics.................................................................................................................. 2

Number and Receipts .................................................................................................................. 2

Distribution of Number and Receipts in Employer and Nonemployer Firms ........................ 3

Ownership Distribution of Number and Receipts ................................................................... 3

Business Size Distribution .......................................................................................................... 5

Receipts Size Distribution....................................................................................................... 5

Employment Size Distribution ................................................................................................ 7

Industrial Distribution ................................................................................................................. 8

Industrial Distribution of Employer Firms ............................................................................. 8

Industrial Distribution of Nonemployer Firms ..................................................................... 11

Ownership Distribution in Industries .................................................................................... 11

Employment .................................................................................................................................. 14

Business Growth ........................................................................................................................... 16

Women-owned Businesses in the States ....................................................................................... 17

Conclusion .................................................................................................................................... 20

Appendix ....................................................................................................................................... 21

Definitions................................................................................................................................. 21

Tables ........................................................................................................................................ 23

Quick Statistics on Women Workers, 2009 .............................................................................. 35
iv

Figures

Figure 1 Distribution of the Number of Employer and Nonemployer Firms by Gender of 

Ownership, 1997, 2002, and 2007 .................................................................................. 4

Figure 2 Ownership Distribution of Receipts in Employer and Nonemployer Firms, 1997, 2002, 

and 2007 ......................................................................................................................... 4

Figure 3 Ownership Distribution of the Number and Receipts of Firms, 1997, 2002, and 2007 ... 4

Figure 4 Ownership Distribution of U.S. Firms and Business Receipts, 2007 ............................... 5

Figure 5 Receipts Size Distribution by Employer Business Ownership: Large Firms Accounted 

for the Major Share of Total Receipts, 2007 .................................................................. 7

Figure 6 Receipts Size Distribution by Nonemployer Business Ownership: Medium-Sized Firms 

Accounted for the Major Share of Total Receipts, 2007 ................................................ 7

Figure 7 Employment Size Distribution: Number and Business Receipts of Employer Firms, by 

Business Ownership, 2007 ............................................................................................ 8

Figure 8 Ownership Distribution of Employer Firms and Receipts by Industry, 2007 ................ 13

Figure 9 Ownership Distribution of Nonemployer Firms and Receipts by Industry, 2007 .......... 14

Figure 10 Growth of Firms by Ownership, 1997-2002 and 2002-2007 ....................................... 17
v 

Tables

Table 1 Number and Receipts of All U.S. Firms, Employers, and Nonemployers by Gender of 

Ownership: 2007, 2002, and 1997 .................................................................................. 3

Table 2 Receipts Size Distribution: Number and Receipts of All Firms by Firm Ownership, 2007

 ........................................................................................................................................ 6

Table 3 Employment Size Distribution: Shares of the Number and Total Receipts of Employer 

Firms by Ownership and Firm Employment Size, 1997, 2002 and 2007 ..................... 9

Table 4 Industrial Distribution: Number and Receipts of Employer Firms by Ownership, 2002 

and 2007 ...................................................................................................................... 10

Table 5 Industrial Distribution: Number of Nonemployer Firms by Ownership, 2002 and 2007 

 ...................................................................................................................................... 12

Table 6 Employment of Employer Firms in 2007, by Business Ownership ................................ 15

Table 7 Large Publicly Held Firms Lost Many Jobs: Net Change in Employment by 2006 in the 

2002 Cohort of Employer Firms, by Firm Receipts Size ............................................. 15

Table 9 Growth Rates of the Number and Receipts of Employer Firms by Employment Size and 

Gender of Ownership, 2002-2007 ............................................................................... 17

Table 10 Total Number of Businesses and Businesses per 1,000 in the Population, 2007, 2002 

and 1997 ....................................................................................................................... 18

Table A1 Number, Receipts, Employment and Annual Payroll of All U.S. Employer and 

Nonemployer Firms by Business Ownership, 1997, 2002, and 2007 .......................... 23

Table A2 Business Performance of Firms: Receipts per Firm, Receipts per Employer Firm, 

Receipts per Nonemployer Firm and Payroll per Employee, by Business Ownership 

1997, 2002 and 2007 .................................................................................................... 24

Table A3 Ownership Distribution: Number, Receipts, Employment, and Annual Payroll of All 

U.S. Employer and Nonemployer Firms, 1997, 2002, and 2007 ................................ 24

Table A4 Number and Receipts of All U.S. Employer Firms by Business Ownership and 

Employment Size, 2002 and 2007 ................................................................................ 25

Table A5 Business Performance and Employment Size Distribution: Employer Receipts per Firm, 

Annual Payroll per Firm, and Annual Payroll per Employee, by Business Ownership, 

2007 .............................................................................................................................. 26

Table A6 Ownership (Privately Owned and Publicly Held) Distribution and Employment Size 

Distribution: Number of Firms, Receipts, and Employment, 2007 .............................. 27

Table A7 Employment Size Distribution: Number, Receipts, and Employment of Employer 

Firms by Business Ownership, 2007 ............................................................................ 27

Table A8 Number, Receipts, Employment, and Annual Payroll of All U.S. Employer and 

Nonemployer Firms by Business Ownership and Receipts Size, 2007 ....................... 28

Table A9 Receipts Size Distribution: Receipts per Employer Firm and per Nonemployer Firm, 

Employees per Employer Firm, and Annual Payroll per Employee, by Gender of 

Ownership, 2007 .......................................................................................................... 30

Table A10 Number and Receipts of Employer and Nonemployer Firms by Receipts Size and 

Gender of Ownership:, 1997 and 2007 ........................................................................ 31

Table A11 Industrial Distribution: Number of Employer Firms, by Firm Ownership, 2002 and 

2007 ............................................................................................................................. 32

Table A12 Industrial Distribution: Employer Firm Receipts, by Firm Ownership 2002 and 2007 

 ...................................................................................................................................... 32
vi 

Table A13 Industrial Distribution: Number of Nonemployer Firms by Firm Ownership, 2002 and 

2007 ............................................................................................................................. 33

Table A14 Industrial Distribution: Nonemployer Firm Receipts by Firm Ownership, 2002 and 

2007 ............................................................................................................................. 33

Table B1 Demographic Information by Gender: Population, Labor Force, Self-Employed 

Individuals, Education, Earnings and Poverty, 2007 ................................................... 34

Table C1 Employment by Sector in OECD Nations, 2007 .......................................................... 37

Table C2 Labor Participation and Self-employment in OECD Nations, 2007 ............................. 38
1 

Introduction

In 1972, women’s majority ownership (50 percent or more) of U.S. nonfarm firms amounted to 

less than 5 percent.1

The role of women in the industrialized economy is changing. Acknowledging this 

change is critical to understanding the status and dynamics of women in business and to assisting 

women’s business growth. A recent White House report titled Jobs and Economic Security for 

America’s Women notes: 

 In 2007, the share of U.S. firms with 51 percent or more ownership by 

women had grown to nearly 29 percent. 

Women, the majority of college graduates and a growing share of the workforce, are positioned to 

help drive the 21st century economy that is increasingly reliant on knowledge and innovation. In 

addition to their role in the paid workforce, women also continue to play a vital role as mothers 

and primary caregivers to children, and oftentimes, aging parents.2

 

This changing role was also noted by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and 

Development (OECD): 

The Changing Family Structure and Women’s Employment and Income

Family structures: women are having fewer children; women have postponed having children; a 

considerable number of children live in sole-parent households; divorce rates are on the rise; 

marriage rates are going down. 

Women’s employment and income status: more women are in paid work; employment rates are 

low for mothers of young children; the proportion of single or sole mothers in paid work varies 

by country; the “dual-earnership” model has become the norm; still many gender gaps prevail: 

women work less than men, women earn less than men, women are poorer than men; for unpaid 

work: women spend more time on unpaid work than men, less leisure time for women, women 

are spending more years in employment. 

“Gender Brief,” March 2010 Version, Prepared by the OECD Social Policy Division, 

http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/23/31/44720649.pdf. 

The Small Business Act of 1958, as amended, acknowledges the role of women in the 

economy: “Women-owned business has become a major contributor to the American economy 

by providing goods and services, revenues, and jobs.”3

 

1 Notice that a woman-owned business was defined as 51 percent or more owned by women by the U.S. Bureau of 

the Census beginning in 1997. Using this 51 percent definition, the rate of women’s business ownership would have 

been even lower in 1972.

 Over the past half-century women have 

made substantial gains in their social and economic status as they have sought economic equality 

and independence. However, women business owners as a group face economic challenges in 

entrepreneurial endeavors for the size of their firms as well as their gender. As women-owned 

firms increase in number, they will increasingly face the same challenges as businesses owned 

by men. 

2 U.S. National Economic Council, Jobs and Economic Security for America’s Women, October 2010, p. 4. 

http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/Jobs-and-Ecomomic-Security-for-Americas-Women.pdf. 3 Small Business Act of 1958, as amended (P.L. 85-536) http://63.150.153.100/sites/default/files/tool_serv_sbact.pdf. 
2 

This report is based on U.S firm information from the 1997, 2002, and 2007 Surveys of 

Business Owners (SBO), the latest three comprehensive datasets on business ownership 

demographics released by the U.S. Bureau of the Census.4 The SBO/BITS (Business Information 

Tracking Series) special tabulation provided by the Census is also used to capture business 

dynamics for 2002-2003, 2002-2004, 2002-2005, and 2002-2006.5 Forms of business ownership 

examined include ownership by women, men, equal ownership by women and men, and publicly 

held firms, which include both broadly owned corporate firms and other firms not classifiable by 

the gender, ethnicity, race, and veteran status of the owners.6

The period from 1997 to 2007 was a dynamic period in the U.S. economy. Strong growth in 

the early years of this period was arrested by the recession of 2000-2001, which was followed by 

strong economic growth over the 2002 through 2007 period. Consequently, the data reflect an 

economy moving out of a recession and ending on a high note in 2007, before the most recent

recession. How did the business cycle affect business ownership and the strength of small and

large firms; as well as women- and men-owned businesses? 

These data provide a deeper

understanding and insight into the U.S. businesses that fundamentally shape the social and 

economic lives of the American people.

The primary goal of this report is to place gender in a broader perspective, where the 

business world is viewed nationally in terms of the number of firms, their receipts, and their 

industry classifications. Business ownership is no longer a simple issue of gender, as businesses 

owned by both men and women share the same general development patterns. The strong growth 

of publicly held firms requires a closer look at the status and dynamics of small and large

businesses, and of privately owned and publicly held firms.

Business Characteristics

The Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy has studied the characteristics of 

women-owned businesses using a variety of data sources. Comparisons of sole proprietorships 

by the gender of their owners have provided a general description of gender and business 

characteristics.7

Number and Receipts 

 For example, women’s share of business receipts is significantly smaller than 

their share of the number of businesses, and a higher proportion of men than women business 

owners operate larger businesses. In certain industrial sectors, one gender or the other 

predominates: men own more businesses in carpentry, flooring, and miscellaneous special trade 

contracting, while women owners predominate in beauty shops and child day care. 

Table 1 provides data on the number and receipts of businesses from the Census Bureau’s three

latest Surveys of Business Owners (1997, 2002, and 2007). 

 

4 A firm is a business organization or entity consisting of one or more domestic establishment locations under 

common ownership or control.

5 http://www.census.gov/econ/sbo/longitudinal02/longitudinal02.html. 6 For detail, visit http://www.census.gov/econ/sbo/methodology.html. 7 “U.S. Sole Proprietorships: A Gender Comparison, 1985-2000,” the 2005 Small Business Administration Office of 

Advocacy Working Paper, Research Summary no. 263, http://archive.sba.gov/advo/research/rs263tot.pdf. For a 

short version of the publication at the SOI Bulletin (Statistics of Income, Internal Revenue Service, Spring of 2005), 

please use the link, http://www.irs.gov/taxstats/article/0,,id=140138,00.html. 
3 

Table 1 Number and Receipts of All U.S. Firms, Employers, and Nonemployers by Gender of Ownership: 

2007, 2002, and 1997 

Survey Year and Gender

of Ownership 

All firms 

(number)

Receipts 

($1,000)

Employer 

firms 

(number)

Employer 

receipts 

($1,000)

Nonemployer 

firms 

(number)

Nonemployer 

receipts 

($1,000)

2007 

All firms 27,110,059 30,176,154,800 5,752,673 29,203,460,510 21,357,386 972,694,290

Women-owned 7,793,364 1,190,057,451 910,761 1,007,762,458 6,882,603 182,294,993

Men-owned 13,909,064 8,507,846,994 3,236,171 7,938,685,794 10,672,894 569,161,200

Equally owned1 4,602,097 1,281,838,720 1,050,835 1,098,769,090 3,551,263 183,069,630

Publicly held2 805,533 19,196,411,634 554,906 19,158,243,167 250,627 38,168,467

2002 

All firms 22,974,655 22,603,658,904 5,524,784 21,836,249,354 17,449,871 767,409,550

Women-owned 6,489,259 939,538,208 916,657 802,851,495 5,572,602 136,686,713

Men-owned 13,184,033 7,061,026,736 3,524,969 6,564,052,308 9,659,064 496,974,428

Equally owned1 2,693,360 731,678,703 717,961 627,202,424 1,975,399 104,476,279

Publicly held2 494,399 13,820,117,758 352,720 13,796,996,645 141,679 23,121,113

1997 

All firms 20,821,934 18,553,243,000 5,295,151 17,907,940,321 15,526,783 645,302,679

Women-owned 5,417,034 818,669,000 846,780 717,763,965 4,570,254 100,905,035

Men-owned 11,374,194 6,635,375,000 3,151,000 6,270,252,935 8,223,194 365,122,065

Equally owned1 3,641,263 943,881,000 1,029,469 828,389,812 2,611,794 115,491,188

Publicly held2 381,519 10,161,242,000 267,902 10,104,057,581 113,617 57,184,419

Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, Survey of Business Owners, 1997, 2002 and 2007.

Notes: Receipts are in nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation.

1. Equally men-/women-owned. 

2. Publicly held and other firms not classifiable by gender, Hispanic or Latino origin, and race.

Distribution of Number and Receipts in Employer and Nonemployer Firms

More than 70 percent of all privately owned firms and about 30 percent of publicly held firms 

had no employees in 1997-2007 (Figure 1). Compared with other groups, women-owned firms 

had the lowest share of employer businesses and more than 88 percent of them were 

nonemployer firms in 2007. Nearly 16 percent of women-owned firms were employer businesses 

in 1997; this share dropped to 14 percent in 2002 and to less than 12 percent in 2007. In fact, the 

employer share declined in all privately owned firms. From 1997 to 2007, the employer firm 

share declined by about 5 percentage points in both men-owned and equally owned firms. 

Nonemployer firms constituted more than 75 percent of U.S. businesses and generated

less than 4 percent of total receipts in the 1997-2007 period (Figure 2). In firms owned by 

women, nonemployer firms generated 15 percent of total receipts in 2007. About 30 percent of 

publicly owned businesses were nonemployer firms, which had a share of receipts amounting to 

less than one-half of one percent of the total receipts generated by publicly held businesses. 

Ownership Distribution of Number and Receipts

Ownership differences between women and men are significant (Figure 3). Women’s share of 

total U.S. firms increased from 26 percent in 1997 to almost 29 percent in 2007; men’s share 
4 

Figure 1 Distribution of the Number of Employer and Nonemployer Firms by Gender of Ownership, 

1997, 2002, and 2007

21.2 24.0 25.4 11.7 14.1 15.6 23.3 26.7 27.7 22.8 26.7 28.3 68.9 71.3 70.2

78.8 76.0 74.6 88.3 85.9 84.4 76.7 73.3 72.3 77.2 73.3 71.7 31.1 28.7 29.8

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

2007 2002 1997 2007 2002 1997 2007 2002 1997 2007 2002 1997 2007 2002 1997

All Firms Female Male Equal Public

Employer Firms Nonemployer Firms Distribution of Number between Employer and Nonemployer Firms

Figure 2 Ownership Distribution of Receipts in Employer and Nonemployer Firms, 1997, 2002, and 2007 

96.8 96.6 96.5 84.7 85.5 87.7 93.3 93.0 94.5 85.7 85.7 87.8 99.8 99.8 99.4

3.2 3.4 3.5

15.3 14.5 12.3 6.7 7.0 5.5

14.3 14.3 12.2

0.2 0.2 0.6

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

2007 2002 1997 2007 2002 1997 2007 2002 1997 2007 2002 1997 2007 2002 1997

All Firms Female Male Equal Public

Employer Firms Nonemployer Firms Distribution of Revenue between Employer and Nonemployer Firms

Figure 3 Ownership Distribution of the Number and Receipts of Firms, 1997, 2002, and 2007 

1.8%

2.2%

3.0%

54.8%

61.1%

63.6%

17.5%

11.7%

17.0%

5.1%

3.2%

4.2%

54.6%

57.4%

51.3%

35.8%

31.2%

28.2%

26.0%

28.2%

28.7%

4.4%

4.2%

3.9%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

1997

2002

2007

1997

2002

2007

Firms number Receipts value

Publicly held** Equally‐owned* Male‐owned Female‐owned
5 

Figure 4 Ownership Distribution of U.S. Firms and Business Receipts, 2007 

dropped from 55 percent to 51 percent. Businesses owned by both women and men had 

continuous declines in their shares of total U.S. business receipts over the three survey years. On 

the other hand, publicly held firms expanded their shares of the number of businesses from 1.8 

percent in 1997 to 3.0 percent in 2007, and of total business receipts from 54.8 percent in 1997 to 

63.6 percent in 2007. 

Figure 4 clearly shows the sharp contrast in the distribution of the number of businesses 

and of business receipts among the four large ownership groups in 2007. Businesses owned by 

men were the largest group and accounted for more than 51 percent of the total number of U.S. 

businesses. Men-owned businesses’ share of receipts was 28 percent. Women-owned businesses 

constituted the second largest ownership group (nearly 29 percent of the total number of 

businesses) but had less than 4 percent of total business receipts. Publicly held firms accounted 

for only 3 percent of all 2007 U.S. firms, yet had almost 64 percent of all business receipts.

Business Size Distribution

The SBO datasets measure business size in two ways: by business receipts and employment. 

These two measures reflect two different business populations. The population identified by

business receipts size includes both employer and nonemployer firms, while the population 

identified by employment size covers only employer firms.

Receipts Size Distribution

Table 2 displays the distribution of all 2007 U.S. firms by the number of firms and by ownership 

category. It also shows the receipts for firms in a given ownership and receipts size category. For 

example, in 2007, there were 2,127,954 women-owned firms with receipts of less than $5,000; 

they had total receipts of more than $5 billion. Three receipts sizes are used: small (less than 

$50,000), medium ($50,000 to $999,999), and large ($1 million or more) (see Figures 5 and 6). 

28.7%

51.3%

17.0%

3.0%

2007 Firms number

Female-owned Male-owned

Equally-owned* Publicly held**

3.9%

28.2%

4.2%

63.6%

2007 Receipts ($1,000)

Female-owned Male-owned

Equally-owned* Publicly held**
6 

Table 2 Receipts Size Distribution: Number and Receipts of All Firms by Firm Ownership, 2007 

Receipts Size 

(Dollars) Women Men Equal1 Public2 

All firms (number)

Total 7,793,364 13,909,064 4,602,097 805,533

less than $5,000 2,127,954 2,531,219 872,099 61,481

$5,000 to $9,999 1,414,831 1,687,628 582,620 25,449

$10,000 to $24,999 1,773,343 2,456,990 813,964 51,451

$25,000 to $49,999 913,191 1,735,844 562,724 60,334

$50,000 to $99,999 591,846 1,515,583 505,994 79,198

$100,000 to $249,999 475,622 1,594,322 552,669 136,555

$250,000 to $499,999 218,666 865,765 298,821 105,096

$500,000 to $999,999 136,017 639,532 206,674 92,248

$1,000,000 or more 141,893 882,182 206,532 193,722

Receipts ($1,000)

Total $1,190,057,451 $8,507,846,994 $1,281,838,720 $19,196,411,634

less than $5,000 5,085,133 6,025,925 2,069,717 70,502

$5,000 to $9,999 9,588,593 11,437,742 3,924,048 175,098

$10,000 to $24,999 27,239,741 38,775,188 12,859,039 848,060

$25,000 to $49,999 31,711,368 61,216,717 19,839,865 2,202,412

$50,000 to $99,999 41,255,163 107,549,499 35,990,404 5,775,795

$100,000 to $249,999 74,428,210 252,925,658 87,735,450 22,468,786

$250,000 to $499,999 76,750,980 306,757,290 105,578,659 37,655,915

$500,000 to $999,999 95,074,058 450,479,796 144,829,502 65,758,636

$1,000,000 or more 828,924,204 7,272,679,181 869,012,038 19,061,456,431

Sources: U.S. Bureau of the Census, Survey of Business Owners, 2007.

Notes: 

1. Women-/men-equally owned.

2. Publicly held and other firms not classifiable by gender, Hispanic or Latino origin, and race.

Nearly 80 percent of women-owned firms made less than $50,000 in receipts in 2007, 

compared with 61 percent of men-owned firms, 62 percent of equally owned firms, and 25 

percent of publicly held firms. In contrast, more than 99 percent of total receipts in publicly held 

firms went to large firms with receipts of $1 million or more, compared with 86 percent of menowned firms’ receipts that went to large men-owned firms, 70 percent to large women-owned 

firms, and 68 percent to large equally owned firms. 

Figures 5 and 6, respectively, display the receipts-size distribution by business ownership 

category of employer and nonemployer firms. Medium size was most prevalent for all four 

ownership groups of employer firms. However, a major proportion of total receipts went to large 

firms (with $1 million or more in receipts). In contrast, most nonemployer firms were small, with 

less than $50,000 in receipts. Publicly held nonemployer firms were predominantly mediumsized (about 52 percent). The largest proportion of business receipts of nonemployer firms went 

to medium-sized firms with receipts of $50,000 to $999,999. By comparison, receipts were more 

evenly distributed among nonemployer firms than employer firms.
7 

Figure 5 Receipts Size Distribution by Employer Business Ownership: Large Firms Accounted for the 

Major Share of Total Receipts, 2007

2007 Employer Firm Number by Receipts Size 2007 Employer Firm Receipts by Receipts Size

Figure 6 Receipts Size Distribution by Nonemployer Business Ownership: Medium-Sized Firms 

Accounted for the Major Share of Total Receipts, 2007

2007 Nonemployer Firm Number by Receipts Size 2007 Nonemployer Firm Number by Receipts Size

Employment Size Distribution

Figure 7 displays the employment size distribution of the number of employer firms and their 

receipts by business ownership category in 2007. More than 90 percent of all privately owned 

employer firms had fewer than 20 employees and more than 90 percent of total publicly held

firms had fewer than 100 employees. About 85 percent of all publicly held firm receipts went to 

the largest firms (only 2 percent of total publicly held firms) with 500 or more employees. 

By comparison, receipts were less concentrated among the largest privately owned firms. 

Less than 0.1 percent of the largest women-owned firms (with 500 or more employees) and less 

than 0.2 percent of the largest firms owned by men earned about 20 percent of the total receipts 

of each business group. Receipts seemed to be relatively equally distributed among equally 

owned firms, compared with all other ownership groups. 

38.4

19.3

19.5

5.6

57.5

72.2

72.3

87.3

4.1

8.6

8.1

7.1

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Female

Male

Equal

Public

Less than $50,000 $50,000 to $999,999 $1 million or more

88.4

75.8

76.3

47.6

11.6

24.0

23.5

51.6

0.1

0.2

0.2

0.8

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Female

Male

Equal

Public

Less than $50,000 $50,000 to $999,999 $1 million or more

18.1

8.9

22.0

0.5

81.5

91.0

77.7

99.5

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Female

Male

Equal

Public

Less than $50,000 $50,000 to $999,999 $1 million or more

16.3

10.0

11.6

14.3

68.6

63.6

69.5

51.1

15.1

26.5

18.9

34.6

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Femalel

Male

Equal

Public

Less than $50,000 $50,000 to $999,999 $1 million or more
8 

Figure 7 Employment Size Distribution: Number and Business Receipts of Employer Firms, by Business 

Ownership, 2007 (Percent)

Table 3 presents three years of data on the employment size and receipts distributions of 

employer firms by business ownership category. Small businesses dominate among all employer 

firms: fewer than one percent of all women-owned firms and fewer than two percent of all menowned firms had 100 or more employees. The employment size distribution of publicly held 

firms seems to have trended smaller over the period from 1997 to 2002 to 2007. The share of all 

publicly held firms with 20 or more employees changed from nearly 32 percent in 1997 to 27 

percent in 2002 and then dropped to less than 24 percent in 2007. While the share of firms with 

20 or more employees dropped nearly 8 percent, their share of total receipts remained nearly 

constant at about 98 percent. 

Industrial Distribution

This section looks into the industrial distribution of employer and nonemployer firms and 

examines the distribution by ownership category within each industry. 

Industrial Distribution of Employer Firms

Table 4 displays the industrial distribution of employer firms. Retail trade (NAICS 44-45), 

professional services (NAICS 54), health care and social assistance (NAICS 62), and 

accommodation (NAICS 72) were the top four sectors for women-owned employer firms in 2002, 

accounting for 15.89 percent, 14.55 percent, 12.66 percent, and 9.50 percent, respectively, of the 

total number of women-owned employer firms. In 2007, while the share of women-owned firms 

54.87%

49.86% 52.07%

39.57%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Female Male Equal Public

500 or more

100 to 499

50 to 99

20 to 49

10 to 19

5 to 9

1 to 4

No employees

Distribution 

of Firms 

(percent)

19.52% 20.34%

7.24%

84.71%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Female Male Equal Public

500 or more

100 to 499

50 to 99

20 to 49

10 to 19

5 to 9

1 to 4

No employees

Distribution 

of Receipts 

(percent)
9 

Table 3 Employment Size Distribution: Shares of the Number and Total Receipts of Employer Firms by 

Ownership and Firm Employment Size, 1997, 2002 and 2007 (Percent)

Employment Size of Firms 

and Ownership Group

Employer Firm Share by Firm 

Employment Size

Employer Firm Share of Total 

Receipts by Firm Employment Size

Survey Year 1997 2002 2007 1997 2002 2007

 Women-owned

No employees 13.61 17.60 12.11 2.03 2.93 2.00

1 to 4 employees 52.45 50.39 54.87 14.43 14.13 13.59

5 to 9 employees 17.75 16.26 16.64 11.75 11.99 11.56

10 to 19 employees 9.37 9.05 9.38 12.70 12.85 12.80

20 to 49 employees 4.72 4.71 4.91 14.54 14.68 15.18

50 to 99 employees 1.22 1.21 1.25 9.96 9.22 9.35

100 to 499 employees 0.78 0.72 0.76 15.75 14.26 16.00

500 employees or more 0.10 0.07 0.08 18.84 19.93 19.52

 Men-owned

No employees 10.93 14.32 10.77 1.43 1.85 1.31

1 to 4 employees 48.89 47.27 49.86 9.51 9.17 8.63

5 to 9 employees 18.56 17.30 17.64 9.17 8.99 8.59

10 to 19 employees 10.98 10.71 10.88 10.96 11.18 10.59

20 to 49 employees 6.96 6.83 7.05 16.53 16.70 16.23

50 to 99 employees 2.17 2.11 2.22 12.12 12.66 12.95

100 to 499 employees 1.36 1.31 1.40 19.81 21.05 21.36

500 employees or more 0.17 0.16 0.18 20.47 18.40 20.34

 Equally men-/women-owned

No employees 11.94 14.93 11.08 3.08 3.28 2.39

1 to 4 employees 48.83 47.52 52.07 18.42 17.27 18.09

5 to 9 employees 20.16 18.60 18.61 16.60 16.44 16.25

10 to 19 employees 11.43 11.12 10.89 17.11 17.24 17.20

20 to 49 employees 5.74 5.90 5.59 17.37 19.27 18.61

50 to 99 employees 1.27 1.30 1.18 9.14 9.68 9.66

100 to 499 employees 0.59 0.60 0.53 11.31 11.07 10.56

500 employees or more 0.04 0.04 0.05 6.97 5.76 7.24

 Publicly held and other firms not classifiable by gender, Hispanic or Latino origin, and race

No employees 7.14 10.58 7.92 0.13 0.32 0.29

1 to 4 employees 34.01 35.23 39.57 0.54 0.40 0.60

5 to 9 employees 14.57 14.58 16.29 0.55 0.43 0.61

10 to 19 employees 12.80 11.86 12.36 0.88 0.75 0.92

20 to 49 employees 13.37 11.54 10.82 2.06 1.53 2.00

50 to 99 employees 7.20 6.12 5.25 2.20 1.90 2.35

100 to 499 employees 7.79 7.32 5.80 7.41 6.91 8.51

500 employees or more 3.12 2.77 2.00 86.24 87.77 84.71

in retail trade dropped 2 percent and their share in accommodations fell by 0.7 percent, women’s 

shares of health care and professional services increased by more than 1 percent.

The top four sectors for employer firms owned by men in 2002 were construction 

(NAICS 23, 15.89 percent), professional services (NAICS 54, 14.23 percent), retail trade 

(NAICS 44-45, 12.47 percent), and health care and social assistance (NAICS 62, 9.50 percent). 

By 2007, the shares of total businesses owned by men in construction and in professional 

services had increased; in retail the share declined; and in health care, it remained the same, 9.5 

percent. 
10 

Table 4 Industrial Distribution: Number and Receipts of Employer Firms by Ownership, 2002 and 2007 

(Percent)

NAICS Industry Female Male Equal Public

Number of Employer Firms 2002 2007 2002 2007 2002 2007 2002 2007

11 Agriculture 0.29 0.20 0.56 0.39 0.73 0.55 0.50 0.41

21 Mining 0.18 0.19 0.39 0.38 0.32 0.36 0.49 0.54

22 Utilities 0.03 0.02 0.06 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.93 0.68

23 Construction 5.64 5.94 15.99 17.03 12.62 14.05 6.67 8.23

31-33 Manufacturing 4.36 3.70 5.98 5.43 5.45 4.92 5.60 5.14

42 Wholesale 4.55 4.26 6.79 6.38 6.02 5.08 6.26 6.56

44-45 Retail 15.89 13.89 12.47 11.47 18.56 16.35 8.18 7.81

48-49 Transportation 2.13 2.14 3.16 3.14 3.85 3.52 2.78 2.77

51 Information 1.18 1.02 1.35 1.24 1.23 1.01 2.68 2.38

52 Finance 3.55 3.86 4.65 4.93 2.66 3.24 7.03 6.03

53 Real estate 5.44 6.21 4.37 4.58 5.31 6.02 6.30 6.77

54 Professional 14.55 15.66 14.23 14.82 8.84 9.49 7.99 9.99

55 Management 0.23 0.20 0.39 0.36 0.20 0.17 2.98 2.10

56 Administrative 6.60 7.01 5.33 5.69 5.82 5.98 4.42 4.85

61 Education 1.73 1.81 0.48 0.57 1.05 1.04 6.69 5.74

62 Health care 12.66 13.99 9.50 9.50 5.21 6.97 21.16 18.62

71 Entertainment 1.83 2.06 1.41 1.44 1.77 1.82 6.55 6.09

72 Accommodation 9.50 9.43 6.81 7.41 11.95 11.43 5.71 5.94

81 Other services 9.36 8.47 6.58 5.83 8.40 8.09 4.53 4.57

99 Not classified 0.67 0.30 0.40 0.16 0.38 0.19 0.54 0.14

Receipts of Employer Firms 2002 2007 2002 2007 2002 2007 2002 2007

11 Agriculture 0.17 0.13 0.23 0.17 0.45 0.37 0.04 0.04

21 Mining 0.34 1.05 0.63 0.77 0.41 0.56 1.47 1.73

22 Utilities 0.09 0.18 0.16 0.20 0.12 0.14 3.00 3.07

23 Construction 7.77 8.67 12.91 13.88 12.74 13.89 1.63 1.99

31-33 Manufacturing 11.37 10.90 13.52 13.27 9.09 9.17 21.60 21.23

42 Wholesale 25.69 23.69 22.13 23.13 18.60 19.65 21.37 21.51

44-45 Retail 16.38 16.79 20.10 18.23 24.60 22.50 10.68 10.81

48-49 Transportation 2.43 2.74 2.28 2.45 2.89 2.85 1.53 1.43

51 Information 2.55 2.37 2.01 1.53 1.42 1.05 5.47 4.90

52 Finance 2.69 2.44 3.71 4.16 1.98 1.89 18.55 17.58

53 Real estate 3.02 2.86 2.49 2.29 3.06 3.14 1.00 1.20

54 Professional 7.12 7.65 6.17 6.23 4.60 4.88 3.06 4.02

55 Management 0.21 0.28 0.36 0.35 0.48 0.13 0.90 0.47

56 Administrative 5.05 5.33 2.81 3.19 3.64 3.69 1.37 1.58

61 Education 0.69 0.67 0.23 0.28 0.65 0.51 0.99 0.91

62 Health care 6.42 6.89 4.64 4.47 3.69 4.96 5.34 5.51

71 Entertainment 1.00 0.96 0.77 0.74 1.01 0.92 0.48 0.49

72 Accommodation 4.48 4.32 3.13 3.26 7.04 6.53 1.20 1.20

81 Other services 2.44 2.06 1.68 1.39 3.47 3.15 0.31 0.30

99 Not classified 0.10 0.02 0.04 0.01 0.06 0.02 0.01 0.00

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, the Survey of Business Owners, 2002 and 2007. Detail may not add to 100 percent 

because firms with more than one domestic establishment are counted in each industry in which they operate but 

only once in the U.S. totals.

More than one-fifth (21.16 percent) of publicly held businesses were in health care and 

other social assistance (NAICS 62) in 2002, by 2007 this percentage had dropped to 18.62. In 
11 

2007, one in 10 publicly held firms was in professional services (NAICS 54), up 2 percentage 

points from 2002. Construction also increased its share of total publicly held firms. 

Table 4 also shows that in 2002 and 2007, the top four revenue-generating industries for 

publicly held employer firms were manufacturing (NAICS 31-33), wholesale trade (NAICS 42), 

finance and insurance (NAICS 52), and retail trade (NAICS 44-45). The top four revenue 

generating industries were identical for female-owned, male-owned and equally owned employer 

firms in both 2002 and 2007; they were construction (NAICS 23), manufacturing (NAICS 31-33), 

wholesale trade (NAICS 42), and retail trade (NAICS 44-45). 

Industrial Distribution of Nonemployer Firms

A look at the industrial distribution of nonemployer firms shows the landscape of U.S. small 

businesses where the barrier to business entry and exit is low (Table 5; see also Table 1 and

Figures 1 and 2). Most privately owned businesses are nonemployer firms. 

The industrial distribution of nonemployer firms differs from that of employer firms 

(Table 5). Publicly held nonemployer firms were concentrated in real estate, rental and leasing 

(NAICS 53), followed by finance and insurance (NAICS 52), professional, scientific, and 

technical services (NAICS 54), and construction (NAICS 23). Professional services (NAICS 54) 

was in the top four industries for all nonemployer groups. More than 10 percent of businesses in 

each of the privately owned business groups were in other services (except public services, 

NAICS 81) and women-owned firms were growing in this sector; which constituted 16.69 

percent of women-owned nonemployer firms in 2002 and 17.07 percent in 2007. More than 16 

percent of women-owned nonemployer firms were in health care and social assistance (NAICS 

62). 

The top revenue-generating industry for all nonemployer businesses was real estate, 

rental, and leasing (NAICS 53). This industry generated 18-21 percent of the revenues of 

nonemployer firms overall in 2002-2007 and almost 62 percent (or $35 billion) of all publicly 

held nonemployer firm revenues in 2002 and 56 percent (or $21 billion) in 2007. The top 

revenue-generating industry for nonemployer firms owned by men was construction (NAICS 23), 

which generated 19.94 percent (or $73 billion) of men-owned business receipts in 2002 and 

20.57 percent (or more than $119 billion) in 2007. 

Ownership Distribution in Industries

The ownership distribution of the number of businesses varies significantly among industrial 

sectors Employer and nonemployer firms had very different patterns with respect to ownership 

distribution. Figure 8 presents the ownership distributions of the number and receipts of 

employer firms in 2007. Except in a few cases, the number of male-owned firms dominated each 

industrial sector and the number of publicly held businesses was marginal. The few exceptions 

were: 

1. Publicly held firms had more than a 60 percent share of the utility industry, 43.4 percent of 

the management industry (NAICS 55) and 41 percent of education (NAICS 61). 

2. Four industries in which female-owned firms had more than 20 percent shares were not 

classified (NAICS 99); educational services (NAICS 61, 21.2 percent); health care and social 
12 

Table 5 Industrial Distribution: Number of Nonemployer Firms by Ownership, 2002 and 2007 (Percent)

NAICS Industry Women Men Equal Public 

Number of Nonemployer Firms 2002 2007 2002 2007 2002 2007 2002 2007

11 Agriculture 0.39 0.36 1.63 1.38 1.76 1.73 0.63 0.71

21 Mining 0.21 0.24 0.55 0.52 0.81 0.76 1.29 0.97

22 Utilities 0.03 0.05 0.09 0.09 0.08 0.11 0.45 0.40

23 Construction 2.69 3.12 17.83 18.69 9.43 11.04 3.68 5.90

31-33 Manufacturing 1.26 1.16 1.67 1.58 2.13 2.10 0.84 1.31

42 Wholesale 1.43 1.37 2.25 2.00 2.60 2.41 2.22 2.07

44-45 Retail 14.34 11.51 7.50 6.67 15.17 12.56 2.86 3.94

48-49 Transportation 1.65 1.79 6.35 7.30 4.76 4.85 1.56 2.16

51 Information 1.25 1.28 1.42 1.59 1.16 1.30 0.94 1.40

52 Finance 2.41 2.40 4.55 4.25 3.38 3.26 11.09 9.06

53 Real estate 8.15 8.74 10.59 10.28 15.96 13.57 59.58 52.11

54 Professional 14.38 13.86 15.69 14.84 11.43 12.85 5.37 7.46

56 Administrative 9.13 10.49 6.39 7.45 6.15 7.43 1.72 2.28

61 Education 3.17 3.77 1.45 1.83 1.33 1.92 0.41 0.58

62 Health care 16.51 16.05 4.32 4.23 5.27 5.57 1.81 2.48

71 Entertainment 4.89 5.19 5.16 5.58 4.25 4.49 2.19 2.09

72 Accommodation 1.43 1.54 1.07 1.07 2.66 2.12 1.20 1.44

81 Other services 16.69 17.07 11.50 10.66 11.69 11.93 2.18 3.66

Receipts of Nonemployer Firms 2002 2007 2002 2007 2002 2007 2002 2007 

11 Agriculture 0.49 0.40 1.29 1.22 1.54 1.74 0.31 0.41

21 Mining 0.30 0.47 0.67 0.84 0.95 1.28 1.07 1.00

22 Utilities 0.03 0.04 0.07 0.07 0.06 0.07 0.31 0.33

23 Construction 4.43 4.95 19.94 20.57 13.77 15.09 4.42 6.30

31-33 Manufacturing 1.38 1.24 1.66 1.67 1.90 2.05 0.76 1.03

42 Wholesale 3.01 2.71 4.22 3.75 4.89 4.28 2.44 2.30

44-45 Retail 12.78 10.50 8.89 7.50 14.76 12.39 1.93 3.12

48-49 Transportation 2.13 2.73 5.97 8.33 5.62 7.12 1.26 2.18

51 Information 1.20 1.13 0.96 1.13 0.84 1.01 1.04 1.11

52 Finance 3.86 4.05 6.52 6.20 4.35 4.73 6.70 6.68

53 Real estate 17.61 16.19 19.53 16.83 24.50 19.04 61.53 55.75

54 Professional 16.06 16.26 12.58 13.39 8.61 10.56 6.00 6.41

56 Administrative 5.48 6.44 2.92 3.50 2.95 3.70 1.80 1.94

61 Education 1.37 1.65 0.39 0.49 0.45 0.64 0.23 0.38

62 Health care 12.34 12.68 3.98 4.06 2.98 3.58 4.44 4.52

71 Entertainment 3.40 3.70 2.41 2.70 2.13 2.42 1.52 1.30

72 Accommodation 1.98 1.80 1.43 1.27 2.94 2.38 2.79 2.14

81 Other services 12.14 13.07 6.57 6.48 6.77 7.92 1.44 3.10

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, the 2002 and 2007 Survey of Business Owners. Detail may not add to 100 

percent because firms with more than one domestic establishment are counted in each industry in which 

they operate but only once in the U.S. totals.

assistance (NAICS 62, 20.8 percent); and other services except public administration (NAICS 81, 

20.5 percent). 

The ownership distribution of business receipts shows a very different picture. While 

men-owned firms had more than 50 percent of the receipts in three industrial sectors 

(construction, agriculture and not classified), publicly-held businesses had a majority of the 

receipts in almost all major industries, especially in utilities (NAICS 22, 96.8 percent), finance 
13 

Figure 8 Ownership Distribution of Employer Firms and Receipts by Industry, 2007 

Employer Firm Number Employer Firm Receipts

Source: Source: U.S. Census Bureau, the 2007 Survey of Business Owners. Detail may not add to 100 percent 

because firms with more than one domestic establishment are counted in each industry in which they operate but 

only once in the U.S. totals. 

For detailed data, see Table A-11 and Table A-12 in Appendix.

and insurance (NAICS 52, 89.9 percent), information (NAICS 51, 85.5 percent), educational 

services (NAICS 61, 83.3 percent), and mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction (NAICS 21, 

80.8 percent). In summary, publicly held businesses represented just 9.7 percent of employer 

firms, but accounted for almost 65.3 percent of the more than $29 trillion in total 2007 employer 

firm receipts in the United States. 

In 2007, U.S. nonemployer firms represented about 80 percent of all U.S. businesses and 

accounted for 3.4 percent of the more than $30 trillion in business revenues (Figure 9). The 

ownership distributions by industry reflect certain gender preferences. For example, womenowned nonemployer firms had larger shares of two industries: health care and social assistance

(NAICS 62, 63 percent) and educational services (NAICS 61, 50 percent) in 2007. Womenowned nonemployer firms accounted for more than 42 percent of the nonemployer business 

receipts in each of the two industries. At the same time, men-owned nonemployer firms 

accounted for more than 76 percent of businesses in construction (NAICS 23), more than 72 

percent in transportation and warehousing (NAICS 48-49), and more than 71 percent of business 

receipts in each of these two industries. 

15.8

7.8

8.2

3.3

6.8

11.6

11.6

17.7

11.2

12.7

13.4

18.5

18.3

6.7

18.9

21.2

20.8

15.8

17.9

20.5

26.0

56.2

56.4

59.4

28.2

69.0

60.7

61.6

52.1

58.6

54.8

60.9

48.5

61.7

43.1

54.5

23.8

50.3

39.4

50.1

50.2

47.7

18.3

25.7

18.0

7.7

18.5

17.8

15.9

24.1

21.3

14.5

13.0

20.7

12.8

6.8

18.6

14.0

12.0

16.1

25.1

22.6

18.8

9.7

10.1

14.4

60.8

5.7

9.9

10.9

6.1

8.9

18.0

12.8

12.3

7.1

43.4

8.0

41.0

16.9

28.6

6.9

6.7

7.5

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Total

Agriculture

Mining

Utilities

Construction

Manufacturing

Wholesale

Retail

Transportation

Information

Finance

Real Estate

Professional

Management

Administrative

Education

Healthcare

Entertainment

Accommodation

Other-Services

Not-classified

Female Male Equal Public

27.4

52.2

15.1

2.6

64.2

19.9

28.9

37.0

37.1

11.2

8.9

38.4

35.7

22.9

39.2

10.7

23.3

34.2

43.0

49.5

50.9

65.3

27.4

80.8

96.8

21.9

76.1

64.0

52.3

51.6

85.5

89.9

48.2

54.9

73.6

46.3

83.3

68.6

54.3

37.9

25.6

21.1

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Total

Agriculture

Mining

Utilities

Construction

Manufacturing

Wholesale

Retail

Transportation

Information

Finance

Real Estate

Professional

Management

Administrative

Education

Healthcare

Entertainment

Accommodation

Other-Services

Not-classified

Female Male Equal Public
14 

Figure 9 Ownership Distribution of Nonemployer Firms and Receipts by Industry, 2007 

Nonemployer Firm Number Nonemployer Firm Receipts

Source: Source: U.S. Census Bureau, the 2007 Survey of Business Owners. Detail may not add to 100 percent 

because firms with more than one domestic establishment are counted in each industry in which they operate but 

only once in the U.S. totals. 

For detailed data, see Table A-13 and Table A-14 in Appendix.

Employment

More than 5 million employer firms in the United States employed 118,616,072 people in 2007: 

publicly held firms were responsible for 51.7 percent of the total (Table 6). Of the remainder, 

35.0 percent were employed in firms owned by men, 6.9 percent in equally owned firms, and 6.4 

percent in women-owned firms. More than 20 percent of the workers in publicly held firms and 

about 80 percent of those in privately owned firms were working for small businesses with fewer

than 500 employees. 

Privately owned businesses were small and vulnerable in general, but large privately 

owned firms survived and retained jobs better than large publicly held firms (Table 7). From the 

2002 cohort of employer firms, a net 13 million jobs had disappeared by 2006: 8 million (61 

percent) from publicly held firms and 5 million (39 percent) from privately owned firms. Large 

firms with more than $1 million in receipts lost more than 10 million jobs: publicly held

32.2

10.6

16.3

19.9

8.2

24.4

23.7

40.4

11.4

28.6

21.8

26.0

31.7

40.4

49.5

62.8

32.0

35.4

42.8

50.0

62.6

54.8

53.2

76.2

51.7

53.4

36.3

72.1

55.3

59.9

47.4

52.6

44.5

37.2

25.6

53.3

38.2

41.4

16.6

26.1

26.5

21.3

15.0

22.8

21.5

22.8

16.0

15.0

15.3

20.9

15.2

14.8

13.0

11.2

14.3

25.2

15.4

1.2

0.8

2.4

5.6

0.6

1.0

1.3

0.5

0.5

1.1

3.0

5.7

0.6

0.3

0.3

0.4

0.5

1.2

0.3

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Total

Agriculture

Mining

Utilities

Construction

Manufacturing

Wholesale

Retail

Transportation

Information

Finance

Real Estate

Professional

Administrative

Education

Healthcare

Entertainment

Accommodation

Other-Services

Female Male Equal Public

18.7

6.6

10.1

8.8

5.8

14.2

14.1

22.3

7.5

19.2

13.7

16.3

23.2

29.9

42.1

42.4

24.9

20.9

31.2

58.5

63.1

57.3

56.4

75.0

59.7

61.0

49.8

71.5

59.8

65.5

52.8

59.7

50.9

39.4

42.4

56.8

46.1

48.3

18.8

28.9

28.0

18.0

17.7

23.6

22.4

26.5

19.7

17.1

16.1

19.2

15.1

17.3

16.5

12.0

16.4

27.8

19.0

3.9

1.4

4.5

16.8

1.5

2.5

2.5

1.4

1.3

4.0

4.7

11.8

1.9

1.9

2.0

3.2

1.8

5.2

1.6

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Total

Agriculture

Mining

Utilities

Construction

Manufacturing

Wholesale

Retail

Transportation

Information

Finance

Real Estate

Professional

Administrative

Education

Healthcare

Entertainment

Accommodation

Other-Services

Female Male Equal Public
15 

Table 6 Employment of Employer Firms in 2007, by Business Ownership 

Employm

ent Size

Employment Number Employment Distribution (Percent)

All Firms Women Men Equal Public Total Women Men Equal Public

All firms

118,616,072 7,573,011 41,540,487 8,149,675 61,352,899 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

(100.0%) (6.4%) (35.0%) (6.9%) (51.7%) -- -- -- -- --

1 to 4 5,834,958 978,678 3,273,816 1,128,236 454,228 4.9 12.9 8.0 13.8 0.7

5 to 9 6,622,885 987,815 3,751,663 1,284,708 598,699 5.6 13.0 9.0 15.8 1.0

10 to 19 8,310,924 1,138,627 4,711,890 1,522,476 937,931 7.0 15.0 11.3 18.7 1.5

20 to 49 11,766,477 1,322,961 6,868,994 1,707,126 1,867,396 9.9 17.5 16.5 21.0 3.0

50 to 99 8,578,131 771,376 4,922,236 833,835 2,050,684 7.2 10.2 11.9 10.2 3.3

100 to 499 17,457,629 1,290,862 8,449,313 990,734 6,726,720 14.7 17.0 20.3 12.2 11.0

500 or 

more 60,045,070 1,082,693 9,562,576 682,559 48,717,242 50.6 14.3 23.0 8.4 79.4

Table 7 Large Publicly Held Firms Lost Many Jobs: Net Change in Employment by 2006 in the 2002 

Cohort of Employer Firms, by Firm Receipts Size 

Firms by Receipts Size 

($1,000)

Business 

Ownership

Employment in 2002 Net Change in Employment 

by 2006

Number Share of 

Employment Number

Share of 

Employment 

Change

Total

Total 106,994,852 -12,879,973

Public1 53,545,085 50.0% -7,891,501 61.3%

Private2 53,449,766 50.0% -4,988,473 38.7%

Less than $25,000

Total 305,961 -26,905

Public1 57,038 18.6% -22,371 83.1%

Private2 248,924 81.4% -4,534 16.9%

$25,000 to $49,999

Total 337,991 -29,308

Public1 26,603 7.9% -112 0.4%

Private2 311,387 92.1% -29,196 99.6%

$50,000 to $99,999

Total 929,240 -160,425

Public1 66,994 7.2% -1,013 0.6%

Private2 862,246 92.8% -159,412 99.4%

$100,000 to $499,999

Total 8,074,494 -1,216,921

Public1 553,901 6.9% -10,689 0.9%

Private2 7,520,593 93.1% -1,206,232 99.1%

$500,000 to $999,999

Total 6,521,958 -745,653

Public1 479,139 7.3% -31,297 4.2%

Private2 6,042,819 92.7% -714,356 95.8%

$1 million or more

Total 90,825,207 -10,700,762

Public1 52,361,409 57.7% -7,826,019 73.1%

Private2 38,463,798 42.3% -2,874,743 26.9%

1. Publicly held and other firms not classifiable by gender, Hispanic or Latino origin, and race.

2. All firms that can be identified by owner’s gender, including women-owned, men-owned and 

equally women- and men-owned firms.

Source: SBO/BITS Special Tabulation: Establishment Expansions, Contractions, and Deaths 

between 2002-2003, 2002-2004, 2002-2005, and 2002-2006, U.S. Bureau of the Census, 

http://www.census.gov/econ/sbo/longitudinal02/longitudinal02.html. 

References: Office of Advocacy, http://archive.sba.gov/advo/research/demographic.html: 

“Race/Ethnicity and Establishment Dynamics, 2002-2006,” November 2010.

1. “Gender and Establishment Dynamics, 2002-2006,” August 2010.
16 

Table 8 Existing Employer Firms Had Net Job Losses: Net Change in Employment of the 2002 Cohort of 

Employer Firms, by Ownership, 2002-2003, 2002-2004, 2002-2005 and 2002-2006

Business Growth

Only publicly held firms had consistent and impressive growth in the numbers of both employer 

and nonemployer businesses (Figure 10). In the 1997-2002 period, the number of publicly held

employer firms grew 32 percent; nonemployer firms, 25 percent. Their growth rates for 2002-

2007 were even more striking: employer firms increased by 57 percent; nonemployer firms, 77 

percent. Women- and men-owned nonemployer firms had positive growth in both of the periods 

examined. However, the numbers of both women- and men-owned employer firms declined over 

the 2002-2007 period. 

The number of firms owned by men declined on average by 8.2 percent between 2002 

and 2007, while their receipts grew a solid 21 percent (Table 9). The decline in the number of 

firms owned by men occurred at all employment-size levels. Large firms owned by women, with 

500 or more employees, increased by 10 percent in the number of firms and 23 percent in 

business receipts. The growth rates of equally owned and publicly held firms were robust for 

both the number and receipts at all firm employment-size levels, even at the “no employee” level, 

The numbers of women- and men-owned firms without employees declined by more than 30 

Ownership of 

Firms

2002

Employment

Net change in Employment Rate of Net Change (%)

2002-2003 2002-2004 2002-2005 2002-2006 1-yr 2-yr 3-yr 4-yr

Total 106,994,851 -2,544,028 -6,484,385 -10,749,420 -12,879,974 -2.4 -6.1 -10.0 -12.0

Publicly held 53,545,085 -2,492,979 -4,857,172 -6,687,743 -7,891,501 -4.7 -9.1 -12.5 -14.7

Privately Owned 53,449,766 -51,050 -1,627,214 -4,061,677 -4,988,473 -0.1 -3.0 -7.6 -9.3

Women 6,963,492 73,529 -227,215 -649,660 -801,400 1.1 -3.3 -9.3 -11.5

Men 40,934,420 -126,662 -1,218,733 -2,902,426 -3,571,937 -0.3 -3.0 -7.1 -8.7

Equal 5,536,227 1,945 -183,159 -511,768 -618,811 0.0 -3.3 -9.2 -11.2

Source: SBO/BITS Special Tabulation: Establishment Expansions, Contractions, and Deaths between 2002-2003, 

2002-2004, 2002-2005, and 2002-2006, U.S. Bureau of the Census, 

http://www.census.gov/econ/sbo/longitudinal02/longitudinal02.html. 

References: Office of Advocacy, http://archive.sba.gov/advo/research/demographic.html: 

“Race/Ethnicity and Establishment Dynamics, 2002-2006,” November 2010.

employer firms were responsible for more than 73 percent of the total job loss; privately owned 

employer firms, less than 27 percent. 

Table 8 details four time periods (2002-2003, 2002-2004, 2002-2005 and 2002-2006) of 

employment change in the 2002 cohort of employer firms by ownership category. Job losses in 

publicly held firms were more severe than in privately owned firms. For the 2002 employer firm 

cohort, publicly held firms lost 2.5 million jobs in one year, almost 50 times the losses of 

privately owned firms (-51,050) in 2003. 

A focus on one business cohort over time—in the case above, the 2002 employer firm 

cohort—necessarily leaves out subsequent new business startups. When the large job gains from 

business startups are not included in the calculation, the numbers of jobs created through 

expansions of existing business are generally insufficient to replace the jobs lost through 

business deaths and contractions. Job losses in existing businesses are a natural part of business 

dynamics, and business creation is also crucial for job creation.
17 

Figure 10 Growth of Firms by Ownership, 1997-2002 and 2002-2007 (Percent change)

 

8

12

32

‐1 ‐8

57

22

17

25 24

10

77

‐10

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Female‐owned Male‐owned Publicly held** Female‐owned Male‐owned Publicly held**

1997‐2002 2002‐2007

Employer firms number

Nonemployer firms number

Table 9 Growth Rates of the Number and Receipts of Employer Firms by Employment Size and

Gender of Ownership, 2002-2007 (Percent)

Employment Size

Growth Rate of Firm Number Growth Rate of Business Receipts

Women Men Equal Public Women Men Equal Public

All firms -0.6 -8.2 46.4 57.3 25.5 20.9 75.2 38.9

No employees -31.6 -30.9 8.6 17.8 -14.2 -14.1 27.6 29.2

1 to 4 employees 8.2 -3.2 60.4 76.7 20.7 13.8 83.5 110.4

5 to 9 employees 1.7 -6.4 46.5 75.7 20.9 15.6 73.3 98.2

10 to 19 employees 3.0 -6.7 43.4 64.0 25.0 14.5 74.8 70.0

20 to 49 employees 3.5 -5.2 38.7 47.4 29.8 17.5 69.2 81.0

50 to 99 employees 3.2 -3.4 33.5 35.0 27.3 23.7 74.7 72.1

100 to 499 employees 5.3 -2.1 28.7 24.6 40.8 22.7 67.1 71.2

500 employees or more 10.0 -0.7 76.9 13.5 23.0 33.7 120.4 34.0

percent; their receipts were down more than 14 percent. The significant decline in firms owned 

by men and the strong growth in publicly held firms between 2002 and 2007 may reflect the 

booming equity and merger and acquisition markets before the recession that began in late 

2007.8

Women-owned Businesses in the States 

Table 10 shows the 1997, 2002 and 2007 numbers of businesses and women-owned businesses 

by region and state in the United States and the ratio of businesses to population—businesses per 

1,000 persons. This measure allows a comparison of business ownership rates across states with 

8 The Dow Jones Industrial Average Index increased from the 7000s in 2002 to 12000s in 2007. The NASDAQ 

daily average was in the 1400s in 2002 and in the 2400s in 2007.
18 

Table 10 Total Number of Businesses and Businesses per 1,000 in the Population, 2007, 2002 and 1997 

SBO Survey 

Year 2007* 2002 1997

State Name Total 

Business

Women 

Business

Total 

Population

Bus/

Pop

(000)

WBus/

Pop 

(000)

Total 

Business

Women 

Business

Total 

Population

Bus/

Pop

(000)

WBus/

Pop

(000)

Total 

Business

Women 

Business

Total 

Population

Bus/

Pop

(000)

WBus/

Pop

(000)

United States 27,110,362 7,793,425 301,579,895 90 25.8 22,974,655 6,492,795 287,984,799 80 22.5 20,821,934 5,417,034 272,646,925 76 19.9

Alabama 382,628 107,531 4,637,904 83 23.2 309,544 81,951 4,480,139 69 18.3 285,206 69,515 4,367,935 65 15.9

Alaska 68,881 17,821 682,297 101 26.1 62,145 16,315 640,699 97 25.5 64,134 16,633 612,968 105 27.1

Arizona 491,788 138,146 6,362,241 77 21.7 381,180 109,807 5,438,159 70 20.2 329,031 88,780 4,736,990 69 18.7

Arkansas 239,150 58,604 2,842,194 84 20.6 209,010 49,647 2,706,606 77 18.3 193,424 42,581 2,601,090 74 16.4

California 3,426,953 1,039,642 36,226,122 95 28.7 2,908,758 871,617 34,988,088 83 24.9 2,565,734 700,513 32,486,010 79 21.6

Colorado 548,132 160,058 4,842,259 113 33.1 464,982 135,224 4,498,407 103 30.1 410,249 114,807 4,018,293 102 28.6

Connecticut 332,555 93,521 3,488,633 95 26.8 301,571 82,128 3,458,382 87 23.7 284,022 72,393 3,349,348 85 21.6

Delaware 74,978 19,431 864,896 87 22.5 63,570 15,371 805,767 79 19.1 56,586 13,662 751,487 75 18.2

District of 

Columbia 55,966 19,283 586,409 95 32.9 47,172 15,684 564,624 84 27.8 45,297 13,979 567,736 80 24.6

Florida 2,010,406 581,026 18,277,888 110 31.8 1,539,207 437,494 16,677,860 92 26.2 1,301,920 337,811 15,186,304 86 22.2

Georgia 901,626 278,250 9,533,761 95 29.2 674,521 196,224 8,581,731 79 22.9 568,552 145,576 7,685,099 74 18.9

Hawaii 120,468 37,391 1,276,832 94 29.3 99,224 29,904 1,234,401 80 24.2 93,981 25,807 1,211,640 78 21.3

Idaho 151,728 35,595 1,499,245 101 23.7 121,560 28,841 1,343,973 90 21.5 109,758 25,763 1,228,520 89 21.0

Illinois 1,124,693 343,151 12,779,417 88 26.9 958,120 285,072 12,586,839 76 22.6 882,053 239,725 12,185,715 72 19.7

Indiana 483,242 129,523 6,346,113 76 20.4 433,907 118,950 6,154,739 70 19.3 413,400 107,082 5,955,267 69 18.0

Iowa 260,199 66,285 2,978,719 87 22.3 236,515 63,825 2,934,340 81 21.8 227,562 57,527 2,891,119 79 19.9

Kansas 237,297 65,252 2,775,586 85 23.5 219,378 59,642 2,712,454 81 22.0 213,392 54,638 2,635,292 81 20.7

Kentucky 337,861 86,464 4,256,278 79 20.3 300,685 77,232 4,088,510 74 18.9 281,551 65,965 3,952,747 71 16.7

Louisiana 376,014 102,734 4,376,122 86 23.5 328,756 86,844 4,475,003 73 19.4 295,679 70,550 4,421,071 67 16.0

Maine 150,481 38,510 1,317,308 114 29.2 135,410 32,530 1,296,978 104 25.1 127,467 30,598 1,254,774 102 24.4

Maryland 528,396 172,221 5,634,242 94 30.6 443,540 137,442 5,442,268 81 25.3 400,203 115,801 5,157,328 78 22.5

Massachusetts 597,077 178,178 6,499,275 92 27.4 563,539 162,037 6,411,568 88 25.3 537,150 142,661 6,226,058 86 22.9

Michigan 817,471 248,351 10,050,847 81 24.7 735,531 217,802 10,039,379 73 21.7 677,473 184,590 9,809,051 69 18.8

Minnesota 496,957 133,141 5,191,206 96 25.6 443,827 123,928 5,023,526 88 24.7 410,634 108,417 4,763,390 86 22.8

Mississippi 226,153 60,849 2,921,723 77 20.8 187,602 47,071 2,866,349 65 16.4 167,907 38,321 2,777,004 60 13.8

Missouri 501,363 130,749 5,909,824 85 22.1 439,485 120,457 5,681,045 77 21.2 411,403 103,626 5,481,193 75 18.9

Montana 114,495 28,127 957,225 120 29.4 100,402 24,552 910,395 110 27.0 93,677 22,404 889,865 105 25.2

Nebraska 159,771 41,003 1,769,912 90 23.2 145,380 38,696 1,726,753 84 22.4 138,762 33,469 1,686,418 82 19.8

Nevada 221,423 63,363 2,567,752 86 24.7 169,505 47,706 2,167,867 78 22.0 129,757 33,311 1,764,104 74 18.9

New 

Hampshire 137,936 35,633 1,317,343 105 27.0 125,388 31,031 1,274,666 98 24.3 115,747 27,265 1,189,425 97 22.9
19 

SBO Survey 

Year 2007* 2002 1997

State Name Total 

Business

Women 

Business

Total 

Population

Bus/

Pop

(000)

WBus/

Pop 

(000)

Total 

Business

Women 

Business

Total 

Population

Bus/

Pop

(000)

WBus/

Pop

(000)

Total 

Business

Women 

Business

Total 

Population

Bus/

Pop

(000)

WBus/

Pop

(000)

New Jersey 782,030 213,284 8,636,043 91 24.7 708,837 185,493 8,576,089 83 21.6 654,227 155,345 8,218,808 80 18.9

New Mexico 157,370 49,840 1,968,731 80 25.3 136,711 42,272 1,855,400 74 22.8 131,685 38,706 1,774,839 74 21.8

New York 1,957,598 594,447 19,422,777 101 30.6 1,707,168 505,183 19,164,755 89 26.4 1,509,829 394,014 18,656,546 81 21.1

North 

Carolina 799,346 225,503 9,064,074 88 24.9 642,597 173,921 8,312,755 77 20.9 570,484 139,900 7,656,825 75 18.3

North Dakota 61,610 15,246 638,202 97 23.9 56,781 13,204 633,571 90 20.8 55,266 12,417 649,716 85 19.1

Ohio 898,665 249,083 11,520,815 78 21.6 817,693 230,124 11,404,651 72 20.2 781,284 205,044 11,277,357 69 18.2

Oklahoma 334,078 84,359 3,612,186 92 23.4 291,610 75,053 3,487,076 84 21.5 280,722 67,481 3,372,917 83 20.0

Oregon 348,468 103,612 3,732,957 93 27.8 299,505 88,311 3,522,342 85 25.1 291,596 80,543 3,304,310 88 24.4

Pennsylvania 982,288 265,083 12,522,531 78 21.2 874,255 227,286 12,324,415 71 18.4 837,756 202,990 12,227,814 69 16.6

Rhode Island 96,935 26,456 1,055,009 92 25.1 87,446 23,209 1,068,550 82 21.7 80,934 19,886 1,025,353 79 19.4

South 

Carolina 360,563 99,468 4,424,232 81 22.5 292,984 76,879 4,102,568 71 18.7 260,342 64,232 3,859,696 67 16.6

South Dakota 77,134 17,083 797,035 97 21.4 69,536 15,576 760,368 91 20.5 65,791 14,121 744,223 88 19.0

Tennessee 545,729 141,396 6,172,862 88 22.9 454,366 117,970 5,790,312 78 20.4 415,934 99,772 5,499,233 76 18.1

Texas 2,166,131 610,279 23,837,701 91 25.6 1,734,509 469,049 21,722,394 80 21.6 1,525,972 381,453 19,740,317 77 19.3

Utah 246,538 61,463 2,663,796 93 23.1 193,003 48,484 2,336,673 83 20.7 169,164 41,991 2,119,784 80 19.8

Vermont 78,775 20,463 620,460 127 33.0 72,321 19,002 616,274 117 30.8 67,488 17,030 597,239 113 28.5

Virginia 639,200 192,236 7,719,749 83 24.9 529,520 157,100 7,286,061 73 21.6 480,122 132,219 6,829,183 70 19.4

Washington 551,784 158,093 6,464,979 85 24.5 467,290 137,475 6,066,319 77 22.7 447,433 123,042 5,674,747 79 21.7

West Virginia 120,496 33,797 1,811,198 67 18.7 113,087 31,302 1,804,529 63 17.3 111,737 30,231 1,819,113 61 16.6

Wisconsin 434,058 112,373 5,601,571 77 20.1 393,241 104,206 5,439,137 72 19.2 366,436 89,284 5,266,213 70 17.0

Wyoming 61,223 15,604 523,414 117 29.8 53,103 12,946 499,045 106 25.9 49,376 11,148 489,451 101 22.8

Business data source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, Survey of Business Owners, 1997, 2002 and 2007. 

Population data source: Bureau of Economic Analysis, http://www.bea.gov/regional/spi/.

Notes: * 2007 business number by state was preliminary and subject to change.

Bus/Pop=number of businesses per 1,000 persons in the state or locale; and WBus/Pop=number of women-owned businesses per 1,000 persons in the state or 

locale. 
20 

vastly different populations. Ten states had more than 100 firms per 1,000 persons in the state in 

2007: Vermont, Montana, Wyoming, Maine, Colorado, Florida, New Hampshire, Idaho, Alaska, 

and New York. Eight states had fewer than 80: Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Wisconsin, 

Mississippi, Arizona, Indiana, and West Virginia. 

In five states and the District of Columbia the number of women-owned businesses per 

1,000 persons was higher than 30 in 2007: Colorado, Vermont, the District of Columbia, Florida, 

New York, and Maryland. In six states, this ratio was less than 20: Mississippi, Arkansas, 

Indiana, Kentucky, Wisconsin, and West Virginia. 

The growth in the number of businesses is influenced by population growth, but other 

factors also affect business growth. For example, while the U.S. population grew 10 percent in 

1997-2002, the total number of businesses grew 20 percent, and women-owned businesses 

increased by about 6 percent. In 2002-2007, the U.S. population grew 18 percent, the number of 

businesses grew 20 percent, and the number of women-owned businesses grew less than 5 

percent.

States with higher ratios of publicly held businesses to 10,000 in the population tend to 

also have higher ratios of businesses to 1,000 population and of women-owned businesses. 

Under the pressure of global competition, large companies locate in places with sophisticated 

supply chains and flourishing entrepreneurship, where they can be more profitable than 

otherwise. Where there is a concentration of small businesses offering needed skills, large 

corporations often achieve higher productivity through contracting out goods and services 

production to small firms.

Conclusion

The years from 1997 to 2007 were a dynamic period in the U.S. economy. The strong growth 

early in this period was negatively affected by the recession of 2000-2001; strong economic 

growth resumed in the 2002-2007 period. The data portray an economy moving out of a 

recession and ending on a high note in 2007. In general, as reflected by the data, the differences 

among businesses are no longer attributable simply to the gender of the owners, because 

businesses owned by men and women more and more share the same general development 

patterns. 

In 1997, 2002, and 2007, fewer than 1 percent of all firms owned by women and 2 

percent of those owned by men had 100 or more employees. The ownership distribution by

industry reflects certain gender preferences. For example, women-owned firms had higher shares 

of the firms in health care and educational services, and firms owned by men dominated 

construction and transportation in 2007. The number of nonemployer firms owned by both men 

and women grew in 1997-2002 and 2002-2007, while the number of employer firms owned by 

both women and men declined in 2002-2007. Most states with more publicly held businesses 

(relative to their populations) tended to also have more businesses overall and more womenowned businesses (relative to population) than other states. 
21 

Appendix

Definitions

Nonemployer 

A nonemployer business is one that has no paid employees, has annual business receipts of 

$1,000 or more ($1 or more in the construction industries), and is subject to federal income taxes. 

Most nonemployers are self-employed individuals operating very small unincorporated 

businesses, which may or may not be the owner's principal source of income. 

Receipts

Receipts include gross receipts, sales, commissions, and income from trades and businesses, as 

reported on annual business income tax returns. Business income consists of all payments 

received for services rendered by nonemployer businesses, such as payments received as 

independent agents and contractors. 

The composition of nonemployer receipts may differ from receipts data published for 

employer establishments. For example, for wholesale agents and brokers without payroll 

(nonemployers), the receipts item contains commissions received or earnings. In contrast, for 

wholesale agents and brokers with payroll (employers), the sales and receipts item published in 

the Economic Census represents the value of the goods involved in the transactions. 

Number of Firms

Generally, a firm is a single physical location where business is conducted or services or 

industrial operations are performed. However, for nonemployers each distinct business income 

tax return filed by a nonemployer business is counted as a firm. A nonemployer business may 

operate from its owner's home address or from a separate physical location. Most geographic

codes are derived from the business owner's mailing address, which may not be the same as the 

physical location of the business. 
22 

NAICS code descriptions 

NAICS 

code Abbreviation Description of industry

0 Total

11 Agriculture Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting

21 Mining Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction

22 Utilities Utilities

23 Construction Construction

31-33 Manufacturing Manufacturing

42 Wholesale Wholesale trade

44-45 Retail Retail trade

48-49 Transportation Transportation and warehousing

51 Information Information

52 Finance Finance and insurance

53 Real estate Real estate and rental and leasing

54 Professional Professional, scientific, and technical services

55 Management Management of companies and enterprises (not included in nonemployer data)

56 Administrative Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services

61 Education Educational services

62 Health care Health care and social assistance

71 Entertainment Arts, entertainment, and recreation

72 Accommodation Accommodation and food services

81 Other services Other services (except public administration)

99 Not classified Industries not classified (not included in nonemployer data)
23 

Tables 

The source of Tables A1 through A18 is the Survey of Business Owners, 1997, 2002, and 2007, 

U.S. Bureau of the Census http://www.census.gov/econ/sbo/. Note that receipts are not adjusted 

for inflation from one period to the next.

Table A1 Number, Receipts, Employment and Annual Payroll of All U.S. Employer and Nonemployer 

Firms by Business Ownership, 1997, 2002, and 2007 

Ownership 

of Firms

All firms 

(number)

Receipts 

($1,000)

Employer 

firms 

(number)

Employer 

receipts 

($1,000)

Employees 

(number)

Annual 

payroll 

($1,000)

Nonemployer 

firms 

(number)

Nonemployer 

receipts 

($1,000)

1997

All firms 20,821,934 18,553,243,000 5,295,151 17,907,940,321 103,359,815 2,936,492,940 15,526,783 645,302,679

Women 5,417,034 818,669,000 846,780 717,763,965 7,076,081 149,115,699 4,570,254 100,905,035

Men 11,374,194 6,635,375,000 3,151,000 6,270,252,935 43,532,114 1,187,720,761 8,223,194 365,122,065

Equal1 3,641,263 943,881,000 1,029,469 828,389,812 8,284,537 160,989,000 2,611,794 115,491,188

Public2 381,519 10,161,242,000 267,902 10,104,057,581 44,458,403 1,437,194,875 113,617 57,184,419

2002

All firms 22,974,655 22,603,658,904 5,524,784 21,836,249,354 110,766,605 3,812,427,806 17,449,871 767,409,550

Women 6,489,259 939,538,208 916,657 802,851,495 7,141,369 173,528,707 5,572,602 136,686,713

Men 13,184,033 7,061,026,736 3,524,969 6,564,052,308 42,428,508 1,319,884,315 9,659,064 496,974,428

Equal1 2,693,360 731,678,703 717,961 627,202,424 5,664,948 129,700,997 1,975,399 104,476,279

Public2 494,399 13,820,117,758 352,720 13,796,996,645 55,398,389 2,185,642,376 141,679 23,121,113

2007

All firms 27,110,059 30,176,154,800 5,752,673 29,203,460,510 118,616,073 4,884,840,742 21,357,386 972,694,290

Women 7,793,364 1,190,057,451 910,761 1,007,762,458 7,573,011 217,586,689 6,882,603 182,294,993

Men 13,909,064 8,507,846,994 3,236,171 7,938,685,794 41,540,487 1,532,614,470 10,672,894 569,161,200

Equal1 4,602,097 1,281,838,720 1,050,835 1,098,769,090 8,149,675 219,201,932 3,551,263 183,069,630

Public2 805,533 19,196,411,634 554,906 19,158,243,167 61,352,899 2,915,437,651 250,627 38,168,467

1997 men-owned and publicly held data are estimated by the author.

1. Equal: equally men-/women-owned

2. Public: publicly held and other firms not classifiable by gender, Hispanic or Latino origin, and race
24 

Table A2 Business Performance of Firms: Receipts per Firm, Receipts per Employer Firm, Receipts per 

Nonemployer Firm and Payroll per Employee, by Business Ownership 1997, 2002 and 2007 

SBO 

Year Business ownership Receipts per firm ($)

Receipts per 

employer firm

($)

Receipts per 

nonemployer 

firm ($)

Payroll per 

employee ($)

1997 

All firms 891,043 3,381,951 41,561 28,410 

Women-owned 151,129 847,639 22,079 21,073 

Men-owned 583,371 1,989,925 44,401 27,284 

Equally owned* 259,218 804,677 44,219 19,432 

Publicly held** 26,633,646 37,715,499 503,309 32,327 

2002 

All firms 983,852 3,952,417 43,978 34,419 

Women-owned 144,784 875,847 24,528 24,299 

Men-owned 535,574 1,862,159 51,452 31,108 

Equally owned* 271,660 873,588 52,889 22,895 

Publicly held** 27,953,369 39,116,003 163,194 39,453 

2007 

All firms 1,113,098 5,076,503 45,544 41,182 

Women-owned 152,701 1,106,506 26,486 28,732 

Men-owned 611,676 2,453,111 53,328 36,894 

Equally owned* 278,534 1,045,615 51,551 26,897 

Publicly held** 23,830,695 34,525,205 152,292 47,519 

Table A3 Ownership Distribution: Number, Receipts, Employment, and Annual Payroll of All U.S. 

Employer and Nonemployer Firms, 1997, 2002, and 2007 (Percent)

SBO 

Year

Meaning of 

Gender

All firms 

(number)

Receipts 

($1,000)

Employer 

firms 

(number)

Employer 

receipts 

($1,000)

Employees 

(number)

Annual 

payroll 

($1,000)

Nonemployer 

firms 

(number)

Nonemployer 

receipts 

($1,000)

1997

Women-owned 26.0% 4.4% 16.0% 4.0% 6.8% 5.1% 29.4% 15.6%

Men-owned 54.6% 35.8% 59.5% 35.0% 42.1% 40.4% 53.0% 56.6%

Equally owned* 17.5% 5.1% 19.4% 4.6% 8.0% 5.5% 16.8% 17.9%

Publicly held** 1.8% 54.8% 5.1% 56.4% 43.0% 48.9% 0.7% 8.9%

2002

Women-owned 28.2% 4.2% 16.6% 3.7% 6.4% 4.6% 31.9% 17.8%

Men-owned 57.4% 31.2% 63.8% 30.1% 38.3% 34.6% 55.4% 64.8%

Equally owned* 11.7% 3.2% 13.0% 2.9% 5.1% 3.4% 11.3% 13.6%

Publicly held** 2.2% 61.1% 6.4% 63.2% 50.0% 57.3% 0.8% 3.0%

2007

Women-owned 28.7% 3.9% 15.8% 3.5% 6.4% 4.5% 32.2% 18.7%

Men-owned 51.3% 28.2% 56.3% 27.2% 35.0% 31.4% 50.0% 58.5%

Equally owned* 17.0% 4.2% 18.3% 3.8% 6.9% 4.5% 16.6% 18.8%

Publicly held** 3.0% 63.6% 9.6% 65.6% 51.7% 59.7% 1.2% 3.9%
25 

Table A4 Number and Receipts of All U.S. Employer Firms by Business Ownership and Employment 

Size, 2002 and 2007 

SBO Year 2007 2002

Employment size of firms code

Employer 

firms 

(number)

Employer 

receipts ($1,000)

Employer 

firms 

(number)

Employer receipts 

($1,000)

All firms

All firms 5,752,673 29,203,460,510 5,524,784 21,836,249,354

Firms with no employees 619,348 206,953,090 810,950 207,263,000

Firms with 1 to 4 employees 2,880,067 1,135,925,007 2,600,314 880,089,437

Firms with 5 to 9 employees 1,008,472 1,094,435,647 948,715 856,365,232

Firms with 10 to 19 employees 620,565 1,334,402,071 581,596 1,045,412,672

Firms with 20 to 49 employees 391,591 2,029,066,851 368,797 1,559,296,453

Firms with 50 to 99 employees 124,743 1,678,648,160 116,060 1,246,357,462

Firms with 100 to 499 employees 89,831 3,604,072,472 81,616 2,517,174,351

Firms with 500 employees or more 18,055 18,119,957,211 16,736 13,524,290,747

Women-owned

All firms 910,761 1,007,762,458 916,657 802,851,495

Firms with no employees 110,325 20,191,982 161,308 23,539,242

Firms with 1 to 4 employees 499,711 136,935,266 461,868 113,446,739

Firms with 5 to 9 employees 151,518 116,448,061 149,054 96,281,778

Firms with 10 to 19 employees 85,449 128,971,786 82,945 103,159,873

Firms with 20 to 49 employees 44,697 153,014,870 43,191 117,875,079

Firms with 50 to 99 employees 11,418 94,253,952 11,061 74,053,464

Firms with 100 to 499 employees 6,919 161,203,935 6,572 114,483,727

Firms with 500 employees or more 725 196,742,605 659 160,011,594

Men-owned

All firms 3,236,171 7,938,685,794 3,524,969 6,564,052,308

Firms with no employees 348,677 104,036,349 504,696 121,154,619

Firms with 1 to 4 employees 1,613,597 684,826,937 1,666,267 601,950,227

Firms with 5 to 9 employees 570,989 682,033,752 609,788 589,984,553

Firms with 10 to 19 employees 352,066 840,748,896 377,383 734,181,241

Firms with 20 to 49 employees 228,133 1,288,316,250 240,610 1,096,260,284

Firms with 50 to 99 employees 71,757 1,028,356,840 74,252 831,317,718

Firms with 100 to 499 employees 45,205 1,695,791,407 46,185 1,381,641,258

Firms with 500 employees or more 5,746 1,614,575,363 5,786 1,207,562,407

Equally men-/women-owned

All firms 1,050,835 1,098,769,090 717,961 627,202,424

Firms with no employees 116,419 26,229,505 107,199 20,560,554

Firms with 1 to 4 employees 547,158 198,775,537 341,143 108,338,548

Firms with 5 to 9 employees 195,589 178,593,197 133,544 103,082,056

Firms with 10 to 19 employees 114,462 188,986,919 79,818 108,123,394

Firms with 20 to 49 employees 58,746 204,432,850 42,367 120,830,731

Firms with 50 to 99 employees 12,437 106,121,874 9,316 60,729,473

Firms with 100 to 499 employees 5,533 116,049,149 4,298 69,433,344

Firms with 500 employees or more 490 79,580,060 277 36,104,322

Publicly held*

All firms 554,906 19,158,243,167 352,720 13,796,996,645

Firms with no employees 43,926 56,495,255 37,304 43,726,844

Firms with 1 to 4 employees 219,601 115,387,268 124,252 54,840,797

Firms with 5 to 9 employees 90,375 117,360,637 51,443 59,199,605

Firms with 10 to 19 employees 68,588 175,694,470 41,824 103,351,112

Firms with 20 to 49 employees 60,015 383,302,881 40,709 211,736,476

Firms with 50 to 99 employees 29,132 449,915,494 21,586 261,458,238

Firms with 100 to 499 employees 32,174 1,631,027,981 25,823 952,827,999

Firms with 500 employees or more 11,094 16,229,059,183 9,778 12,109,855,573
26 

Table A5 Business Performance and Employment Size Distribution: Employer Receipts per Firm, Annual 

Payroll per Firm, and Annual Payroll per Employee, by Business Ownership, 2007

Business performance Employment size distribution (%)

Meaning of 

Employment size of 

firms code

Employer 

receipts per firm

Annual 

payroll per 

firm

Annual 

payroll per 

employee

Employer 

firms 

Employer 

receipts Employees Annual 

payroll 

All U.S. firms

All firms 5,076,503 849,143 41,182 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00

No employees 334,147 57,147 -- 10.77 0.71 0.00 0.72

1 to 4 394,409 62,170 30,687 50.06 3.89 4.92 3.67

5 to 9 1,085,241 209,693 31,930 17.53 3.75 5.58 4.33

10 to 19 2,150,302 450,313 33,624 10.79 4.57 7.01 5.72

20 to 49 5,181,597 1,080,566 35,961 6.81 6.95 9.92 8.66

50 to 99 13,456,853 2,625,207 38,176 2.17 5.75 7.23 6.70

100 to 499 40,120,587 7,746,602 39,861 1.56 12.34 14.72 14.25

500 or more 1,003,597,741 151,369,297 45,515 0.31 62.05 50.62 55.95

Women-owned

All firms 1,106,506 238,906 28,732 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00

No employees 183,023 43,315 -- 12.11 2.00 0.00 2.20

1 to 4 274,029 49,752 25,403 54.87 13.59 12.92 11.43

5 to 9 768,543 171,613 26,323 16.64 11.56 13.04 11.95

10 to 19 1,509,342 357,610 26,837 9.38 12.80 15.04 14.04

20 to 49 3,423,381 849,670 28,707 4.91 15.18 17.47 17.45

50 to 99 8,254,857 2,077,266 30,748 1.25 9.35 10.19 10.90

100 to 499 23,298,733 5,689,002 30,493 0.76 16.00 17.05 18.09

500 or more 271,369,110 41,831,888 28,012 0.08 19.52 14.30 13.94

Men-owned

All firms 2,453,111 473,589 36,894 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00

No employees 298,375 57,158 -- 10.77 1.31 0.00 1.30

1 to 4 424,410 67,356 33,198 49.86 8.63 7.88 7.09

5 to 9 1,194,478 229,622 34,948 17.64 8.59 9.03 8.55

10 to 19 2,388,043 498,286 37,231 10.88 10.59 11.34 11.45

20 to 49 5,647,216 1,167,127 38,763 7.05 16.23 16.54 17.37

50 to 99 14,331,101 2,701,811 39,387 2.22 12.95 11.85 12.65

100 to 499 37,513,359 7,213,239 38,592 1.40 21.36 20.34 21.28

500 or more 280,991,187 54,168,242 32,549 0.18 20.34 23.02 20.31

Equally men-/women-owned

All firms 1,045,615 208,598 26,897 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00

No employees 225,303 40,541 -- 11.08 2.39 0.00 2.15

1 to 4 363,287 55,756 27,040 52.07 18.09 13.84 13.92

5 to 9 913,105 173,006 26,339 18.61 16.25 15.76 15.44

10 to 19 1,651,089 342,214 25,728 10.89 17.20 18.68 17.87

20 to 49 3,479,945 752,342 25,890 5.59 18.61 20.95 20.16

50 to 99 8,532,755 1,765,635 26,335 1.18 9.66 10.23 10.02

100 to 499 20,974,001 4,754,398 26,552 0.53 10.56 12.16 12.00

500 or more 162,408,286 37,762,790 27,109 0.05 7.24 8.38 8.44

Publicly held*

All firms 34,525,205 5,253,931 47,519 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00

No employees 1,286,146 135,816 -- 7.92 0.29 0.00 0.20

1 to 4 525,441 68,309 33,025 39.57 0.60 0.74 0.51

5 to 9 1,298,596 227,028 34,270 16.29 0.61 0.98 0.70

10 to 19 2,561,592 499,959 36,560 12.36 0.92 1.53 1.18

20 to 49 6,386,785 1,244,772 40,005 10.82 2.00 3.04 2.56

50 to 99 15,444,030 3,018,158 42,876 5.25 2.35 3.34 3.02

100 to 499 50,693,976 9,453,044 45,214 5.80 8.51 10.96 10.43

500 or more 1,462,868,143 213,889,495 48,707 2.00 84.71 79.40 81.39
27 

Table A6 Ownership (Privately Owned and Publicly Held) Distribution and Employment Size 

Distribution: Number of Firms, Receipts, and Employment, 2007 

Distribution by Ownership Distribution by Employee-Size

Employer firms Private Public Private Public

Total 90.4% 9.6% 100.0% 100.0%

No employees 92.9% 7.1% 11.1% 7.9%

1 to 4 92.4% 7.6% 51.2% 39.6%

5 to 9 91.0% 9.0% 17.7% 16.3%

10 to 19 88.9% 11.1% 10.6% 12.4%

20 to 49 84.7% 15.3% 6.4% 10.8%

50 to 99 76.6% 23.4% 1.8% 5.2%

100 to 499 64.2% 35.8% 1.1% 5.8%

500 or more 38.6% 61.4% 0.1% 2.0%

Employer receipts Private Public Private Public

Total 34.4% 65.6% 100.0% 100.0%

No employees 72.7% 27.3% 1.5% 0.3%

1 to 4 89.8% 10.2% 10.2% 0.6%

5 to 9 89.3% 10.7% 9.7% 0.6%

10 to 19 86.8% 13.2% 11.5% 0.9%

20 to 49 81.1% 18.9% 16.4% 2.0%

50 to 99 73.2% 26.8% 12.2% 2.3%

100 to 499 54.7% 45.3% 19.6% 8.5%

500 or more 10.4% 89.6% 18.8% 84.7%

Employment Private Public Private Public

Total 48.3% 51.7% 100.0% 100.0%

1 to 4 92.2% 7.8% 9.4% 0.7%

5 to 9 91.0% 9.0% 10.5% 1.0%

10 to 19 88.7% 11.3% 12.9% 1.5%

20 to 49 84.1% 15.9% 17.3% 3.0%

50 to 99 76.1% 23.9% 11.4% 3.3%

100 to 499 61.5% 38.5% 18.7% 11.0%

500 or more 18.9% 81.1% 19.8% 79.4%

Table A7 Employment Size Distribution: Number, Receipts, and Employment of Employer Firms by 

Business Ownership, 2007 

Employee Size 

of Firms

Employer Firms Employer receipts Employment

Women Men Equal Public Women Men Equal Public Women Men Equal Public

No employees 12.11 10.77 11.08 7.92 2.00 1.31 2.39 0.29

1 to 4 54.87 49.86 52.07 39.57 13.59 8.63 18.09 0.60 12.92 7.88 13.84 0.74

5 to 9 16.64 17.64 18.61 16.29 11.56 8.59 16.25 0.61 13.04 9.03 15.76 0.98

10 to 19 9.38 10.88 10.89 12.36 12.80 10.59 17.20 0.92 15.04 11.34 18.68 1.53

20 to 49 4.91 7.05 5.59 10.82 15.18 16.23 18.61 2.00 17.47 16.54 20.95 3.04

50 to 99 1.25 2.22 1.18 5.25 9.35 12.95 9.66 2.35 10.19 11.85 10.23 3.34

100 to 499 0.76 1.40 0.53 5.80 16.00 21.36 10.56 8.51 17.05 20.34 12.16 10.96

500 or more 0.08 0.18 0.05 2.00 19.52 20.34 7.24 84.71 14.30 23.02 8.38 79.40
28 

Table A8 Number, Receipts, Employment, and Annual Payroll of All U.S. Employer and Nonemployer 

Firms by Business Ownership and Receipts Size, 2007 

Footnote identifier All firms 

(number)

Receipts 

($1,000)

Employer 

firms 

(number)

Employer 

receipts 

($1,000)

Employees 

(number)

Annual payroll 

($1,000)

Nonemploye

r firms 

(number)

Nonemployer 

receipts 

($1,000)

All U.S. firms

All firms 27,110,059 30,176,154,800 5,752,673 29,203,460,510 118,616,073 4,884,840,742 21,357,386 972,694,290

less than $5,000 5,592,753 13,251,277 91,988 112,285 1,908,330 81,782,152 5,500,765 13,138,992

$5,000 to $9,999 3,710,528 25,125,481 65,363 461,307 51,556 587,075 3,645,164 24,664,174

$10,000 to $24,999 5,095,748 79,722,026 200,213 3,373,871 193,900 1,757,215 4,895,535 76,348,156

$25,000 to $49,999 3,272,093 114,970,361 314,075 11,553,934 379,464 4,383,453 2,958,018 103,416,427

$50,000 to $99,999 2,692,622 190,570,860 575,128 42,459,282 895,116 13,301,035 2,117,493 148,111,579

$100,000 to $249,999 2,759,168 437,558,105 1,221,860 204,001,337 3,033,840 58,286,683 1,537,308 233,556,767

$250,000 to $499,999 1,488,348 526,742,843 1,031,480 369,931,228 4,530,579 104,018,455 456,868 156,811,615

$500,000 to $999,999 1,074,471 756,141,993 867,766 613,186,650 6,371,909 171,485,009 206,705 142,955,343

$1,000,000 or more 1,424,328 28,032,071,853 1,384,798 27,958,380,616 101,251,380 4,449,239,665 39,530 73,691,237

Women-owned

All firms 7,793,364 1,190,057,451 910,761 1,007,762,458 7,573,011 217,586,689 6,882,603 182,294,993

less than $5,000 2,127,954 5,085,133 12,077 26,310 86,288 2,662,588 2,115,877 5,058,823

$5,000 to $9,999 1,414,831 9,588,593 16,306 114,208 11,688 217,357 1,398,525 9,474,385

$10,000 to $24,999 1,773,343 27,239,741 47,431 801,428 49,201 450,280 1,725,911 26,438,313

$25,000 to $49,999 913,191 31,711,368 72,344 2,665,661 93,208 964,279 840,847 29,045,706

$50,000 to $99,999 591,846 41,255,163 125,642 9,214,700 212,808 2,935,011 466,204 32,040,463

$100,000 to $249,999 475,622 74,428,210 226,512 37,280,681 640,202 10,898,131 249,109 37,147,529

$250,000 to $499,999 218,666 76,750,980 159,013 56,575,417 804,505 16,269,279 59,653 20,175,563

$500,000 to $999,999 136,017 95,074,058 113,646 79,608,562 923,459 22,534,517 22,372 15,465,497

$1,000,000 or more 141,893 828,924,204 137,790 821,475,490 4,751,653 160,655,247 4,103 7,448,714

Men-owned

All firms 13,909,064 8,507,846,994 3,236,171 7,938,685,794 41,540,487 1,532,614,470 10,672,894 569,161,200

less than $5,000 2,531,219 6,025,925 31,948 56,180 559,892 25,724,663 2,499,271 5,969,745

$5,000 to $9,999 1,687,628 11,437,742 32,068 227,347 24,237 195,530 1,655,560 11,210,395

$10,000 to $24,999 2,456,990 38,775,188 100,545 1,688,280 93,763 865,596 2,356,444 37,086,907

$25,000 to $49,999 1,735,844 61,216,717 158,102 5,818,765 175,667 2,191,767 1,577,742 55,397,952

$50,000 to $99,999 1,515,583 107,549,499 296,155 21,890,058 422,670 6,767,851 1,219,428 85,659,441

$100,000 to $249,999 1,594,322 252,925,658 661,607 110,912,289 1,481,100 31,426,869 932,714 142,013,369

$250,000 to $499,999 865,765 306,757,290 586,228 210,632,125 2,311,932 59,087,859 279,537 96,125,165

$500,000 to $999,999 639,532 450,479,796 513,328 363,451,392 3,495,095 102,080,592 126,204 87,028,404

$1,000,000 or more 882,182 7,272,679,181 856,189 7,224,009,360 32,976,132 1,304,273,745 25,993 48,669,821

Equally men-/women

All firms 4,602,097 1,281,838,720 1,050,835 1,098,769,090 8,149,675 219,201,932 3,551,263 183,069,630

less than $5,000 872,099 2,069,717 11,232 21,196 115,887 3,483,814 860,867 2,048,520

$5,000 to $9,999 582,620 3,924,048 12,767 89,567 9,968 56,071 569,853 3,834,481

$10,000 to $24,999 813,964 12,859,039 38,351 649,092 35,990 237,292 775,613 12,209,946

$25,000 to $49,999 562,724 19,839,865 59,108 2,167,636 74,177 741,554 503,617 17,672,228

$50,000 to $99,999 505,994 35,990,404 111,001 8,215,848 184,542 2,434,463 394,993 27,774,555

$100,000 to $249,999 552,669 87,735,450 244,201 40,810,526 645,152 10,862,585 308,469 46,924,924

$250,000 to $499,999 298,821 105,578,659 206,886 74,151,518 979,277 19,185,917 91,935 31,427,140

$500,000 to $999,999 206,674 144,829,502 168,240 118,508,244 1,291,908 29,897,855 38,434 26,321,258

$1,000,000 or more 206,532 869,012,038 199,049 854,155,461 4,812,773 152,302,380 7,483 14,856,576

Publicly held

All firms 805,533 19,196,411,634 554,906 19,158,243,167 61,352,899 2,915,437,651 250,627 38,168,467

less than $5,000 61,481 70,502 36,730 8,598 1,146,263 49,911,087 24,750 61,904

$5,000 to $9,999 25,449 175,098 4,222 30,185 5,664 118,117 21,226 144,913
29 

$10,000 to $24,999 51,451 848,060 13,886 235,070 14,946 204,047 37,566 612,990

$25,000 to $49,999 60,334 2,202,412 24,522 901,872 36,412 485,853 35,812 1,300,540

$50,000 to $99,999 79,198 5,775,795 42,330 3,138,676 75,096 1,163,710 36,867 2,637,119

$100,000 to $249,999 136,555 22,468,786 89,540 14,997,841 267,385 5,099,099 47,015 7,470,945

$250,000 to $499,999 105,096 37,655,915 79,354 28,572,168 434,865 9,475,400 25,743 9,083,747

$500,000 to $999,999 92,248 65,758,636 72,552 51,618,452 661,448 16,972,046 19,695 14,140,184

$1,000,000 or more 193,722 19,061,456,431 191,770 19,058,740,305 58,710,821 2,832,008,293 1,952 2,716,126

 
30 

Table A9 Receipts Size Distribution: Receipts per Employer Firm and per Nonemployer Firm, Employees 

per Employer Firm, and Annual Payroll per Employee, by Gender of Ownership, 2007

Firms Receipts Size

Average receipts ($) Number of 

employees per 

employer firm

Annual payroll 

per employee

Receipts size distribution (%)

Receipts per 

employer firm

Receipts per 

nonemployer 

firm

Receipts size 

distribution of 

employer firms

of 

nonemployer

firms

All U.S. firms

All firms 5,076,503 45,544 20.6 41,182 100.0% 100.0%

less than $5,000 1,221 2,389 20.7 42,855 1.6% 25.8%

$5,000 to $9,999 7,058 6,766 0.8 11,387 1.1% 17.1%

$10,000 to $24,999 16,851 15,595 1.0 9,062 3.5% 22.9%

$25,000 to $49,999 36,787 34,961 1.2 11,552 5.5% 13.9%

$50,000 to $99,999 73,826 69,947 1.6 14,860 10.0% 9.9%

$100,000 to $249,999 166,960 151,926 2.5 19,212 21.2% 7.2%

$250,000 to $499,999 358,641 343,232 4.4 22,959 17.9% 2.1%

$500,000 to $999,999 706,627 691,591 7.3 26,913 15.1% 1.0%

$1,000,000 or more 20,189,501 1,864,185 73.1 43,943 24.1% 0.2%

Women-owned

All firms 1,106,506 26,486 8.3 28,732 100.0% 100.0%

less than $5,000 2,179 2,391 7.1 30,857 1.3% 30.7%

$5,000 to $9,999 7,004 6,775 0.7 18,597 1.8% 20.3%

$10,000 to $24,999 16,897 15,318 1.0 9,152 5.2% 25.1%

$25,000 to $49,999 36,847 34,543 1.3 10,345 7.9% 12.2%

$50,000 to $99,999 73,341 68,726 1.7 13,792 13.8% 6.8%

$100,000 to $249,999 164,586 149,122 2.8 17,023 24.9% 3.6%

$250,000 to $499,999 355,791 338,215 5.1 20,223 17.5% 0.9%

$500,000 to $999,999 700,496 691,288 8.1 24,402 12.5% 0.3%

$1,000,000 or more 5,961,793 1,815,431 34.5 33,810 15.1% 0.1%

Men-owned

All firms 2,453,111 53,328 12.8 36,894 100.0% 100.0%

less than $5,000 1,758 2,389 17.5 45,946 1.0% 23.4%

$5,000 to $9,999 7,090 6,771 0.8 8,067 1.0% 15.5%

$10,000 to $24,999 16,791 15,739 0.9 9,232 3.1% 22.1%

$25,000 to $49,999 36,804 35,112 1.1 12,477 4.9% 14.8%

$50,000 to $99,999 73,914 70,246 1.4 16,012 9.2% 11.4%

$100,000 to $249,999 167,641 152,258 2.2 21,219 20.4% 8.7%

$250,000 to $499,999 359,301 343,873 3.9 25,558 18.1% 2.6%

$500,000 to $999,999 708,030 689,585 6.8 29,207 15.9% 1.2%

$1,000,000 or more 8,437,400 1,872,420 38.5 39,552 26.5% 0.2%

Equally men-/women

All firms 1,045,615 51,551 7.8 26,897 100.0% 100.0%

less than $5,000 1,887 2,380 10.3 30,062 1.1% 24.2%

$5,000 to $9,999 7,016 6,729 0.8 5,625 1.2% 16.0%

$10,000 to $24,999 16,925 15,742 0.9 6,593 3.6% 21.8%

$25,000 to $49,999 36,672 35,091 1.3 9,997 5.6% 14.2%

$50,000 to $99,999 74,016 70,317 1.7 13,192 10.6% 11.1%

$100,000 to $249,999 167,119 152,122 2.6 16,837 23.2% 8.7%

$250,000 to $499,999 358,417 341,841 4.7 19,592 19.7% 2.6%

$500,000 to $999,999 704,400 684,843 7.7 23,142 16.0% 1.1%

$1,000,000 or more 4,291,182 1,985,377 24.2 31,645 18.9% 0.2%

Publicly held

All firms 34,525,205 152,292 110.6 47,519 100.0% 100.0%

less than $5,000 234 2,501 31.2 43,542 6.6% 9.9%

$5,000 to $9,999 7,149 6,827 1.3 20,854 0.8% 8.5%

$10,000 to $24,999 16,929 16,318 1.1 13,652 2.5% 15.0%

$25,000 to $49,999 36,778 36,316 1.5 13,343 4.4% 14.3%

$50,000 to $99,999 74,148 71,531 1.8 15,496 7.6% 14.7%

$100,000 to $249,999 167,499 158,906 3.0 19,070 16.1% 18.8%
31 

$250,000 to $499,999 360,060 352,863 5.5 21,789 14.3% 10.3%

$500,000 to $999,999 711,468 717,958 9.1 25,659 13.1% 7.9%

$1,000,000 or more 99,383,325 1,391,458 306.2 48,237 34.6% 0.8%

 

Table A10 Number and Receipts of Employer and Nonemployer Firms by Receipts Size and Gender of

Ownership:, 1997 and 2007 

Employer Firms Nonemployer Firms

Women Men Equal Public Women Men Equal Public

1997 

Total Firm Number 846,779 3,485,920 1,029,469 267,943 4,570,254 7,888,274 2,611,792 113,576

less than $5,000 5,023 12,230 3,795 1,491 1,625,811 2,059,629 741,047 22,953

$5,000 to $9,999 12,029 24,181 8,159 2,619 964,056 1,248,002 423,865 7,731

$10,000 to $24,999 45,746 95,490 34,706 8,740 1,069,434 1,703,528 542,076 11,277

$25,000 to $49,999 80,084 185,729 60,285 14,921 491,284 1,157,985 352,868 14,578

$50,000 to $99,999 141,045 404,356 126,030 24,041 258,281 903,347 284,011 15,691

$100,000 to $249,999 234,764 865,618 281,037 43,323 121,039 569,939 191,468 17,036 

$250,000 to $499,999 142,057 654,343 212,590 35,584 27,280 160,641 52,256 12,088

$500,000 to $999,999 89,836 501,430 150,593 33,818 10,394 72,392 20,349 9,295

$1,000,000 or more 96,195 742,543 152,274 103,406 2,675 12,811 3,852 2,927

Total Receipts (1,000) 717,763,965 6,270,252,935 828,389,812 10,104,057,580 100,905,119 365,121,756 115,490,773 57,184,205

less than $5,000 14,650 34,060 10,687 3,532 3,834,913 4,758,127 1,713,699 39,313

$5,000 to $9,999 85,546 171,506 57,690 23,102 6,468,187 8,402,761 2,834,290 55,480

$10,000 to $24,999 794,243 1,632,563 592,165 157,954 16,425,704 26,962,075 8,554,610 191,124

$25,000 to $49,999 2,973,390 6,866,642 2,235,820 606,307 16,854,250 40,720,318 12,445,400 548,253

$50,000 to $99,999 10,296,605 30,082,585 9,340,524 1,883,023 17,645,262 63,224,620 19,953,830 1,167,198

$100,000 to $249,999 38,065,828 143,564,624 46,424,912 7,574,315 17,520,710 85,612,572 28,792,232 2,902,239

$250,000 to $499,999 49,937,956 232,684,391 75,422,294 15,069,440 9,188,809 54,848,440 17,862,419 4,281,623

$500,000 to $999,999 62,089,343 351,360,233 105,131,788 28,736,046 7,308,735 49,950,231 13,988,719 6,675,720

$1,000,000 or more 553,506,404 5,503,856,331 589,173,932 10,050,003,861 5,658,549 30,642,612 9,345,574 41,323,255

2007 

Total Firm Number 910,761 3,236,171 1,050,835 554,906 6,882,603 10,672,894 3,551,263 250,627

less than $5,000 12,077 31,948 11,232 36,730 2,115,877 2,499,271 860,867 24,750

$5,000 to $9,999 16,306 32,068 12,767 4,222 1,398,525 1,655,560 569,853 21,226

$10,000 to $24,999 47,431 100,545 38,351 13,886 1,725,911 2,356,444 775,613 37,566

$25,000 to $49,999 72,344 158,102 59,108 24,522 840,847 1,577,742 503,617 35,812

$50,000 to $99,999 125,642 296,155 111,001 42,330 466,204 1,219,428 394,993 36,867

$100,000 to $249,999 226,512 661,607 244,201 89,540 249,109 932,714 308,469 47,015

$250,000 to $499,999 159,013 586,228 206,886 79,354 59,653 279,537 91,935 25,743

$500,000 to $999,999 113,646 513,328 168,240 72,552 22,372 126,204 38,434 19,695

$1,000,000 or more 137,790 856,189 199,049 191,770 4,103 25,993 7,483 1,952

Total Receipts (1,000) 1,007,762,458 7,938,685,794 1,098,769,090 19,158,243,167 182,294,993 569,161,200 183,069,630 38,168,467

less than $5,000 26,310 56,180 21,196 8,598 5,058,823 5,969,745 2,048,520 61,904

$5,000 to $9,999 114,208 227,347 89,567 30,185 9,474,385 11,210,395 3,834,481 144,913

$10,000 to $24,999 801,428 1,688,280 649,092 235,070 26,438,313 37,086,907 12,209,946 612,990

$25,000 to $49,999 2,665,661 5,818,765 2,167,636 901,872 29,045,706 55,397,952 17,672,228 1,300,540

$50,000 to $99,999 9,214,700 21,890,058 8,215,848 3,138,676 32,040,463 85,659,441 27,774,555 2,637,119

$100,000 to $249,999 37,280,681 110,912,289 40,810,526 14,997,841 37,147,529 142,013,369 46,924,924 7,470,945

$250,000 to $499,999 56,575,417 210,632,125 74,151,518 28,572,168 20,175,563 96,125,165 31,427,140 9,083,747

$500,000 to $999,999 79,608,562 363,451,392 118,508,244 51,618,452 15,465,497 87,028,404 26,321,258 14,140,184

$1,000,000 or more 821,475,490 7,224,009,360 854,155,461 19,058,740,305 7,448,714 48,669,821 14,856,576 2,716,126
32 

Table A11 Industrial Distribution: Number of Employer Firms, by Firm Ownership, 2002 and 2007 

(Percent)

NAICS 

code Industrial Sector 2002 Employer Firm 2007 Employer Firm

Women Men Equal Public Women Men Equal Public

0 Total 16.6 63.8 13.0 6.4 15.8 56.2 18.3 9.7

11 Agriculture 9.0 67.1 18.0 6.0 7.8 56.4 25.7 10.1

21 Mining 8.5 70.8 12.0 9.0 8.2 59.4 18.0 14.4

22 Utilities 4.9 34.7 6.3 52.8 3.3 28.2 7.7 60.8

23 Construction 7.1 77.2 12.4 3.2 6.8 69.0 18.5 5.7

31-33 Manufacturing 12.8 67.8 12.6 6.4 11.6 60.7 17.8 9.9

42 Wholesale 12.0 68.9 12.5 6.4 11.6 61.6 15.9 10.9

44-45 Retail 19.5 58.9 17.9 3.9 17.7 52.1 24.1 6.1

48-49 Transportation 11.7 66.3 16.5 5.8 11.2 58.6 21.3 8.9

51 Information 14.2 62.3 11.5 12.4 12.7 54.8 14.5 18.0

52 Finance 13.5 68.0 7.9 10.3 13.4 60.9 13.0 12.8

53 Real estate 18.7 57.9 14.3 8.3 18.5 48.5 20.7 12.3

54 Professional 18.3 68.9 8.7 3.9 18.3 61.7 12.8 7.1

55 Management 7.4 48.8 5.0 37.0 6.7 43.1 6.8 43.4

56 Administrative 19.8 61.5 13.7 5.1 18.9 54.5 18.6 8.0

61 Education 24.4 25.8 11.5 36.2 21.2 23.8 14.0 41.0

62 Health care 20.6 59.3 6.6 13.2 20.8 50.3 12.0 16.9

71 Entertainment 16.2 47.9 12.3 22.3 15.8 39.4 16.1 28.6

72 Accommodation 20.0 55.2 19.8 4.6 17.9 50.1 25.1 6.9

81 Other services 21.8 59.0 15.4 4.1 20.5 50.2 22.6 6.7

99 Not classified 20.7 48.0 9.2 6.4 26.0 47.7 18.8 7.5

Table A12 Industrial Distribution: Employer Firm Receipts, by Firm Ownership 2002 and 2007 (Percent) 

NAICS 

code Industrial Sector 2002 Employer Firm Receipts 2007 Employer Firm Receipts

Women Men Equal Public Women Men Equal Public

0 Total 3.7 30.1 2.9 63.2 3.5 27.4 3.8 65.3

11 Agriculture 5.5 60.7 11.2 23.4 4.9 52.2 15.4 27.4

21 Mining 1.1 16.5 1.0 80.9 2.6 15.1 1.5 80.8

22 Utilities 0.2 2.5 0.2 97.0 0.3 2.6 0.3 96.8

23 Construction 5.1 69.9 6.6 18.5 5.1 64.2 8.8 21.9

31-33 Manufacturing 2.3 22.1 1.4 74.2 2.1 19.9 1.9 76.1

42 Wholesale 4.3 30.6 2.5 62.1 3.8 28.9 3.4 64.0

44-45 Retail 4.3 42.7 5.0 47.7 4.3 37.0 6.3 52.3

48-49 Transportation 4.9 37.8 4.6 53.2 5.3 37.1 6.0 51.6

51 Information 2.2 14.4 1.0 82.2 2.2 11.2 1.1 85.5

52 Finance 0.8 8.6 0.4 90.1 0.7 8.9 0.6 89.9

53 Real estate 7.0 47.3 5.5 39.9 6.1 38.4 7.2 48.2

54 Professional 6.3 44.4 3.2 46.4 5.6 35.7 3.8 54.9

55 Management 1.2 16.4 2.1 85.6 2.3 22.9 1.2 73.6

56 Administrative 9.2 41.7 5.2 42.7 8.3 39.2 6.2 46.3

61 Education 3.4 9.6 2.6 84.7 3.3 10.7 2.7 83.3

62 Health care 4.6 27.3 2.1 66.2 4.6 23.3 3.6 68.6

71 Entertainment 5.8 36.5 4.6 48.0 5.6 34.2 5.8 54.3

72 Accommodation 7.9 45.3 9.7 36.6 7.3 43.0 11.9 37.9

81 Other services 10.1 56.7 11.2 22.0 9.4 49.5 15.5 25.6

99 Not classified 13.4 44.4 6.9 25.3 11.9 50.9 16.2 21.1
33 

Table A13 Industrial Distribution: Number of Nonemployer Firms by Firm Ownership, 2002 and 2007 

(Percent)

NAICS 

code Industrial Sector 2002 Nonemployer Firm 2007 Nonemployer Firm

Women Men Equal Public Women Men Equal Public

0 Total 31.9 55.4 11.3 0.8 32.2 50.0 16.6 1.2

11 Agriculture 9.9 71.5 15.8 0.4 10.6 62.6 26.1 0.8

21 Mining 14.0 64.2 19.2 2.2 16.3 54.8 26.5 2.4

22 Utilities 13.9 67.5 12.9 5.1 19.9 53.2 21.3 5.6

23 Construction 7.3 84.0 9.1 0.3 8.2 76.2 15.0 0.6

31-33 Manufacturing 24.2 55.4 14.5 0.4 24.4 51.7 22.8 1.0

42 Wholesale 21.9 59.8 14.1 0.9 23.7 53.4 21.5 1.3

44-45 Retail 43.4 39.4 16.3 0.2 40.4 36.3 22.8 0.5

48-49 Transportation 11.4 75.8 11.6 0.3 11.4 72.1 16.0 0.5

51 Information 29.8 58.8 9.8 0.6 28.6 55.3 15.0 1.1

52 Finance 20.4 66.6 10.1 2.4 21.8 59.9 15.3 3.0

53 Real estate 24.2 54.4 16.8 4.5 26.0 47.4 20.9 5.7

54 Professional 31.4 59.4 8.8 0.3 31.7 52.6 15.2 0.6

56 Administrative 40.3 48.9 9.6 0.2 40.4 44.5 14.8 0.3

61 Education 51.2 40.6 7.6 0.2 49.5 37.2 13.0 0.3

62 Health care 63.1 28.6 7.1 0.2 62.8 25.6 11.2 0.4

71 Entertainment 31.5 57.6 9.7 0.4 32.0 53.3 14.3 0.5

72 Accommodation 32.9 42.8 21.7 0.7 35.4 38.2 25.2 1.2

81 Other services 40.7 48.6 10.1 0.1 42.8 41.4 15.4 0.3

Table A14 Industrial Distribution: Nonemployer Firm Receipts by Firm Ownership, 2002 and 2007 

(Percent)

NAICS 

code Industrial Sector 2002 Nonemployer Firm Receipts 2007 Nonemployer Firm Receipts

Women Men Equal Public Women Men Equal Public

0 Total 17.8 64.8 13.6 3.0 18.7 58.5 18.8 3.9

11 Agriculture 7.4 71.4 17.9 0.8 6.6 63.1 28.9 1.4

21 Mining 8.4 67.8 20.1 5.0 10.1 57.3 28.0 4.5

22 Utilities 8.6 64.6 10.6 13.3 8.8 56.4 18.0 16.8

23 Construction 5.3 86.0 12.5 0.9 5.8 75.0 17.7 1.5

31-33 Manufacturing 14.0 61.5 14.8 1.3 14.2 59.7 23.6 2.5

42 Wholesale 13.7 69.8 17.0 1.9 14.1 61.0 22.4 2.5

44-45 Retail 22.4 56.7 19.8 0.6 22.3 49.8 26.5 1.4

48-49 Transportation 7.2 72.9 14.4 0.7 7.5 71.5 19.7 1.3

51 Information 21.7 63.4 11.6 3.2 19.2 59.8 17.1 4.0

52 Finance 12.0 73.5 10.3 3.5 13.7 65.5 16.1 4.7

53 Real estate 14.9 60.0 15.8 8.8 16.3 52.8 19.2 11.8

54 Professional 22.8 64.8 9.3 1.4 23.2 59.7 15.1 1.9

56 Administrative 27.9 54.0 11.4 1.5 29.9 50.9 17.3 1.9

61 Education 40.8 41.9 10.2 1.2 42.1 39.4 16.5 2.0

62 Health care 39.9 46.8 7.4 2.4 42.4 42.4 12.0 3.2

71 Entertainment 23.3 59.8 11.1 1.8 24.9 56.8 16.4 1.8

72 Accommodation 19.1 50.1 21.7 4.6 20.9 46.1 27.8 5.2

81 Other services 28.6 56.3 12.2 0.6 31.2 48.3 19.0 1.6
34 

Table B1 Demographic Information by Gender: Population, Labor Force, Self-Employed Individuals, 

Education, Earnings and Poverty, 2007 

Category Total Men Women

Population1 2007 301,621,157 148,658,898 152,962,259

2002 284,577,956 139,214,726 145,363,230

1997 272,646,925 132,660,081 139,986,844

Civilian laborforce 16 years and over 2007 151,925,131 81,039,084 70,886,047

2002 144,720,309 77,559,334 67,160,975

1997 136,297,000 73,261,000 63,036,000

Employed 142,351,671 75,910,079 66,441,592

Self-employed, 20072 10,413,000 6,543,000 3,870,000

Percent of self-employed in total civilian laborforce 6.9% 8.1% 5.5%

Unemployed 9,573,460 5,129,005 4,444,455

Ownership of non-public owned businesses (Firms)3 26,304,526 13,909,064 7,793,364

Percent in total non-public owned firms 53% 30%

Total business owners (estimated)4 33,238,924 N.A. N.A.

Total employer owners (estimated) 7,823,635 N.A. N.A.

Total nonemployer owners (estimated) 25,415,289 N.A. N.A.

Population 25 Years and over 197,794,576 95,374,767 102,419,809

Education

Percent high school graduate or higher 84.5% 83.9% 85.1%

Percent bachelor’s degree or higher 27.4% 28.2% 26.7%

Poverty rate5

Less than high school graduate 23.6% 19.4% 27.7%

High school graduate (includes equivalency) 11.5% 9.3% 13.5%

Some college or associate's degree 7.8% 6.0% 9.4%

Bachelor's degree 4.1% 3.6% 4.5%

Graduate or professional degree 3.0% 2.7% 3.3%

With earnings6 $34,483 $41,298 $28,104

Less than high school graduate $19,989 $23,638 $14,682

High school graduate (includes equivalency) $27,448 $33,506 $21,711

Some college or associate's degree $33,838 $41,861 $27,663

Bachelor's degree $47,853 $59,079 $39,571

Graduate or professional degree $63,174 $79,276 $52,301

Source: Except specified, all other information was from the U.S. Census Bureau, 2006-2008 American 

Community Survey 3-Year Estimates. 

1. Population data information is from the U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Population Estimates (2007), 

2. Source: 2007 self-employed workers data from http://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/srgate. A proportion of selfemployed individuals may not be counted as employed workers.

3. The Census Bureau, 2007 Survey of Business Owners. The data excludes publicly held and other firms not 

classifiable by gender, Hispanic or Latino origin, and race. The total private-owned firms include equally 

men-/women-owned, but not publicly held and other firms not classifiable by gender, race or ethnicity.

4. Data estimated in accordance with the 2002 Survey of Business Owners, Characteristics of Business 

Owners.

5. Poverty rate for the population 25 years and over for whom poverty status is determined by educational 

attainment level. 

6. Median earnings in the past 12 months (in 2008 inflation-adjusted dollars).
35 

Quick Statistics on Women Workers, 2009

• Of the 122 million women aged 16 years and older in the United States, 72 million, or 59.2 

percent, were labor force participants—working or looking for work. 

• Women constituted 46.8 percent of the total U.S. labor force and are projected to account for 

46.9 percent of the labor force in 2018. 

• Women are projected to account for 51.2 percent of the increase in total labor force growth 

between 2008 and 2018. 

• Sixty-six million women were employed in the United States—74 percent of employed 

women worked in full-time jobs, while 26 percent worked on a part-time basis. 

• The largest percentage of employed women (40 percent) worked in management, 

professional, and related occupations; 32 percent worked in sales and office occupations; 21 

percent in service occupations; 5 percent in production, transportation, and material moving 

occupations; and 1 percent in natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations. 

• The largest percentage of employed Asian, White, and Black women (47, 41, and 34 percent, 

respectively) worked in management, professional, and related occupations. For Hispanic 

women, it was sales and office occupations—32 percent.

The 20 most prevalent occupations for employed women in 2009 were— 

Secretaries and administrative assistants 3,074,000 Child care workers 1,228,000

Registered nurses 2,612,000 Bookkeeping accounting and auditing clerks 1,205,000

Elementary and middle school teachers 2,343,000 Receptionists and information clerks 1,168,000

Cashiers 2,273,000 First-line supervisors/managers of office and 

administrative support workers 1,163,000

Nursing psychiatric and home health aides 1,770,000 Managers all other 1,106,000

Retail salespersons 1,650,000 Accountants and auditors 1,084,000

First-line supervisors/managers of retail sales 

workers 1,459,000 Teacher assistants 921,000

Waiters and waitresses 1,434,000 Cooks 831,000

Maids and housekeeping cleaners 1,282,000 Office clerks general 821,000

Customer service representatives 1,263,000 Personal and home care aides 789,000

• The unemployment rate for all women was 8.1 percent and 10.3 percent for men in 2009. For 

Asian women it was 6.6 percent; White women, 7.3 percent; Hispanic women, 11.5 percent; 

and Black women, 12.4 percent. 

• The median weekly earnings of women who were full-time wage-and-salary workers was 

$657, or 80 percent of men’s $819. In comparisons of the median weekly earnings of persons 

aged 16 to 24, young women earned 93 percent of what young men earned ($424 and $458, 

respectively).

The 20 occupations with the highest median weekly earnings among women who were full-time 

wage-and-salary workers in 2009 were as shown below. 
36 

Pharmacists $1,475 Speech-language pathologists $1,148 

Lawyers $1,449 General and operations managers $1,110 

Computer and information systems managers $1,411 Education administrators $1,093 

Computer software Chief executives $1,553 Psychologists $1,091 

Engineers $1,311 Personal financial advisors $1,088 

Physicians and surgeons $1,228 Human resources managers $1,072 

Computer programmers $1,182 Marketing sales managers $1,052 

Management analysts $1,177 Managers all other $1,037 

Computer scientists and systems analysts $1,167 Registered nurses $1,035 

Occupational therapists $1,155 Network systems and data communications 

analysts $1,032 

Women accounted for 51 percent of all workers in the high-paying management, professional, 

and related occupations. The following is a sample of occupations in which women made up a 

large share of the employment: 

Occupation Percent Women 

Registered nurses 92.0 Tax preparers. 65.9

Meeting and convention planners 83.3 Insurance underwriters. 62.8

Elementary and middle school teachers 81.9 Education administrators 62.6

Tax examiners, collectors, and revenue agents 73.8 Accountants and auditors 61.8

Medical and health services managers 69.5 Veterinarians 61.2

Social and community service managers 69.4 Claims adjusters, appraisers, examiners, and 

investigators 60.6

Psychologists. 68.8 Budget analysts. 59.3

Other business operations specialists 68.4 Medical scientists. 56.9

Human resources managers 66.8 Advertising and promotions managers 56.5

Financial specialists, all other 66.6 Financial managers. 54.7

• Of persons aged 25 years and older, 29 percent of women and 30 percent of men had attained 

a bachelor’s degree or higher; 31 percent of women and men had completed only high school, 

no college. 

• The higher a person’s educational attainment, the more likely they will be a labor force 

participant (working or looking for work) and the less likely they will be unemployed. 

• For women age 25 and older with less than a high school diploma, 34 percent were labor 

force participants; high school diploma, no college, 53 percent; some college, but no degree, 

62 percent; associate degree, 72 percent; and bachelor’s degree or higher, 73 percent. 

• For women age 25 and older with less than a high school diploma, the unemployment rate 

was 14.2 percent; high school diploma, no college, 8.0 percent; some college, but no degree, 

8.0 percent; associate degree, 5.9 percent; and bachelor’s degree or higher, 4.5 percent. 

Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment and Earnings, 2009 Annual Averages 

and the Monthly Labor Review, November 2009. http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/famee.pdf Employment 

Characteristics of Families – 2009

Other data source for economic wellbeing variables: 

http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/income/data/index.html household income by state, earnings

http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/cats/income_expenditures_poverty_wealth.html poverty data. Because 

income distribution is generally positively skewed (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Positively_skewed), mean is higher 

than median, so ratios to mean are lower than ratios to median.
37 

Table C1 Employment by Sector in OECD Nations, 2007 

Agriculture Industry Services

Country Name

Women (% of 

women

employment)

Men (% of 

men

employment)

Women (% of 

women

employment)

Men (% of 

men

employment)

Women (% of 

women

employment)

Men (% of 

men

employment)

Australia 2.4 4.3 8.9 31.2 88.5 64.2

Austria 5.9 5.6 12.9 39.1 81.0 55.1

Belgium 1.3 2.3 11.0 35.0 86.9 61.9

Canada 1.5 3.4 10.5 31.5 88.0 65.0

Czech Rep. 2.5 4.4 26.8 50.3 70.7 45.3

Denmark 1.5 4.0 12.3 32.5 85.9 63.0

Finland 2.7 6.2 11.5 38.2 85.7 55.2

France 2.1 4.6 11.5 33.6 86.1 61.6

Germany 1.6 2.8 16.0 41.4 82.3 55.7

Greece 12.4 11.0 9.9 30.5 77.7 58.4

Hungary 2.4 6.6 21.3 42.1 76.3 51.3

Iceland 2.5 8.8 8.3 30.8 88.6 59.7

Ireland 1.3 8.5 10.8 39.9 87.5 51.1

Israel 0.6 2.5 10.7 31.6 88.0 64.9

Italy 3.1 4.6 16.5 39.1 80.4 56.3

Japan 4.3 4.2 17.4 35.3 77.1 59.3

Korea, Rep. 8.3 6.7 15.6 33.3 76.1 59.9

Luxembourg 1.1 2.4 5.5 25.8 86.8 67.5

Netherlands 1.9 3.9 7.8 28.5 85.6 63.0

New Zealand 5.0 9.0 9.9 32.1 84.6 58.4

Norway 1.3 4.3 8.0 33.0 90.4 62.7

Poland 14.2 15.2 17.9 41.2 67.9 43.6

Portugal 12.2 11.1 18.3 40.9 69.4 47.9

Slovak Rep. 2.2 5.8 24.3 51.2 73.4 43.0

Slovenia 10.4 10.0 23.1 43.5 65.4 45.0

Spain 3.0 5.6 11.6 41.6 85.4 52.8

Sweden 0.9 3.4 9.1 32.8 89.8 63.5

Switzerland 2.8 4.8 11.6 33.6 85.6 61.8

U.K. 0.8 1.9 9.4 33.2 89.5 64.5

U.S. 0.7 2.0 9.4 30.3 89.9 67.6

Data source: http://databank.worldbank.org/ddp/home.do?Step=2&id=4. 
38 

Table C2 Labor Participation and Self-employment in OECD Nations, 2007 

Labor Force Participation Self-employed

Country Name

Women (% 

of women

population 

ages 15-64)

Men (% of 

men

population 

ages 15-64)

Women

(% of total 

labor 

force)

Women (% 

of womens 

employed)

Men (% 

of mens 

employed)

Australia 69.5 83.0 45.1 8.7 14.3

Austria 67.4 81.2 45.1 9.3 14.1

Belgium 60.6 73.8 44.7 9.1 17.1

Canada 74.2 82.5 46.9 11.2 19.1

Czech Rep. 61.5 78.1 43.6 9.7 20.5

Denmark 76.5 83.9 46.9 4.5 12.0

Finland 73.8 77.0 48.3 7.8 16.0

France 65.5 74.9 46.9 6.3 13.6

Germany 70.0 81.9 45.3 7.4 13.8

Greece 55.3 79.0 40.5 20.4 35.3

Hungary 54.9 68.5 45.3 8.5 14.8

Iceland 82.6 90.9 46.1 7.4 18.6

Ireland 63.1 81.4 42.7 6.2 23.6

Israel 60.8 70.0 46.2 7.8 16.5

Italy 50.6 74.4 40.2 17.4 28.8

Japan 61.7 85.1 41.4 5.8 12.5

Korea, Rep. 54.6 76.2 41.8 18.5 31.1

Luxembourg 58.5 74.2 43.4 5.7 8.1

Netherlands 72.3 84.7 45.3 9.1 15.5

New Zealand 71.8 85.1 45.9 11.2 20.4

Norway 75.9 81.6 47.4 4.3 10.8

Poland 56.4 70.0 44.9 14.9 22.7

Portugal 68.9 79.4 46.9 20.6 25.0

Slovak Rep. 60.7 76.0 44.6 7.2 17.2

Slovenia 66.7 75.6 46.2 7.1 14.9

Spain 61.4 81.4 42.4 11.9 19.8

Sweden 76.9 81.6 47.5 5.5 14.6

Switzerland 75.0 88.1 45.8 10.7 16.3

U.K. 68.9 82.0 45.6 7.8 17.5

U.S. 68.5 80.8 45.9 5.7 8.4

Data source: http://databank.worldbank.org/ddp/home.do?Step=2&id=4.