Minority Business Development Agency

1401 Constitution Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20230

202-482-2332

www.mbda.gov

Entrepreneurial Parity Offers Greater Economic Impact

a U.S. Census Bureau, 2007 Survey of Business Owners, June 2010 

b U.S. Census Bureau, Annual population estimates, June 2010 

c U.S. Census Bureau, 2002 Survey of Business Owners, September 2006 

d U.S. Census Bureau, Characteristics of U.S. Exporting Firms, June 2012

e

University of Georgia, Selig Center for Economic Growth, The Multicultural Economy 2009

African 

American

Firms

American 

Indian & 

Alaska Native

Asian 

American

Hispanic 

American

Native 

Hawaiian & 

Pacific Islander

All Minority 

Firms

Non-Minority 

Firms

Number of 

firms

1.9

million

237

 thousand

1.5

million

2.3

million

38

thousand

5.8 

million

20.1

million

Combined gross 

receipts

$135.7

billion

$34.4

bilion

$506

billion

$350.7

billion

$6.3

billion

$1.0 

trillion

$9.8 

trillion

Average gross 

receipts

$71

thousand

$145

thousand

$327

thousand

$155

thousand

168

thousand

$178

thousand

$488

thousand

Number of firms 

with employees

107

thousand

24

thousand

397

thousand

249

thousand

4

thousand

767

thousand

4.3

million

Combined

receipts of firms 

with employees

$97.1 

billion

27.5

billion

$453.6

billion

$279.9

billion

$5.3

billion

$860.5 

billion

$9.1 

trillion

Average receipts 

of firms with 

employees

$912

thousand

$1.2

million

$1.1

million

$1.1

million

$1.3

million

$1.1

million

$2.1

million

Number of paid 

employees 

910

thousand

185

thousand

2.8

million

1.9

million

38

thousand

5.8 

million

50.1 

million

Economic Impact: $1 Trillion in Revenues and 5.8 Million Jobs a

Population 

buying power e

$910.4

billion

$64.7

billion

$508.6

billion

$978.4

billion

Included in Asian $2.46

trillion

$8.25

trillion

Quick Facts

◊ There are 5.8 million 

minority-owned firms in the 

U.S.

◊ Minority-owned firms 

contribute $1 trillion in U.S. 

economic output and 5.8 

million jobs per year.

◊ Minority-owned firms with 

employees average 8 

workers and $1.1 million 

in annual receipts.

0

2

4

6

8

10

$0.0

$0.8

$1.6

$2.4

$3.2

$4.0

0

5

10

15

20

a,c Entrepreneurial Parity and Minority-Owned Firms 

5.8

8.1

Actual Parity

Number of Firms (in millions)

$1.0

$3.4

Actual Parity

Gross Receipts (in trilions)

5.8

17.5

Actual Parity

Paid Employees (in millions)

Entrepreneurial parity is defined as reaching proportionality between the adult minority 

population and business measures, such as number of firms, gross receipts, and employees.

Fact Sheet

U.S. Minority-Owned Firms
Exports and Global Reach d

◊ Minority-owned businesses are more likely to export 

than their non-minority counterparts. 

◊ On average, minority-owned firms that export gross 

$7.4 million in annual receipts, compared to $142 

thousand for minority-owned firms that do not export.

◊ Minority-owned exporters average 21 employees, 

compared to 7 for their non-exporting counterparts. 

◊ Minority-owned businesses export activity spans 210 

countries.

◊ Five percent of minority firms export, compared to 4.7 

percent of non-minority firms.

Export Sales by U.S. Minority-Owned Firms (2007)

Two percent of all minority-owned firms are considered 

high-revenue. These firms are responsible for 68% of the 

total receipts and 61% of all jobs created by all minority 

firms. 

a Industry Sectors of Minority-Owned Firms 

6%

9%

30%

13%

11%

10%

10% 8%

Healthcare & Social Assistance

Administrative Support, Waste

Management & Remediation

Professional, Scientic & Tech

Construction

Retail

Transportation & Warehousing

Real Estate & Leasing

Other 0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

Minority Firms Non-Minority Firms

Gross Receipts

Growth of U.S. Firms (2002 - 2007) 

Employees

55%

22%

0.2%

24%

46%

Number of

Firms

11%

a,b

Other sectors include agriculture, utilities, manufacturing, 

wholesale, information, finance & insurance, 

accommodation & food services, and more.

China $4.6B

Mexico $4.1B

Japan $2.4B

Canada $1.8B

Venezuela $1.6B

India

$980M Hong Kong $1B

Brazil $807M

United 

Kingdom 

$604M

Colombia $461M

$1 to $5 billion

$500 - $999 million

$100 to $499 million

$0 to $99 million

Australia $261M

Tanzania $9.5M

Angola $28.4M

South Africa $47.7M

Nigeria $168.2M

Supressed or withheld data

Russia $201.7M

Dominican Republic $316M South Korea $2.0 B

Argentina $157M

Guatemala $1.2B

Visit www.mbda.gov for more information about U.S. minority-owned firms.

Firms $1 Million and Above Firms Under $1 Million

Number of Firms Gross Receipts Paid Employees

2%

98%

32%

68% 61%

39%

High-Revenue Minority-Owned Firms 

(Annual receipts over $1 million)

A

a