U.S. Census Bureau

Survey of Business Owners

Veteran-Owned Businesses: 2007

Census Bureau Economic Data

May 17, 2011
Presenters

Host Stanley J. Rolark

Chief, Public Information Office

U.S. Census Bureau 

Survey findings Thomas L. Mesenbourg, Jr.

Deputy Director and Chief Operating Officer

U.S. Census Bureau

Survey uses Dr. Joseph Johnson

Chief Economist and Director of Economic

Research

U.S. Small Business Administration

May 17, 2011 2
Presenters (cont.)

Serving Vets William D. Elmore

Associate Administrator for Veterans

Business Development

U.S. Small Business Administration

Vets as Joseph C. Sharpe, Jr.

Entrepreneurs Director, National Economic Commission

The American Legion

May 17, 2011 3
Resources for Today’s News 

Conference

Come to www.census.gov and click on the icon 

at the top left corner to obtain –

• Today’s PowerPoint Presentation

• News Release – and More!

• Link to Survey of Business Owners Home 

Page

• Link to Guidance on Accessing SBO Data in 

the American FactFinder

www.census.gov/econ/sbo May 17, 2011 4
About the Survey

• Part of the Economic Census taken every 5 

years for years ending in “2” and “7”

• The only comprehensive, regularly collected 

data for businesses and business owners by 

- Minority status

 Race 

 Ethnicity (Hispanic origin of any race)

- Gender

- Veteran status

www.census.gov/econ/sbo May 17, 2011 5
Business Ownership by

Veteran Status

Categories of ownership are based on the veteran 

status of the person or persons who owned 51% or 

more of the stock or equity in the business in 2007 

and include:

• Veteran-owned

• Equally veteran-/nonveteran-owned (50% / 50%)

• Nonveteran-owned

www.census.gov/econ/sbo May 17, 2011 6
A Look at the 2007 Statistics

for Veteran-Owned Businesses

in the United States

www.census.gov/econ/sbo May 17, 2011 7
www.census.gov/econ/sbo May 17, 2011 8

U.S. Business Ownership

by Veteran Status: 2007

Firms

(number) 

% of

all U.S. 

firms

Sales and 

receipts

($ billion)

% of all U.S. 

firm sales and 

receipts

All U.S. firms1 27,097,233 100 30,032 100 

Veteran 2,447,575 9 1,219 4

Equally veteran/ 

nonveteran 1,219,735 5 414 1

Nonveteran 22,627,946 84 9,320 31

Not classifiable2 801,978 3 19,078 64

1 Includes firms with paid employees and firms with no paid employees.

2 Includes publicly held and other firms not classifiable by gender, ethnicity, race, and veteran status.

Note: Detail may not add to total because of rounding. 
www.census.gov/econ/sbo May 17, 2011 9

U.S. Employer Businesses

by Veteran Status: 2007

Firms

(number) 

% of

all U.S. 

employer 

firms

Sales and 

receipts

($ billion)

% of all U.S. 

employer

firm sales

and receipts

All U.S. employer 

firms1 5,739,887 100 29,059 100 

Veteran 491,344 9 1,126 4

Equally veteran/ 

nonveteran 270,852 5 365 1

Nonveteran 4,428,134 77 8,529 29

Not classifiable2 549,557 10 19,040 66

1 Includes firms with payroll at any time during 2007. Employment reflects the number of paid employees 

during the March 12 pay period.

2 Includes publicly held and other firms not classifiable by gender, ethnicity, race, and veteran status.

Note: Detail may not add to total because of rounding. 
www.census.gov/econ/sbo May 17, 2011 10

U.S. Nonemployer Businesses

by Veteran Status: 2007

Firms

(number) 

% of

all U.S. 

nonemployer 

firms

Sales and 

receipts

($ billion)

% of all U.S. 

nonemployer 

firm sales and 

receipts

All U.S. nonemployer 

firms1 21,357,346 100 973 100 

Veteran 1,956,231 9 94 10

Equally veteran/ 

nonveteran 948,883 4 50 5

Nonveteran 18,199,812 85 791 81

Not classifiable2 252,421 1 38 4

1 Includes firms with no paid employees.

2 Includes publicly held and other firms not classifiable by gender, ethnicity, race, and veteran status.

Note: Detail may not add to total because of rounding. 
Distribution of Firms by

Receipts Size of Firm: 2007

Receipts size

% of 

veteranowned 

firms

% of equally 

veteran-/

nonveteranowned firms

% of 

nonveteranowned 

firms

% of all 

U.S. 

firms

Less than $50,000 64 61 67 65

$50,000 to $99,999 11 11 10 10

$100,000 to $249,999 11 12 10 10

$250,000 to $499,999 5 6 5 5

$500,000 to $999,999 4 4 4 4

$1,000,000 or more 5 5 5 5

www.census.gov/econ/sbo May 17, 2011 11

Note: Detail may not add to total because of rounding.
Distribution of Employer Firms

by Employment Size of Firm: 2007

Employment size

% of 

veteranowned 

firms

% of equally 

veteran-/

nonveteranowned firms

% of 

nonveteranowned 

firms

% of all 

U.S. 

firms

0 to 4 employees1 63 61 62 61

5 to 9 employees 17 19 18 18

10 to 19 employees 10 11 11 11

20 to 49 employees 6 6 6 7

50 employees or more 4 2 3 4

www.census.gov/econ/sbo May 17, 2011 12

1 Includes firms with payroll at any time during 2007. Employment reflects the number of paid 

employees during the March 12 pay period.

Note: Detail may not add to total because of rounding
Industries Accounting for the Largest 

Number of Veteran-Owned Firms: 2007

www.census.gov/econ/sbo May 17, 2011 13

Business sectors

Firms 

(number)

% of 

veteranowned 

firms

Sales and 

receipts 

($ billions)

% of 

veteranowned firm

sales and 

receipts

Total for all sectors 2,447,575 100 1,219 100 

Professional, scientific, and

technical services 414,511 17 76 6

Construction 380,304 16 172 14

Repair, maintenance, personal

and laundry services 241,258 10 22 2

Real estate and rental 

and leasing 217,413 9 40 3

Retail trade 198,434 8 245 20
Industries Accounting for the Largest 

Number of Equally Veteran-/

Nonveteran-Owned Firms: 2007

www.census.gov/econ/sbo May 17, 2011 14

Business sectors

Firms 

(number)

% of equally 

veteran-/ 

nonveteranowned 

firms

Sales and 

receipts 

($ billions)

% of equally 

veteran-/ 

nonveteranowned firm 

sales and 

receipts

Total for all sectors 1,219,735 100 414 100 

Real estate and rental and leasing 175,249 14 25 6

Retail trade 172,166 14 88 21

Professional, scientific,

and technical services 145,071 12 24 6

Construction 130,261 11 55 13

Repair, maintenance, personal

and laundry services 129,638 11 14 3
Industries Accounting for the 

Largest Number of 

Nonveteran-Owned Firms: 2007

www.census.gov/econ/sbo May 17, 2011 15

Business sectors

Firms 

(number)

% of 

nonveteranowned firms

Sales and 

receipts 

($ billions)

% of 

nonveteranowned firm

sales and 

receipts

Total for all sectors 22,627,946 100 9,320 100 

Professional, scientific,

and technical services 3,156,288 14 648 7

Construction 2,842,607 13 1,272 14

Repair, maintenance, 

personal and laundry

services

2,715,503 12 206 2

Retail trade 2,248,217 10 1,618 17

Real estate and rental and leasing 2,054,757 9 339 4
www.census.gov/econ/sbo May 17, 2011 16

States With the Largest Number of

Veteran-Owned Firms: 2007 

States Firms

(number)

% of firms 

in state

Sales and 

receipts

($ billions)

% of firm 

sales and 

receipts in 

state

California 239,422 7 144 4

Texas 199,476 9 95 4

Florida 176,727 9 62 4

New York 127,156 6 71 3

Georgia 97,692 11 42 5

Pennsylvania 96,066 10 51 4
www.census.gov/econ/sbo May 17, 2011 17

Counties With the Largest Number of 

Veteran-Owned Firms: 2007 

Counties with a 

population of at

least 500,000

Firms

(number)

% of firms 

in county

Sales and 

receipts

($ billions)

% of firm 

sales and 

receipts in 

county

Los Angeles, CA 62,667 6 43 4

Cook, IL 31,049 6 22 3

Harris, TX 30,991 8 20 3

Maricopa, AZ 28,484 9 19 5
www.census.gov/econ/sbo May 17, 2011 18

Cities with a 

population of at

least 500,000 Firms

(number)

% of firms in 

city

Sales and 

receipts

($ billions)

% of firm 

sales and 

receipts in 

city

New York, NY 41,261 4 24 2

Los Angeles, CA 25,897 6 13 4

Houston, TX 17,636 8 15 3

.

Cities With the Largest Number of 

Veteran-Owned Firms: 2007 
Accessing SBO Results

• SBO Web site: www.census.gov/econ/sbo

• For access to prepackaged data products and 

the ability to build custom tables, visit

American FactFinder (AFF), the Census

Bureau’s online, self-service data access

tool at www.factfinder.census.gov

www.census.gov/econ/sbo May 17, 2011 19
www.census.gov/econ/sbo May 17, 2011 20

Data Release date

Preliminary Company Summary - Estimates of 

Business Ownership by Gender, Ethnicity, 

Race, and Veteran Status 

July 13, 2010

Hispanic-Owned Businesses September 21, 2010

Women-Owned Businesses December 7, 2010

Black-Owned Businesses February 8, 2011

American Indian- and Alaska NativeOwned Businesses March 11, 2011

Native Hawaiian- and Other Pacific IslanderOwned Businesses April 1, 2011

Asian-Owned Businesses April 26, 2011

SBO Release Schedule
www.census.gov/econ/sbo May 17, 2011 21

Data Release date

Veteran-Owned Businesses May 17, 2011

Company Summary June 7, 2011

Characteristics of Businesses June 14, 2011

Characteristics of Business Owners June 14, 2011

SBO Release Schedule

(continued)
Company Summary –

June 7, 2011

• Data cross-tabulated for all business groups by 

gender, ethnicity, race, and veteran status of 

owner(s), for example, women veterans, Hispanic 

veterans, American Indian and Alaska Native 

veterans, and so on

• Separate data estimates for minority, equally 

minority/nonminority (50% / 50%), and 

nonminority businesses

www.census.gov/econ/sbo May 17, 2011 22
Characteristics of Businesses –

June 14, 2011

More detailed data for veteran-owned firms by:

• Whether the business was family-owned, homebased, or franchised

• Types of customers and workers

• Sources and amount of financing

• Whether the business outsourced or exported

• Language(s) used for business transactions

• Use of the Internet and e-commerce

• Employer-paid benefits

www.census.gov/econ/sbo May 17, 2011 23
Characteristics of Business Owners –

June 14, 2011

More detailed data for veteran owner(s) by:

• Whether the veteran was military service disabled

• Owner’s age, education, hours worked, and 

primary function in the business

• Year and how the business was acquired

• Whether the owner was born in the U.S.

• Whether the business provided the primary 

source of personal income

www.census.gov/econ/sbo May 17, 2011 24
 Independent

 Within the government

 Counsel to the President 

and the Congress

 Cooperation with other 

federal agencies

 Regulatory advocacy

 Economic research

Advocacy: the Voice of Small 

Business in Government

Winslow Sargeant, Ph.D.

Chief Counsel for Advocacy

25
Advocacy Economic 

Research Mission

 Economic Research is a Core Advocacy Function

 Good Policy Requires Good Information

 Advocacy Conducts Both In-house and Contract 

Research, and Supports Development of Small 

Business Data at Other Agencies, Including Census

 Advocacy has an Ongoing Research Program on 

Veteran-Owned Firms and Entrepreneurship 

26
Advocacy Customers Using 

Census Bureau Data on 

Veterans in Business

 Members of Congress and Congressional 

Committees on Small Business and Veterans Affairs 

 Executive Branch Agencies, Including SBA and its 

Resource Partners; the Departments of Veterans Affairs, 

Defense and Labor; Other Agencies That Purchase 

Goods and Services from Veteran-Owned Firms.

 State and Local Governments

 Researchers and Academics

27
Advocacy Products Using 

Census Bureau Data on 

Veterans in Business

 Research Reports

 Online Demographic Business Data 

 Annual Report to President

 Congressional Testimony

28
For More Information:

 On Advocacy Economic Research:

Dr. Joseph Johnson

Joseph.Johnson@sba.gov

 On Veteran-Owned Business Data:

Joseph Sobota

Joseph.Sobota@sba.gov

29
www.sba.gov

U.S. Small Business Administration Your Small Business Resource

Programs and services to help you start, grow and succeed

SBA Office of Veterans Business Development (OVBD) 

•OVBD Administered by the Associate Administrator for Veterans 

Business Development (AAVBD) www.sba.gov/reservists

•Authorities and responsibilities include:

•Conduct comprehensive outreach to veterans and Reserve Component 

members of the U.S. military

•Responsible for the formulation, execution and promotion of policies and 

programs of the Administration

•The AAVBD acts as an ombudsman for full consideration of veterans in 

all programs of the Administration

•AAVBD reports to and is responsible directly to the SBA Administrator

•AAVBD assists SBA, DOD, DOL and DVA with program design, 

coordination and outreach
www.sba.gov

U.S. Small Business Administration Your Small Business Resource

Programs and services to help you start, grow and succeed

SBA Veterans and Reservists programs

Comprehensive outreach includes:

•Business counseling & training to 200,000+ veterans each year

•Veteran Business Outreach Centers, SCORE Veterans Fast Launch 

initiative, Small Business Development Centers, Womens Business Centers

•University Based Entrepreneurship Bootcamps for Disabled Veterans, 

caregivers, women veterans, Reserve Component members & their families

•One Billion+ in small business financing for veterans & military families 

each year

•7a Patriot Express, Micro Loans, 504 loans, Underserved markets, Surety 

Bond Guarantees & Military Reservist Economic Injury Disaster Loans

•Government Contracting programs, including service-disabled veteran and 

veteran owned small business programs 
THE AMERICAN LEGION

Economic Division

U.S. Census Bureau
ECONOMIC DIVISION

 Education

 Homeless Veterans

 Employment

 VA Home Loans

 Veterans Preference

 Small Business

 Licensing and Certification

 Heroes To Hometowns
Business Development
Veterans Employment
Veterans Education
Questions?

www.census.gov/econ/sbo May 17, 2011 37
Key Upcoming Press Events from 

the U.S. Census Bureau

• June 7 Webinar Summarizing 2007 

Business Ownership Data for All 

Ownership Groups

(Company Summary) 

• June 14 Webinar on 2007 Characteristics 

of Businesses and Characteristics 

of Business Owners 

www.census.gov/econ/sbo May 17, 2011 38
www.census.gov/econ/sbo May 17, 2011 39

Contact Information

• U.S. Census Bureau

Public Information Office

Phone: 301.763.3030

www.census.gov

• U.S. Small Business Administration 

Office of Communication and Public Liaison 

Dennis E. Byrne / 202-205-6567 / dennis.byrne@sba.gov

www.sba.gov

• The American Legion

National Economic Commission

Phone: 202.861.2700

www.legion.org