NWBC SHARES 2017 NONEMPLOYER STATISTICS BY DEMOGRAPHICS ESTIMATES FOR WOMEN-OWNED BUSINESSES
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Temren Wroge
202-738-3523
Temren.Wroge@sba.gov
WASHINGTON, D.C. – (December 17, 2020) – The U.S. Census Bureau today released 2017 estimates from its premier blended-data statistical product, the Nonemployer Statistics by Demographics (NES-D). This new product provides the National Women’s Business Council (NWBC) with comprehensive data and a clearer picture of the women’s business enterprise landscape including women sole proprietors, partnerships, and S-corporations.
Approximately 90% of women-owned businesses are nonemployer firms. Given the lack of precise data in previous years, NWBC recently entered into an Interagency Agreement with the Census Bureau to fund the development of custom tabulations on women-owned employer and nonemployer firms. These unique products will utilize data from both the Annual Business Survey (ABS), which accounts only for employer firms, and from the NES-D. This is critical.
We cannot measure what we cannot count.
• • • • •
Today, NWBC is pleased to share the following highlights on women-owned nonemployer firms:
As of 2017, there are 10.6 million woman-owned nonemployer firms across all sectors in the United States. These firms generate $286.1 billion in revenue.
Revenue Size for Women-Owned Nonemployer Firms
Nearly half of all women-owned nonemployer firms generate less than $10,000 in annual receipts.
Approximately 5,100, or .05%, of all women-owned nonemployer firms generate $1 million or more in revenue.
Top Five Sectors for Women-Owned Nonemployer Firms
| Sector | Total Number of Women-Owned Nonemployer Firms[1] | Total Revenue Generated |
| Other Services (except public administration) | 2,049,000 (19.4% of all women-owned nonemployer firms) | $42.4 billion |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 1,449,000 (13.7% of all women-owned nonemployer firms) | $34.9 billion |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 1,428,000 (13.5% of all women-owned nonemployer firms) | $46.2 billion |
| Retail Trade | 1,172,000 (11.1% of all women-owned nonemployer firms) | $27.1 billion |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management | 1,139,000 (10.8% of all women-owned nonemployer firms) | $18.2 billion |
Top Five States for Women-Owned Nonemployer Firms
| State | Total Number of Women-Owned Nonemployer Firms | Total Revenue Generated |
| California | 1,392,000 | $45,887,822,000 |
| Texas | 992,000 | $26,507,028,000 |
| Florida | 935,000 | $23,565,745,000 |
| New York | 668,000 | $20,602,854,000 |
| Georgia | 416,000 | $9,572,384,000 |
[1] The numbers of nonemployer firms in the following tables have been rounded to the nearest 1,000 following disclosure avoidance rules.
