The Overall Picture

• 10.1 million firms are owned by women (75% or more), employing more than 13 million people, and generating $1.9 trillion in sales as of 2008.
• Three quarters of all women-owned businesses are majority owned by women (51% or more), for a total of 7.2 million firms, employing 7.3 million people, and generating $1.1 trillion in sales.
• Women-owned firms (50% or more) account for 40% of all privately held firms.

Businesses Owned by Women of Color

• 1.9 million firms are majority-owned (51% or more) by women of color in the U.S.
• These firms employ 1.2 million people and generate $165 billion in revenues annually.

Million Dollar Businesses

• One in five firms with revenue of $1 million or more is woman-owned.
• 3% of all women-owned firms have revenues of $1 million or more compared with 6% of men-owned firms.

Center of Women’s Business Research: Key facts about women-owned businesses, August 25, 2009

By 2010, women are expected to control 60% of U.S. wealth.

In 2004, women had at least 50% ownership in 10.6 million firms, representing 47.7% of all privately held businesses.

Women outnumber men: Females make up 50.74% of the population in the U.S.

Women start more than 400 new businesses a day, twice the rate of men.

Webber-Thrush, Diane. “Raising Her Sights.” Currents: Council for Advancement and Support of Education October 2008: 36-42.