Women-Owned Business Statistics
Last updated: June 2026 · 5 sourced statistics
Women-owned businesses have grown faster than the overall business population for years. Census Bureau survey data puts women's share of employer firms above one in five, while broader counts that include nonemployer businesses run to 14 million firms. Sources: Census Bureau and the National Women's Business Council.
Key takeaways
- Women own more than one in five US employer firms (Census ABS).
- Including nonemployers, women-owned businesses number around 14 million.
- Women-owned firms have outpaced overall business growth in recent years.
The statistics
Women own more than 1.2 million US employer firms — over a fifth of all employer businesses, per the Census Bureau's Annual Business Survey.
Source:US Census Bureau, Annual Business Survey2023
Including nonemployer firms, recent research counts roughly 14 million women-owned businesses — close to two-fifths of all US businesses.
Source:Wells Fargo Impact of Women-Owned Businesses Report2024
Women-owned employer firms generate well over $2 trillion in annual revenue (Census ABS and follow-on analyses).
Source:US Census Bureau / NWBC2024
The National Women's Business Council documents women-owned firms growing faster than the overall business population across recent reporting periods.
Record new-business formation since 2020 — 5M+ applications annually — has included historically high rates of women founders (Census BFS-linked research).
Methodology & sources
Compiled June 2026 from Census Bureau Annual Business Survey data, NWBC annual reports, Wells Fargo-commissioned research, and Census Business Formation Statistics. Employer-firm counts (Census) and all-firm counts (survey research) use different bases.
Frequently asked questions
How many women-owned businesses are there?
Over 1.2 million employer firms (Census) and roughly 14 million when nonemployer businesses are included (Wells Fargo/NWBC research).
What share of businesses are women-owned?
More than a fifth of employer firms and close to two-fifths of all businesses including solo firms.
Are women-owned businesses growing?
Yes — faster than the overall business population in recent years, per NWBC reporting on Census data.
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