Women-Owned Business Statistics
Last updated: 2026-10-28 · 6 sourced statistics
Women own about two in five US businesses, but most of them have no employees. According to the US Census Bureau, women owned 14.2 million of the 36.4 million US businesses in 2023, with $2.8 trillion in receipts. Of those, 12.9 million were nonemployer businesses, 42.3% of all nonemployers, with $423.1 billion in receipts, and about 1.36 million were employer firms, 22.9% of all employer businesses. The number of women-owned employer firms grew nearly 20% between 2017 and 2023, and minority women-owned employer firms grew 49.8%. For anyone who invoices, the gap between the two groups is the main story: most women-owned businesses are one-person operations billing clients directly, while the employer firms account for most of the receipts. Every figure below links to the Census release that states it.
Key takeaways
- Women owned 14.2 million US businesses in 2023, with $2.8 trillion in receipts (US Census Bureau).
- By our calculation from those Census totals, women own about 39% of all US businesses but account for about 5.6% of all business receipts, because most are nonemployer businesses.
- Women owned 12.9 million nonemployer businesses, 42.3% of the total, and about 1.36 million employer firms, 22.9% of the total.
- Women-owned employer firms grew nearly 20% from 2017 to 2023, from 1,134,549 to 1,356,990; minority women-owned employer firms grew 49.8%.
- In 2022, women-owned employer firms had about $2.1 trillion in receipts, 11.4 million employees and $508.5 billion in annual payroll.
At a glance.
Every figure on this page in one table, each linked to its named source. Scroll down for the full context behind each number.
| Figure | What it measures | Source | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14.2M | Women owned 14.2 million of the 36.4 million US employer and nonemployer businesses in 2023, with $2.8 trillion in receipts (all businesses: $50.0 trillion). | US Census Bureau, Census Bureau Releases New Data About Characteristics of Employer and Nonemployer Business Owners (2024 ABS and 2023 NES-D, released 20 November 2025) | 2025 |
| 22.9% | Women owned about 1.4 million, or 22.9%, of the roughly 5.9 million US employer firms in 2023. | US Census Bureau, 2024 Annual Business Survey (reference year 2023), press release of 20 November 2025 | 2025 |
| 12.9M | Women owned 12.9 million, or 42.3%, of US nonemployer businesses in 2023, and those businesses had $423.1 billion in receipts. | US Census Bureau, Nonemployer Statistics by Demographics 2023, press release of 20 November 2025 | 2025 |
| +20% | The number of employer businesses owned by women rose nearly 20%, from 1,134,549 in 2017 to 1,356,990 in 2023. | US Census Bureau, Census Bureau Provides Resources, Data Tools, Website for Small Businesses (May 2026), citing the 2024 Annual Business Survey | 2026 |
| 49.8% | Between 2017 and 2023, the number of minority women-owned employer firms grew 49.8% and the number of female veteran-owned employer firms grew 25.7%. | US Census Bureau, Census Bureau Provides Resources, Data Tools, Website for Small Businesses (May 2026), citing the 2024 Annual Business Survey | 2026 |
| $2.1T | Women-owned US employer firms reported about $2.1 trillion in receipts, 11.4 million employees and about $508.5 billion in annual payroll in 2022, when they made up 22.3% of employer firms. | US Census Bureau, Census Bureau Releases New Data on Minority-Owned, Veteran-Owned and Women-Owned Businesses (2023 ABS, reference year 2022, released 19 December 2024) | 2024 |
The statistics
Women owned 14.2 million of the 36.4 million US employer and nonemployer businesses in 2023, with $2.8 trillion in receipts (all businesses: $50.0 trillion).
Women owned about 1.4 million, or 22.9%, of the roughly 5.9 million US employer firms in 2023.
Women owned 12.9 million, or 42.3%, of US nonemployer businesses in 2023, and those businesses had $423.1 billion in receipts.
Source:US Census Bureau, Nonemployer Statistics by Demographics 2023, press release of 20 November 20252025
The number of employer businesses owned by women rose nearly 20%, from 1,134,549 in 2017 to 1,356,990 in 2023.
Between 2017 and 2023, the number of minority women-owned employer firms grew 49.8% and the number of female veteran-owned employer firms grew 25.7%.
Women-owned US employer firms reported about $2.1 trillion in receipts, 11.4 million employees and about $508.5 billion in annual payroll in 2022, when they made up 22.3% of employer firms.
When these numbers don't apply
Aggregate statistics hide a lot. Read these caveats before quoting a figure as if it describes your specific situation.
- Census counts a business as women-owned when women own 51% or more of its stock or equity. Businesses owned equally (50/50) by women and men are tabulated separately, so the women-owned figures here do not include them.
- Employer and nonemployer figures come from different Census programs: the Annual Business Survey (ABS) for firms with paid employees and Nonemployer Statistics by Demographics (NES-D) for businesses without them, which are mostly self-employed people. Their combined total of 14.2 million is the Census Bureau's own figure.
- Census names the ABS by the year it is collected, not the year it describes. The 2024 ABS covers 2023, and the 2023 ABS covers 2022. The receipts, employment and payroll figures for women-owned employer firms are from the 2023 ABS (reference year 2022) because the Census release for 2023 did not restate them.
- The shares of businesses and of receipts in the takeaways are our own calculation from the Census totals (14.2 million of 36.4 million businesses; $2.8 trillion of $50.0 trillion in receipts), not a Census statistic.
- These are US figures only. Other countries define and count women-owned businesses differently.
How we compiled this data
Reviewed on 2026-10-28. Every figure was re-read on the review date in a US Census Bureau release: the 20 November 2025 release of the 2024 Annual Business Survey (reference year 2023) and 2023 Nonemployer Statistics by Demographics, the December 2024 release of the 2023 Annual Business Survey (reference year 2022), and the Census Bureau's May 2026 Small Business Week story. We removed the previous version's figures linked to the National Women's Business Council homepage ('~14M', '$2T+' and 'outpacing'), which did not state them, and a '5M+ applications' business formation figure that is not broken down by owner's sex. The SBA Office of Advocacy's latest women ownership fact sheet (March 2024, read via an Internet Archive copy because the SBA site blocks automated access) uses older Census data and is superseded by the releases above, so it is not cited. The Census data API now requires a key, so figures were taken from the published releases rather than the API.
We hand-collected each figure from its original publisher rather than recycling secondary round-ups, cross-checked the headline numbers against the source documents in 2026-10-28, and link every statistic to the report it came from so you can verify it yourself. Where a publisher issues annual updates, we cite the report edition and flag the year inline.
Frequently asked questions
How many businesses do women own in the US?
14.2 million in 2023, according to the US Census Bureau, out of 36.4 million US businesses. That includes about 1.36 million employer firms and 12.9 million nonemployer businesses.
What percentage of US businesses are women-owned?
It depends on the group. Women own 22.9% of employer firms and 42.3% of nonemployer businesses. Across all businesses, 14.2 million of 36.4 million works out to about 39% by our calculation.
How much revenue do women-owned businesses generate?
$2.8 trillion in receipts in 2023 across all women-owned businesses. Nonemployer businesses accounted for $423.1 billion of that. In 2022, women-owned employer firms had about $2.1 trillion in receipts.
Are women-owned businesses growing?
Yes. Census counts show women-owned employer firms rising nearly 20% from 2017 to 2023, from 1,134,549 to 1,356,990. Minority women-owned employer firms grew 49.8% over the same period.
How many people do women-owned businesses employ?
Women-owned employer firms had 11.4 million employees and about $508.5 billion in annual payroll in 2022, the latest year for which Census published these totals for women-owned firms.
Put these figures to use
- How to choose invoice software: A six-step process for comparing invoicing tools against your own invoices and dealbreakers.
- Hiring your first employee: US federal steps for a first hire (EIN, W-4, I-9, new-hire report) and a worked cost example.
- Business bank accounts for freelancers: What to compare in a business bank account: fees, waivers and FDIC coverage.
- Invoicing hub: Guides and tools for creating, sending and tracking invoices.
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