The U.S. States and Metro Areas With Highest % of Female-Owned Businesses
Owning your own business is the epitome of the American Dream. The freedom of self-employment and control of your own income is an allure for many, a feeling shared by 9.6 million people across the country, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
Yet for generations of women, it was an unattainable goal. Until 1988, a spouse or male relative was needed to co-sign a loan application, and the glass ceiling of the workplace extended to entrepreneurship. This changed when Congress signed the Women’s Business Ownership Act, the first piece of legislation to recognize the contribution of female entrepreneurs to the U.S. economy.
Today, America has one of the best track records when it comes to female entrepreneurship. Research from Mastercard in 2019 ranked the U.S. as the best country in the world at empowering female-led businesses, and other research backs this up; in 2021 almost half (49%) of new ventures were created by female founders. With business thriving across America, which cities and states are home to the most female-owned companies?
