43% Of Small Businesses Are Owned by Women. Here’s How That Breaks Down in Your State.

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Women have made significant strides in the entrepreneurial space in recent years. Currently, 43.1% of small business owners are women, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration. With women-led small businesses employing 10.1 million U.S. workers in 2019, it’s unsurprising that in 2021 the U.S. Small Business Administration launched 20 new Women’s Business Centers nationwide.

According to 2022 Guidant polling, the three most common reasons cited for women starting their businesses were that they wanted to be their own boss (57.9%), were dissatisfied with working in corporate America (37.7%), or wanted to pursue their passion (29.8%). Although being an entrepreneur is no easy feat, 73.7% of female business owners said they were “somewhat or very happy.” The top industries for female small-business owners were retail and e-commerce, followed by health, beauty, and fitness, as well as business services.

Simply Business compiled statistics from the U.S. Small Business Administration’s 2021 Small Business Profile to find out the number of women-owned small businesses in each state. The data for this report is sourced from the 2018 American Community Survey, the 2018 Annual Business Survey, and the 2017 Nonemployer Statistics by Demographics, all from the Census Bureau. This data predates the COVID-19 pandemic, which dramatically affected small businesses.

The list is ordered based on the percentage of women-owned small businesses. Two states—North Dakota and Rhode Island—do not report the number of women-owned businesses and were excluded from this list. Small businesses are defined as companies with fewer than 500 employees.

Read on to learn more about the number of women entrepreneurs in your state.

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Delaware

- Number of small businesses: 88,051 (98.4% of all businesses)

- Number of women-owned small businesses: 27,499 (31.2% of small businesses)

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South Dakota

- Number of small businesses: 89,942 (99% of all businesses)

- Number of women-owned small businesses: 28,694 (31.9% of small businesses)

New Jersey

- Number of small businesses: 937,436 (99.6% of all businesses)

- Number of women-owned small businesses: 300,130 (32.0% of small businesses)

Wyoming

- Number of small businesses: 70,618 (98.9% of all businesses)

- Number of women-owned small businesses: 22,707 (32.2% of small businesses)

Utah

- Number of small businesses: 313,590 (99.3% of all businesses)

- Number of women-owned small businesses: 101,750 (32.4% of small businesses)

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Montana

- Number of small businesses: 126,219 (99.3% of all businesses)

- Number of women-owned small businesses: 41,584 (32.9% of small businesses)

New York

- Number of small businesses: 2,300,000 (99.8% of all businesses)

- Number of women-owned small businesses: 757,816 (32.9% of small businesses)

Pennsylvania

- Number of small businesses: 1,100,000 (99.6% of all businesses)

- Number of women-owned small businesses: 364,121 (33.1% of small businesses)

Wisconsin

- Number of small businesses: 461,525 (99.4% of all businesses)

- Number of women-owned small businesses: 152,951 (33.1% of small businesses)

Maine

- Number of small businesses: 150,592 (99.2% of all businesses)

- Number of women-owned small businesses: 50,165 (33.3% of small businesses)

New Hampshire

- Number of small businesses: 137,811 (99% of all businesses)

- Number of women-owned small businesses: 46,274 (33.6% of small businesses)

Idaho

- Number of small businesses: 176,029 (99.2% of all businesses)

- Number of women-owned small businesses: 59,635 (33.9% of small businesses)

Nebraska

- Number of small businesses: 180,988 (99.1% of all businesses)

- Number of women-owned small businesses: 61,491 (34.0% of small businesses)

Massachusetts

- Number of small businesses: 715,425 (99.5% of all businesses)

- Number of women-owned small businesses: 243,200 (34.0% of small businesses)

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Minnesota

- Number of small businesses: 533,344 (99.5% of all businesses)

- Number of women-owned small businesses: 181,984 (34.1% of small businesses)

Kentucky

- Number of small businesses: 360,756 (99.3% of all businesses)

- Number of women-owned small businesses: 123,312 (34.2% of small businesses)

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Vermont

- Number of small businesses: 79,189 (99% of all businesses)

- Number of women-owned small businesses: 27,133 (34.3% of small businesses)

Missouri

- Number of small businesses: 542,519 (99.4% of all businesses)

- Number of women-owned small businesses: 186,311 (34.3% of small businesses)

Connecticut

- Number of small businesses: 355,596 (99.4% of all businesses)

- Number of woman-owned small businesses: 91,168 (35.3% of small businesses)

Iowa

- Number of woman-owned small businesses: 91,168 (35.3% of small businesses)

- Number of woman-owned small businesses: 91,168 (35.3% of small businesses)

Kansas

- Number of woman-owned small businesses: 91,168 (35.3% of small businesses)

- Number of women-owned small businesses: 89,853 (34.8% of small businesses)

Oklahoma

- Number of woman-owned small businesses: 91,168 (35.3% of small businesses)

- Number of woman-owned small businesses: 91,168 (35.3% of small businesses)

Arkansas

- Number of woman-owned small businesses: 91,168 (35.3% of small businesses)

- Number of woman-owned small businesses: 91,168 (35.3% of small businesses)

Ohio

- Number of small businesses: 982,035 (99.6% of all businesses)

- Number of women-owned small businesses: 347,268 (35.4% of small businesses)

Indiana

- Number of small businesses: 529,456 (99.4% of all businesses)

- Number of women-owned small businesses: 187,915 (35.5% of small businesses)

Alaska

- Number of small businesses: 73,981 (99.1% of all businesses)

- Number of women-owned small businesses: 26,391 (35.7% of small businesses)

West Virginia

- Number of small businesses: 113,184 (98.8% of all businesses)

- Number of women-owned small businesses: 40,378 (35.7% of small businesses)

Texas

- Number of small businesses: 3,000,000 (99.8% of all businesses)

- Number of women-owned small businesses: 1,076,697 (35.9% of small businesses)

Washington

- Number of small businesses: 647,639 (99.5% of all businesses)

- Number of women-owned small businesses: 234,128 (36.2% of small businesses)

Colorado

- Number of small businesses: 674,741 (99.5% of all businesses)

- Number of women-owned small businesses: 244,479 (36.2% of small businesses)

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Nevada

- Number of small businesses: 297,183 (99.2% of all businesses)

- Number of women-owned small businesses: 107,773 (36.3% of small businesses)

Arizona

- Number of small businesses: 611,097 (99.5% of all businesses)

- Number of women-owned small businesses: 224,252 (36.7% of small businesses)

California

- Number of small businesses: 4,200,000 (99.8% of all businesses)

- Number of women-owned small businesses: 1,541,927 (36.7% of small businesses)

Michigan

- Number of small businesses: 902,131 (99.6% of all businesses)

- Number of women-owned small businesses: 332,223 (36.8% of small businesses)

Florida

- Number of small businesses: 2,800,000 (99.8% of all businesses)

- Number of women-owned small businesses: 1,034,013 (36.9% of small businesses)

Tennessee

- Number of small businesses: 636,842 (99.5% of all businesses)

- Number of women-owned small businesses: 235,863 (37.0% of small businesses)

North Carolina

- Number of small businesses: 964,280 (99.6% of all businesses)

- Number of women-owned small businesses: 358,783 (37.2% of small businesses)

South Carolina

- Number of small businesses: 445,804 (99.4% of all businesses)

- Number of women-owned small businesses: 166,744 (37.4% of small businesses)

Alabama

- Number of small businesses: 408,374 (99.4% of all businesses)

- Number of women-owned small businesses: 154,112 (37.7% of small businesses)

Oregon

- Number of small businesses: 396,925 (99.4% of all businesses)

- Number of women-owned small businesses: 149,823 (37.7% of small businesses)

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Virginia

- Number of small businesses: 783,977 (99.5% of all businesses)

- Number of women-owned small businesses: 296,057 (37.8% of small businesses)

Illinois

- Number of small businesses: 1,200,000 (99.6% of all businesses)

- Number of women-owned small businesses: 454,362 (37.9% of small businesses)

Maryland

- Number of small businesses: 618,214 (99.5% of all businesses)

- Number of women-owned small businesses: 237,668 (38.4% of small businesses)

Louisiana

- Number of small businesses: 464,527 (99.5% of all businesses)

- Number of women-owned small businesses: 179,693 (38.7% of small businesses)

New Mexico

- Number of small businesses: 158,844 (99% of all businesses)

- Number of women-owned small businesses: 62,236 (39.2% of small businesses)

Mississippi

- Number of small businesses: 264,858 (99.3% of all businesses)

- Number of women-owned small businesses: 104,159 (39.3% of small businesses)

Hawaii

- Number of small businesses: 137,328 (99.2% of all businesses)

- Number of women-owned small businesses: 54,361 (39.6% of small businesses)

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Washington D.C.

- Number of small businesses: 79,814 (98.2% of all businesses)

- Number of women-owned small businesses: 31,849 (39.9% of small businesses)

Georgia

- Number of small businesses: 1,100,000 (99.6% of all businesses)

- Number of women-owned small businesses: 452,913 (41.2% of small businesses)

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