Current Trends in Self-Employed Business Owners by Race
Robert W. Fairlie, University of California, Santa Cruz
Link to Related Articles on Business Ownership

The following figures display the most current estimates available for the number of self-employed business owners in the United States. I calculated this series using microdata from the Current Population Survey (CPS) Outgoing Rotation Group Files. Published estimates from the CPS do not include incorporated business owners, and thus understate the total number of self-employed business owners. Original estimates for whites, blacks, Hispanics, and Asians were reported in Fairlie (2004). Estimates for 2003 and additional groups were partially funded by the Small Business Administration.

Number of Business Owners - Total, Men, Women
Self-Employment Rates - Total, Men, Women
Data Used in Figures - PDF Excel

Number of Business Owners by Race
Self-Employment Rates by Race
Number of Male Business Owners by Race
Self-Employment Rates for Working Men by Race
Number of Female Business Owners by Race
Self-Employment Rates for Working Women by Race
Data Used in Figures - PDF Excel

Number of Business Owners by Immigrant Status
Self-Employment Rates by Immigrant Status
Data Used in Figures - PDF Excel

Number of Business Owners by Veteran Status
Self-Employment Rates by Veteran Status
Data Used in Figures - PDF Excel

Number of Business Owners by Region
Self-Employment Rates by Region
Data Used in Figures - PDF Excel



Original Source: Recent Trends in Ethnic and Racial Self-Employment


Self-Employment Figures from Other Data Sources

Self-Employment Rates by Race for Working Men (1910-1990 Censuses)
Source: Trends in Self-Employment Among White and Black Men: 1910-1990

Self-Employment Rates by Race/Ethnicity for the U.S., Canada and U.K. (2000,2001)
Source: Entrepreneurship among Disadvantaged Groups

Self-Employment Rates for 60 Detailed Ethnic/Racial Groups (1990 Census)
Source: Ethnic and Racial Self-Employment Differences and Possible Explanations, Journal of Human Resources, 1996, 31(4)

Self-Employment Rates for 35 Largest Immigrant Groups (1990 Census)