U.S. business data
Women-owned business statistics.
Six useful figures on the women building businesses across the United States, using the latest Census Bureau release available.
Last updated September 1, 2026. Data year: 2023.
A clear picture of women building what is next.
Women-owned businesses span independent work, growing teams, and every kind of ambitious next chapter in between. These figures give writers, founders, and curious readers a reliable starting point for understanding their scale in the U.S. economy.
36.4 million
Businesses operated in the United States in 2023.
Together, they reported about $50 trillion in receipts, according to the Census Bureau’s 2023 Annual Business Survey release.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, May 202514.2 million
U.S. businesses were majority women-owned in 2023.
Those businesses reported about $2.8 trillion in receipts, placing women-owned firms at the center of the country’s business landscape.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, May 20251.4 million
Employer firms were majority women-owned in 2023.
That represented 22.9% of the country’s 5.9 million employer firms.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, May 202512.9 million
Nonemployer businesses were majority women-owned in 2023.
They made up 42.3% of all 30.4 million nonemployer businesses, the category that includes many independent founders and solo operators.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, May 2025$423.1 billion
In receipts came from women-owned nonemployer businesses in 2023.
The figure shows the real economic weight of businesses run without paid employees.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, May 2025Why it matters
Big work does not always start with a big team.
The Census figures make room for the full picture. Many women-owned businesses are independent operations, often built alongside the responsibilities and routines of real life. Others employ teams and create a larger local and national impact. Both are part of the business economy, and both deserve to be seen clearly.
About these numbers
Source and method.
This page uses the U.S. Census Bureau’s May 2025 release from the 2023 Annual Business Survey. “Women-owned” refers to businesses that were majority owned by women, as reported by the Census Bureau. “Employer firms” have paid employees. “Nonemployer businesses” do not have paid employees.
Citing this page
Suggested citation: Styled Society xoxo, “Women-Owned Business Statistics,” updated September 1, 2026, using U.S. Census Bureau 2023 Annual Business Survey data.
Each statistic has a stable link target for direct citation.
For your next move