Women owned 14.2 million US businesses in 2023, with $2.8 trillion in receipts, or annual revenue, according to the most recent U.S. Census Bureau release, published in November 2025. That total includes 1.4 million employer firms, which is 22.9% of all employer firms, and 12.9 million businesses with no paid employees. The newest women-owned business statistics also show growth in employer firms since 2017, and Federal Reserve survey data shows differences in financing outcomes between women-owned and men-owned firms. When you want a number to cite, it can be hard to tell which version of these figures to trust.
How Many Women-Owned Businesses Are in the US
In the November 2025 release, employer figures come from the 2024 Annual Business Survey, and nonemployer figures come from the 2023 Nonemployer Statistics by Demographics. The Annual Business Survey is named for the year the data was collected, so the 2024 survey describes 2023. It helps to check the reference year before you quote a figure.
That release reports these totals:
- Of 36.4 million US businesses, women owned 14.2 million.
- Of about 5.9 million employer firms, women owned 1.4 million, or 22.9%.
- Of 30.4 million nonemployer businesses, women owned 12.9 million, or 42.3%, with $423.1 billion in receipts.
The Census Bureau defines ownership as holding 51% or more of the stock or equity in a business, according to its survey methodology. It counts businesses owned equally by men and women as their own group.
Owner age also differs by industry. In 2020, 52.3% of women who owned nonemployer businesses in real estate and rental and leasing were 55 or older, according to a November 2024 Census Bureau working paper.
Women-Owned Business Statistics on Growth from 2017 to 2023
The number of employer businesses owned by women rose nearly 20% between 2017 and 2023, from 1,134,549 to 1,356,990, according to a Census Bureau story published in May 2026. Over the same period, minority women-owned employer firms grew 49.8%, and employer firms owned by women veterans grew 25.7%.
A Brookings analysis from March 2026 found that Black female-owned employer businesses grew 78% between 2017 and 2023. They rose from fewer than 45,000 to 79,000, or 1.3% of all employer businesses. Among all owners, Black or African American-owned firms made up 3.4% of employer businesses in the United States in 2023, the Census Bureau reports.
Why the SBA Reports a Different Share
The SBA Office of Advocacy puts women’s share of business ownership at 44.6% in its 2025 Small Business Profile for the United States. That figure uses 2022 data and counts equal as well as majority ownership. Of the roughly 14 million businesses the profile counts as female-owned, 90.7% had no employees, compared with 81.1% of male-owned businesses.
Revenue and Financing: What the Federal Reserve Found
If a lender has ever turned you down, the Federal Reserve’s survey data can put that experience in wider context. The 2025 Small Business Credit Survey, run by the Federal Reserve Banks, covers employer firms with fewer than 500 employees. It was fielded from September to November 2025.
Women-owned firms applied for a loan, line of credit, or merchant cash advance at a similar rate, 37% compared with 39% of men-owned firms, in the prior 12 months. Among those applicants, 49% of women-owned firms were fully approved, compared with 52% of men-owned firms, and 22% were denied, compared with 19%.
Among firms that did not apply, 25% of women-owned firms said they were debt averse, compared with 14% of men-owned firms, and 16% said they were discouraged, compared with 8%. Discouraged firms did not apply because they expected a denial.
On revenue, 29% of women-owned employer firms reported annual revenues of $100,000 or less, compared with 15% of men-owned firms, and 2% reported more than $10 million, compared with 7%.
US Venture Capital in 2025: A Record Total from Fewer Deals
US startups with at least one female founder raised a record $73.6 billion in venture capital funding in 2025, according to PitchBook data reported by Fortune in March 2026. That is nearly double the $44.7 billion they raised in 2023. Anthropic and Scale AI alone raised more than $30 billion, and two-thirds of venture dollars for female-founded startups went to AI companies.
Deal count for female-founded companies fell for the fourth straight year, and all-female founding teams saw steeper drops in deal value and deal count than mixed-gender teams. So the record came from a handful of huge rounds, even as fewer deals went to female entrepreneurs.
What the Numbers Mean for Your Visibility
Most women-owned businesses have no employees: 12.9 million of the 14.2 million counted by the Census Bureau for 2023. If you run your business alone, finding time to be visible can feel like one more job on a long list.
When you talk with a reporter, a podcast host, or a room of business leaders, a sourced statistic can give them context for your story. At Pink Fins Media, our mission is to raise the visibility of female entrepreneurship, and getting the numbers right is part of supporting women in business.
Where Women Business Owners Can Find Support
The National Association of Women Business Owners, founded in 1975, has chapters across the country. Its membership benefits include a member directory and monthly webinars, two networking opportunities for women entrepreneurs who join.
For the Tory Burch Foundation Fellows Program, our guide to awards for women in business covers eligibility and application dates.
How to Use Women in Business Statistics Without Mixing Them Up
Women in business statistics are easy to mix up, because each source measures a different group in a different year. A few habits can help keep your numbers accurate:
- Name the source and the data year every time, such as “U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 data, released November 2025.”
- Keep the Census share and the SBA share apart, because the SBA figure includes equally owned businesses.
- Match the data to your angle. If your story is about hiring or managing a team, use employer figures, and if you run your business solo, use the nonemployer counts.
- Use local figures, such as the SBA’s profiles for each state and for major metro areas.
- Lead a pitch with one relevant number, then explain what your business does about it. Mariya’s guide on how to get press coverage covers the rest of the pitch.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Many Women-Owned Businesses Are There in the US?
There were 14.2 million women-owned businesses in the United States in 2023, according to the Census Bureau’s November 2025 release. That includes 1.4 million employer firms and 12.9 million businesses with no paid employees, with $2.8 trillion in combined receipts.
What Percentage of Businesses Are Owned by Women?
It depends on the group. Women owned 22.9% of employer firms and 42.3% of nonemployer businesses in 2023, according to the Census Bureau. The SBA Office of Advocacy reports 44.6% for 2022, a figure that includes businesses women own equally.
Are Women-Owned Businesses Less Likely to Get Approved for Loans?
In the Federal Reserve’s 2025 Small Business Credit Survey, 49% of women-owned applicants were fully approved, compared with 52% of men-owned applicants. Women-owned firms were also more likely to be denied, at 22% compared with 19%.
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