Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, 1997 Economic Census: Surveys of Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprises. Updated every 5 years. http://www.census.gov/csd/mwb/
Definitions:
The 1997 surveys of Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprises provide basic economic data on businesses owned by women, Blacks, Hispanics, American Indians/Alaska Natives, and Asians and Pacific Islanders. The survey is based on the entire firm rather than on establishments of a firm. The published data cover number of firms, gross receipts, number of paid employees, and annual payroll.
A firm may operate one place of business or more, such as a chain of restaurants, or have no fixed business location, such as the firm represented by a self-employed carpenter or salesperson. A firm contrasts with an establishment, which is a single physical location at which business is conducted. Other data from the Economic Census are reported on an establishment basis rather than a firm basis.
Women-owned firms are those owned by sole proprietors who identified themselves as female on the 1997 or 1992 survey or were categorized as female on their applications for a Social Security Number; or, in the case of firms with multiple owners, where 51 percent or more of stock interest, claims or rights were held by females.
Minority-owned firms are those where the sole proprietor was Black, Hispanic, Asian, Pacific Islander, or American Indian/Alaska Native, or, in the case of firms with multiple owners, where 51 percent of the stock interest, claims or rights were held by Blacks, Hispanics, Asians, Pacific Islanders, or American Indians/Alaska Natives.
The race categories used in this survey are the same as those defined by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in their circular No. A-46, dated May 12, 1977.
Scope and Methodology:
Data for minority-owned firms were obtained from a sample of firms identified as possibly minority-owned based on race and ethnic codes from social security records and by matching surnames of owners to lists of minority surnames from the most recent population census of the United States.
Data for 1997 include all firms. Nonetheless, minority status and gender were not determined for publicly held, foreign-owned, or not-for-profit businesses. These data are not comparable to data for 1992 or earlier years, when regular (C) corporations were excluded.
Percent minority-owned firms or percent women-owned firms is determined by dividing the number of minority- or women-owned firms by the number of all firms in the same area. The raw numbers are shown in the link below, or may be accessed through the "Browse more data sets..." page. Data are not shown wherever there are fewer than 100 minority- or women-owned firms.
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