Contact: Briana Kaya
Public Information Office
301-763-3030/3762 (fax)
The number of black-owned businesses in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, D.C.-Va.-Md.-W.Va., metropolitan statistical area increased to 95,526 in 2007 from 67,213 in 2002, a 42.1 percent increase, the U.S. Census Bureau announced today. Over the same period, receipts generated by these businesses increased 44.2 percent to $9.3 billion. Nationally, the number of black-owned businesses rose to 1.9 million, a 60.5 percent increase, and sales by these businesses increased to $137.5 billion, a 55.1 percent increase.
Industries in the metro area with the largest number of black-owned businesses included health care and social assistance (14,996 businesses); and professional, scientific, and technical services (13,778 businesses).
These new data come from the 2007 Survey of Business Owners, which is part of the 2007 Economic Census. This survey provides detailed information every five years for black-owned businesses, including the number of firms, sales and receipts, number of paid employees and annual payroll for states, counties, cities and metropolitan areas.