The Top 10 U.S. Cities For Women-Owned Businesses

The Top 10 Cities For Women-Owned Businesses

Women are conquering the business world at a rapid pace, especially in areas such as small business and entrepreneurship.

The proof? In the last decade, the number of women-owned firms nationwide has grown by over 3.5 million, now representing 38% of all businesses in the United States.

Today’s map from HowMuch.net shows the top American cities where business is booming for women entrepreneurs.

Where are Women-Owned Businesses Growing Fastest?

Looking at the percentage growth in women-owned businesses tells us a lot about the way local economies have developed in the past decade.

Though women-owned firms in larger cities may have more absolute growth and revenue, a high growth rate shows the rapid emergence of a business community where there may have not been one before.

Rank	City	Growth as Percentage	Absolute Growth	Revenue ($ Billion)
1	Memphis	122%	47,798	6.1
2	Detroit	121.4%	140,000	25.1
3	Charlotte	105.4%	61,568	13.3
4	Miami	94.7%	220,000	41.4
5	Orlando	83.5%	72,930	12.3
6	Atlanta	75.8%	133,000	36.9
7	Dallas	74.3%	100,000	47.0
8	Houston	70.4%	107,000	36.1
9	Las Vegas	69.8%	44,341	10.4
10	Austin	65.2%	41,413	10.3

Memphis’ women are leading the charge in the development of their city’s relatively small economy. Though the city is ranked only 45th in terms of revenue generation by women-owned firms, it’s adding new women-owned businesses at a very rapid pace.

The growth rate in Memphis of 122.2% between 2007-2016 leads the nation, making it one of only three cities (along with Charlotte and Detroit) where women-led business growth has more than doubled since 2007.

Absolute Growth Numbers

More metropolitan cities like New York or Los Angeles already have a bigger base of women entrepreneurs to start with, so their percentage growth is not high enough to show up on the aforementioned map.

However, it is worth looking at where the most women-owned businesses are being added (in absolute terms) as well:

Rank	City	Absolute Growth	Growth as Percentage	Revenue ($ Billion)
1	New York City	271,000	44.9%	140.0
2	Los Angeles	225,000	55.0%	95
3	Miami	220,000	94.7%	41.4
4	Detroit	140,000	121.4%	25.1
5	Atlanta	133,000	75.8%	36.9
6	Houston	107,000	70.4%	36.1
7	Chicago	105,500	39.0%	50.0
8	Dallas	100,000	74.3%	47.0
9	Riverside	60,000	62.8%	19.9
10	Washington, D.C.	57,000	32.6%	37.1

Interestingly enough, certain cities appear on both lists, showing impressive growth both in relative and absolute terms.

Detroit and Miami are fairly unique in that they make the top five on both lists. Detroit grew its women-owned businesses by 121.4%, or 140,000 in absolute terms. Meanwhile, Miami grew at 94.7% to add 220,000 businesses since 2007.

Houston and Atlanta are two other cities that fare very well on both lists.

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