Racial Equity
Business Ownership by Race/Ethnicity

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Business Ownership, by Race/Ethnicity, 2017

What does this measure?

The number of businesses owned, broken down by race/ethnicity expressed as a percentage of all businesses.

Why is this important?

Business ownership plays a significant role in wealth creation and accumulation, and can help address the racial wealth gap in the U.S. while also creating jobs and stimulating the economy more broadly.

How is our region doing?

In 2017, a significant majority of businesses in MetroWest were owned by white people (80.2%), followed by Asian (8.4%), Hispanic (1.5%) and African Americans (1.1%). MetroWest's shares of Hispanic and African American-owned businesses were lower than the state (1.5% Hispanic, 1.4% African American) and the nation (5.6% Hispanic, 2.2% African American).

Among comparison counties, Norfolk had the highest percentage of businesses owned by African Americans (1.3%), Middlesex had the highest percentage of Asian and Hispanic (9.3% and 1.6% respectively) and Worcester had the highest percentage of white-owned businesses (83.2%). Middlesex had no African American-owned businesses and Worcester had no Hispanic-owned businesses.

Why do these disparities exist?

The lack of equal opportunities for wealth accumulation and systemic racism in the banking industry both contribute to these disparities. Would-be businesses owners of color have significantly less investment capital than their white peers due to historic discrimination in housing, a traditional method for accumulating personal wealth, and in the lending industry through both housing and corporate redlining.

Notes about the data

Annual Business Survey (ABS) data are sourced from a combination of responses to the survey, data from the economic census, and administrative records data. The ABS only include tabulations for employer businesses, which are businesses with paid employees. The Annual Business Survey uses the collection year (the year the survey was collected) in the survey name rather than the reference year (the year the survey collects data on).

Business Ownership, by Race/Ethnicity, 2017
AsianBlack or African AmericanHispanicWhite
United States9.7%2.2%5.6%83.0%
Massachusetts7.5%1.4%1.9%83.2%
Region8.4%1.1%1.5%80.2%
Middlesex County9.3%0.0%1.6%78.8%
Norfolk County8.0%1.3%1.3%80.6%
Worcester County6.9%0.8%0.0%83.2%
Franklin town, Norfolk County0.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%
Marlborough city, Middlesex County7.5%0.0%0.0%66.7%
Waltham city, Middlesex County9.2%0.0%0.0%73.4%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau and National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, 2018 Annual Business Survey, data year 2017.




Number of Businesses Owned, by Race/Ethnicity, 2017
AsianBlack or African AmericanHispanicWhite
United States555,638124,004322,0764,769,762
Massachusetts10,3721,8932,614115,546
Region5,68233577554,068
Middlesex County3,321055628,182
Norfolk County1,33721321913,548
Worcester County1,024122012,338
Franklin town, Norfolk County0000
Marlborough city, Middlesex County9800872
Waltham city, Middlesex County191001,528

Source: U.S. Census Bureau and National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, 2018 Annual Business Survey, data year 2017.




Business Ownership, by Race/Ethnicity, 2017
AsianBlack or African AmericanHispanicWhite
United States9.7%2.2%5.6%83.0%
Massachusetts7.5%1.4%1.9%83.2%
Region8.4%1.1%1.5%80.2%
Middlesex County9.3%0.0%1.6%78.8%
Norfolk County8.0%1.3%1.3%80.6%
Worcester County6.9%0.8%0.0%83.2%
Franklin town, Norfolk County0.0%0.0%0.0%0.0%
Marlborough city, Middlesex County7.5%0.0%0.0%66.7%
Waltham city, Middlesex County9.2%0.0%0.0%73.4%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau and National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, 2018 Annual Business Survey, data year 2017.




Number of Businesses Owned, by Race/Ethnicity, 2017
AsianBlack or African AmericanHispanicWhite
United States555,638124,004322,0764,769,762
Massachusetts10,3721,8932,614115,546
Region5,68233577554,068
Middlesex County3,321055628,182
Norfolk County1,33721321913,548
Worcester County1,024122012,338
Franklin town, Norfolk County0000
Marlborough city, Middlesex County9800872
Waltham city, Middlesex County191001,528

Source: U.S. Census Bureau and National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, 2018 Annual Business Survey, data year 2017.




INDICATORS
Early Prenatal Care by Mother's Race/Ethnicity
Children Living in Poverty
Children Living in Poverty, by Race/Ethnicity
Single-Parent Families
Single-Parent Families by Race/Ethnicity
Disengaged Youth
Reports of Domestic Violence
Arts, Entertainment and Recreation Establishments
Households Without Vehicles
Means of Transportation to Work
Households With Internet Access
Voter Participation Rate
Average Charitable Contribution
People Without Health Insurance
Opioid Overdose Mortality Rate
Crimes Against People
Incarceration Rates, by Race/Ethnicity
Change in Total Population
Change in Population by Race/Ethnicity
Foreign-Born Population
Language Diversity
Population by Age
Change in Population by Age/Gender
Seniors Living Alone
People with Disabilities
Change in Total Jobs by Sector
Business Ownership by Race/Ethnicity
Unemployment Rate
Share of Workers who are Professionals, by Race/Ethnicity
Unemployment Rate by Race/Ethnicity
Average Salary by Sector
High-Tech Jobs
Female to Male Earnings Ratio
Prekindergarten Participation
Student Performance on Grade 3 English, by Student Group
School Spending Per Student
Student Performance on Grade 8 Math by Student Group
Chronically Absent Students
High School Cohort Graduation Rate by Student Group
Education Levels of Adults
College Admission Rate, by Race/Ethnicity
Education Levels of Adults, by Race/Ethnicity
People Living in Poverty
People Living in Poverty, by Education Level
People Living in Poverty, by Race/Ethnicity
Households Receiving Temporary Assistance
Participation in Food Assistance by Race/Ethnicity
Median Household Income
Median Household Income, by Race/Ethnicity
Living Wage
80/20 Income Ratio
Access to Financial Services, by Race/Ethnicity
Homeownership Rates
Homeownership Rates, by Race/Ethnicity
Cost of Homeownership
Cost of Homeownership, by Race/Ethnicity
Cost of Rent
Cost of Rent, by Race/Ethnicity
Homelessness
Early Prenatal Care by Mother's Race/Ethnicity
Children Living in Poverty, by Race/Ethnicity
Single-Parent Families by Race/Ethnicity
Incarceration Rates, by Race/Ethnicity
Change in Population by Race/Ethnicity
Business Ownership by Race/Ethnicity
Share of Workers who are Professionals, by Race/Ethnicity
Unemployment Rate by Race/Ethnicity
Student Performance on Grade 3 English, by Student Group
Student Performance on Grade 8 Math by Student Group
High School Cohort Graduation Rate by Student Group
College Admission Rate, by Race/Ethnicity
Education Levels of Adults, by Race/Ethnicity
People Living in Poverty, by Race/Ethnicity
Participation in Food Assistance by Race/Ethnicity
Median Household Income, by Race/Ethnicity
Access to Financial Services, by Race/Ethnicity
Homeownership Rates, by Race/Ethnicity
Cost of Homeownership, by Race/Ethnicity
Cost of Rent, by Race/Ethnicity


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