According to a recent report released by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Center for Women in Business, Utah ranks third highest for the percentage of self-employed workers who are women. Of self-employed workers in Utah, 44.5 percent are women, according to the report.
Leading the list of female self-employed workers is Oregon with 45.4 percent. Texas is second with 44.5 percent, the same as reported for Utah.
Of the top 10 states with the highest percentage of female self-employed workers, only Texas, Delaware and Maryland are not in the western portion of the U.S. At the bottom of the list are Mississippi, Arkansas and North Dakota, with 31.2 percent, 30.6 percent and 27.9 percent, respectively.
Growth in the percentage of the total workforce, both male and female, that is self-employed increased in most states from 2001 to 2013. Both Utah and Texas reported an 11 percent increase in the overall workforce that is self-employed during that time frame.
Nevada reported the largest growth rate in the overall self-employed workforce with an increase of 26 percent. The next highest increase was reported by Arizona and Tennessee, both at 25 percent.
Oregon, with the highest percentage of female self-employed workers, had a 7 percent increase in its overall self-employed workforce. The state with the largest decline in the self-employed workforce for the reporting period was Kentucky, with a 10 percent decrease.
Although there are no states where female workers make up the majority of those who are self-employed, the trend is increasing. The U.S. national average is 38.2 percent, and this represents an increase of 9 percent from 2001 to 2013.
Kirby Brown is the CEO of Beneficial Financial Group, which is based in Salt Lake City.