By the Numbers - May 18, 2015

By the Numbers - May 18, 2015

9%

The percentage of small business owners who are Veterans, according to a new statistical brief from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) -- Profile of Veteran Business Owners: 2013 (PDF). Coincidentally, according to the brief, Veterans comprise 9% of the U.S. population. Other data points of interest in the brief:

  • Overall, veteran business owners tend to be older, male, white, married, and citizens compared to their non-veteran counterparts.
  • Almost 150,000 veteran business owners indicated that they received compensation for service-connected disabilities in 2013 (9%).
  • Veteran business owners are much older than non-veteran owners in 2013, 6.1% of veteran business owners were under age 35. The proportion of non-veteran owners under age 35 was 16.2%.
  • The share of business ownership by female veterans (4.6%) is lower than in the overall population (38.3%).
  • The rate of minority business ownership by veterans was lower than non-veterans -- 10.4% versus 14.5%.
  • Veteran business owners had a higher level of education than non-veteran business owners.

Says the SBA:

Veteran business owners and entrepreneurs make important contributions to business creation and growth in the American economy. Their active duty and reserve service often provides them with important skills and leadership abilities that are directly relevant to business ownership.