• The number of firms held by people of color per 100 workers increased from 12 to 14 from 2007 to 2012 while the number of White-owned firms per 100 workers decreased from 19 to 18. 

• Mixed/other-owned firms have grown most among all other racial/ethnic groups in every sector except the educational services sector, where Asian or Pacific Islander-owned businesses have grown the most, and the utilities sector where Mexican-owned firms have grown the most.

• The number of women-owned businesses and men-owned businesses per 100 workers increased from 2007 to 2012 but there are still five more men-owned businesses than women-owned ones per 100 workers.

• Cities in Florida, like Miami and Hialeah, have the highest number of both White-owned businesses per 100 workers and people of color-owned businesses per 100 workers.

People of color are less likely than Whites to have access to capital and contracts to start and grow a business, due in part to historical policies such as redlining that denied home loans and wealth-building opportunities to people of color. Today, business loan denial rates for firms owned by people of color are three times higher than for firms owned by Whites. Business owners of color also pay higher interest rates and receive lower loan and equity investments. Although creditworthiness is a factor in loan denials, this metric does not reflect how reliably individuals pay their rent. Underrepresented groups also often face barriers accessing important networks and training programs.

• Increase access to resources to help underrepresented entrepreneurs build and repair credit and attract investment and loan capital to start and grow their businesses.
• Increase resources for Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) Business Centers, which help entrepreneurs of color gain access to capital, contracts, and markets.
• Connect aspiring entrepreneurs to business mentoring programs through government agencies and organizations such as the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship.
• Include entrepreneurship as a part of career and technical education and include age-appropriate entrepreneurial skill-building in K–12 education.
• Ensure access to affordable banking products, particularly those that can build credit history and credit scores.
• At the federal level, reform the Community Reinvestment Act to expand access to fair financial products and services for entrepreneurs of color, protect and expand the power of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to enforce fair lending laws and investigate complaints, and set aside a share of public contracts for businesses owned by people of color to mirror area demographics.

• Reports: Including People of Color in the Promise of Entrepreneurship; The Future of Banking: Overcoming Barriers to Financial Inclusion for Communities of Color; The Color of Entrepreneurship

• Data: Prosperity Now Scorecard; Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council