Demographic Characteristics of Business Owners and Employees: 2013

the Office of Advocacy released Demographic Characteristics of Business Owners and Employees: 2013, the second annual issue brief on business owner demographics. This year’s issue brief also includes how business owners differ from employees. This comparison is important for measuring the overall economic well-being of the economy including the economic incentives for entrepreneurship.

The issue brief is available on Advocacy’s website here.

Annual Report of the Office of Economic Research, FY 2014

The Office of Advocacy has released the Annual Report of the Office of Economic Research, FY 2014. In fiscal year 2014, Advocacy produced 23 contract and internal research reports on a variety of topics including access to capital, employment, environment, minority-and women-owned businesses, procurement, retirement, taxation and veterans. This annual report provides details about and a link to each of OER's publications from FY 2014.

The full report can be found on Advocacy's website here.

Census Bureau annual employment size of firm data

U.S. Census Bureau annual employment size of firm data (partially funded by the Office of Advocacy) on the number of firms, employment, firm births, deaths and job creation has been updated to 2009. As with the economy in general, small businesses struggled from 2008 to 2009. The over twenty-years of data presents opportunities to evaluate how small businesses have weathered business cycles.

SBA Supports Census

On August 16, 2007, the Office of Advocacy sent a letter to the House Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations Chairman and Ranking Member describing the unintended consequences of a proposed funding cut to the Census budget in the FY 2008 Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations bill (H.R. 3093). If enacted, the cut would jeopardize the Survey of Business Owners and Self-Employed Persons (SBO), on which Advocacy and researchers depend to understand the contributions and challenges of small business.

A copy of Advocacy's letter may be found here and a fact sheet summarizing Advocacy's letter can be found here.

For more information about the Office of Advocacy, please visit the website or telephone 202-205-6533.

SBA's Office of Advocacy

The Office of Advocacy of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) provides "economic research, policy analyses, and small business outreach help." The research includes state economic profiles, data on small business, and business owner demographics. The monthly Small Business Advocate notes the newest information. Go to the Advocacy page here.