Austin Is Nation's No. 2 City With Most Female Startups: Report

AUSTIN, TEXAS — Austin ranked second among the largest 50 U.S. metropolitan areas having the largest share of woman-owned startup companies, a new study revealed.

Seek Capital, a small business lender, scoured through U.S. Census Bureau Annual Survey of Entrepreneurs data to achieve its rankings. Researchers found that 32.7 percent of 4,382 startups in Austin are owned by women, propelling the capital city to the high ranking. Collectively, those female-owned enterprises employ 6,716 workers.

Analysts at Seek Capital offered some study highlights:

• Percentage of startups that are female owned in Austin are 32.7 percent compared to the U.S. total of 24.5 percent.
• The number of female-owned startups totaled 1,492, ranking Austin 18th among the nation's major metros. Throughout the U.S., the total was 125,634.
• Gross receipts/receipts of female-owned startups in Austin were between $500 million to $1 billion. In the U.S. as a whole, such receipts totaled $56 billion, according to the Seek Capital report.
• The most active industry for female entrepreneurs in Austin is real estate and/or rental and leasing. Nationwide, the most active industry for such business leaders is health care and social assistance, the data show.

Houston also fared well on the list, coming in at the 17th slot. Here are the Houston stats:

• Percentage of startups that are female-owned: 26.6 percent.
• Number of female-owned startups: 2,783.
• Employees at female-owned startups: 9,378 (out of 55,710 at all startups).
• Gross sales/receipts of female-owned startups: $1-$5 billion.
• Most active industry for female entrepreneurs: Professional, scientific, and technical services.

The city with the most female startups in the country (drum roll, please) is St. Louis, MO, according to the Seek Capital report.

Related story: Austin Ranked 2nd Best In Nation For Women Entrepreneurs

The lender's survey had similar results from an earlier study on female-owned businesses by MagnifyMoney last year.

For more information, a detailed methodology, and complete results for all 50 metros, please see the original report on Seek Capital’s website.