Study: 3 SoCal cities among top 10 for most self-employed women

Although the growing trend of women joining the labor force was stifled during the COVID-19 pandemic, a new study shows that the number of self-employed women has grown significantly. 

According to a study by business research firm ChamberofCommerce.org, more than 6 million women across the U.S. are self-employed, and several of the nation’s 170 most populous cities – including three in Southern California – are now emerging as hotspots for independent female workers. 

The top four locations for self-employed women are all in South Florida, the study showed. Coming in at No. 1 is Miami, followed by Fort Lauderdale and the cities of Pembroke Pines and Hialeah.

Over 15% of female workers in those cities are self-employed, data shows.

America’s second most populated city landed seventh on the list; out of the 913,185 employed women in Los Angeles, 128,713 of them – or 14.1% – are self-employed, according to U.S. Census Bureau data obtained by ChamberofCommerce.org 

Self-employed women in L.A. have a median income of $52,778, according to the data. 

Two other Southern California cities landed in the top 10, with Huntington Beach and Chula Vista ranking as the ninth and tenth best cities for female entrepreneurs. 

Of the 48,229 employed women in Huntington Beach, 5,613 of them – or 11.6% – are their own boss. That rate is slightly lower in Chula Vista, where 6,599 females are self-employed out of the 59,647 total employed women in the city, equating to 11.1%. 

Other cities in the top 10 include Scottsdale, Arizona (#5); Hollywood, Florida (#6); and Grand Prairie, Texas (#8). 

Several other SoCal cities cracked the top 25, including Glendale, Palmdale, Escondido, Santa Clarita and San Diego. 

A complete list of the top 25 cities with for self-employed women can be found below:

Rank	City	State	Number of employed women	Number of self-employed women	Median income of self-employed women	Percent of self-employed women
1.	Miami	Florida	106,443	17,100	$32,924	16.1%
2.	Fort Lauderdale	Florida	41,750	6,453	$56,618	15.5%
3.	Pembroke Pines	Florida	40,668	6,183	$31,767	15.2%
4.	Hialeah	Florida	55,138	8,338	$34,310	15.1%
5.	Scottsdale	Arizona	61,205	8,994	$96,965	14.7%
6.	Hollywood	Florida	35,948	5,089	$54,206	14.2%
7.	Los Angeles	California	913,185	128,713	$52,778	14.1%
8.	Grand Prairie	Texas	51,146	6,120	$37,572	12%
9.	Huntington Beach	California	48,229	5,613	$69,570	11.6%
10.	Chula Vista	California	59,647	6,599	$47,891	11.1%
11.	Plano	Texas	73,649	8,084	$59,098	11%
12.	Jackson	Mississippi	33,764	3,665	$34,153	10.9%
13.	St. Petersburg	Florida	69,216	7,441	$79,570	10.8%
14.	Glendale	California	44,359	4,752	$52,802	10.7%
15.	Eugene	Oregon	47,756	5,029	$55,991	10.5%
16.	Boise City	Idaho	61,481	6,414	$75,369	10.4%
17.	Henderson	Nevada	75,465	7,806	$76,058	10.3%
18.	Portland	Oregon	179,350	18,482	$67,833	10.3%
19.	Palmdale	California	31,669	3,228	N/A	10.2%
20.	Pasadena	Texas	24,494	2,447	N/A	10%
21.	Escondido	California	34,040	3,390	$32,895	10%
22.	Santa Clarita	California	53,654	5,252	$63,456	9.8%
23.	San Diego	California	332,622	32,431	$60,843	9.8%
24.	Orlando	Florida	78,730	7,612	$50,637	9.7%
25.	Colorado Springs	Colorado	114,409	10,991	$36,141	9.6%

On the other side of the spectrum, Cincinnati, Ohio was found to be the worst city for self-employed women, with just 3.8% of the city’s 81,863 employed women (3,120) calling themselves their own boss.

The city of Hayward, California, in Alameda County was found to be the second-worst city for female entrepreneurs, with just 1,451 of the city’s 37,030 employed women running their own business operation (3.9%).

To view the complete study and find out more information, click here.