Entrepreneurial activity among women dropped sharply last year, while the rate of activity among men and immigrants surged, according to a national index developed by UCSC professor of economics Robert Fairlie, and published in a report by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.
Nearly 500,000 new businesses were launched monthly in 2007, according to the report, which is issued annually. The report includes a state-by-state breakdown of entrepreneurial activity and indicates that the highest rates of activity last year occurred in the Midwest and West.
"The Kauffman Index of Entrepreneurial Activity remains the only study of its kind that provides states with some measurement for how their rate of business startups compare to the nation. Covering the past 12 years, this report has become an important tool for state and national economic leaders to gauge progress," said Fairlie.
The report also found that immigrants are substantially more likely to start businesses than are native-born Americans, and men are twice as likely as women to start a business each month. The report is available online.
