American Express and Dun & Bradstreet Index Finds Women- and Minority-Owned Firms are Growing into the Middle Market at More Than Five Times the Rate of All Commercially-Active Businesses

22 Sep 2015, 08:40 AM CDT

NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Women-owned and minority-owned middle market businesses have outpaced
the growth of mid-sized companies as a whole over the past six years,
according to the Middle
Market Power Index: The Growing Economic Clout of Diverse Middle
Market Firms from American Express (NYSE:AXP) and Dun &
Bradstreet (NYSE:DNB).

According to the new analysis, women-owned and minority-owned businesses
are entering the middle market at a much faster rate than the average
commercially-active business. While the number of all U.S.
mid-sized businesses increased by 4.1% from 2008-2014, the number of
women-owned middle market companies grew by 23.6% and the number of
minority-owned middle market companies rose by 22.1% during that period.

“It is exciting to see that women- and minority-owned businesses are now
responsible for much of the dynamism in middle market growth,” said Jeff
Stibel, Vice Chairman of Dun & Bradstreet.

Utilizing Dun & Bradstreet’s proprietary databases of
commercially-active U.S. firms, this third in a series of reports from
American Express and Dun & Bradstreet investigates growing ethnic and
gender diversity in the ownership of middle market enterprises, defined
as businesses generating between $10 million and $1 billion in revenues.
This report also looks at how these firms differ from all middle market
companies by size, industry sector and number of years in business.

Diverse Enterprises Are Driving Revenue and Employment Growth Within
The Middle Market and Among Peers

Among the 136,603 middle market companies in the U.S., women-owned
companies make up 6% and minority-owned companies make up 5%. Despite
their smaller representation, both groups are generating an outsized
portion of revenue and job growth within the middle market population.

While overall middle market revenue fell 2.2% between 2008 and 2014,
revenue rose 22.7% among women-owned businesses and 19.3% among
minority-owned businesses.
During that same period, employment in the middle market grew 4.4%,
but surged 37.8% among women-owned firms and 38.7% among
minority-owned firms – nearly nine times the average rate.

These companies are also driving significant growth among their peers
beyond the middle market sector:

Middle market women-owned firms represent just 0.7% of all women-owned
enterprises in the U.S., but employ 23% of the workforce accounted for
by all women-owned companies and contribute nearly one-third (32%) of
revenues accounted for by women-owned companies.
Similarly, minority-owned middle market firms represent 1.6% of all
minority-owned enterprises in the U.S., but employ over one-third
(34%) of workers accounted for by all minority-owned businesses and
generate 42% of the revenues accounted for by minority-owned
businesses.

“This report shines a light on the substantial contributions that
diverse middle market businesses have made to the country’s overall
economic health over the past six years,” said Susan Sobbott, president,
Global Corporate Payments, American Express. “The analysis shows women
and minority-owned companies are punching above their weight and fueling
all-around growth in the middle market.”

Women- and Minority-Owned Middle Market Companies Have Room to Grow

Most middle market enterprises fall within the lower end of the revenue
size spectrum, with more than half (51%) generating revenues between $10
million and $19.9 million. Middle market women-owned and minority-owned
companies are smaller than the average middle market firm in terms of
revenue generated and in number of employees.

As of 2014, 61% of women-owned middle market firms generate between
$10 million and $19.9 million in revenues, 32% generate between $20
million and $49.9 million, and just 6% generate between $50 million
and $1 billion. Additionally, only 7% of women-owned firms employ 500
or more employees – compared to 15% of middle market companies overall.
Minority-owned middle market businesses are only slightly larger than
women-owned firms, with, as of 2014, 56% generating between $10
million and $19.9 million in revenues, 33% between $20 million and
$49.9 million, and 11% between $50 million and $1 billion. Looking at
employment size, just 9% of minority-owned middle market companies
employ 500 or more workers.

Women- and Minority-Owned Middle Market Companies Span the Country

While the national average of women-owned middle market enterprises is
6%, states with the highest percentage of women-owned middle market
enterprises include:

Alaska (13%)
Virginia (11%)
Maryland (9%)
Michigan (9%)

In addition to these states, higher than average percentages of
women-owned middle market companies exist in the U.S. Virgin Islands
(10%) and Puerto Rico (9%).

Further, states with greater ethnic diversity also enjoy the highest
percentage of minority-owned middle market firms. These are:

Hawaii (21%)
Alaska (19%)
Virginia (12%)
New Mexico (11%)
Maryland (10%)

In addition to these states, Puerto Rico also has higher than average
percentage of minority-owned middle market businesses (38%).

Study Methodology

The Middle Market Power Index report is based on an analysis of
all of the firms in Dun & Bradstreet’s commercial databases of nearly 19
million businesses between 2008 and 2014: the first database, a virtual
census of all of the commercially-active businesses in the United States
(defined as firms that have obtained a D-U-N-S® number and that sell and
receive goods and services and utilize credit transactions in their
business); and the second database, their credit scoring archive
database, which collects and models business commercial activity and
business financial strength. All subsidiary and business establishment
data are combined; only enterprise-level data (top of the business
family tree, or Ultimate D-U-N-S® number firms) are reported.
Additionally, public sector entities are excluded.

About Dun and Bradstreet

Dun & Bradstreet (NYSE: DNB) grows the most valuable relationships in
business. By uncovering truth and meaning from data, we connect
customers with the prospects, suppliers, clients and partners that
matter most, and have since 1841. Nearly ninety percent of the Fortune
500, and companies of every size around the world, rely on our data,
insights and analytics. For more about Dun & Bradstreet, visit DNB.com.

About American Express Global Corporate Payments

Through its Global Corporate Payments division, American Express offers
a suite of B2B and T&E payment solutions that help organizations
streamline processes and transform them into opportunities for savings,
control and efficiency. American Express can help your organization
increase working capital flexibility and strengthen relationships with
suppliers. For more information, visit us at business.americanexpress.com/us.

About American Express

American Express is a global services company, providing customers with
access to products, insights and experiences that enrich lives and build
business success. Learn more at americanexpress.com
and connect with us on facebook.com/americanexpress,
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