Vermont ranked #5 as a Hotspot for Female Founders

Vermont ranked number 5 in a listing of the top five states for female founders in a report from recruiting firm Lensa, based on the number of women starting businesses.

Lensa analyzed government data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to ascertain how many females are starting businesses, what increase women have seen in business, and which states are the hotspots for female entrepreneurs. 

New England neighbor Maine came in at number one, followed by Montana, West Virginia, New Mexico and Vermont.  In listing Vermont, the report finds that 21.6% of 162 company founders as of 2022 were female (26.43% for Maine).

Although there is still a large gap between men and women founders, “according to a survey by Gusto, around half of the start-ups in the US during 2021 were formed by women, which is a huge increase from the 28% they reported in 2019. “

They also report that the number of self-employed women in the U.S. has grown by 203,000 from 2011 to 2020

They also report that over the past 10 years, between 2011 and 2020, there has been a 203,000 increase in self-employed females in the United States. making up 41.6% of the self-employed workforce in the United States. “In fact, from 2018 to 2020, there has been a steady increase in female self-employment figures, with the opposite being the case for men. “

The Vermont Women’s Fund launched a the This Way UP campaign to identify and survey women who own and lead businesses all across Vermont.