Multicultural Facts Archive
Women-Owned Businesses
Women-owned businesses increased 20 percent from 1997 until 2002. Of the 65 million women-owned businesses, more than half were in service-related industries, including healthcare and professional services, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2002 Survey of Business Owners.
Source: DiversityInc.com
Gays More Likely to Follow Blogs
Gays, lesbians and bisexuals (GLBs) read blogs more often than their non-gay counterparts; 27 percent of GLB adults frequently or occasionally seek out blogs versus 18 percent of heterosexual adults, according to a 2005 Harris Interactive and Witeck-Combs Communications survey. Less than half of all GLBs (44 percent) say they never read blogs, compared with 59 percent of heterosexual adults.
Source: DiversityInc.com
Asian-American-Owned Businesses
Asian-American-owned businesses increased 24 percent from 1997 until 2002, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2002 Survey of Business Owners. Twenty-eight percent of Asian-American-owned firms were in healthcare and other services, with another 14 percent each in professional services and retail trade. Asian-American-owned firms accounted for 45 percent of businesses in Hawaii, 13 percent of businesses in California and 9 percent in New York.
Source: DiversityInc.com
Blacks Less Likely to Invest In Stock Market
Sixty-five percent of blacks invest in the stock market through stocks or mutual funds, compared with 80 percent of whites, according to the 2005 Ariel-Schwab Black Investor Survey. While whites' investment rate has remained around 80 percent, blacks have fluctuated from a low of 57 percent in 1998 to a high of 74 percent in 2002.
Source: DiversityInc.com
Immigrants Drive Population Growth
This month, net international migration is expected to add one person every 26 seconds to the U.S. population. This results in a total population increase of one person every 12 seconds, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Source: DiversityInc.com
Immigrant Obesity Doubles After 15 Years
While only 8 percent of immigrants who have lived in the United States for less than a year are obese, the percentage jumps to 19 percent among those who have been in the country for at least 15 years. Twenty-two percent of U.S.-born residents are obese, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Source: DiversityInc.com
Public Schools Becoming More Diverse
In 2003, 42 percent of public-school students were students of color, an increase from 22 percent in 1972, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. The percentage of whites in public schools decreased from 78 percent to 58 percent. Latino students represented 19 percent of public-school enrollment in 2003, up from 6 percent in 1972. Black-student enrollment increased slightly from 15 percent in 1972 to 16 percent in 2003. Other students of color made up 7 percent of the population in 2003, up from 1 percent in 1972.
Source: DiversityInc.com
• Facts for the GLBT Community