Business Opportunities - Number Of Businesses

Table 9.7 provides a view of the spectrum of the 17.6 million sole proprietorships operating in the United States during 2003 by number within broad business type category and by monetary receipts. When taken together, these businesses had receipts totalling $969.3 billion in 2003. Broad categories include professional, scientific, and technical services; health care and social assistance; information; wholesale trade; retail trade; accommodation and food services; construction; manufacturing; transportation and warehousing; finance and insurance; real estate and rental industries; other services; and agriculture, forestry, and fishing.

The most numerous sole proprieterships in 2003 were special trade construction contractors with nearly 1.8 million businesses, administrative and support services operators with 1.4 million sole proprieterships, personal and laundry services (1.1. million), and non-store retailers, operating more than one million businesses. Those with the most receipts included special trade contractors ($101.1 billion), residential building construction ($38 billion), investment advice and other investment activities ($37.8 billion), adminstrative and support services ($36.1 billion), and real estate agents, brokers, managers, and appraisers ($34 billion). (See Table 9.7.)