Demographics of the self-employed

In 2009, self-employment rates for older workers continued to be higher than those for younger workers. Among the unincorporated, self-employment rates ranged from 1.6 percent for those aged 16 to 19 years to 18.1 percent for those aged 65 years and older. Among the incorporated, self-employment rates ranged from 0.1 percent for those aged 16 to 19 years to 7.7 percent for those aged 65 years and older.

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In 2009, unincorporated and incorporated self-employment rates were higher for men than women. Among the unincorporated, 8.3 percent of men were self-employed, compared with 5.6 percent of women. Among the incorporated, 5.4 percent of men were self-employed, compared with 2.3 percent of women.

With regard to educational attainment, in 2009 unincorporated self-employment rates were lowest for individuals with an associate’s degree (6.6 percent) and highest for those with less than a high school diploma (9.9 percent). Among the incorporated, the self-employment rate was highest (6.6 percent) for individuals with advanced degrees—about 3 times the rate for those with less than a high school diploma (2.0 percent).

These data are from the Current Population Survey (CPS). To learn more, see "Self-employment in the United States," (PDF) in the Monthly Labor Review, September 2010 issue.