Women-owned businesses in the U.S. are on the rise. According to a new report from Yelp, there’s noteworthy year-over-year growth in businesses owned by women. This is particularly pronounced in high-value categories like home services, which saw the greatest growth of any vertical.
“Women entrepreneurs are rewriting the playbook on business growth, Yelp Trends Expert and VP of Community Expansion Tara Lewis told Localogy Insider. “While we continue to see thousands of new women-led ventures in the beauty services and restaurant industries, our data shows that these business leads are broadening conventions around the types of careers women entrepreneurs can excel in, and shifting toward home services.”
In fact, home services exceeded traditionally strong categories for women-owned businesses, such as beauty services, for the second year in a row. Here, many women entrepreneurs are “trading glam for grit,” says Yelp, in a move towards a high-growth and economically-propelled home services market.
Unpacking that a bit further, the home services vertical continues to be driven by homeowners that opt to invest in home improvements rather than move in the current environment. The decision is driven by several factors such as an unpredictable housing market, and the current state of mortgage rates.
“The home services industry is experiencing significant demand, and as home construction and home renovations surge, women are stepping up to meet consumers’ needs,” said Lewis. “This includes addressing the ongoing demand for home maintenance services like plumbing, appliance repair, and grout services, as well as responding to climate impacts by opening more generator and HVAC businesses. Notably, women are increasing their market share in these areas, often surpassing the national average in categories traditionally dominated by men.
The She-conomy
Extracting a few highlights from the report, there were 15,000 new women-owned business openings in the home services category in 2024. Top metros for women-owned businesses include Louisville (53 percent growth), Salt Lake City (+46 percent), and Indianapolis (+28 percent).
Here are a few other highlights and insights we’ve extracted from the report.
– Within home services, subcategories seeing the most growth include…
- Lawn services (up 31%)
- Light fixtures & equipment (up 28%)
- Junk removal & hauling (up 28%)
- Fences & gates (up 24%)
- Windows installation (up 18%)
- Snow removal (up 18%)
- Foundation repair (up 18%)
- Electricians (up 15%)
- Decks & railing (up 15%)
- Chimney sweeps (up 14%)
- Landscaping (up 13%)
- Demolition services (up 12%)
- Irrigation (up 12%)
- Handyperson (up 11%)
- Carpenters (up 11%)
- Painters (up 10%)
- Drywall Installation & Repair (up 10%)
- Roofing (up 10%)
- Tree services (up 8%)
- Movers (up 7%)
- Water heater installation/repair (up 6%)
- General contractors (up 5%)
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Women-owned businesses also grew market share in a range of traditionally male-dominated industries, surpassing the national average in the following (women-owned growth v. national average).
- Siding (up 52%) v. national average 33%
- Air duct cleaning (up 50%) v. 28%
- Fireplace services (up 47%) v. 33%
- Window washing (up 44%) v. 15%
- Appliances & repair (up 41%) v. 6%
- TV mounting (up 39%) v. 14%
- Grout services (up 35%) v. 6%
- Pool and hot tub services (up 35%) v. 13%
- Masonry/concrete (up 28%) v. 25%
- Gutter services (up 27%) v. 20%
- Tiling (up 23%) v. 18%
- Heating & air conditioning (up 21%) v. 15%
- Plumbing (up 17%) v. 14%
- Damage restoration (up 16%) v. 5%
- Carpet cleaning (up 15%) v. 9%
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Lastly, cities tend to have more women-owned businesses than rural areas, collectively surging 11 percent over the national average. This could be due to socioeconomic or cultural reasons, but is notable for aspiring women entrepreneurs selecting the areas where they may want to do business.
“Along with pursuing what many believe to be better career autonomy, flexibility, and job security, it’s clear that female entrepreneurs are positioning themselves to thrive in the home services industries,” said Lewis.
