L.A. near the top in women-owned businesses

The Census Bureau's latest report shows that 30 percent of all businesses in L.A. County are owned by women, or a total of 316,000 (that's more businesses than any county in the nation). In the city of L.A., the figure is also 30 percent, or 137,000 businesses. It's risky to generalize about this stuff, but as a rule the industries in which women have a major presence - health care, marketing, personal services, among them - are heavily represented in the L.A. area. So yes, many of the stereotypes tend to hold true. By the way, a recent survey found 74 percent of the women business owners in L.A. have been in operation for six or more years, and roughly half deliver services in some portion of Southern California, meaning that they contribute directly to the regional economy. Here's the full survey from the L.A. chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners.