Founder demographics and statistics in the US
Founder demographics research summary. Zippia estimates founder demographics and statistics in the United States by using a database of 30 million profiles. Our founder estimates are verified against BLS, Census, and current job openings data for accuracy. Zippia's data science team found the following key facts about founders after extensive research and analysis:
- There are over 26,430 founders currently employed in the United States.
- 35.7% of all founders are women, while 64.3% are men.
- The average founder age is 43 years old.
- The most common ethnicity of founders is White (62.8%), followed by Hispanic or Latino (16.9%), Black or African American (10.8%) and Unknown (4.9%).
- In 2022, women earned 62% of what men earned.
- 7% of all founders are LGBT.
- Founders are 78% more likely to work at private companies in comparison to public companies.
On this page
Founder demographics by:
Founder gender statistics
35.7% of founders are women and 64.3% of founders are men.
- Male, 64.3%
- Female, 35.7%
Founder gender ratio
| Gender | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Male | 64.3% |
| Female | 35.7% |
Founder gender pay gap
Women earn 62¢ for every $1 earned by men
Male income
$151,886
Female income
$94,594
Founder gender ratio over time
This data breaks down the percentage of men and women in founder positions over time. Currently, 35.7% of founders are female.
Founder gender ratio by year
| Year | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 82.21% | 17.79% |
| 2011 | 78.65% | 21.35% |
| 2012 | 73.98% | 26.02% |
| 2013 | 78.84% | 21.16% |
| 2014 | 90.46% | 9.54% |
| 2015 | 69.20% | 30.80% |
| 2016 | 70.24% | 29.76% |
| 2017 | 73.08% | 26.92% |
| 2018 | 71.43% | 28.57% |
| 2019 | 74.43% | 25.57% |
| 2020 | 82.36% | 17.64% |
| 2021 | 64.33% | 35.67% |
Founder related jobs gender ratio
We compared founders with similar job titles to see how gender ratios vary. As you can see, head machinist and die repair machinist have the biggest gender ratio gaps.
| Job title | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| Special Process Person | 31% | 69% |
| Founder | 64% | 36% |
| Research And Development Machinist | 99% | 1% |
| Die Repair Machinist | 99% | 1% |
| Head Machinist | 99% | 1% |
Male
Female
100%
75%
50%
25%
0%
0%
25%
50%
75%
100%
Founder demographics by race
The most common ethnicity among founders is White, which makes up 62.8% of all founders. Comparatively, 16.9% of founders are Hispanic or Latino and 10.8% of founders are Black or African American.
- White, 62.8%
- Hispanic or Latino, 16.9%
- Black or African American, 10.8%
- Unknown, 4.9%
- Asian, 3.7%
- American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
Founder race
| Founder race | Percentages |
|---|---|
| White | 62.8% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 16.9% |
| Black or African American | 10.8% |
| Unknown | 4.9% |
| Asian | 3.7% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.9% |
Founder race and ethnicity over time
See how founder racial and ethnic diversity trended since 2010 according to the United States Census Bureau data.
Founder race and ethnicity by year
| Year | White | Black or African American | Asian | Hispanic or Latino |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 70.53% | 14.35% | 2.33% | 11.79% |
| 2011 | 67.60% | 15.54% | 2.37% | 12.87% |
| 2012 | 75.95% | 7.84% | 1.64% | 10.81% |
| 2013 | 74.33% | 12.59% | 1.23% | 9.44% |
| 2014 | 71.01% | 10.66% | 2.55% | 14.15% |
| 2015 | 68.39% | 15.44% | 1.99% | 10.54% |
| 2016 | 72.62% | 11.46% | 2.00% | 10.63% |
| 2017 | 68.80% | 13.39% | 2.66% | 12.70% |
| 2018 | 67.06% | 11.42% | 3.50% | 16.24% |
| 2019 | 68.54% | 10.14% | 1.21% | 17.43% |
| 2020 | 74.98% | 8.73% | 2.25% | 10.54% |
| 2021 | 62.84% | 10.82% | 3.71% | 16.88% |
Founder wage gap by race
According to our data, asian founders have the highest average salary compared to other ethnicities. Unknown founders have the lowest average salary at $112,944.
| Ethnicity | Salary |
|---|---|
| Unknown | $112,944 |
| White | $144,128 |
| Black or African American | $133,971 |
| Asian | $193,023 |
| Hispanic or Latino | $192,024 |
Founder age breakdown
The average age of founders is 40+ years years old, representing 59% of the founder population.
Founder age breakdown
| Founder Years | Percentages |
|---|---|
| 40+ years | 59% |
| 30-40 years | 25% |
| 20-30 years | 16% |
Founder educational attainment
The most common degree for founders is bachelor's degree, with 71% of founders earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 16% and master's degree degree at 6%.
- Bachelor's, 71%
- Master's, 16%
- Associate, 6%
- Doctorate, 3%
- Other Degrees, 4%
Founders by degree level
| Founder degree | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's | 71% |
| Master's | 16% |
| Associate | 6% |
| Doctorate | 3% |
| Other Degrees | 4% |
Founder jobs you might like
Founder employment statistics
Most founders work for a private in the professional industry.
Company size where founders work
Below, you can see the size of companies where founders work.
Founder jobs by employer size
| Company size | Percentages |
|---|---|
| < 50 employees | 15% |
| 50 - 100 employees | 29% |
| 100 - 500 employees | 27% |
| 500 - 1,000 employees | 7% |
| 1,000 - 10,000 employees | 14% |
| > 10,000 employees | 9% |
Founder jobs by company type
Employees with the founder job title have their preferences when it comes to working for a company. For instance, most founders prefer to work at private companies over public companies.
Founder jobs by sector
| Company type | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Education | 8% |
| Public | 10% |
| Private | 78% |
| Government | 4% |
Founder jobs by industry
The most common industries for founders are professional, technology and media.
Founder industry statistics
| Industry | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Professional | 11% |
| Technology | 9% |
| Media | 7% |
| Internet | 7% |
| Retail | 7% |
| Education | 7% |
| Health Care | 6% |
| Start-up | 6% |
| Non Profits | 6% |
| Hospitality | 5% |
| Manufacturing | 5% |
| Government | 3% |
| Construction | 3% |
| Finance | 3% |
| Real Estate | 3% |
| Transportation | 2% |
| Automotive | 2% |
| Fortune 500 | 2% |
| Energy | 2% |
| Pharmaceutical | 1% |
| Telecommunication | 1% |
Founder turnover and employment statistics
Founder unemployment rate over time
The unemployment rate for founders between 2008 and the most recent data has varied, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Founder unemployment rate by year
| Year | Founder unemployment rate |
|---|---|
| 2010 | 13.56% |
| 2011 | 10.22% |
| 2012 | 9.05% |
| 2013 | 6.36% |
| 2014 | 3.94% |
| 2015 | 3.03% |
| 2016 | 2.80% |
| 2017 | 4.37% |
| 2018 | 2.80% |
| 2019 | 2.92% |
| 2020 | 3.93% |
| 2021 | 7.95% |
Average founder tenure
The average founder stays at their job for 1-2 years, based on the 30,155 founders resumes in Zippia's database.
Founder tenure statistics
| Number of years | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Less than 1 year | 9% |
| 1-2 years | 21% |
| 3-4 years | 14% |
| 5-7 years | 23% |
| 8-10 years | 12% |
| 11+ years | 22% |
Founder LGBT ratio compared to similar jobs
Review the percent of founders that are members of the LGBT community. You can see how this compares to similar jobs in the chart below.
| Job title | LGBT | Job openings |
|---|---|---|
| Underwater Welder | 2.57% | 7,051 |
| Electroformer | 3.20% | 13 |
| Instrument Maker | 3.26% | 9,633 |
| Stretch Machine Operator | 3.27% | 54,041 |
| Set-Up Operator | 5.87% | 55,670 |
| Band Saw Filer | 6.48% | 1,132 |
| Founder | 7.00% | - |
Similar founder jobs LGBT demographics
| Profession | Percentages of LGBT | Job openings |
|---|---|---|
| Underwater Welder | 2.57% | 7,051 |
| Electroformer | 3.20% | 13 |
| Instrument Maker | 3.26% | 9,633 |
| Stretch Machine Operator | 3.27% | 54,041 |
| Set-Up Operator | 5.87% | 55,670 |
| Band Saw Filer | 6.48% | 1,132 |
Foreign languages spoken by founders
The most common foreign language among founders is Spanish at 38.1%. The second-most popular foreign language spoken is French at 14.0% and Chinese is the third-most popular at 7.4%.
- Spanish, 38.1%
- French, 14.0%
- Chinese, 7.4%
- Mandarin, 6.9%
- German, 4.4%
- Other, 29.2%
Founder languages spoken
| Foreign language | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Spanish | 38.1% |
| French | 14.0% |
| Chinese | 7.4% |
| Mandarin | 6.9% |
| German | 4.4% |
| Other | 29.2% |
