Florida trails in women-owned firms

The number of women-owned businesses is growing.

But since the recession started in 2007, women-owned businesses in Florida lag all other states when it comes to sales growth. Revenues from those firms have increased a little more than 5% over that time, compared with nearly 22% nationally.

The Tampa-St. Petersburg area, according to a report from American Express, has been better for women-run businesses, with sales growing 8% since 2007 to $12.5 billion. That compares with 4% growth in Miami.

Sales growth might not be as strong in Florida, but that hasn't stopped women-owned businesses from calling the Sunshine State home. Since 1997, the number of those firms in Florida has grown more than 82%, ranking it 12th in the nation, and well ahead of the 74% growth nationally.

There are an estimated 9.4 million women-owned companies in the United States in 2015, according to the report. Those firms generated revenues of $1.5 trillion. That's average sales of $155,500 for each firm, compared with $150,500 in Tampa-St. Pete.