Yelp ranks Austin as fastest growing U.S. city for women-owned businesses in 2023

The past decade has shown Austin to be a city on the rise as consistent entrepreneurship, tech and creativity continue to thrive in the capital city. The latest "She-conomy" report from Yelp is only more proof of this trend.

The report, which analyzes how trends created and popularized by women have influenced consumer behavior, ranked Austin first out of five major U.S. metros researched in the rankings — the others being Miami, Washington D.C., Denver and Orlando.

What makes Austin so influential?

Among the five metros, Austin was highlighted for having the highest increase in women-owned business openings since 2022, with a growth rate of 34%.

The following categories were the main measures of influence on the report: hotels and travel, professional services, home services, local services, education, active life and financial services. Women-owned businesses in the Austin metro performed above average in each of these categories and helped propel the city to the top of the list.

To determine the data in the report, Yelp measured consumer searches and page views as indicators of influence and growing consumer interest.

Report shows the influence of women in business is growing rapidly

Austin’s success in the report comes as Yelp reported in 2023 that women-owned businesses saw a 17% increase in new openings compared to the year prior.

In what the report called the “Year of the Girl,” data showed users increasingly searched for, and supported, women-owned businesses when searching for: fashion businesses (up 1,613%), pilates studios (up 353%), bookstores (up 74%), and skincare businesses (up 49%) all increasing in 2023.

With nearly half a million women-owned businesses on Yelp, the website reported that women are opening new businesses across a range of industries with the most growth in hotels and travel (up 44%), professional services (up 40%), home services (up 38%), and local services (up 30%), all growing above the national average in their respective categories.

Moreover, Yelp also reported that female entrepreneurs were growing their market share in traditionally male-dominated industries, including plumbing businesses and HVAC repair businesses.

Beck Andrew Salgado covers trending topics in the Austin business ecosystem for the American-Statesman. To share additional tips or insights withSalgado, email Bsalgado@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Yelp ranks Austin as fastest growing city for women-owned businesses