In 2002, there were 6,380 Asian-owned businesses in Missouri, accounting for 1.45 percent of all firms statewide. (There were a total of 439,487 businesses in the Show-Me State in 2002.) Between 1997 and 2002, there was a 31.98 percent increase in Asian-owned firms and a 47.2 percent increase in gross sales and receipts by these firms.
Counties
Asian-owned businesses are concentrated in the St. Louis, Kansas
City and Springfield metropolitan areas: St. Louis County (34.1
percent), Jackson County (13.5 percent), St. Louis City (12.0
percent), St. Charles County (5.6 percent), Clay County (4.3
percent) and Greene County (4.2 percent). This finding is largely
consistent with 2000 Census numbers on Asian populations in
Missouri. The counties with the largest numbers of Asians in 2000
were St. Louis County (1,983), St. Louis City (1,050), Jackson
County (3,334), Greene County (2,033) and Jasper County (1,420). See
Table 1 and Maps 1 and 2.
In terms of total sales and receipts, the largest grossing areas are St. Louis County, Jackson County, St. Louis City and Greene County, in that order.
Greene
Although Greene County has only one less Asian-owned business than
Clay County, sales and receipts of Asian-owned businesses in Greene
County are significantly above that of Clay. This indicates that the
area's fewer firms have a larger economic impact in terms of sales
and receipts.
Table 1
Missouri Asian-Owned Business---
Percent of Firms by County, 2002
Map 1
Map 2
MSA's:
Springfield In general, most of the Asian-owned businesses in the
state are located in metropolitan statistical areas, especially St.
Louis and Kansas City and, to a lesser extent, Springfield and
Joplin.
Although there are only 73 more Asian-owned firms in Springfield than in Joplin, Asian-owned businesses in Springfield have almost six times as much sales and receipts.
Table 2
Asian-Owned Firms by MSA, 2002
Industry
Most Asian-owned businesses in Missouri are concentrated in two main
industry groups - accommodation and food services (17.3 percent) and
health care and social assistance (13.1 percent). Other significant
sectors include retail trade (11.4 percent) and professional,
scientific and technical services (9.8 percent). In terms of total
sales and receipts, however, the largest grossing industries are
wholesale trade, accommodation and food services, retail trade,
healthcare and social assistance and professional, scientific and
technical services, in that order. This indicates that although the
trade sector has fewer firms, they have a larger impact on
Missouri's economy in terms of sales and receipts. See Table 3.
Table 3
Percent of Firms by Industry, 2002
Ethnic
Groups Census data further reveals that most owners of Asian
businesses in Missouri describe themselves as of Indian, Chinese and
Vietnamese descent*, in that order. Business owners who classified
themselves as being of Japanese descent had higher than average
sales and receipts. See Table 4.
Table 4
Firms by Ethnic Group, 2002*
**Totals do not add up to totals in report because an Asian firm owner may be of any race. Each owner had the option of selecting more than one race and therefore may be included in more than one race.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Survey of Business Owners
Report by Neal Fandek, maps by Melissa Lancols, MERIC.
