How Small Business Owners Differ From Others in Debt, Money & Demographics

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Experian, the credit reporting company, has released the findings of a new study that compares 2.5 million random small business owners to similar data of consumers who don't own a business. The results not only provide an interesting comparison to consumers, they offer an interesting comparison to research provided by other sources including the Census Bureau and Small Business Administration.

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“Since the health of small business tells the tale of how the overall economy is performing, it is encouraging to see that while small business owners have an exceptional amount of credit available to them and carry a higher debt load, they have done a great job managing their payment obligations and keeping utilization low,” said Pete Bolin, director of consulting and analytics for Experian's Business Information Services.

Credit management and access to credit

(Note: While small business owners are consumers, in these findings, the term “consumer” refers to individuals who don't own a small business. )

721 | The average credit score of a small business owner

673 | The average credit score of a consumer

$56,100 | Average credit limit of a small business owner

$26,900 | Average credit limit of a consumer.

$195,000 |  Average debt load of small business owners

$96,000 | Average debt load of a consumer

$2,032 | Average payment made per month related to debt

$954 | Average payment made per month related to debt

5.9% | Small business owners with  bankcard trades 90+ days beyond terms (during past 24 months)

7% | Consumers with  bankcard trades 90+ days beyond terms

Income and home ownership comparison of small business owners and non-owners

Small business owners are more likely to own a home, have a higher income and be older than non-business-owner consumers

$91,600 | Average household income of small business owners

$70,400 | Average household income of consumers

62% | Percentage of small business owners who own a home

47% | Percentage of consumers who own a home

$192,000 | Average mortgage balance for small business owners

$147,000 | Average mortgage balance for consumers

Demographic comparison of small business owners and non-owners

56 | Average age of a small business owner

51 | Average age of consumers who don't own a small business

68.6% | Percentage of small business owners who have attended some college and beyond

53.5% | Percentage of consumers who have attended some college and beyond

65.6% | Small business owners who are male

31.2% | Small business owners who are female

47% | Consumers who are male

46.4% | Consumers who are female

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