Does ancestry affect the likelihood that someone will start a business? Perhaps. According to Census data, the rate of business ownership varies widely by ancestry group. While the national average is 48.9 self-employed persons per 1,000 of population, the following groups top the list.
Business
Ancestry Ownership
Rank Group Rate*
1 Russian 117.4
2 Lebanese 106.6
3 Rumanian 104.3
4 Swiss 104.2
5 Greek 94.9
6 Armenian 94.5
7 Danish 93.2
8 Syrian 92.7
9 Norwegian 88.2
10 Austrian 85.7
11 Czech 76.9
12 Swedish 76.2
13 Belgian 74.7
14 Latvian 74.4
15 Welsh 72.4
*Defined as the number of self-employed persons per 1,000 of each group's population