DES MOINES, IOWA (AP) -- Census data has found 60 percent growth in Hispanic-owned businesses in Iowa before the recession.
The Des Moines Register reports that the figure for Iowa is the 19th-fastest growth rate in the nation.
The data show the Hispanic business growth rate outpaced the 10 percent growth seen for all Iowa businesses between 2002 and 2007. Statewide, Hispanic-owned businesses make up less than 1 percent of the state's total. Data show that ten other states have fewer Hispanic-owned businesses than Iowa.
Hispanics are about 4.5 percent of the state's population, growing nearly 63 percent from 2000 to 2009 to about 134,000. The newspaper reports receipts from Hispanic businesses increased 59 percent from 2002 to 2007, totaling $457 million in 2007.
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