ATLANTA (AP) -- Census numbers show that the number of Black-owned businesses in the Atlanta metro area roughly doubled in a five-year period.
According to Census data released Monday, the number of Black-owned businesses in the Atlanta, Sandy Springs, Marietta area rose from 63,940 in 2002 to 127,214 in 2007.
Nationally, the number of Black-owned businesses rose to 1.9 million, a 60.5 percent increase, over the same period. Sales by these businesses rose 55.1 percent to $137.5 billion.
Census Bureau deputy director Thomas Mesenbourg says Black-owned businesses continue to be one of the fastest-growing segments of the economy.
The new numbers come from the 2007 Survey of Business Owners, part of the Economic Census, which comes out every five years.