As pop culture icons like Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Caitlin Clark, and Angel Reese have dominated headlines and shown the undeniable impact of women on the economy, Yelp data highlights a new trend in how women entrepreneurs are driving business growth across the country. Trading glam for grit, findings reveal that women are now opening more home services businesses than any other category — including beauty services, which have historically been the top choice for female entrepreneurs on Yelp.

Yelp data shows that in 2024, women-owned home services business openings reached all-time highs across several categories, with some even surpassing national averages. These new businesses broke convention and featured growth in areas such as masonry, plumbing, landscaping, and more — revealing a significant shift in women’s entrepreneurship, that’s meeting strong consumer demand in industries traditionally dominated by men.

Home services led women-owned openings, including male-dominated fields such as plumbing, electrical work, and carpentry

In 2024, female entrepreneurs started tens of thousands of new businesses on Yelp, adding to over half a million women-owned ventures in industries like beauty services and restaurants. The industry that stood out is home services, beating out every category on Yelp for total women-owned business openings (more than 15,000) for the second consecutive year.

Women met consumer demand in the home services space, with notable growth in categories such as lawn services (up 31%), electricians (up 15%), landscaping (up 13%), and handyperson services (up 11%).

Additionally, as homeowners and renters opt to invest in improvements, rather than enter an unpredictable housing market, women-owned construction-related businesses experienced strong growth last year. This includes increases in demolition services (up 12%), carpenters (up 11%), drywall repair (up 10%), roofing (up 10%), and general contractors (up 5%).

Female entrepreneurs drove growth in male-dominated home services categories

Change in women-owned business openings for home services categories, 2024 vs. 2023

*Read about the methodology here

Women-owned masonry, air duct, and grout cleaning service openings outpaced national averages

Yelp data shows female service pros grew their market share in a range of traditionally male-dominated industries, surpassing the national average in several categories, including appliances and repair (up 41%), TV mounting (up 39%), masonry and concrete (up 28%), and plumbing (up 17%). Additionally, during the world's warmest year on record, female entrepreneurs increasingly opened HVAC businesses such as air duct cleaning (up 50%) and heating & air conditioning services (up 21%), both exceeding national growth rates of 28% and 15%, respectively.

Women-owned home services businesses saw rapid growth, surpassing national averages in multiple categories

Change in women-owned business openings for home services categories compared to the national average growth rate, 2024 vs. 2023

*Read about the methodology here

Women entrepreneurs drove home services boom in key metros

On the local side, women-led home services businesses made waves, too. Notably, the top five metros for percentage growth in women-owned services businesses all surpassed the national average (up 11%). At the top of the list is Louisville, KY, with a 53% increase in new women-led services business openings. Louisville was recognized in 2019 for having one of the highest percentages of female business owners in the nation and continues to show growth, particularly in home services. Salt Lake City, which is undergoing an unprecedented housing boom and a rise in new residents, surged to second, with a 46% jump compared to 2023. Rounding out the top five were Indianapolis (up 28%), Virginia Beach, VA (up 23%), and Cincinnati (up 22%).

Louisville ranks #1 for women-owned home services business openings, followed by Salt Lake City

Change in new women-owned home services businesses by metro, 2024 vs. 2023

*Read about the methodology here

Services are the backbone of our communities, and these findings highlight how women are meeting consumer demand, driving economic growth, and expanding the conventions of what female entrepreneurship looks like. Whether it's launching new plumbing, landscaping, or repair businesses, women are building our communities from the ground up, and broadening perceptions around the types of businesses and jobs women excel in.

— Tara Lewis, Yelp's Trend Expert

As these new businesses open across the country at rapid rates, women’s contributions are not only driving social shifts — they’re paving the way for meaningful economic growth in the communities they serve.

If you'd like additional detail on how the economy is shifting, please contact us at press@yelp.com or join our mailing list to receive an email when new reports are released.