In Small Business, Anglo Males Are Faring Best, Census Bureau Finds : * Revenue: Minorities and women tend to be in retail, whereas Anglo men run manufacturing or wholesale firms, according to a report.

Small businesses owned by Anglo males had far greater revenues than those owned by minorities and women during the 1980s economic boom, a Census Bureau report said Wednesday.

Anglo males’ small businesses on average had $189,000 in receipts in 1987, more than double the average for owners from any other group except Asian-Pacific Islander males.

“I think some of it has to do with the industries they’re in,” said Donna McCutcheon, the survey manager.

“White males tend to be more in manufacturing or wholesale--industries that have greater receipts. Minorities tend to be more in retail and services, where receipts aren’t as high.”

Firms owned by men of Asian-Pacific Islander origin averaged $107,000 in receipts.

Firms owned by Latino men averaged receipts of $66,000 apiece; by black men, $50,000 apiece, and by American Indian and Alaska native men, $47,000.

Firms owned by women, regardless of ethnic or racial group, had receipts far below those of male-owned firms.

For firms owned by Anglo women, receipts averaged $70,000; Asian-Pacific Islander women, $64,000; black women, $41,000; Latino women, $38,000, and American Indian-Alaska Native women, $32,000.

McCutcheon noted that the kinds of businesses Anglo men tend to own, especially manufacturing, require a lot of money up front for equipment and raw materials.

“And that’s why you don’t see minorities and women go in there,” McCutcheon said. “They continue to have difficulty getting loans.”

Minority ownership was greatest in the transportation and public utilities section.

Of those firms, 13% were owned by members of minority groups.

In agriculture and retailing, 10% of the small businesses were owned by minorities.

Minorities were least represented in mining, 1%, and wholesaling and finance, insurance and real estate, 6% apiece.

Forty-six percent of minority-owned firms were in the service industries, and 19% were in retailing.

About one-fifth of minority-owned firms had paid employees, and those businesses accounted for 73% of receipts.

Fifty-six percent of minority-owned firms were concentrated in four states: California, Texas, New York and Florida.