Economic growth through entrepreneurship: Determinants of self-employed income across regional economies

Abstract

Knowledge of the determinants of self-employment income is critical to entrepreneurial development strategies if the development goal is to increase incomes not just employment. Using American Community Survey data, unconditional quantile regression is used to investigate differences in the relationship between entrepreneurial income and an array of individual, industry, and regional characteristics across the self-employment income distribution. Personal attributes, such as education, race, age, and gender, both explain differences in self-employment income and vary in importance across the income distribution. Regional agglomerative effects are significantly positive and stronger at the upper end of the self-employed income distribution.