One-person businesses generate big revenues

The 27,820 one-person businesses in the Reno-Sparks region generated more than $1.67 billion in revenue during 2006, the U.S. Census Bureau said last week.

Real estate companies accounted for the largest single portion of the revenue $409.9 million or 24 percent.

Other big categories were one-person professional services companies, with nearly 5,000 firms generating $286 million in revenue, construction companies, with 1,748 firms and $134 million in revenue, and retail trade with 2,466 firms and $128.8 million in sales.

The Census Bureau developed the statistics from tax returns filed with the Internal Revenue Service.

The revenues of one-person companies in the Reno-Sparks area averaged $59,984 in 2006, the Census Bureau said.

That's well above the national one-person business average of $46,724, and it's also higher than the state average of $58,404.

In Carson City, firms without employees reported average revenues of $86,241 well above the state average. A large number of one-person businesses in professional and technical areas helped pull up the average in Carson City.

The total revenues of one-person shops in the Reno-Sparks region were up 11.6 percent since 2002.