The rate at which minorities and women are opening businesses has been faster than the national average over the past five years, census figures released yesterday show.

Results from the report show that while the total number of businesses in New York State increased by 13.1% between 1997 and 2002 to 1.7 million, the numbers for women and minorities increased at much higher rates. The rates of growth ranged from 22.1% for Asian and Pacific Islanders to 91% for American Indian and Alaska natives.

“This survey tells us that our country is succeeding – especially by important measures such as the dramatic increase in the number of minority- and women-owned businesses,” the Census Bureau director, Louis Kincannon, said in a teleconference yesterday. “And this is important, because the United States is a unique and diverse nation.”

New York experienced some of the highest growth rates in the country. The state had the highest growth rate for Hispanic-owned businesses, the third highest growth rate for black-owned businesses, and the fourth-highest growth rate for women-owned businesses, according to calculations by the Empire State Development Corporation Data Center.

The number of female-owned businesses in the state increased to 505,183, a 28.2% rise. The executive director for the Center for Women’s Business Research, Sharon Hadary, said the numbers are pleasing but not surprising.

“It shows tremendous growth of women-owned businesses,” Ms. Hadary said. “This data also shows the vitality of women-owned businesses in terms of the potential for supplier diversity and the potential for marketing.”

One of the possible explanations for this rapid growth, Ms. Hadary said, is an increase in the number of women becoming entrepreneurs in their second careers.

“As women decide that they have achieved what they want to achieve in one career, many of them move into entrepreneurship,” she said.

The growth rates for different minority groups covered a broad range, but all sub-groups increased faster than the overall rate. There were 163,659 Hispanic-owned businesses in the state in 2002, 57.1% more than in 1997. There were 129,339 black-owned businesses in 2002, 49.6% higher than in 1997. American Indian- and Alaska native owned businesses saw the sharpest increase, nearly doubling to 12,307 from 6,443 in the five-year period.

Joseph Crowder founded Royal Cleaning Services in 1991 as a one-man operation. Over the years, he expanded his client base from small, commercial offices to large hotels such as the Marriot Marquis and Starwood Hotels and Resorts. Mr. Crowder credited organizations such as the Minority Business Enterprises and Women’s Business Enterprises with helping his and other companies grow.

Ms. Hadary said she expects to see minority- and women-owned businesses grow rapidly going forward, and added that her organization has watched this trend for nearly 17 years. Mr. Crowder said these businesses are growing because minorities and women now have the opportunity to show their potential.

“It’s way overdue,” he said. “We just needed an opportunity to show that we’re just as capable as some of these billion-dollar companies. We can handle these responsibilities, and we can excel.”

The census report defines business ownership as having 51% or more of the equity, interest, or stock in the business. Over the next year, the bureau will release separate reports for minority- and women-owned businesses that will present data by geographic area, industry, and size of business.