What research evidence supports the impact of employee ownership on worker wealth, business performance, and racial equity?

Employee ownership creates transformative wealth for workers. Research shows ESOP participants accumulate a median of $164,000 vs. $17,000 for typical households. Women of color see 160x-1,435x wealth increases. Employee-owned businesses are 21% more likely to survive, grow 2-3% faster, and have <0.3% loan default rates. With 2.9 million businesses facing succession and only 6% of small businesses aware of EO options, expanding employee ownership represents a major opportunity for worker wealth building and community resilience.