If the urban areas where black mayors preside offer greater business o
pportunities, relative to other metropolitan areas, then performance o
f black-owned firms should reflect this difference in business environ
ments. The results of this study indicate that black-owned firms in ur
ban areas with black mayors (1) have greater total sales, (2) are larg
er regarding average firm sales and employment, and (3) have lower bus
iness failure rates relative to their cohorts in urban areas with no b
lack mayor.