Nearly half of the nation’s 16.6 million businesses are home-based, according to a recent report by the U.S. Census Bureau.

“It’s a way to save money because you can avoid leasing an office space and all the costs associated with that,” said Kristie Darien, executive director of the legislative office of the National Association for the Self-Employed (NASE).

Most home-based businesses were professional, scientific and technical services (19 percent), according to the study. Construction, retail trade and real estate also ranked high.

Women tend to lead the trend. The study found that about 56 percent of women-owned businesses are run from a home office, whereas the same is true for only 47 percent of men.

The study showed 53 percent of home businesses were owned by African Americans, while 52 percent were by whites, 45 percent by Hispanics, and 28 percent by Asians.