To participate in the HUBZone Empowerment Contracting Program, a concern must be determined to be a "qualified HUBZone small business concern." A firm can be found to be a qualified HUBZone concern, if:

It is small.

It is located in an "historically underutilized business zone" (HUBZone).

It is owned and controlled by one or more U.S. Citizens.

At least 35% of its employees reside in a HUBZone.

A "HUBZone" is an area that is located in one or more of the following:

A qualified census tract (as defined in section 42(d)(5)(C)(i)(1) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986);

A qualified "non-metropolitan county" that is: not located in a metropolitan statistical area (as defined in section 143(k)(2)(B) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986), and

in which the median household income is less than 80 percent of the non-metropolitan State median household income, or

that based on the most recent data available from the Secretary of Labor, has an unemployment rate that is not less than 140 percent of the statewide average unemployment rate for the State in which the county is located;


Lands within the external boundaries of an Indian reservation.

If you would like to determine if your business is located within a HUBZone, the SBA web site allows you to enter your company's address, then it will tell you if you are in a HUBZone. You can access this site from Here.