Hawai'i has 1,410 "high-impact" firms that help lead the economy in sales and employment growth, according to a national study.

The report by the Office of Advocacy of the U.S. Small Business Administration shows these businesses come in all industries and sizes and are among the top contributors to the economy in their locality.

In Hawai'i, about 2.31 percent of the state's 61,062 firms are considered high-impact companies.

Researchers looked for firms whose sales have at least doubled over a four-year period and have reached a threshold when it comes to employment growth.

"High-impact firms are important to Hawai'i's economic growth and development," said Chad Moutray, chief economist at the Office of Advocacy. "State policy makers would be wise to consider how their policies can encourage such firms."

The report builds on earlier work by small-business researcher David Birch that found that rapidly growing firms are responsible for most employment growth. While Birch concentrated mostly on revenue increases, the new study added an employment growth component.

The report said that despite what some people would assume, the average high-impact firm nationally isn't a new start-up. High-impact firms have an average age of about 25 years and come from a variety of sectors, with industries such as high-technology having a higher percentage of such firms.

"These firms exist for a long time before they make a significant impact on the economy," said the report.

They also come in all sizes and generally account for almost all the job creation in the economy.

Conversely, the report said, almost all the job losses in the economy over the periods studied are attributable to low-impact firms with more than 500 workers.

The research found that 898 of Hawai'i's high-impact companies are on O'ahu, and the Big Island accounts for 210.

Maui County has the next highest number at 208. Kaua'i has 94.