# Employer firms in California

Employer firms in California was 725,847 in 2023. Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

- Indicator id: `employer_firms`
- Place id: `us-state-06`
- Unit: count
- Definition: Number of firms in the private nonfarm sectors covered by the US Census Bureau Business Dynamics Statistics. Establishments under common ownership form one firm.
- Note: Excludes nonemployer businesses and other activities outside the BDS scope. A firm operating in several states or counties is counted in each area, so geographic counts cannot be added to reproduce the national total. This differs from the INE DIRCE active-company count, which includes businesses without employees. Past values can be revised.
- Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties (https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st.csv)
- Retrieved: 2026-10-10
- License: Public domain (US federal government work, citation requested)
- Citation: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
- Web page: https://invokely.ai/en/employer-firms/california
- CSV: https://invokely.ai/download/employer-firms/california.csv
- API: https://invokely.ai/api/v1/series?indicator=employer_firms&place=us-state-06

| Period | count |
|---|---:|
| 2023 | 725,847 |
| 2022 | 718,289 |
| 2021 | 683,804 |
| 2020 | 685,122 |
| 2019 | 672,173 |
| 2018 | 661,397 |
| 2017 | 652,550 |
| 2016 | 644,397 |
| 2015 | 633,030 |
| 2014 | 623,004 |
| 2013 | 612,090 |
| 2012 | 606,523 |
| 2011 | 598,168 |
| 2010 | 597,479 |
| 2009 | 608,810 |
| 2008 | 625,520 |
| 2007 | 631,940 |
| 2006 | 624,038 |
| 2005 | 606,436 |
| 2004 | 595,745 |
| 2003 | 587,014 |
| 2002 | 578,004 |
| 2001 | 574,491 |
| 2000 | 569,105 |
| 1999 | 561,198 |
| 1998 | 553,436 |
| 1997 | 542,404 |
| 1996 | 536,734 |
| 1995 | 531,577 |
| 1994 | 526,641 |
| 1993 | 526,574 |
| 1992 | 531,518 |
| 1991 | 539,337 |
| 1990 | 541,644 |
| 1989 | 528,215 |
| 1988 | 517,133 |
| 1987 | 504,402 |
| 1986 | 490,778 |
| 1985 | 476,452 |
| 1984 | 462,353 |
| 1983 | 438,902 |
| 1982 | 430,722 |
| 1981 | 433,401 |
| 1980 | 424,709 |
| 1979 | 411,751 |
| 1978 | 388,398 |