Data / Rankings / Business applications / US states

US states by business applications

Florida had the highest business applications of 51 states in January 2026, at 58,521. Vermont had the lowest, at 683. The median was 6,827 and the figure for the United States was 526,115. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Highest58,521Florida
Lowest683Vermont
Median6,82751 states
United States526,115History

All states, January 2026

CSVChart (SVG)

FloridaFlorida: 58,521 count58,521CaliforniaCalifornia: 56,976 count56,976TexasTexas: 49,879 count49,879New YorkNew York: 27,567 count27,567GeorgiaGeorgia: 24,373 count24,373IllinoisIllinois: 16,255 count16,255North CarolinaNorth Carolina: 15,996 count15,996OhioOhio: 15,618 count15,618New JerseyNew Jersey: 14,941 count14,941MichiganMichigan: 14,621 count14,621PennsylvaniaPennsylvania: 14,088 count14,088ColoradoColorado: 13,627 count13,627VirginiaVirginia: 12,459 count12,459ArizonaArizona: 11,834 count11,834TennesseeTennessee: 10,169 count10,169MissouriMissouri: 10,044 count10,044WashingtonWashington: 9,586 count9,586MarylandMaryland: 9,295 count9,295IndianaIndiana: 8,886 count8,886South CarolinaSouth Carolina: 8,541 count8,541UtahUtah: 7,345 count7,345MassachusettsMassachusetts: 7,219 count7,219WyomingWyoming: 7,211 count7,211WisconsinWisconsin: 7,173 count7,173LouisianaLouisiana: 6,871 count6,871AlabamaAlabama: 6,827 count6,827OklahomaOklahoma: 6,689 count6,689NevadaNevada: 6,262 count6,262KentuckyKentucky: 6,238 count6,238MinnesotaMinnesota: 6,191 count6,191DelawareDelaware: 5,466 count5,466OregonOregon: 5,451 count5,451MississippiMississippi: 4,805 count4,805ConnecticutConnecticut: 4,518 count4,518New MexicoNew Mexico: 3,944 count3,944ArkansasArkansas: 3,890 count3,890KansasKansas: 3,691 count3,691IdahoIdaho: 3,221 count3,221IowaIowa: 3,136 count3,136MontanaMontana: 2,669 count2,669NebraskaNebraska: 2,016 count2,016HawaiiHawaii: 1,709 count1,709West VirginiaWest Virginia: 1,534 count1,534New HampshireNew Hampshire: 1,509 count1,509District of ColumbiaDistrict of Columbia: 1,382 count1,382MaineMaine: 1,276 count1,276South DakotaSouth Dakota: 1,149 count1,149Rhode IslandRhode Island: 1,009 count1,009AlaskaAlaska: 937 count937North DakotaNorth Dakota: 818 count818VermontVermont: 683 count683
count. Source: U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-09.

Full ranking

RankStatesJanuary 2026
count		Change on January 2025
1Florida58,521+27.8%
2California56,976+36.2%
3Texas49,879+48.6%
4New York27,567+29.7%
5Georgia24,373+36.6%
6Illinois16,255+36.4%
7North Carolina15,996+37.7%
8Ohio15,618+50.8%
9New Jersey14,941+30.1%
10Michigan14,621+57.6%
11Pennsylvania14,088+27.6%
12Colorado13,627+36.8%
13Virginia12,459+37.2%
14Arizona11,834+26.6%
15Tennessee10,169+50.5%
16Missouri10,044+71.8%
17Washington9,586-30%
18Maryland9,295+38.9%
19Indiana8,886+47.4%
20South Carolina8,541+33.9%
21Utah7,345+49.9%
22Massachusetts7,219+26.1%
23Wyoming7,211+47%
24Wisconsin7,173+61.4%
25Louisiana6,871+49.3%
26Alabama6,827+69%
27Oklahoma6,689+64.1%
28Nevada6,262+33.8%
29Kentucky6,238+82.9%
30Minnesota6,191+21%
31Delaware5,466+23.7%
32Oregon5,451+26.6%
33Mississippi4,805+47.4%
34Connecticut4,518+28.4%
35New Mexico3,944+66.4%
36Arkansas3,890+71.4%
37Kansas3,691+76.2%
38Idaho3,221+39.3%
39Iowa3,136+27.6%
40Montana2,669+26.2%
41Nebraska2,016+30.7%
42Hawaii1,709+33.9%
43West Virginia1,534+49.5%
44New Hampshire1,509+26.1%
45District of Columbia1,382+27.6%
46Maine1,276+10%
47South Dakota1,149+36.3%
48Rhode Island1,009+13.6%
49Alaska937+39.9%
50North Dakota818+39.6%
51Vermont683+25.1%

Other periods

About this ranking

Applications for an Employer Identification Number (EIN) that indicate a new business, per month, seasonally adjusted. United States: Census Bureau Business Formation Statistics, from July 2004.

Applications are not business formations: many applicants never hire anyone or start operating. Not comparable with companies_created, which counts companies registered in Spain.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the states are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Census Bureau. Business Formation Statistics: business applications (BA_BA), all sectors, seasonally adjusted, United States and states. https://www.census.gov/econ/bfs/csv/bfs_monthly.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-09.

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Questions

Which state has the highest business applications?

Florida, with 58,521 in January 2026, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which state has the lowest business applications?

Vermont, with 683 in January 2026.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Formation Statistics: business applications (BA_BA), all sectors, seasonally adjusted, United States and states. Retrieved 2026-10-09.

US states: more rankings