Data / Rankings / Business applications / US states

US states by business applications

Florida had the highest business applications of 51 states in May 2026, at 64,731. Vermont had the lowest, at 741. The median was 6,435 and the figure for the United States was 528,929. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Highest64,731Florida
Lowest741Vermont
Median6,43551 states
United States528,929History

All states, May 2026

CSVChart (SVG)

FloridaFlorida: 64,731 count64,731CaliforniaCalifornia: 52,447 count52,447TexasTexas: 49,877 count49,877New YorkNew York: 27,896 count27,896GeorgiaGeorgia: 24,106 count24,106North CarolinaNorth Carolina: 16,957 count16,957IllinoisIllinois: 16,017 count16,017OhioOhio: 15,642 count15,642New JerseyNew Jersey: 15,547 count15,547ColoradoColorado: 15,071 count15,071ArizonaArizona: 14,082 count14,082PennsylvaniaPennsylvania: 14,004 count14,004MichiganMichigan: 13,652 count13,652VirginiaVirginia: 12,939 count12,939WashingtonWashington: 9,917 count9,917MarylandMaryland: 9,765 count9,765TennesseeTennessee: 9,379 count9,379MissouriMissouri: 8,862 count8,862South CarolinaSouth Carolina: 8,789 count8,789IndianaIndiana: 8,262 count8,262WyomingWyoming: 7,454 count7,454MassachusettsMassachusetts: 7,382 count7,382UtahUtah: 7,173 count7,173KentuckyKentucky: 6,945 count6,945MinnesotaMinnesota: 6,581 count6,581LouisianaLouisiana: 6,435 count6,435WisconsinWisconsin: 6,314 count6,314AlabamaAlabama: 6,139 count6,139NevadaNevada: 6,066 count6,066OklahomaOklahoma: 5,365 count5,365MississippiMississippi: 5,270 count5,270OregonOregon: 5,055 count5,055DelawareDelaware: 5,031 count5,031ConnecticutConnecticut: 4,741 count4,741ArkansasArkansas: 3,853 count3,853New MexicoNew Mexico: 3,513 count3,513KansasKansas: 3,396 count3,396IowaIowa: 3,358 count3,358IdahoIdaho: 3,229 count3,229MontanaMontana: 2,792 count2,792NebraskaNebraska: 1,977 count1,977New HampshireNew Hampshire: 1,754 count1,754West VirginiaWest Virginia: 1,672 count1,672HawaiiHawaii: 1,459 count1,459AlaskaAlaska: 1,441 count1,441District of ColumbiaDistrict of Columbia: 1,374 count1,374MaineMaine: 1,299 count1,299Rhode IslandRhode Island: 1,189 count1,189South DakotaSouth Dakota: 1,150 count1,150North DakotaNorth Dakota: 839 count839VermontVermont: 741 count741
count. Source: U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-09.

Full ranking

RankStatesMay 2026
count		Change on May 2025
1Florida64,731+25.5%
2California52,447+20.5%
3Texas49,877+14.9%
4New York27,896+14%
5Georgia24,106+19.3%
6North Carolina16,957+15.1%
7Illinois16,017+8.2%
8Ohio15,642+19%
9New Jersey15,547+19%
10Colorado15,071+27.6%
11Arizona14,082+40.7%
12Pennsylvania14,004+16.8%
13Michigan13,652+14%
14Virginia12,939+22.4%
15Washington9,917-10.7%
16Maryland9,765+14.7%
17Tennessee9,379+14.4%
18Missouri8,862+17.6%
19South Carolina8,789+20%
20Indiana8,262+8.6%
21Wyoming7,454+13.9%
22Massachusetts7,382+17%
23Utah7,173+32.8%
24Kentucky6,945+43.2%
25Minnesota6,581+16.7%
26Louisiana6,435+11.9%
27Wisconsin6,314+18.3%
28Alabama6,139+9.4%
29Nevada6,066+19.7%
30Oklahoma5,365+18.3%
31Mississippi5,270+40.3%
32Oregon5,055-13.9%
33Delaware5,031+6.1%
34Connecticut4,741+19.5%
35Arkansas3,853+19.9%
36New Mexico3,513+10.4%
37Kansas3,396+16.7%
38Iowa3,358+21.3%
39Idaho3,229+20.2%
40Montana2,792+21.5%
41Nebraska1,977+8%
42New Hampshire1,754+26.7%
43West Virginia1,672+26.7%
44Hawaii1,459-20.8%
45Alaska1,441+77.5%
46District of Columbia1,374+12.3%
47Maine1,299+11.7%
48Rhode Island1,189+27.3%
49South Dakota1,150+21.1%
50North Dakota839+9.8%
51Vermont741+20.1%

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 64,731 in May 2026, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which state has the lowest business applications?

Vermont, with 741 in May 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.

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