Data / Rankings / Business establishments (QCEW) / US states

US states by business establishments (QCEW), 2025

California had the highest business establishments (QCEW) of 51 states in 2025, at 1.88 million. Alaska had the lowest, at 25,169. The median was 161,190 and the figure for the United States was 12.11 million. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest1,877,156California
Lowest25,169Alaska
Median161,19051 states
United States12,112,924History

Map of states, 2025

Alabama: 164,183 countAlaska: 25,169 countArizona: 225,937 countArkansas: 109,976 countCalifornia: 1,877,156 countColorado: 250,068 countConnecticut: 149,082 countDelaware: 47,742 countDistrict of Columbia: 51,277 countFlorida: 868,046 countGeorgia: 395,028 countHawaii: 61,753 countIdaho: 101,834 countIllinois: 379,658 countIndiana: 195,772 countIowa: 111,274 countKansas: 98,159 countKentucky: 161,190 countLouisiana: 157,334 countMaine: 66,603 countMaryland: 199,467 countMassachusetts: 295,436 countMichigan: 314,706 countMinnesota: 212,524 countMississippi: 90,845 countMissouri: 254,399 countMontana: 61,060 countNebraska: 77,604 countNevada: 108,001 countNew Hampshire: 66,888 countNew Jersey: 329,088 countNew Mexico: 68,693 countNew York: 708,524 countNorth Carolina: 359,089 countNorth Dakota: 36,560 countOhio: 347,138 countOklahoma: 129,155 countOregon: 177,694 countPennsylvania: 389,774 countRhode Island: 49,285 countSouth Carolina: 193,664 countSouth Dakota: 40,814 countTennessee: 214,457 countTexas: 856,979 countUtah: 141,305 countVermont: 33,164 countVirginia: 319,557 countWashington: 242,344 countWest Virginia: 62,518 countWisconsin: 204,200 countWyoming: 30,752 count
  • Under 60K
  • 60K to 100K
  • 100K to 160K
  • 160K to 220K
  • 220K to 340K
  • 340K and over
count, 2025. Source: BLS, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All states, 2025

California: 1,877,156 countCalifornia1,877,156Florida: 868,046 countFlorida868,046Texas: 856,979 countTexas856,979New York: 708,524 countNew York708,524Georgia: 395,028 countGeorgia395,028Pennsylvania: 389,774 countPennsylvania389,774Illinois: 379,658 countIllinois379,658North Carolina: 359,089 countNorth Carolina359,089Ohio: 347,138 countOhio347,138New Jersey: 329,088 countNew Jersey329,088Virginia: 319,557 countVirginia319,557Michigan: 314,706 countMichigan314,706Massachusetts: 295,436 countMassachusetts295,436Missouri: 254,399 countMissouri254,399Colorado: 250,068 countColorado250,068Washington: 242,344 countWashington242,344Arizona: 225,937 countArizona225,937Tennessee: 214,457 countTennessee214,457Minnesota: 212,524 countMinnesota212,524Wisconsin: 204,200 countWisconsin204,200Maryland: 199,467 countMaryland199,467Indiana: 195,772 countIndiana195,772South Carolina: 193,664 countSouth Carolina193,664Oregon: 177,694 countOregon177,694Alabama: 164,183 countAlabama164,183Kentucky: 161,190 countKentucky161,190Louisiana: 157,334 countLouisiana157,334Connecticut: 149,082 countConnecticut149,082Utah: 141,305 countUtah141,305Oklahoma: 129,155 countOklahoma129,155Iowa: 111,274 countIowa111,274Arkansas: 109,976 countArkansas109,976Nevada: 108,001 countNevada108,001Idaho: 101,834 countIdaho101,834Kansas: 98,159 countKansas98,159Mississippi: 90,845 countMississippi90,845Nebraska: 77,604 countNebraska77,604New Mexico: 68,693 countNew Mexico68,693New Hampshire: 66,888 countNew Hampshire66,888Maine: 66,603 countMaine66,603West Virginia: 62,518 countWest Virginia62,518Hawaii: 61,753 countHawaii61,753Montana: 61,060 countMontana61,060District of Columbia: 51,277 countDistrict of Columbia51,277Rhode Island: 49,285 countRhode Island49,285Delaware: 47,742 countDelaware47,742South Dakota: 40,814 countSouth Dakota40,814North Dakota: 36,560 countNorth Dakota36,560Vermont: 33,164 countVermont33,164Wyoming: 30,752 countWyoming30,752Alaska: 25,169 countAlaska25,169California: 1,877,156 countCalifornia1,877,156Florida: 868,046 countFlorida868,046Texas: 856,979 countTexas856,979New York: 708,524 countNew York708,524Georgia: 395,028 countGeorgia395,028Pennsylvania: 389,774 countPennsylvania389,774Illinois: 379,658 countIllinois379,658North Carolina: 359,089 countNorth Carolina359,089Ohio: 347,138 countOhio347,138New Jersey: 329,088 countNew Jersey329,088Virginia: 319,557 countVirginia319,557Michigan: 314,706 countMichigan314,706Massachusetts: 295,436 countMassachusetts295,436Missouri: 254,399 countMissouri254,399Colorado: 250,068 countColorado250,068Washington: 242,344 countWashington242,344Arizona: 225,937 countArizona225,937Tennessee: 214,457 countTennessee214,457Minnesota: 212,524 countMinnesota212,524Wisconsin: 204,200 countWisconsin204,200Maryland: 199,467 countMaryland199,467Indiana: 195,772 countIndiana195,772South Carolina: 193,664 countSouth Carolina193,664Oregon: 177,694 countOregon177,694Alabama: 164,183 countAlabama164,183Kentucky: 161,190 countKentucky161,190Louisiana: 157,334 countLouisiana157,334Connecticut: 149,082 countConnecticut149,082Utah: 141,305 countUtah141,305Oklahoma: 129,155 countOklahoma129,155Iowa: 111,274 countIowa111,274Arkansas: 109,976 countArkansas109,976Nevada: 108,001 countNevada108,001Idaho: 101,834 countIdaho101,834Kansas: 98,159 countKansas98,159Mississippi: 90,845 countMississippi90,845Nebraska: 77,604 countNebraska77,604New Mexico: 68,693 countNew Mexico68,693New Hampshire: 66,888 countNew Hampshire66,888Maine: 66,603 countMaine66,603West Virginia: 62,518 countWest Virginia62,518Hawaii: 61,753 countHawaii61,753Montana: 61,060 countMontana61,060District of Columbia: 51,277 countDistrict of Columbia51,277Rhode Island: 49,285 countRhode Island49,285Delaware: 47,742 countDelaware47,742South Dakota: 40,814 countSouth Dakota40,814North Dakota: 36,560 countNorth Dakota36,560Vermont: 33,164 countVermont33,164Wyoming: 30,752 countWyoming30,752Alaska: 25,169 countAlaska25,169
count. Source: BLS, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankStates2025
count		Change on 2024
1California1,877,156+1.5%
2Florida868,046-1.6%
3Texas856,979+1.3%
4New York708,524+0.1%
5Georgia395,028+0.8%
6Pennsylvania389,774+0.4%
7Illinois379,658-4.3%
8North Carolina359,089-4.7%
9Ohio347,138+1.1%
10New Jersey329,088+1%
11Virginia319,557+0.6%
12Michigan314,706+4.7%
13Massachusetts295,436+4.1%
14Missouri254,399+4.6%
15Colorado250,068+0.1%
16Washington242,344+2%
17Arizona225,937+0.2%
18Tennessee214,457-5.6%
19Minnesota212,524-0.1%
20Wisconsin204,200+0.4%
21Maryland199,467+1.7%
22Indiana195,772+2%
23South Carolina193,664+1.7%
24Oregon177,694-4.8%
25Alabama164,183+2%
26Kentucky161,190+1.7%
27Louisiana157,334+1.5%
28Connecticut149,082+0.1%
29Utah141,305+1.3%
30Oklahoma129,1550%
31Iowa111,274-0.5%
32Arkansas109,976+6%
33Nevada108,001+0.1%
34Idaho101,834-0.9%
35Kansas98,159-1.8%
36Mississippi90,845+1.7%
37Nebraska77,604+1%
38New Mexico68,693+0.2%
39New Hampshire66,8880%
40Maine66,603+1.8%
41West Virginia62,518+1.3%
42Hawaii61,753+3.7%
43Montana61,060-4.4%
44District of Columbia51,277-1.8%
45Rhode Island49,285+0.6%
46Delaware47,742+4.3%
47South Dakota40,814+1.3%
48North Dakota36,560-0%
49Vermont33,164+2.9%
50Wyoming30,752+0.6%
51Alaska25,169+0.2%

Other periods

About this ranking

Average number of establishments with jobs covered by unemployment insurance during the year, all industries, private and government, from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. An establishment is a single place of business, such as a factory, store or office; a company with several locations has several.

Counts places of business, not firms: for firms use employer_firms. Changes in how large employers report their locations can move the count without any change in activity.

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. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2026). Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties (US states by business establishments (QCEW), 2025) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv

MLA 9

Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties, US states by business establishments (QCEW), 2025. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/us-states. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2026. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. US states by business establishments (QCEW), 2025. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/us-states.

Harvard

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2026) Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties, US states by business establishments (QCEW), 2025 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/us-states (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_us_states_by_business_2025,
  author = {{U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics}},
  title = {{Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties: US states by business establishments (QCEW), 2025}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/us-states. Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
TI  - Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties: US states by business establishments (QCEW), 2025
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/us-states
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/us-states.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
Embed this chart

Paste this code into a web page or a blog post. The chart shows the latest figures as they are published, with the source and a link back to this page.

Sites that read oEmbed links, such as WordPress, can show the chart when you paste the link to this page.

Use this data in your AI agent

Invokely serves this figure to AI assistants through MCP and to code through a REST API, with the source and citation attached. Ask your assistant:

Rank US states by business establishments (QCEW) using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"establishments_qcew","level":"region","within":"United States","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=establishments_qcew&level=region&within=United%20States&limit=10

Connect Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor in one step. The trial answers 25 calls a day without an account.

Questions

Which state has the highest business establishments (QCEW)?

California, with 1.88 million in 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which state has the lowest business establishments (QCEW)?

Alaska, with 25,169 in 2025.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Business establishments (QCEW): other rankings

US states: more rankings