Data / Rankings / Employer establishments: accommodation and food services / US states

US states by employer establishments: accommodation and food services

California had the highest employer establishments: accommodation and food services of 51 states in 2016, at 86,057. Wyoming had the lowest, at 1,812. The median was 8,819 and the figure for the United States was 703,528. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest86,057California
Lowest1,812Wyoming
Median8,81951 states
United States703,528History

Map of states, 2016

Alabama: 8,819 countAlaska: 2,156 countArizona: 12,546 countArkansas: 5,750 countCalifornia: 86,057 countColorado: 13,569 countConnecticut: 8,580 countDelaware: 2,120 countDistrict of Columbia: 2,639 countFlorida: 40,350 countGeorgia: 20,291 countHawaii: 3,777 countIdaho: 3,681 countIllinois: 28,470 countIndiana: 13,369 countIowa: 7,143 countKansas: 6,126 countKentucky: 8,046 countLouisiana: 9,548 countMaine: 4,174 countMaryland: 11,793 countMassachusetts: 17,450 countMichigan: 19,952 countMinnesota: 11,708 countMississippi: 5,542 countMissouri: 12,596 countMontana: 3,524 countNebraska: 4,493 countNevada: 6,548 countNew Hampshire: 3,702 countNew Jersey: 20,953 countNew Mexico: 4,276 countNew York: 53,199 countNorth Carolina: 20,809 countNorth Dakota: 2,110 countOhio: 24,115 countOklahoma: 8,006 countOregon: 11,387 countPennsylvania: 28,515 countRhode Island: 3,092 countSouth Carolina: 10,428 countSouth Dakota: 2,441 countTennessee: 12,967 countTexas: 54,188 countUtah: 5,708 countVermont: 1,929 countVirginia: 17,778 countWashington: 17,150 countWest Virginia: 3,547 countWisconsin: 14,599 countWyoming: 1,812 count
  • Under 3,500
  • 3,500 to 5,700
  • 5,700 to 8,800
  • 8,800 to 13K
  • 13K to 21K
  • 21K and over
count, 2016. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, state and US files: establishments (EST), accommodation and food services (NAICS 72), all legal forms. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All states, 2016

California: 86,057 countCalifornia86,057Texas: 54,188 countTexas54,188New York: 53,199 countNew York53,199Florida: 40,350 countFlorida40,350Pennsylvania: 28,515 countPennsylvania28,515Illinois: 28,470 countIllinois28,470Ohio: 24,115 countOhio24,115New Jersey: 20,953 countNew Jersey20,953North Carolina: 20,809 countNorth Carolina20,809Georgia: 20,291 countGeorgia20,291Michigan: 19,952 countMichigan19,952Virginia: 17,778 countVirginia17,778Massachusetts: 17,450 countMassachusetts17,450Washington: 17,150 countWashington17,150Wisconsin: 14,599 countWisconsin14,599Colorado: 13,569 countColorado13,569Indiana: 13,369 countIndiana13,369Tennessee: 12,967 countTennessee12,967Missouri: 12,596 countMissouri12,596Arizona: 12,546 countArizona12,546Maryland: 11,793 countMaryland11,793Minnesota: 11,708 countMinnesota11,708Oregon: 11,387 countOregon11,387South Carolina: 10,428 countSouth Carolina10,428Louisiana: 9,548 countLouisiana9,548Alabama: 8,819 countAlabama8,819Connecticut: 8,580 countConnecticut8,580Kentucky: 8,046 countKentucky8,046Oklahoma: 8,006 countOklahoma8,006Iowa: 7,143 countIowa7,143Nevada: 6,548 countNevada6,548Kansas: 6,126 countKansas6,126Arkansas: 5,750 countArkansas5,750Utah: 5,708 countUtah5,708Mississippi: 5,542 countMississippi5,542Nebraska: 4,493 countNebraska4,493New Mexico: 4,276 countNew Mexico4,276Maine: 4,174 countMaine4,174Hawaii: 3,777 countHawaii3,777New Hampshire: 3,702 countNew Hampshire3,702Idaho: 3,681 countIdaho3,681West Virginia: 3,547 countWest Virginia3,547Montana: 3,524 countMontana3,524Rhode Island: 3,092 countRhode Island3,092District of Columbia: 2,639 countDistrict of Columbia2,639South Dakota: 2,441 countSouth Dakota2,441Alaska: 2,156 countAlaska2,156Delaware: 2,120 countDelaware2,120North Dakota: 2,110 countNorth Dakota2,110Vermont: 1,929 countVermont1,929Wyoming: 1,812 countWyoming1,812California: 86,057 countCalifornia86,057Texas: 54,188 countTexas54,188New York: 53,199 countNew York53,199Florida: 40,350 countFlorida40,350Pennsylvania: 28,515 countPennsylvania28,515Illinois: 28,470 countIllinois28,470Ohio: 24,115 countOhio24,115New Jersey: 20,953 countNew Jersey20,953North Carolina: 20,809 countNorth Carolina20,809Georgia: 20,291 countGeorgia20,291Michigan: 19,952 countMichigan19,952Virginia: 17,778 countVirginia17,778Massachusetts: 17,450 countMassachusetts17,450Washington: 17,150 countWashington17,150Wisconsin: 14,599 countWisconsin14,599Colorado: 13,569 countColorado13,569Indiana: 13,369 countIndiana13,369Tennessee: 12,967 countTennessee12,967Missouri: 12,596 countMissouri12,596Arizona: 12,546 countArizona12,546Maryland: 11,793 countMaryland11,793Minnesota: 11,708 countMinnesota11,708Oregon: 11,387 countOregon11,387South Carolina: 10,428 countSouth Carolina10,428Louisiana: 9,548 countLouisiana9,548Alabama: 8,819 countAlabama8,819Connecticut: 8,580 countConnecticut8,580Kentucky: 8,046 countKentucky8,046Oklahoma: 8,006 countOklahoma8,006Iowa: 7,143 countIowa7,143Nevada: 6,548 countNevada6,548Kansas: 6,126 countKansas6,126Arkansas: 5,750 countArkansas5,750Utah: 5,708 countUtah5,708Mississippi: 5,542 countMississippi5,542Nebraska: 4,493 countNebraska4,493New Mexico: 4,276 countNew Mexico4,276Maine: 4,174 countMaine4,174Hawaii: 3,777 countHawaii3,777New Hampshire: 3,702 countNew Hampshire3,702Idaho: 3,681 countIdaho3,681West Virginia: 3,547 countWest Virginia3,547Montana: 3,524 countMontana3,524Rhode Island: 3,092 countRhode Island3,092District of Columbia: 2,639 countDistrict of Columbia2,639South Dakota: 2,441 countSouth Dakota2,441Alaska: 2,156 countAlaska2,156Delaware: 2,120 countDelaware2,120North Dakota: 2,110 countNorth Dakota2,110Vermont: 1,929 countVermont1,929Wyoming: 1,812 countWyoming1,812
count. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, state and US files: establishments (EST), accommodation and food services (NAICS 72), all legal forms. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankStates2016
count		Change on 2015
1California86,057+2.7%
2Texas54,188+4%
3New York53,199+2%
4Florida40,350+2.6%
5Pennsylvania28,515+1.9%
6Illinois28,470+2.7%
7Ohio24,115+1.8%
8New Jersey20,953+1.7%
9North Carolina20,809+3%
10Georgia20,291+3%
11Michigan19,952+0.9%
12Virginia17,778+2.2%
13Massachusetts17,450+1.3%
14Washington17,150+2.7%
15Wisconsin14,599+0.9%
16Colorado13,569+2.3%
17Indiana13,369+1.9%
18Tennessee12,967+3.7%
19Missouri12,596+1%
20Arizona12,546+2.8%
21Maryland11,793+1.2%
22Minnesota11,708+2%
23Oregon11,387+3%
24South Carolina10,428+2%
25Louisiana9,548+1.7%
26Alabama8,819+3.1%
27Connecticut8,580+1.4%
28Kentucky8,046+1.7%
29Oklahoma8,006+2.9%
30Iowa7,143+3%
31Nevada6,548+3.8%
32Kansas6,126+1.5%
33Arkansas5,750+2.7%
34Utah5,708+3.7%
35Mississippi5,542+1.7%
36Nebraska4,493+1.5%
37New Mexico4,276+0.7%
38Maine4,174+1.3%
39Hawaii3,777+4.1%
40New Hampshire3,702+0.5%
41Idaho3,681+2.1%
42West Virginia3,547-0.2%
43Montana3,524+1.3%
44Rhode Island3,092+1.3%
45District of Columbia2,639+5.4%
46South Dakota2,441+0.8%
47Alaska2,156+1.5%
48Delaware2,120+1.6%
49North Dakota2,110+1.6%
50Vermont1,929-1.1%
51Wyoming1,812-1.6%

Other periods

About this ranking

Number of establishments with paid employees in accommodation and food services (hotels, restaurants and bars) (NAICS 72), from the U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns.

County Business Patterns: establishments (single physical locations, not firms) with paid employees during the pay period including 12 March. Excludes the self-employed and businesses without employees (nonemployer_establishments_*), government employers, crop and animal production, rail transportation, the Postal Service and private households. Establishment counts are not perturbed; the noise Census adds since 2017 applies to employment and payroll, which are not served here. Published about 18 months after the reference year.

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. County Business Patterns, state and US files: establishments (EST), accommodation and food services (NAICS 72), all legal forms. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cbp/datasets/2016/. 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. Census Bureau. (2018). County Business Patterns, state and US files: establishments (EST), accommodation and food services (NAICS 72), all legal forms (US states by employer establishments: accommodation and food services, 2016) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cbp/datasets/2016/

MLA 9

County Business Patterns, state and US files: establishments (EST), accommodation and food services (NAICS 72), all legal forms, US states by employer establishments: accommodation and food services, 2016. U.S. Census Bureau, 19 Apr. 2018, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cbp/datasets/2016/. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-establishments-accommodation-food-services/us-states?period=2016. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2018. County Business Patterns, state and US files: establishments (EST), accommodation and food services (NAICS 72), all legal forms. US states by employer establishments: accommodation and food services, 2016. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cbp/datasets/2016/. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-establishments-accommodation-food-services/us-states?period=2016.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2018) County Business Patterns, state and US files: establishments (EST), accommodation and food services (NAICS 72), all legal forms, US states by employer establishments: accommodation and food services, 2016 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cbp/datasets/2016/, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-establishments-accommodation-food-services/us-states?period=2016 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_us_states_by_employer_2016,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{County Business Patterns, state and US files: establishments (EST), accommodation and food services (NAICS 72), all legal forms: US states by employer establishments: accommodation and food services, 2016}},
  year = {2018},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cbp/datasets/2016/},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-establishments-accommodation-food-services/us-states?period=2016. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. County Business Patterns, state and US files: establishments (EST), accommodation and food services (NAICS 72), all legal forms. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cbp/datasets/2016/. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - County Business Patterns, state and US files: establishments (EST), accommodation and food services (NAICS 72), all legal forms: US states by employer establishments: accommodation and food services, 2016
PY  - 2018
DA  - 2018/04/19
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cbp/datasets/2016/
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-establishments-accommodation-food-services/us-states?period=2016
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-establishments-accommodation-food-services/us-states?period=2016.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. County Business Patterns, state and US files: establishments (EST), accommodation and food services (NAICS 72), all legal forms. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cbp/datasets/2016/. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

Which state has the highest employer establishments: accommodation and food services?

California, with 86,057 in 2016, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which state has the lowest employer establishments: accommodation and food services?

Wyoming, with 1,812 in 2016.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, state and US files: establishments (EST), accommodation and food services (NAICS 72), all legal forms. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

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