Data / Rankings / Employer establishments: arts, entertainment and recreation / US states

US states by employer establishments: arts, entertainment and recreation

California had the highest employer establishments: arts, entertainment and recreation of 51 states in 2019, at 29,810. District of Columbia had the lowest, at 417. The median was 1,759 and the figure for the United States was 151,241. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest29,810California
Lowest417District of Columbia
Median1,75951 states
United States151,241History

Map of states, 2019

Alabama: 1,226 countAlaska: 593 countArizona: 2,319 countArkansas: 830 countCalifornia: 29,810 countColorado: 3,232 countConnecticut: 1,793 countDelaware: 498 countDistrict of Columbia: 417 countFlorida: 9,506 countGeorgia: 3,662 countHawaii: 538 countIdaho: 854 countIllinois: 5,372 countIndiana: 2,259 countIowa: 1,461 countKansas: 1,087 countKentucky: 1,332 countLouisiana: 1,557 countMaine: 916 countMaryland: 2,210 countMassachusetts: 3,519 countMichigan: 3,498 countMinnesota: 3,062 countMississippi: 692 countMissouri: 2,343 countMontana: 1,277 countNebraska: 966 countNevada: 1,759 countNew Hampshire: 856 countNew Jersey: 4,000 countNew Mexico: 732 countNew York: 13,733 countNorth Carolina: 4,071 countNorth Dakota: 474 countOhio: 3,888 countOklahoma: 1,181 countOregon: 2,069 countPennsylvania: 5,079 countRhode Island: 605 countSouth Carolina: 1,796 countSouth Dakota: 703 countTennessee: 2,857 countTexas: 8,313 countUtah: 1,298 countVermont: 467 countVirginia: 3,173 countWashington: 3,245 countWest Virginia: 735 countWisconsin: 2,903 countWyoming: 475 count
  • Under 700
  • 700 to 1,000
  • 1,000 to 1,800
  • 1,800 to 2,900
  • 2,900 to 3,800
  • 3,800 and over
count, 2019. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, state and US files: establishments (EST), arts, entertainment, and recreation (NAICS 71), all legal forms. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All states, 2019

California: 29,810 countCalifornia29,810New York: 13,733 countNew York13,733Florida: 9,506 countFlorida9,506Texas: 8,313 countTexas8,313Illinois: 5,372 countIllinois5,372Pennsylvania: 5,079 countPennsylvania5,079North Carolina: 4,071 countNorth Carolina4,071New Jersey: 4,000 countNew Jersey4,000Ohio: 3,888 countOhio3,888Georgia: 3,662 countGeorgia3,662Massachusetts: 3,519 countMassachusetts3,519Michigan: 3,498 countMichigan3,498Washington: 3,245 countWashington3,245Colorado: 3,232 countColorado3,232Virginia: 3,173 countVirginia3,173Minnesota: 3,062 countMinnesota3,062Wisconsin: 2,903 countWisconsin2,903Tennessee: 2,857 countTennessee2,857Missouri: 2,343 countMissouri2,343Arizona: 2,319 countArizona2,319Indiana: 2,259 countIndiana2,259Maryland: 2,210 countMaryland2,210Oregon: 2,069 countOregon2,069South Carolina: 1,796 countSouth Carolina1,796Connecticut: 1,793 countConnecticut1,793Nevada: 1,759 countNevada1,759Louisiana: 1,557 countLouisiana1,557Iowa: 1,461 countIowa1,461Kentucky: 1,332 countKentucky1,332Utah: 1,298 countUtah1,298Montana: 1,277 countMontana1,277Alabama: 1,226 countAlabama1,226Oklahoma: 1,181 countOklahoma1,181Kansas: 1,087 countKansas1,087Nebraska: 966 countNebraska966Maine: 916 countMaine916New Hampshire: 856 countNew Hampshire856Idaho: 854 countIdaho854Arkansas: 830 countArkansas830West Virginia: 735 countWest Virginia735New Mexico: 732 countNew Mexico732South Dakota: 703 countSouth Dakota703Mississippi: 692 countMississippi692Rhode Island: 605 countRhode Island605Alaska: 593 countAlaska593Hawaii: 538 countHawaii538Delaware: 498 countDelaware498Wyoming: 475 countWyoming475North Dakota: 474 countNorth Dakota474Vermont: 467 countVermont467District of Columbia: 417 countDistrict of Columbia417California: 29,810 countCalifornia29,810New York: 13,733 countNew York13,733Florida: 9,506 countFlorida9,506Texas: 8,313 countTexas8,313Illinois: 5,372 countIllinois5,372Pennsylvania: 5,079 countPennsylvania5,079North Carolina: 4,071 countNorth Carolina4,071New Jersey: 4,000 countNew Jersey4,000Ohio: 3,888 countOhio3,888Georgia: 3,662 countGeorgia3,662Massachusetts: 3,519 countMassachusetts3,519Michigan: 3,498 countMichigan3,498Washington: 3,245 countWashington3,245Colorado: 3,232 countColorado3,232Virginia: 3,173 countVirginia3,173Minnesota: 3,062 countMinnesota3,062Wisconsin: 2,903 countWisconsin2,903Tennessee: 2,857 countTennessee2,857Missouri: 2,343 countMissouri2,343Arizona: 2,319 countArizona2,319Indiana: 2,259 countIndiana2,259Maryland: 2,210 countMaryland2,210Oregon: 2,069 countOregon2,069South Carolina: 1,796 countSouth Carolina1,796Connecticut: 1,793 countConnecticut1,793Nevada: 1,759 countNevada1,759Louisiana: 1,557 countLouisiana1,557Iowa: 1,461 countIowa1,461Kentucky: 1,332 countKentucky1,332Utah: 1,298 countUtah1,298Montana: 1,277 countMontana1,277Alabama: 1,226 countAlabama1,226Oklahoma: 1,181 countOklahoma1,181Kansas: 1,087 countKansas1,087Nebraska: 966 countNebraska966Maine: 916 countMaine916New Hampshire: 856 countNew Hampshire856Idaho: 854 countIdaho854Arkansas: 830 countArkansas830West Virginia: 735 countWest Virginia735New Mexico: 732 countNew Mexico732South Dakota: 703 countSouth Dakota703Mississippi: 692 countMississippi692Rhode Island: 605 countRhode Island605Alaska: 593 countAlaska593Hawaii: 538 countHawaii538Delaware: 498 countDelaware498Wyoming: 475 countWyoming475North Dakota: 474 countNorth Dakota474Vermont: 467 countVermont467District of Columbia: 417 countDistrict of Columbia417
count. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, state and US files: establishments (EST), arts, entertainment, and recreation (NAICS 71), all legal forms. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankStates2019
count		Change on 2018
1California29,810+5.8%
2New York13,733+2.2%
3Florida9,506+3.4%
4Texas8,313+5%
5Illinois5,372+0.6%
6Pennsylvania5,079+2.5%
7North Carolina4,071+2.3%
8New Jersey4,000+1.9%
9Ohio3,888-0.6%
10Georgia3,662+3.2%
11Massachusetts3,519+0.8%
12Michigan3,498+1.2%
13Washington3,245+2.5%
14Colorado3,232+3.8%
15Virginia3,173+1.6%
16Minnesota3,062+0.9%
17Wisconsin2,903+1.9%
18Tennessee2,857+2.3%
19Missouri2,343+2.3%
20Arizona2,319+4%
21Indiana2,259-1.4%
22Maryland2,210+1%
23Oregon2,069+1.3%
24South Carolina1,796+2.7%
25Connecticut1,793+1.3%
26Nevada1,759+3.5%
27Louisiana1,557+0.5%
28Iowa1,461+1%
29Kentucky1,332+1.9%
30Utah1,298+5.3%
31Montana1,277+2.2%
32Alabama1,226+1.7%
33Oklahoma1,181+1.3%
34Kansas1,087-0.1%
35Nebraska966+0.3%
36Maine916+0.8%
37New Hampshire856+1.2%
38Idaho854-0.5%
39Arkansas830+3.9%
40West Virginia735-3.8%
41New Mexico732+3.1%
42South Dakota703+0.4%
43Mississippi692-0.4%
44Rhode Island605+2.2%
45Alaska593+1.4%
46Hawaii538+2.9%
47Delaware498+4.6%
48Wyoming475+5.1%
49North Dakota474+2.2%
50Vermont467-1.7%
51District of Columbia417+5.3%

Other periods

About this ranking

Number of establishments with paid employees in arts, entertainment, and recreation (NAICS 71), 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), arts, entertainment, and recreation (NAICS 71), all legal forms. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cbp/datasets/2019/. 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. (2021). County Business Patterns, state and US files: establishments (EST), arts, entertainment, and recreation (NAICS 71), all legal forms (US states by employer establishments: arts, entertainment and recreation, 2019) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cbp/datasets/2019/

MLA 9

County Business Patterns, state and US files: establishments (EST), arts, entertainment, and recreation (NAICS 71), all legal forms, US states by employer establishments: arts, entertainment and recreation, 2019. U.S. Census Bureau, 22 Apr. 2021, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cbp/datasets/2019/. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-establishments-arts-entertainment/us-states?period=2019. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2021. County Business Patterns, state and US files: establishments (EST), arts, entertainment, and recreation (NAICS 71), all legal forms. US states by employer establishments: arts, entertainment and recreation, 2019. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cbp/datasets/2019/. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-establishments-arts-entertainment/us-states?period=2019.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2021) County Business Patterns, state and US files: establishments (EST), arts, entertainment, and recreation (NAICS 71), all legal forms, US states by employer establishments: arts, entertainment and recreation, 2019 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cbp/datasets/2019/, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-establishments-arts-entertainment/us-states?period=2019 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_us_states_by_employer_2019,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{County Business Patterns, state and US files: establishments (EST), arts, entertainment, and recreation (NAICS 71), all legal forms: US states by employer establishments: arts, entertainment and recreation, 2019}},
  year = {2021},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cbp/datasets/2019/},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-establishments-arts-entertainment/us-states?period=2019. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. County Business Patterns, state and US files: establishments (EST), arts, entertainment, and recreation (NAICS 71), all legal forms. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cbp/datasets/2019/. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - County Business Patterns, state and US files: establishments (EST), arts, entertainment, and recreation (NAICS 71), all legal forms: US states by employer establishments: arts, entertainment and recreation, 2019
PY  - 2021
DA  - 2021/04/22
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cbp/datasets/2019/
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-establishments-arts-entertainment/us-states?period=2019
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-establishments-arts-entertainment/us-states?period=2019.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. County Business Patterns, state and US files: establishments (EST), arts, entertainment, and recreation (NAICS 71), all legal forms. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cbp/datasets/2019/. 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 employer establishments: arts, entertainment and recreation using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"cbp_establishments_arts_entertainment","level":"region","within":"United States","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=cbp_establishments_arts_entertainment&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 employer establishments: arts, entertainment and recreation?

California, with 29,810 in 2019, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which state has the lowest employer establishments: arts, entertainment and recreation?

District of Columbia, with 417 in 2019.

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), arts, entertainment, and recreation (NAICS 71), all legal forms. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

US states: more rankings