Data / Rankings / Employer establishments: retail trade / US states

US states by employer establishments: retail trade

California had the highest employer establishments: retail trade of 51 states in 2013, at 106,820. District of Columbia had the lowest, at 1,719. The median was 15,210 and the figure for the United States was 1.06 million. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest106,820California
Lowest1,719District of Columbia
Median15,21051 states
United States1,063,616History

Map of states, 2013

Alabama: 18,034 countAlaska: 2,503 countArizona: 17,803 countArkansas: 10,915 countCalifornia: 106,820 countColorado: 18,593 countConnecticut: 12,573 countDelaware: 3,615 countDistrict of Columbia: 1,719 countFlorida: 72,347 countGeorgia: 33,438 countHawaii: 4,682 countIdaho: 5,789 countIllinois: 39,701 countIndiana: 21,522 countIowa: 11,977 countKansas: 10,433 countKentucky: 15,210 countLouisiana: 16,556 countMaine: 6,350 countMaryland: 18,248 countMassachusetts: 24,203 countMichigan: 34,820 countMinnesota: 19,157 countMississippi: 11,529 countMissouri: 21,321 countMontana: 4,799 countNebraska: 7,240 countNevada: 8,289 countNew Hampshire: 6,088 countNew Jersey: 31,711 countNew Mexico: 6,571 countNew York: 78,052 countNorth Carolina: 34,198 countNorth Dakota: 3,203 countOhio: 36,408 countOklahoma: 13,161 countOregon: 13,915 countPennsylvania: 43,900 countRhode Island: 3,761 countSouth Carolina: 17,677 countSouth Dakota: 3,889 countTennessee: 22,349 countTexas: 79,084 countUtah: 9,151 countVermont: 3,424 countVirginia: 27,169 countWashington: 21,564 countWest Virginia: 6,270 countWisconsin: 19,245 countWyoming: 2,640 count
  • Under 5,000
  • 5,000 to 9,000
  • 9,000 to 15K
  • 15K to 20K
  • 20K to 34K
  • 34K and over
count, 2013. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, state and US files: establishments (EST), retail trade (NAICS 44-45), all legal forms. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All states, 2013

California: 106,820 countCalifornia106,820Texas: 79,084 countTexas79,084New York: 78,052 countNew York78,052Florida: 72,347 countFlorida72,347Pennsylvania: 43,900 countPennsylvania43,900Illinois: 39,701 countIllinois39,701Ohio: 36,408 countOhio36,408Michigan: 34,820 countMichigan34,820North Carolina: 34,198 countNorth Carolina34,198Georgia: 33,438 countGeorgia33,438New Jersey: 31,711 countNew Jersey31,711Virginia: 27,169 countVirginia27,169Massachusetts: 24,203 countMassachusetts24,203Tennessee: 22,349 countTennessee22,349Washington: 21,564 countWashington21,564Indiana: 21,522 countIndiana21,522Missouri: 21,321 countMissouri21,321Wisconsin: 19,245 countWisconsin19,245Minnesota: 19,157 countMinnesota19,157Colorado: 18,593 countColorado18,593Maryland: 18,248 countMaryland18,248Alabama: 18,034 countAlabama18,034Arizona: 17,803 countArizona17,803South Carolina: 17,677 countSouth Carolina17,677Louisiana: 16,556 countLouisiana16,556Kentucky: 15,210 countKentucky15,210Oregon: 13,915 countOregon13,915Oklahoma: 13,161 countOklahoma13,161Connecticut: 12,573 countConnecticut12,573Iowa: 11,977 countIowa11,977Mississippi: 11,529 countMississippi11,529Arkansas: 10,915 countArkansas10,915Kansas: 10,433 countKansas10,433Utah: 9,151 countUtah9,151Nevada: 8,289 countNevada8,289Nebraska: 7,240 countNebraska7,240New Mexico: 6,571 countNew Mexico6,571Maine: 6,350 countMaine6,350West Virginia: 6,270 countWest Virginia6,270New Hampshire: 6,088 countNew Hampshire6,088Idaho: 5,789 countIdaho5,789Montana: 4,799 countMontana4,799Hawaii: 4,682 countHawaii4,682South Dakota: 3,889 countSouth Dakota3,889Rhode Island: 3,761 countRhode Island3,761Delaware: 3,615 countDelaware3,615Vermont: 3,424 countVermont3,424North Dakota: 3,203 countNorth Dakota3,203Wyoming: 2,640 countWyoming2,640Alaska: 2,503 countAlaska2,503District of Columbia: 1,719 countDistrict of Columbia1,719California: 106,820 countCalifornia106,820Texas: 79,084 countTexas79,084New York: 78,052 countNew York78,052Florida: 72,347 countFlorida72,347Pennsylvania: 43,900 countPennsylvania43,900Illinois: 39,701 countIllinois39,701Ohio: 36,408 countOhio36,408Michigan: 34,820 countMichigan34,820North Carolina: 34,198 countNorth Carolina34,198Georgia: 33,438 countGeorgia33,438New Jersey: 31,711 countNew Jersey31,711Virginia: 27,169 countVirginia27,169Massachusetts: 24,203 countMassachusetts24,203Tennessee: 22,349 countTennessee22,349Washington: 21,564 countWashington21,564Indiana: 21,522 countIndiana21,522Missouri: 21,321 countMissouri21,321Wisconsin: 19,245 countWisconsin19,245Minnesota: 19,157 countMinnesota19,157Colorado: 18,593 countColorado18,593Maryland: 18,248 countMaryland18,248Alabama: 18,034 countAlabama18,034Arizona: 17,803 countArizona17,803South Carolina: 17,677 countSouth Carolina17,677Louisiana: 16,556 countLouisiana16,556Kentucky: 15,210 countKentucky15,210Oregon: 13,915 countOregon13,915Oklahoma: 13,161 countOklahoma13,161Connecticut: 12,573 countConnecticut12,573Iowa: 11,977 countIowa11,977Mississippi: 11,529 countMississippi11,529Arkansas: 10,915 countArkansas10,915Kansas: 10,433 countKansas10,433Utah: 9,151 countUtah9,151Nevada: 8,289 countNevada8,289Nebraska: 7,240 countNebraska7,240New Mexico: 6,571 countNew Mexico6,571Maine: 6,350 countMaine6,350West Virginia: 6,270 countWest Virginia6,270New Hampshire: 6,088 countNew Hampshire6,088Idaho: 5,789 countIdaho5,789Montana: 4,799 countMontana4,799Hawaii: 4,682 countHawaii4,682South Dakota: 3,889 countSouth Dakota3,889Rhode Island: 3,761 countRhode Island3,761Delaware: 3,615 countDelaware3,615Vermont: 3,424 countVermont3,424North Dakota: 3,203 countNorth Dakota3,203Wyoming: 2,640 countWyoming2,640Alaska: 2,503 countAlaska2,503District of Columbia: 1,719 countDistrict of Columbia1,719
count. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, state and US files: establishments (EST), retail trade (NAICS 44-45), all legal forms. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankStates2013
count		Change on 2012
1California106,820+0.4%
2Texas79,084+0.8%
3New York78,052+0.6%
4Florida72,347+1.5%
5Pennsylvania43,900-0.3%
6Illinois39,701-0.8%
7Ohio36,408-0.7%
8Michigan34,820-0.2%
9North Carolina34,198-0.2%
10Georgia33,438-0.1%
11New Jersey31,711-0.2%
12Virginia27,169-1.1%
13Massachusetts24,203-0.9%
14Tennessee22,349-1.1%
15Washington21,564-0.1%
16Indiana21,522-0.7%
17Missouri21,321-0.4%
18Wisconsin19,245-0.6%
19Minnesota19,157-0.5%
20Colorado18,593+0.6%
21Maryland18,248+0.3%
22Alabama18,034-1.1%
23Arizona17,803+1.4%
24South Carolina17,677+0.5%
25Louisiana16,556-1.3%
26Kentucky15,210-0.3%
27Oregon13,915-0.2%
28Oklahoma13,161+0.8%
29Connecticut12,573-0.4%
30Iowa11,977-1.1%
31Mississippi11,529-0.5%
32Arkansas10,915-0.2%
33Kansas10,433-1.4%
34Utah9,151+1.1%
35Nevada8,289+1.8%
36Nebraska7,240-0.8%
37New Mexico6,571-0.4%
38Maine6,350-0.1%
39West Virginia6,270-2%
40New Hampshire6,088-1.2%
41Idaho5,789-0.6%
42Montana4,799-0.5%
43Hawaii4,682+1.1%
44South Dakota3,889+0.2%
45Rhode Island3,761-0.7%
46Delaware3,615-0.1%
47Vermont3,424-3.1%
48North Dakota3,203+0.4%
49Wyoming2,640-1.6%
50Alaska2,5030%
51District of Columbia1,719-1.4%

Other periods

About this ranking

Number of establishments with paid employees in retail trade (NAICS 44-45), 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), retail trade (NAICS 44-45), all legal forms. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cbp/datasets/2013/. 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), retail trade (NAICS 44-45), all legal forms (US states by employer establishments: retail trade, 2013) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cbp/datasets/2013/

MLA 9

County Business Patterns, state and US files: establishments (EST), retail trade (NAICS 44-45), all legal forms, US states by employer establishments: retail trade, 2013. U.S. Census Bureau, 13 Sept. 2018, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cbp/datasets/2013/. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-establishments-retail-trade/us-states?period=2013. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2018. County Business Patterns, state and US files: establishments (EST), retail trade (NAICS 44-45), all legal forms. US states by employer establishments: retail trade, 2013. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cbp/datasets/2013/. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-establishments-retail-trade/us-states?period=2013.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2018) County Business Patterns, state and US files: establishments (EST), retail trade (NAICS 44-45), all legal forms, US states by employer establishments: retail trade, 2013 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cbp/datasets/2013/, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-establishments-retail-trade/us-states?period=2013 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_us_states_by_employer_2013,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{County Business Patterns, state and US files: establishments (EST), retail trade (NAICS 44-45), all legal forms: US states by employer establishments: retail trade, 2013}},
  year = {2018},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cbp/datasets/2013/},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-establishments-retail-trade/us-states?period=2013. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. County Business Patterns, state and US files: establishments (EST), retail trade (NAICS 44-45), all legal forms. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cbp/datasets/2013/. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - County Business Patterns, state and US files: establishments (EST), retail trade (NAICS 44-45), all legal forms: US states by employer establishments: retail trade, 2013
PY  - 2018
DA  - 2018/09/13
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cbp/datasets/2013/
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-establishments-retail-trade/us-states?period=2013
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-establishments-retail-trade/us-states?period=2013.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. County Business Patterns, state and US files: establishments (EST), retail trade (NAICS 44-45), all legal forms. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cbp/datasets/2013/. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

Which state has the highest employer establishments: retail trade?

California, with 106,820 in 2013, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which state has the lowest employer establishments: retail trade?

District of Columbia, with 1,719 in 2013.

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), retail trade (NAICS 44-45), all legal forms. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

US states: more rankings