Data / Rankings / Employer firm births / US states

US states by employer firm births

California had the highest employer firm births of 51 states in 2016, at 60,802. Vermont had the lowest, at 917. The median was 5,115 and the figure for the United States was 442,414. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest60,802California
Lowest917Vermont
Median5,11551 states
United States442,414History

Map of states, 2016

Alabama: 4,730 countAlaska: 1,044 countArizona: 8,391 countArkansas: 3,361 countCalifornia: 60,802 countColorado: 11,022 countConnecticut: 4,263 countDelaware: 1,370 countDistrict of Columbia: 1,194 countFlorida: 40,607 countGeorgia: 13,975 countHawaii: 1,506 countIdaho: 2,891 countIllinois: 16,238 countIndiana: 6,433 countIowa: 3,376 countKansas: 3,543 countKentucky: 4,260 countLouisiana: 5,115 countMaine: 2,038 countMaryland: 6,915 countMassachusetts: 9,070 countMichigan: 10,765 countMinnesota: 7,024 countMississippi: 2,699 countMissouri: 10,464 countMontana: 2,010 countNebraska: 2,576 countNevada: 4,714 countNew Hampshire: 1,816 countNew Jersey: 13,386 countNew Mexico: 2,050 countNew York: 35,179 countNorth Carolina: 12,917 countNorth Dakota: 1,162 countOhio: 10,030 countOklahoma: 4,813 countOregon: 6,905 countPennsylvania: 13,452 countRhode Island: 1,442 countSouth Carolina: 5,834 countSouth Dakota: 1,289 countTennessee: 6,690 countTexas: 36,937 countUtah: 5,195 countVermont: 917 countVirginia: 10,388 countWashington: 11,668 countWest Virginia: 1,385 countWisconsin: 6,234 countWyoming: 1,154 count
  • Under 1,500
  • 1,500 to 3,200
  • 3,200 to 5,100
  • 5,100 to 7,500
  • 7,500 to 13K
  • 13K and over
count, 2016. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics by firm age: employer firms of age zero, all covered industries, nation, states and counties from 1978. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All states, 2016

California: 60,802 countCalifornia60,802Florida: 40,607 countFlorida40,607Texas: 36,937 countTexas36,937New York: 35,179 countNew York35,179Illinois: 16,238 countIllinois16,238Georgia: 13,975 countGeorgia13,975Pennsylvania: 13,452 countPennsylvania13,452New Jersey: 13,386 countNew Jersey13,386North Carolina: 12,917 countNorth Carolina12,917Washington: 11,668 countWashington11,668Colorado: 11,022 countColorado11,022Michigan: 10,765 countMichigan10,765Missouri: 10,464 countMissouri10,464Virginia: 10,388 countVirginia10,388Ohio: 10,030 countOhio10,030Massachusetts: 9,070 countMassachusetts9,070Arizona: 8,391 countArizona8,391Minnesota: 7,024 countMinnesota7,024Maryland: 6,915 countMaryland6,915Oregon: 6,905 countOregon6,905Tennessee: 6,690 countTennessee6,690Indiana: 6,433 countIndiana6,433Wisconsin: 6,234 countWisconsin6,234South Carolina: 5,834 countSouth Carolina5,834Utah: 5,195 countUtah5,195Louisiana: 5,115 countLouisiana5,115Oklahoma: 4,813 countOklahoma4,813Alabama: 4,730 countAlabama4,730Nevada: 4,714 countNevada4,714Connecticut: 4,263 countConnecticut4,263Kentucky: 4,260 countKentucky4,260Kansas: 3,543 countKansas3,543Iowa: 3,376 countIowa3,376Arkansas: 3,361 countArkansas3,361Idaho: 2,891 countIdaho2,891Mississippi: 2,699 countMississippi2,699Nebraska: 2,576 countNebraska2,576New Mexico: 2,050 countNew Mexico2,050Maine: 2,038 countMaine2,038Montana: 2,010 countMontana2,010New Hampshire: 1,816 countNew Hampshire1,816Hawaii: 1,506 countHawaii1,506Rhode Island: 1,442 countRhode Island1,442West Virginia: 1,385 countWest Virginia1,385Delaware: 1,370 countDelaware1,370South Dakota: 1,289 countSouth Dakota1,289District of Columbia: 1,194 countDistrict of Columbia1,194North Dakota: 1,162 countNorth Dakota1,162Wyoming: 1,154 countWyoming1,154Alaska: 1,044 countAlaska1,044Vermont: 917 countVermont917California: 60,802 countCalifornia60,802Florida: 40,607 countFlorida40,607Texas: 36,937 countTexas36,937New York: 35,179 countNew York35,179Illinois: 16,238 countIllinois16,238Georgia: 13,975 countGeorgia13,975Pennsylvania: 13,452 countPennsylvania13,452New Jersey: 13,386 countNew Jersey13,386North Carolina: 12,917 countNorth Carolina12,917Washington: 11,668 countWashington11,668Colorado: 11,022 countColorado11,022Michigan: 10,765 countMichigan10,765Missouri: 10,464 countMissouri10,464Virginia: 10,388 countVirginia10,388Ohio: 10,030 countOhio10,030Massachusetts: 9,070 countMassachusetts9,070Arizona: 8,391 countArizona8,391Minnesota: 7,024 countMinnesota7,024Maryland: 6,915 countMaryland6,915Oregon: 6,905 countOregon6,905Tennessee: 6,690 countTennessee6,690Indiana: 6,433 countIndiana6,433Wisconsin: 6,234 countWisconsin6,234South Carolina: 5,834 countSouth Carolina5,834Utah: 5,195 countUtah5,195Louisiana: 5,115 countLouisiana5,115Oklahoma: 4,813 countOklahoma4,813Alabama: 4,730 countAlabama4,730Nevada: 4,714 countNevada4,714Connecticut: 4,263 countConnecticut4,263Kentucky: 4,260 countKentucky4,260Kansas: 3,543 countKansas3,543Iowa: 3,376 countIowa3,376Arkansas: 3,361 countArkansas3,361Idaho: 2,891 countIdaho2,891Mississippi: 2,699 countMississippi2,699Nebraska: 2,576 countNebraska2,576New Mexico: 2,050 countNew Mexico2,050Maine: 2,038 countMaine2,038Montana: 2,010 countMontana2,010New Hampshire: 1,816 countNew Hampshire1,816Hawaii: 1,506 countHawaii1,506Rhode Island: 1,442 countRhode Island1,442West Virginia: 1,385 countWest Virginia1,385Delaware: 1,370 countDelaware1,370South Dakota: 1,289 countSouth Dakota1,289District of Columbia: 1,194 countDistrict of Columbia1,194North Dakota: 1,162 countNorth Dakota1,162Wyoming: 1,154 countWyoming1,154Alaska: 1,044 countAlaska1,044Vermont: 917 countVermont917
count. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics by firm age: employer firms of age zero, all covered industries, nation, states and counties from 1978. Retrieved 2026-10-22.

Full ranking

RankStates2016
count		Change on 2015
1California60,802+5.1%
2Florida40,607+4%
3Texas36,937+4.1%
4New York35,179+4.4%
5Illinois16,238+3.6%
6Georgia13,975+5.7%
7Pennsylvania13,452+7.2%
8New Jersey13,386+5.5%
9North Carolina12,917+10.9%
10Washington11,668+6.8%
11Colorado11,022+5.3%
12Michigan10,765+3%
13Missouri10,464+2%
14Virginia10,388+2.9%
15Ohio10,030+1.7%
16Massachusetts9,070+12.6%
17Arizona8,391+3.9%
18Minnesota7,024+6.3%
19Maryland6,915+4.1%
20Oregon6,905+9.4%
21Tennessee6,690+3.5%
22Indiana6,433+5.7%
23Wisconsin6,234+7.3%
24South Carolina5,834+4.8%
25Utah5,195+5.5%
26Louisiana5,115+4.5%
27Oklahoma4,813+0.6%
28Alabama4,730+8.3%
29Nevada4,714+2.5%
30Connecticut4,263+11.5%
31Kentucky4,260+3.2%
32Kansas3,543+7.6%
33Iowa3,376+4.4%
34Arkansas3,361+9.6%
35Idaho2,891+9.9%
36Mississippi2,699+1.5%
37Nebraska2,576+7.6%
38New Mexico2,050-1.3%
39Maine2,038+12.2%
40Montana2,010+2.3%
41New Hampshire1,816+11.5%
42Hawaii1,506+0.3%
43Rhode Island1,442+7.4%
44West Virginia1,385+1.2%
45Delaware1,370+11%
46South Dakota1,289-1.7%
47District of Columbia1,194+7.6%
48North Dakota1,162-18.9%
49Wyoming1,154-2.5%
50Alaska1,044+6%
51Vermont917+7.3%

Other periods

About this ranking

New employer firms: firms of age zero in March of the year, meaning that every establishment of the firm had its first employees during the previous twelve months. United States: Census Bureau Business Dynamics Statistics, which calls these firms startups.

A firm counts only when it has employees, so a business without staff is not a birth, and a new branch, merger or change of ownership of an existing firm is not a birth either. Not the same as business_applications (requests for an employer number) or enterprise_births (European business demography). The year is the twelve months to March: 2023 compares March 2022 with March 2023.

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 Dynamics Statistics by firm age: employer firms of age zero, all covered industries, nation, states and counties from 1978. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_fa.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-22.

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. (2025). Business Dynamics Statistics by firm age: employer firms of age zero, all covered industries, nation, states and counties from 1978 (US states by employer firm births, 2016) [Data set]. Retrieved October 22, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_fa.csv

MLA 9

Business Dynamics Statistics by firm age: employer firms of age zero, all covered industries, nation, states and counties from 1978, US states by employer firm births, 2016. U.S. Census Bureau, 25 Sept. 2025, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_fa.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firm-births/us-states?period=2016. Accessed 22 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2025. Business Dynamics Statistics by firm age: employer firms of age zero, all covered industries, nation, states and counties from 1978. US states by employer firm births, 2016. Dataset. Accessed October 22, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_fa.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firm-births/us-states?period=2016.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2025) Business Dynamics Statistics by firm age: employer firms of age zero, all covered industries, nation, states and counties from 1978, US states by employer firm births, 2016 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_fa.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firm-births/us-states?period=2016 (Accessed: 22 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_us_states_by_employer_2016,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Business Dynamics Statistics by firm age: employer firms of age zero, all covered industries, nation, states and counties from 1978: US states by employer firm births, 2016}},
  year = {2025},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_fa.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-22},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firm-births/us-states?period=2016. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics by firm age: employer firms of age zero, all covered industries, nation, states and counties from 1978. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023\_st\_fa.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-22.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - Business Dynamics Statistics by firm age: employer firms of age zero, all covered industries, nation, states and counties from 1978: US states by employer firm births, 2016
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/09/25
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_fa.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firm-births/us-states?period=2016
Y2  - 2026/10/22
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firm-births/us-states?period=2016.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics by firm age: employer firms of age zero, all covered industries, nation, states and counties from 1978. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_fa.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-22.
ER  -
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Questions

Which state has the highest employer firm births?

California, with 60,802 in 2016, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which state has the lowest employer firm births?

Vermont, with 917 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, Business Dynamics Statistics by firm age: employer firms of age zero, all covered industries, nation, states and counties from 1978. Retrieved 2026-10-22.

Employer firm births: other rankings

US states: more rankings