Data / Rankings / Employer firm births / US states

US states by employer firm births

California had the highest employer firm births of 51 states in 2017, at 60,868. Vermont had the lowest, at 890. The median was 4,874 and the figure for the United States was 439,859. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest60,868California
Lowest890Vermont
Median4,87451 states
United States439,859History

Map of states, 2017

Alabama: 4,655 countAlaska: 1,050 countArizona: 8,828 countArkansas: 3,216 countCalifornia: 60,868 countColorado: 11,118 countConnecticut: 3,747 countDelaware: 1,382 countDistrict of Columbia: 1,186 countFlorida: 40,587 countGeorgia: 14,144 countHawaii: 1,578 countIdaho: 2,972 countIllinois: 15,669 countIndiana: 6,524 countIowa: 3,362 countKansas: 3,407 countKentucky: 4,224 countLouisiana: 4,874 countMaine: 1,944 countMaryland: 6,883 countMassachusetts: 8,985 countMichigan: 10,173 countMinnesota: 6,927 countMississippi: 2,679 countMissouri: 9,967 countMontana: 1,993 countNebraska: 2,599 countNevada: 4,648 countNew Hampshire: 1,752 countNew Jersey: 13,220 countNew Mexico: 2,028 countNew York: 33,937 countNorth Carolina: 13,258 countNorth Dakota: 1,122 countOhio: 10,159 countOklahoma: 4,716 countOregon: 7,030 countPennsylvania: 13,015 countRhode Island: 1,326 countSouth Carolina: 5,919 countSouth Dakota: 1,245 countTennessee: 7,029 countTexas: 37,794 countUtah: 5,418 countVermont: 890 countVirginia: 10,503 countWashington: 11,751 countWest Virginia: 1,406 countWisconsin: 5,920 countWyoming: 1,185 count
  • Under 1,500
  • 1,500 to 3,100
  • 3,100 to 4,900
  • 4,900 to 7,600
  • 7,600 to 13K
  • 13K and over
count, 2017. 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, 2017

California: 60,868 countCalifornia60,868Florida: 40,587 countFlorida40,587Texas: 37,794 countTexas37,794New York: 33,937 countNew York33,937Illinois: 15,669 countIllinois15,669Georgia: 14,144 countGeorgia14,144North Carolina: 13,258 countNorth Carolina13,258New Jersey: 13,220 countNew Jersey13,220Pennsylvania: 13,015 countPennsylvania13,015Washington: 11,751 countWashington11,751Colorado: 11,118 countColorado11,118Virginia: 10,503 countVirginia10,503Michigan: 10,173 countMichigan10,173Ohio: 10,159 countOhio10,159Missouri: 9,967 countMissouri9,967Massachusetts: 8,985 countMassachusetts8,985Arizona: 8,828 countArizona8,828Oregon: 7,030 countOregon7,030Tennessee: 7,029 countTennessee7,029Minnesota: 6,927 countMinnesota6,927Maryland: 6,883 countMaryland6,883Indiana: 6,524 countIndiana6,524Wisconsin: 5,920 countWisconsin5,920South Carolina: 5,919 countSouth Carolina5,919Utah: 5,418 countUtah5,418Louisiana: 4,874 countLouisiana4,874Oklahoma: 4,716 countOklahoma4,716Alabama: 4,655 countAlabama4,655Nevada: 4,648 countNevada4,648Kentucky: 4,224 countKentucky4,224Connecticut: 3,747 countConnecticut3,747Kansas: 3,407 countKansas3,407Iowa: 3,362 countIowa3,362Arkansas: 3,216 countArkansas3,216Idaho: 2,972 countIdaho2,972Mississippi: 2,679 countMississippi2,679Nebraska: 2,599 countNebraska2,599New Mexico: 2,028 countNew Mexico2,028Montana: 1,993 countMontana1,993Maine: 1,944 countMaine1,944New Hampshire: 1,752 countNew Hampshire1,752Hawaii: 1,578 countHawaii1,578West Virginia: 1,406 countWest Virginia1,406Delaware: 1,382 countDelaware1,382Rhode Island: 1,326 countRhode Island1,326South Dakota: 1,245 countSouth Dakota1,245District of Columbia: 1,186 countDistrict of Columbia1,186Wyoming: 1,185 countWyoming1,185North Dakota: 1,122 countNorth Dakota1,122Alaska: 1,050 countAlaska1,050Vermont: 890 countVermont890California: 60,868 countCalifornia60,868Florida: 40,587 countFlorida40,587Texas: 37,794 countTexas37,794New York: 33,937 countNew York33,937Illinois: 15,669 countIllinois15,669Georgia: 14,144 countGeorgia14,144North Carolina: 13,258 countNorth Carolina13,258New Jersey: 13,220 countNew Jersey13,220Pennsylvania: 13,015 countPennsylvania13,015Washington: 11,751 countWashington11,751Colorado: 11,118 countColorado11,118Virginia: 10,503 countVirginia10,503Michigan: 10,173 countMichigan10,173Ohio: 10,159 countOhio10,159Missouri: 9,967 countMissouri9,967Massachusetts: 8,985 countMassachusetts8,985Arizona: 8,828 countArizona8,828Oregon: 7,030 countOregon7,030Tennessee: 7,029 countTennessee7,029Minnesota: 6,927 countMinnesota6,927Maryland: 6,883 countMaryland6,883Indiana: 6,524 countIndiana6,524Wisconsin: 5,920 countWisconsin5,920South Carolina: 5,919 countSouth Carolina5,919Utah: 5,418 countUtah5,418Louisiana: 4,874 countLouisiana4,874Oklahoma: 4,716 countOklahoma4,716Alabama: 4,655 countAlabama4,655Nevada: 4,648 countNevada4,648Kentucky: 4,224 countKentucky4,224Connecticut: 3,747 countConnecticut3,747Kansas: 3,407 countKansas3,407Iowa: 3,362 countIowa3,362Arkansas: 3,216 countArkansas3,216Idaho: 2,972 countIdaho2,972Mississippi: 2,679 countMississippi2,679Nebraska: 2,599 countNebraska2,599New Mexico: 2,028 countNew Mexico2,028Montana: 1,993 countMontana1,993Maine: 1,944 countMaine1,944New Hampshire: 1,752 countNew Hampshire1,752Hawaii: 1,578 countHawaii1,578West Virginia: 1,406 countWest Virginia1,406Delaware: 1,382 countDelaware1,382Rhode Island: 1,326 countRhode Island1,326South Dakota: 1,245 countSouth Dakota1,245District of Columbia: 1,186 countDistrict of Columbia1,186Wyoming: 1,185 countWyoming1,185North Dakota: 1,122 countNorth Dakota1,122Alaska: 1,050 countAlaska1,050Vermont: 890 countVermont890
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

RankStates2017
count		Change on 2016
1California60,868+0.1%
2Florida40,587-0%
3Texas37,794+2.3%
4New York33,937-3.5%
5Illinois15,669-3.5%
6Georgia14,144+1.2%
7North Carolina13,258+2.6%
8New Jersey13,220-1.2%
9Pennsylvania13,015-3.2%
10Washington11,751+0.7%
11Colorado11,118+0.9%
12Virginia10,503+1.1%
13Michigan10,173-5.5%
14Ohio10,159+1.3%
15Missouri9,967-4.7%
16Massachusetts8,985-0.9%
17Arizona8,828+5.2%
18Oregon7,030+1.8%
19Tennessee7,029+5.1%
20Minnesota6,927-1.4%
21Maryland6,883-0.5%
22Indiana6,524+1.4%
23Wisconsin5,920-5%
24South Carolina5,919+1.5%
25Utah5,418+4.3%
26Louisiana4,874-4.7%
27Oklahoma4,716-2%
28Alabama4,655-1.6%
29Nevada4,648-1.4%
30Kentucky4,224-0.8%
31Connecticut3,747-12.1%
32Kansas3,407-3.8%
33Iowa3,362-0.4%
34Arkansas3,216-4.3%
35Idaho2,972+2.8%
36Mississippi2,679-0.7%
37Nebraska2,599+0.9%
38New Mexico2,028-1.1%
39Montana1,993-0.8%
40Maine1,944-4.6%
41New Hampshire1,752-3.5%
42Hawaii1,578+4.8%
43West Virginia1,406+1.5%
44Delaware1,382+0.9%
45Rhode Island1,326-8%
46South Dakota1,245-3.4%
47District of Columbia1,186-0.7%
48Wyoming1,185+2.7%
49North Dakota1,122-3.4%
50Alaska1,050+0.6%
51Vermont890-2.9%

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, 2017) [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, 2017. 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=2017. 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, 2017. 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=2017.

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, 2017 [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=2017 (Accessed: 22 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_us_states_by_employer_2017,
  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, 2017}},
  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=2017. 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, 2017
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=2017
Y2  - 2026/10/22
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firm-births/us-states?period=2017.
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 60,868 in 2017, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which state has the lowest employer firm births?

Vermont, with 890 in 2017.

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