Data / Rankings / Nonemployer businesses: accommodation and food services / US states

US states by nonemployer businesses: accommodation and food services

California had the highest nonemployer businesses: accommodation and food services of 51 states in 2015, at 46,460. North Dakota had the lowest, at 691. The median was 4,020 and the figure for the United States was 371,413. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest46,460California
Lowest691North Dakota
Median4,02051 states
United States371,413History

Map of states, 2015

Alabama: 5,073 countAlaska: 1,754 countArizona: 5,747 countArkansas: 3,130 countCalifornia: 46,460 countColorado: 5,870 countConnecticut: 3,726 countDelaware: 774 countDistrict of Columbia: 1,125 countFlorida: 32,085 countGeorgia: 15,378 countHawaii: 2,053 countIdaho: 1,600 countIllinois: 13,181 countIndiana: 4,934 countIowa: 2,750 countKansas: 2,479 countKentucky: 3,204 countLouisiana: 7,797 countMaine: 1,674 countMaryland: 7,468 countMassachusetts: 6,069 countMichigan: 9,937 countMinnesota: 4,020 countMississippi: 3,951 countMissouri: 5,104 countMontana: 1,508 countNebraska: 1,586 countNevada: 2,993 countNew Hampshire: 1,234 countNew Jersey: 10,478 countNew Mexico: 1,967 countNew York: 29,133 countNorth Carolina: 9,945 countNorth Dakota: 691 countOhio: 10,468 countOklahoma: 3,904 countOregon: 4,429 countPennsylvania: 12,794 countRhode Island: 1,012 countSouth Carolina: 5,701 countSouth Dakota: 1,000 countTennessee: 8,002 countTexas: 41,889 countUtah: 2,253 countVermont: 1,212 countVirginia: 8,290 countWashington: 5,700 countWest Virginia: 1,302 countWisconsin: 5,874 countWyoming: 705 count
  • Under 1,400
  • 1,400 to 2,400
  • 2,400 to 4,000
  • 4,000 to 5,900
  • 5,900 to 10K
  • 10K and over
count, 2015. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), accommodation and food services (NAICS 72), all legal forms. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All states, 2015

California: 46,460 countCalifornia46,460Texas: 41,889 countTexas41,889Florida: 32,085 countFlorida32,085New York: 29,133 countNew York29,133Georgia: 15,378 countGeorgia15,378Illinois: 13,181 countIllinois13,181Pennsylvania: 12,794 countPennsylvania12,794New Jersey: 10,478 countNew Jersey10,478Ohio: 10,468 countOhio10,468North Carolina: 9,945 countNorth Carolina9,945Michigan: 9,937 countMichigan9,937Virginia: 8,290 countVirginia8,290Tennessee: 8,002 countTennessee8,002Louisiana: 7,797 countLouisiana7,797Maryland: 7,468 countMaryland7,468Massachusetts: 6,069 countMassachusetts6,069Wisconsin: 5,874 countWisconsin5,874Colorado: 5,870 countColorado5,870Arizona: 5,747 countArizona5,747South Carolina: 5,701 countSouth Carolina5,701Washington: 5,700 countWashington5,700Missouri: 5,104 countMissouri5,104Alabama: 5,073 countAlabama5,073Indiana: 4,934 countIndiana4,934Oregon: 4,429 countOregon4,429Minnesota: 4,020 countMinnesota4,020Mississippi: 3,951 countMississippi3,951Oklahoma: 3,904 countOklahoma3,904Connecticut: 3,726 countConnecticut3,726Kentucky: 3,204 countKentucky3,204Arkansas: 3,130 countArkansas3,130Nevada: 2,993 countNevada2,993Iowa: 2,750 countIowa2,750Kansas: 2,479 countKansas2,479Utah: 2,253 countUtah2,253Hawaii: 2,053 countHawaii2,053New Mexico: 1,967 countNew Mexico1,967Alaska: 1,754 countAlaska1,754Maine: 1,674 countMaine1,674Idaho: 1,600 countIdaho1,600Nebraska: 1,586 countNebraska1,586Montana: 1,508 countMontana1,508West Virginia: 1,302 countWest Virginia1,302New Hampshire: 1,234 countNew Hampshire1,234Vermont: 1,212 countVermont1,212District of Columbia: 1,125 countDistrict of Columbia1,125Rhode Island: 1,012 countRhode Island1,012South Dakota: 1,000 countSouth Dakota1,000Delaware: 774 countDelaware774Wyoming: 705 countWyoming705North Dakota: 691 countNorth Dakota691California: 46,460 countCalifornia46,460Texas: 41,889 countTexas41,889Florida: 32,085 countFlorida32,085New York: 29,133 countNew York29,133Georgia: 15,378 countGeorgia15,378Illinois: 13,181 countIllinois13,181Pennsylvania: 12,794 countPennsylvania12,794New Jersey: 10,478 countNew Jersey10,478Ohio: 10,468 countOhio10,468North Carolina: 9,945 countNorth Carolina9,945Michigan: 9,937 countMichigan9,937Virginia: 8,290 countVirginia8,290Tennessee: 8,002 countTennessee8,002Louisiana: 7,797 countLouisiana7,797Maryland: 7,468 countMaryland7,468Massachusetts: 6,069 countMassachusetts6,069Wisconsin: 5,874 countWisconsin5,874Colorado: 5,870 countColorado5,870Arizona: 5,747 countArizona5,747South Carolina: 5,701 countSouth Carolina5,701Washington: 5,700 countWashington5,700Missouri: 5,104 countMissouri5,104Alabama: 5,073 countAlabama5,073Indiana: 4,934 countIndiana4,934Oregon: 4,429 countOregon4,429Minnesota: 4,020 countMinnesota4,020Mississippi: 3,951 countMississippi3,951Oklahoma: 3,904 countOklahoma3,904Connecticut: 3,726 countConnecticut3,726Kentucky: 3,204 countKentucky3,204Arkansas: 3,130 countArkansas3,130Nevada: 2,993 countNevada2,993Iowa: 2,750 countIowa2,750Kansas: 2,479 countKansas2,479Utah: 2,253 countUtah2,253Hawaii: 2,053 countHawaii2,053New Mexico: 1,967 countNew Mexico1,967Alaska: 1,754 countAlaska1,754Maine: 1,674 countMaine1,674Idaho: 1,600 countIdaho1,600Nebraska: 1,586 countNebraska1,586Montana: 1,508 countMontana1,508West Virginia: 1,302 countWest Virginia1,302New Hampshire: 1,234 countNew Hampshire1,234Vermont: 1,212 countVermont1,212District of Columbia: 1,125 countDistrict of Columbia1,125Rhode Island: 1,012 countRhode Island1,012South Dakota: 1,000 countSouth Dakota1,000Delaware: 774 countDelaware774Wyoming: 705 countWyoming705North Dakota: 691 countNorth Dakota691
count. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), accommodation and food services (NAICS 72), all legal forms. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankStates2015
count		Change on 2014
1California46,460+4%
2Texas41,889+3.2%
3Florida32,085+3.8%
4New York29,133-2.4%
5Georgia15,378+5.1%
6Illinois13,181+0.4%
7Pennsylvania12,794+0.4%
8New Jersey10,478-0.7%
9Ohio10,468-1.7%
10North Carolina9,945+5.2%
11Michigan9,937-0.3%
12Virginia8,290+2.3%
13Tennessee8,002+2.2%
14Louisiana7,797+2.2%
15Maryland7,468-3.5%
16Massachusetts6,069+6.1%
17Wisconsin5,8740%
18Colorado5,870+0.4%
19Arizona5,747+2.6%
20South Carolina5,701+2.6%
21Washington5,700+2.4%
22Missouri5,104+0.9%
23Alabama5,073+3.4%
24Indiana4,934+1.3%
25Oregon4,429+5%
26Minnesota4,020+2.4%
27Mississippi3,951+2.7%
28Oklahoma3,904+2.3%
29Connecticut3,726+1.1%
30Kentucky3,204+2.2%
31Arkansas3,130+0.4%
32Nevada2,993+6.4%
33Iowa2,750+1%
34Kansas2,479+3.2%
35Utah2,253+8.6%
36Hawaii2,053+8.8%
37New Mexico1,967+1.8%
38Alaska1,754+5.7%
39Maine1,674+0.4%
40Idaho1,600+3.4%
41Nebraska1,586-3.6%
42Montana1,508+1.6%
43West Virginia1,302-0.3%
44New Hampshire1,234+0.2%
45Vermont1,212+5.1%
46District of Columbia1,125-3.3%
47Rhode Island1,012+1.9%
48South Dakota1,000+3.3%
49Delaware774+0.8%
50Wyoming705+2.5%
51North Dakota691-3.6%

Other periods

About this ranking

Number of businesses without paid employees in accommodation and food services (hotels, restaurants and bars) (NAICS 72), from the U.S. Census Bureau Nonemployer Statistics.

Nonemployer Statistics: businesses with no paid employees that are subject to federal income tax, mostly the self-employed, counted from tax records, with receipts above small minimum amounts. Census says some years are not comparable with earlier ones, and they are marked as series breaks: 2018 in every sector (businesses were reclassified from their descriptions, which moved many out of other services), 2022 in every sector (new receipts cutoffs) and 2017 in utilities (the same reclassification). Most nonemployers are sole proprietors whose business may be a side activity. 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. Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), accommodation and food services (NAICS 72), all legal forms. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2015/historical-datasets/. 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. (2017). Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), accommodation and food services (NAICS 72), all legal forms (US states by nonemployer businesses: accommodation and food services, 2015) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2015/historical-datasets/

MLA 9

Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), accommodation and food services (NAICS 72), all legal forms, US states by nonemployer businesses: accommodation and food services, 2015. U.S. Census Bureau, 7 July 2017, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2015/historical-datasets/. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-accommodation-food-services/us-states?period=2015. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2017. Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), accommodation and food services (NAICS 72), all legal forms. US states by nonemployer businesses: accommodation and food services, 2015. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2015/historical-datasets/. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-accommodation-food-services/us-states?period=2015.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2017) Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), accommodation and food services (NAICS 72), all legal forms, US states by nonemployer businesses: accommodation and food services, 2015 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2015/historical-datasets/, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-accommodation-food-services/us-states?period=2015 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_us_states_by_nonemployer_2015,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), accommodation and food services (NAICS 72), all legal forms: US states by nonemployer businesses: accommodation and food services, 2015}},
  year = {2017},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2015/historical-datasets/},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-accommodation-food-services/us-states?period=2015. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), accommodation and food services (NAICS 72), all legal forms. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2015/historical-datasets/. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), accommodation and food services (NAICS 72), all legal forms: US states by nonemployer businesses: accommodation and food services, 2015
PY  - 2017
DA  - 2017/07/07
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2015/historical-datasets/
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-accommodation-food-services/us-states?period=2015
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-accommodation-food-services/us-states?period=2015.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), accommodation and food services (NAICS 72), all legal forms. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2015/historical-datasets/. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

Which state has the highest nonemployer businesses: accommodation and food services?

California, with 46,460 in 2015, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which state has the lowest nonemployer businesses: accommodation and food services?

North Dakota, with 691 in 2015.

Where does this ranking come from?

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

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