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 2016, at 47,721. North Dakota had the lowest, at 684. The median was 4,173 and the figure for the United States was 382,958. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest47,721California
Lowest684North Dakota
Median4,17351 states
United States382,958History

Map of states, 2016

Alabama: 5,288 countAlaska: 1,816 countArizona: 6,312 countArkansas: 3,170 countCalifornia: 47,721 countColorado: 6,366 countConnecticut: 3,806 countDelaware: 848 countDistrict of Columbia: 1,252 countFlorida: 32,726 countGeorgia: 15,564 countHawaii: 2,217 countIdaho: 1,665 countIllinois: 13,489 countIndiana: 5,134 countIowa: 2,765 countKansas: 2,497 countKentucky: 3,334 countLouisiana: 7,941 countMaine: 1,709 countMaryland: 7,525 countMassachusetts: 6,199 countMichigan: 10,048 countMinnesota: 4,173 countMississippi: 4,143 countMissouri: 5,235 countMontana: 1,586 countNebraska: 1,680 countNevada: 3,104 countNew Hampshire: 1,254 countNew Jersey: 10,648 countNew Mexico: 2,029 countNew York: 28,843 countNorth Carolina: 10,383 countNorth Dakota: 684 countOhio: 10,775 countOklahoma: 4,139 countOregon: 4,822 countPennsylvania: 12,977 countRhode Island: 993 countSouth Carolina: 5,850 countSouth Dakota: 1,058 countTennessee: 8,681 countTexas: 44,247 countUtah: 2,397 countVermont: 1,199 countVirginia: 8,662 countWashington: 6,098 countWest Virginia: 1,276 countWisconsin: 5,897 countWyoming: 733 count
  • Under 1,400
  • 1,400 to 2,500
  • 2,500 to 4,200
  • 4,200 to 6,200
  • 6,200 to 11K
  • 11K and over
count, 2016. 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, 2016

California: 47,721 countCalifornia47,721Texas: 44,247 countTexas44,247Florida: 32,726 countFlorida32,726New York: 28,843 countNew York28,843Georgia: 15,564 countGeorgia15,564Illinois: 13,489 countIllinois13,489Pennsylvania: 12,977 countPennsylvania12,977Ohio: 10,775 countOhio10,775New Jersey: 10,648 countNew Jersey10,648North Carolina: 10,383 countNorth Carolina10,383Michigan: 10,048 countMichigan10,048Tennessee: 8,681 countTennessee8,681Virginia: 8,662 countVirginia8,662Louisiana: 7,941 countLouisiana7,941Maryland: 7,525 countMaryland7,525Colorado: 6,366 countColorado6,366Arizona: 6,312 countArizona6,312Massachusetts: 6,199 countMassachusetts6,199Washington: 6,098 countWashington6,098Wisconsin: 5,897 countWisconsin5,897South Carolina: 5,850 countSouth Carolina5,850Alabama: 5,288 countAlabama5,288Missouri: 5,235 countMissouri5,235Indiana: 5,134 countIndiana5,134Oregon: 4,822 countOregon4,822Minnesota: 4,173 countMinnesota4,173Mississippi: 4,143 countMississippi4,143Oklahoma: 4,139 countOklahoma4,139Connecticut: 3,806 countConnecticut3,806Kentucky: 3,334 countKentucky3,334Arkansas: 3,170 countArkansas3,170Nevada: 3,104 countNevada3,104Iowa: 2,765 countIowa2,765Kansas: 2,497 countKansas2,497Utah: 2,397 countUtah2,397Hawaii: 2,217 countHawaii2,217New Mexico: 2,029 countNew Mexico2,029Alaska: 1,816 countAlaska1,816Maine: 1,709 countMaine1,709Nebraska: 1,680 countNebraska1,680Idaho: 1,665 countIdaho1,665Montana: 1,586 countMontana1,586West Virginia: 1,276 countWest Virginia1,276New Hampshire: 1,254 countNew Hampshire1,254District of Columbia: 1,252 countDistrict of Columbia1,252Vermont: 1,199 countVermont1,199South Dakota: 1,058 countSouth Dakota1,058Rhode Island: 993 countRhode Island993Delaware: 848 countDelaware848Wyoming: 733 countWyoming733North Dakota: 684 countNorth Dakota684California: 47,721 countCalifornia47,721Texas: 44,247 countTexas44,247Florida: 32,726 countFlorida32,726New York: 28,843 countNew York28,843Georgia: 15,564 countGeorgia15,564Illinois: 13,489 countIllinois13,489Pennsylvania: 12,977 countPennsylvania12,977Ohio: 10,775 countOhio10,775New Jersey: 10,648 countNew Jersey10,648North Carolina: 10,383 countNorth Carolina10,383Michigan: 10,048 countMichigan10,048Tennessee: 8,681 countTennessee8,681Virginia: 8,662 countVirginia8,662Louisiana: 7,941 countLouisiana7,941Maryland: 7,525 countMaryland7,525Colorado: 6,366 countColorado6,366Arizona: 6,312 countArizona6,312Massachusetts: 6,199 countMassachusetts6,199Washington: 6,098 countWashington6,098Wisconsin: 5,897 countWisconsin5,897South Carolina: 5,850 countSouth Carolina5,850Alabama: 5,288 countAlabama5,288Missouri: 5,235 countMissouri5,235Indiana: 5,134 countIndiana5,134Oregon: 4,822 countOregon4,822Minnesota: 4,173 countMinnesota4,173Mississippi: 4,143 countMississippi4,143Oklahoma: 4,139 countOklahoma4,139Connecticut: 3,806 countConnecticut3,806Kentucky: 3,334 countKentucky3,334Arkansas: 3,170 countArkansas3,170Nevada: 3,104 countNevada3,104Iowa: 2,765 countIowa2,765Kansas: 2,497 countKansas2,497Utah: 2,397 countUtah2,397Hawaii: 2,217 countHawaii2,217New Mexico: 2,029 countNew Mexico2,029Alaska: 1,816 countAlaska1,816Maine: 1,709 countMaine1,709Nebraska: 1,680 countNebraska1,680Idaho: 1,665 countIdaho1,665Montana: 1,586 countMontana1,586West Virginia: 1,276 countWest Virginia1,276New Hampshire: 1,254 countNew Hampshire1,254District of Columbia: 1,252 countDistrict of Columbia1,252Vermont: 1,199 countVermont1,199South Dakota: 1,058 countSouth Dakota1,058Rhode Island: 993 countRhode Island993Delaware: 848 countDelaware848Wyoming: 733 countWyoming733North Dakota: 684 countNorth Dakota684
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

RankStates2016
count		Change on 2015
1California47,721+2.7%
2Texas44,247+5.6%
3Florida32,726+2%
4New York28,843-1%
5Georgia15,564+1.2%
6Illinois13,489+2.3%
7Pennsylvania12,977+1.4%
8Ohio10,775+2.9%
9New Jersey10,648+1.6%
10North Carolina10,383+4.4%
11Michigan10,048+1.1%
12Tennessee8,681+8.5%
13Virginia8,662+4.5%
14Louisiana7,941+1.8%
15Maryland7,525+0.8%
16Colorado6,366+8.4%
17Arizona6,312+9.8%
18Massachusetts6,199+2.1%
19Washington6,098+7%
20Wisconsin5,897+0.4%
21South Carolina5,850+2.6%
22Alabama5,288+4.2%
23Missouri5,235+2.6%
24Indiana5,134+4.1%
25Oregon4,822+8.9%
26Minnesota4,173+3.8%
27Mississippi4,143+4.9%
28Oklahoma4,139+6%
29Connecticut3,806+2.1%
30Kentucky3,334+4.1%
31Arkansas3,170+1.3%
32Nevada3,104+3.7%
33Iowa2,765+0.5%
34Kansas2,497+0.7%
35Utah2,397+6.4%
36Hawaii2,217+8%
37New Mexico2,029+3.2%
38Alaska1,816+3.5%
39Maine1,709+2.1%
40Nebraska1,680+5.9%
41Idaho1,665+4.1%
42Montana1,586+5.2%
43West Virginia1,276-2%
44New Hampshire1,254+1.6%
45District of Columbia1,252+11.3%
46Vermont1,199-1.1%
47South Dakota1,058+5.8%
48Rhode Island993-1.9%
49Delaware848+9.6%
50Wyoming733+4%
51North Dakota684-1%

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/2016/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. (2018). 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, 2016) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2016/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, 2016. U.S. Census Bureau, 21 June 2018, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2016/historical-datasets/. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-accommodation-food-services/us-states?period=2016. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2018. 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, 2016. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2016/historical-datasets/. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-accommodation-food-services/us-states?period=2016.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2018) 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, 2016 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2016/historical-datasets/, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-accommodation-food-services/us-states?period=2016 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_us_states_by_nonemployer_2016,
  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, 2016}},
  year = {2018},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2016/historical-datasets/},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-accommodation-food-services/us-states?period=2016. 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/2016/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, 2016
PY  - 2018
DA  - 2018/06/21
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2016/historical-datasets/
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-accommodation-food-services/us-states?period=2016
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-accommodation-food-services/us-states?period=2016.
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/2016/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 47,721 in 2016, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

North Dakota, with 684 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, 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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