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 2017, at 50,307. North Dakota had the lowest, at 741. The median was 4,418 and the figure for the United States was 402,772. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest50,307California
Lowest741North Dakota
Median4,41851 states
United States402,772History

Map of states, 2017

Alabama: 5,520 countAlaska: 1,809 countArizona: 6,729 countArkansas: 3,226 countCalifornia: 50,307 countColorado: 7,051 countConnecticut: 3,850 countDelaware: 911 countDistrict of Columbia: 1,323 countFlorida: 36,267 countGeorgia: 16,837 countHawaii: 2,402 countIdaho: 1,746 countIllinois: 13,270 countIndiana: 5,209 countIowa: 2,813 countKansas: 2,545 countKentucky: 3,538 countLouisiana: 8,309 countMaine: 1,804 countMaryland: 7,627 countMassachusetts: 6,583 countMichigan: 10,448 countMinnesota: 4,311 countMississippi: 4,418 countMissouri: 5,470 countMontana: 1,640 countNebraska: 1,718 countNevada: 3,406 countNew Hampshire: 1,298 countNew Jersey: 10,790 countNew Mexico: 2,144 countNew York: 28,700 countNorth Carolina: 10,808 countNorth Dakota: 741 countOhio: 11,128 countOklahoma: 4,308 countOregon: 5,114 countPennsylvania: 13,324 countRhode Island: 1,066 countSouth Carolina: 6,122 countSouth Dakota: 1,095 countTennessee: 9,167 countTexas: 48,107 countUtah: 2,674 countVermont: 1,223 countVirginia: 9,178 countWashington: 6,582 countWest Virginia: 1,303 countWisconsin: 6,012 countWyoming: 801 count
  • Under 1,400
  • 1,400 to 2,600
  • 2,600 to 4,400
  • 4,400 to 6,600
  • 6,600 to 11K
  • 11K and over
count, 2017. 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, 2017

California: 50,307 countCalifornia50,307Texas: 48,107 countTexas48,107Florida: 36,267 countFlorida36,267New York: 28,700 countNew York28,700Georgia: 16,837 countGeorgia16,837Pennsylvania: 13,324 countPennsylvania13,324Illinois: 13,270 countIllinois13,270Ohio: 11,128 countOhio11,128North Carolina: 10,808 countNorth Carolina10,808New Jersey: 10,790 countNew Jersey10,790Michigan: 10,448 countMichigan10,448Virginia: 9,178 countVirginia9,178Tennessee: 9,167 countTennessee9,167Louisiana: 8,309 countLouisiana8,309Maryland: 7,627 countMaryland7,627Colorado: 7,051 countColorado7,051Arizona: 6,729 countArizona6,729Massachusetts: 6,583 countMassachusetts6,583Washington: 6,582 countWashington6,582South Carolina: 6,122 countSouth Carolina6,122Wisconsin: 6,012 countWisconsin6,012Alabama: 5,520 countAlabama5,520Missouri: 5,470 countMissouri5,470Indiana: 5,209 countIndiana5,209Oregon: 5,114 countOregon5,114Mississippi: 4,418 countMississippi4,418Minnesota: 4,311 countMinnesota4,311Oklahoma: 4,308 countOklahoma4,308Connecticut: 3,850 countConnecticut3,850Kentucky: 3,538 countKentucky3,538Nevada: 3,406 countNevada3,406Arkansas: 3,226 countArkansas3,226Iowa: 2,813 countIowa2,813Utah: 2,674 countUtah2,674Kansas: 2,545 countKansas2,545Hawaii: 2,402 countHawaii2,402New Mexico: 2,144 countNew Mexico2,144Alaska: 1,809 countAlaska1,809Maine: 1,804 countMaine1,804Idaho: 1,746 countIdaho1,746Nebraska: 1,718 countNebraska1,718Montana: 1,640 countMontana1,640District of Columbia: 1,323 countDistrict of Columbia1,323West Virginia: 1,303 countWest Virginia1,303New Hampshire: 1,298 countNew Hampshire1,298Vermont: 1,223 countVermont1,223South Dakota: 1,095 countSouth Dakota1,095Rhode Island: 1,066 countRhode Island1,066Delaware: 911 countDelaware911Wyoming: 801 countWyoming801North Dakota: 741 countNorth Dakota741California: 50,307 countCalifornia50,307Texas: 48,107 countTexas48,107Florida: 36,267 countFlorida36,267New York: 28,700 countNew York28,700Georgia: 16,837 countGeorgia16,837Pennsylvania: 13,324 countPennsylvania13,324Illinois: 13,270 countIllinois13,270Ohio: 11,128 countOhio11,128North Carolina: 10,808 countNorth Carolina10,808New Jersey: 10,790 countNew Jersey10,790Michigan: 10,448 countMichigan10,448Virginia: 9,178 countVirginia9,178Tennessee: 9,167 countTennessee9,167Louisiana: 8,309 countLouisiana8,309Maryland: 7,627 countMaryland7,627Colorado: 7,051 countColorado7,051Arizona: 6,729 countArizona6,729Massachusetts: 6,583 countMassachusetts6,583Washington: 6,582 countWashington6,582South Carolina: 6,122 countSouth Carolina6,122Wisconsin: 6,012 countWisconsin6,012Alabama: 5,520 countAlabama5,520Missouri: 5,470 countMissouri5,470Indiana: 5,209 countIndiana5,209Oregon: 5,114 countOregon5,114Mississippi: 4,418 countMississippi4,418Minnesota: 4,311 countMinnesota4,311Oklahoma: 4,308 countOklahoma4,308Connecticut: 3,850 countConnecticut3,850Kentucky: 3,538 countKentucky3,538Nevada: 3,406 countNevada3,406Arkansas: 3,226 countArkansas3,226Iowa: 2,813 countIowa2,813Utah: 2,674 countUtah2,674Kansas: 2,545 countKansas2,545Hawaii: 2,402 countHawaii2,402New Mexico: 2,144 countNew Mexico2,144Alaska: 1,809 countAlaska1,809Maine: 1,804 countMaine1,804Idaho: 1,746 countIdaho1,746Nebraska: 1,718 countNebraska1,718Montana: 1,640 countMontana1,640District of Columbia: 1,323 countDistrict of Columbia1,323West Virginia: 1,303 countWest Virginia1,303New Hampshire: 1,298 countNew Hampshire1,298Vermont: 1,223 countVermont1,223South Dakota: 1,095 countSouth Dakota1,095Rhode Island: 1,066 countRhode Island1,066Delaware: 911 countDelaware911Wyoming: 801 countWyoming801North Dakota: 741 countNorth Dakota741
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

RankStates2017
count		Change on 2016
1California50,307+5.4%
2Texas48,107+8.7%
3Florida36,267+10.8%
4New York28,700-0.5%
5Georgia16,837+8.2%
6Pennsylvania13,324+2.7%
7Illinois13,270-1.6%
8Ohio11,128+3.3%
9North Carolina10,808+4.1%
10New Jersey10,790+1.3%
11Michigan10,448+4%
12Virginia9,178+6%
13Tennessee9,167+5.6%
14Louisiana8,309+4.6%
15Maryland7,627+1.4%
16Colorado7,051+10.8%
17Arizona6,729+6.6%
18Massachusetts6,583+6.2%
19Washington6,582+7.9%
20South Carolina6,122+4.6%
21Wisconsin6,012+2%
22Alabama5,520+4.4%
23Missouri5,470+4.5%
24Indiana5,209+1.5%
25Oregon5,114+6.1%
26Mississippi4,418+6.6%
27Minnesota4,311+3.3%
28Oklahoma4,308+4.1%
29Connecticut3,850+1.2%
30Kentucky3,538+6.1%
31Nevada3,406+9.7%
32Arkansas3,226+1.8%
33Iowa2,813+1.7%
34Utah2,674+11.6%
35Kansas2,545+1.9%
36Hawaii2,402+8.3%
37New Mexico2,144+5.7%
38Alaska1,809-0.4%
39Maine1,804+5.6%
40Idaho1,746+4.9%
41Nebraska1,718+2.3%
42Montana1,640+3.4%
43District of Columbia1,323+5.7%
44West Virginia1,303+2.1%
45New Hampshire1,298+3.5%
46Vermont1,223+2%
47South Dakota1,095+3.5%
48Rhode Island1,066+7.4%
49Delaware911+7.4%
50Wyoming801+9.3%
51North Dakota741+8.3%

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/2017/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. (2019). 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, 2017) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2017/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, 2017. U.S. Census Bureau, 27 June 2019, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2017/historical-datasets/. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-accommodation-food-services/us-states?period=2017. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2019. 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, 2017. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2017/historical-datasets/. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-accommodation-food-services/us-states?period=2017.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2019) 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, 2017 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2017/historical-datasets/, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-accommodation-food-services/us-states?period=2017 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_us_states_by_nonemployer_2017,
  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, 2017}},
  year = {2019},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2017/historical-datasets/},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-accommodation-food-services/us-states?period=2017. 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/2017/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, 2017
PY  - 2019
DA  - 2019/06/27
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2017/historical-datasets/
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-accommodation-food-services/us-states?period=2017
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-accommodation-food-services/us-states?period=2017.
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/2017/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 50,307 in 2017, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

North Dakota, with 741 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, Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), accommodation and food services (NAICS 72), all legal forms. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

US states: more rankings