Data / Rankings / Nonemployer businesses: arts, entertainment and recreation / US states

US states by nonemployer businesses: arts, entertainment and recreation, 2024

California had the highest nonemployer businesses: arts, entertainment and recreation of 51 states in 2024, at 241,947. North Dakota had the lowest, at 3,668. The median was 21,598 and the figure for the United States was 1.81 million. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest241,947California
Lowest3,668North Dakota
Median21,59851 states
United States1,806,368History

Map of states, 2024

Alabama: 18,159 countAlaska: 4,058 countArizona: 34,388 countArkansas: 10,230 countCalifornia: 241,947 countColorado: 41,139 countConnecticut: 21,598 countDelaware: 5,061 countDistrict of Columbia: 5,868 countFlorida: 128,669 countGeorgia: 58,708 countHawaii: 7,762 countIdaho: 9,081 countIllinois: 64,834 countIndiana: 27,538 countIowa: 13,487 countKansas: 12,990 countKentucky: 18,134 countLouisiana: 19,860 countMaine: 9,454 countMaryland: 36,046 countMassachusetts: 45,477 countMichigan: 47,770 countMinnesota: 38,160 countMississippi: 9,603 countMissouri: 28,719 countMontana: 7,389 countNebraska: 9,012 countNevada: 21,835 countNew Hampshire: 8,504 countNew Jersey: 49,378 countNew Mexico: 10,875 countNew York: 153,688 countNorth Carolina: 54,125 countNorth Dakota: 3,668 countOhio: 54,043 countOklahoma: 16,080 countOregon: 27,376 countPennsylvania: 62,776 countRhode Island: 6,998 countSouth Carolina: 24,577 countSouth Dakota: 4,942 countTennessee: 47,130 countTexas: 138,289 countUtah: 19,678 countVermont: 5,615 countVirginia: 44,618 countWashington: 39,511 countWest Virginia: 5,638 countWisconsin: 28,110 countWyoming: 3,773 count
  • Under 7,000
  • 7,000 to 11K
  • 11K to 22K
  • 22K to 37K
  • 37K to 52K
  • 52K and over
count, 2024. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), arts, entertainment, and recreation (NAICS 71), all legal forms. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All states, 2024

California: 241,947 countCalifornia241,947New York: 153,688 countNew York153,688Texas: 138,289 countTexas138,289Florida: 128,669 countFlorida128,669Illinois: 64,834 countIllinois64,834Pennsylvania: 62,776 countPennsylvania62,776Georgia: 58,708 countGeorgia58,708North Carolina: 54,125 countNorth Carolina54,125Ohio: 54,043 countOhio54,043New Jersey: 49,378 countNew Jersey49,378Michigan: 47,770 countMichigan47,770Tennessee: 47,130 countTennessee47,130Massachusetts: 45,477 countMassachusetts45,477Virginia: 44,618 countVirginia44,618Colorado: 41,139 countColorado41,139Washington: 39,511 countWashington39,511Minnesota: 38,160 countMinnesota38,160Maryland: 36,046 countMaryland36,046Arizona: 34,388 countArizona34,388Missouri: 28,719 countMissouri28,719Wisconsin: 28,110 countWisconsin28,110Indiana: 27,538 countIndiana27,538Oregon: 27,376 countOregon27,376South Carolina: 24,577 countSouth Carolina24,577Nevada: 21,835 countNevada21,835Connecticut: 21,598 countConnecticut21,598Louisiana: 19,860 countLouisiana19,860Utah: 19,678 countUtah19,678Alabama: 18,159 countAlabama18,159Kentucky: 18,134 countKentucky18,134Oklahoma: 16,080 countOklahoma16,080Iowa: 13,487 countIowa13,487Kansas: 12,990 countKansas12,990New Mexico: 10,875 countNew Mexico10,875Arkansas: 10,230 countArkansas10,230Mississippi: 9,603 countMississippi9,603Maine: 9,454 countMaine9,454Idaho: 9,081 countIdaho9,081Nebraska: 9,012 countNebraska9,012New Hampshire: 8,504 countNew Hampshire8,504Hawaii: 7,762 countHawaii7,762Montana: 7,389 countMontana7,389Rhode Island: 6,998 countRhode Island6,998District of Columbia: 5,868 countDistrict of Columbia5,868West Virginia: 5,638 countWest Virginia5,638Vermont: 5,615 countVermont5,615Delaware: 5,061 countDelaware5,061South Dakota: 4,942 countSouth Dakota4,942Alaska: 4,058 countAlaska4,058Wyoming: 3,773 countWyoming3,773North Dakota: 3,668 countNorth Dakota3,668California: 241,947 countCalifornia241,947New York: 153,688 countNew York153,688Texas: 138,289 countTexas138,289Florida: 128,669 countFlorida128,669Illinois: 64,834 countIllinois64,834Pennsylvania: 62,776 countPennsylvania62,776Georgia: 58,708 countGeorgia58,708North Carolina: 54,125 countNorth Carolina54,125Ohio: 54,043 countOhio54,043New Jersey: 49,378 countNew Jersey49,378Michigan: 47,770 countMichigan47,770Tennessee: 47,130 countTennessee47,130Massachusetts: 45,477 countMassachusetts45,477Virginia: 44,618 countVirginia44,618Colorado: 41,139 countColorado41,139Washington: 39,511 countWashington39,511Minnesota: 38,160 countMinnesota38,160Maryland: 36,046 countMaryland36,046Arizona: 34,388 countArizona34,388Missouri: 28,719 countMissouri28,719Wisconsin: 28,110 countWisconsin28,110Indiana: 27,538 countIndiana27,538Oregon: 27,376 countOregon27,376South Carolina: 24,577 countSouth Carolina24,577Nevada: 21,835 countNevada21,835Connecticut: 21,598 countConnecticut21,598Louisiana: 19,860 countLouisiana19,860Utah: 19,678 countUtah19,678Alabama: 18,159 countAlabama18,159Kentucky: 18,134 countKentucky18,134Oklahoma: 16,080 countOklahoma16,080Iowa: 13,487 countIowa13,487Kansas: 12,990 countKansas12,990New Mexico: 10,875 countNew Mexico10,875Arkansas: 10,230 countArkansas10,230Mississippi: 9,603 countMississippi9,603Maine: 9,454 countMaine9,454Idaho: 9,081 countIdaho9,081Nebraska: 9,012 countNebraska9,012New Hampshire: 8,504 countNew Hampshire8,504Hawaii: 7,762 countHawaii7,762Montana: 7,389 countMontana7,389Rhode Island: 6,998 countRhode Island6,998District of Columbia: 5,868 countDistrict of Columbia5,868West Virginia: 5,638 countWest Virginia5,638Vermont: 5,615 countVermont5,615Delaware: 5,061 countDelaware5,061South Dakota: 4,942 countSouth Dakota4,942Alaska: 4,058 countAlaska4,058Wyoming: 3,773 countWyoming3,773North Dakota: 3,668 countNorth Dakota3,668
count. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), arts, entertainment, and recreation (NAICS 71), all legal forms. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankStates2024
count		Change on 2023
1California241,947+2.6%
2New York153,688+4%
3Texas138,289+5.8%
4Florida128,669+6.6%
5Illinois64,834+3.2%
6Pennsylvania62,776+3.7%
7Georgia58,708+4.4%
8North Carolina54,125+6.1%
9Ohio54,043+3.7%
10New Jersey49,378+4.9%
11Michigan47,770+3.8%
12Tennessee47,130+2.2%
13Massachusetts45,477+1.7%
14Virginia44,618+2.4%
15Colorado41,139+3.7%
16Washington39,511+3.8%
17Minnesota38,160+5.2%
18Maryland36,046+2.7%
19Arizona34,388+2.4%
20Missouri28,719+4.8%
21Wisconsin28,110+4.1%
22Indiana27,538+4.2%
23Oregon27,376+2%
24South Carolina24,577+6%
25Nevada21,835+4.3%
26Connecticut21,598+1.9%
27Louisiana19,860+5.2%
28Utah19,678+6%
29Alabama18,159+4.7%
30Kentucky18,134+3.9%
31Oklahoma16,080+3.9%
32Iowa13,487+2.8%
33Kansas12,990+4.4%
34New Mexico10,875+1.9%
35Arkansas10,230+3.7%
36Mississippi9,603+5.1%
37Maine9,454+2.4%
38Idaho9,081+5.3%
39Nebraska9,012+5.5%
40New Hampshire8,504+6.6%
41Hawaii7,762+0.5%
42Montana7,389+2.4%
43Rhode Island6,998+3.5%
44District of Columbia5,868+1%
45West Virginia5,638+3.2%
46Vermont5,615+2.8%
47Delaware5,061+3.5%
48South Dakota4,942+3.5%
49Alaska4,058+2.6%
50Wyoming3,773+1.9%
51North Dakota3,668+5.7%

Other periods

About this ranking

Number of businesses without paid employees in arts, entertainment, and recreation (NAICS 71), 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), arts, entertainment, and recreation (NAICS 71), all legal forms. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2024/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. (2026). Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), arts, entertainment, and recreation (NAICS 71), all legal forms (US states by nonemployer businesses: arts, entertainment and recreation, 2024) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2024/historical-datasets/

MLA 9

Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), arts, entertainment, and recreation (NAICS 71), all legal forms, US states by nonemployer businesses: arts, entertainment and recreation, 2024. U.S. Census Bureau, 29 Sept. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2024/historical-datasets/. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-arts-entertainment/us-states. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2026. Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), arts, entertainment, and recreation (NAICS 71), all legal forms. US states by nonemployer businesses: arts, entertainment and recreation, 2024. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2024/historical-datasets/. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-arts-entertainment/us-states.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2026) Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), arts, entertainment, and recreation (NAICS 71), all legal forms, US states by nonemployer businesses: arts, entertainment and recreation, 2024 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2024/historical-datasets/, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-arts-entertainment/us-states (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_us_states_by_nonemployer_2024,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), arts, entertainment, and recreation (NAICS 71), all legal forms: US states by nonemployer businesses: arts, entertainment and recreation, 2024}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2024/historical-datasets/},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-arts-entertainment/us-states. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), arts, entertainment, and recreation (NAICS 71), all legal forms. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2024/historical-datasets/. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), arts, entertainment, and recreation (NAICS 71), all legal forms: US states by nonemployer businesses: arts, entertainment and recreation, 2024
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/29
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2024/historical-datasets/
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-arts-entertainment/us-states
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-arts-entertainment/us-states.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), arts, entertainment, and recreation (NAICS 71), all legal forms. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2024/historical-datasets/. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

Which state has the highest nonemployer businesses: arts, entertainment and recreation?

California, with 241,947 in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which state has the lowest nonemployer businesses: arts, entertainment and recreation?

North Dakota, with 3,668 in 2024.

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), arts, entertainment, and recreation (NAICS 71), all legal forms. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

US states: more rankings