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

US states by nonemployer businesses: arts, entertainment and recreation

California had the highest nonemployer businesses: arts, entertainment and recreation of 51 states in 2015, at 210,277. North Dakota had the lowest, at 2,372. The median was 15,723 and the figure for the United States was 1.34 million. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest210,277California
Lowest2,372North Dakota
Median15,72351 states
United States1,341,733History

Map of states, 2015

Alabama: 11,999 countAlaska: 3,489 countArizona: 23,632 countArkansas: 6,718 countCalifornia: 210,277 countColorado: 28,393 countConnecticut: 16,557 countDelaware: 3,550 countDistrict of Columbia: 4,749 countFlorida: 84,725 countGeorgia: 39,912 countHawaii: 6,531 countIdaho: 5,732 countIllinois: 49,692 countIndiana: 19,733 countIowa: 9,638 countKansas: 9,628 countKentucky: 12,622 countLouisiana: 15,505 countMaine: 6,956 countMaryland: 27,711 countMassachusetts: 34,896 countMichigan: 34,797 countMinnesota: 28,702 countMississippi: 6,541 countMissouri: 20,570 countMontana: 5,179 countNebraska: 6,494 countNevada: 16,029 countNew Hampshire: 6,345 countNew Jersey: 36,723 countNew Mexico: 8,792 countNew York: 131,864 countNorth Carolina: 37,183 countNorth Dakota: 2,372 countOhio: 39,187 countOklahoma: 11,019 countOregon: 20,860 countPennsylvania: 46,010 countRhode Island: 4,902 countSouth Carolina: 15,723 countSouth Dakota: 3,457 countTennessee: 31,120 countTexas: 89,511 countUtah: 12,189 countVermont: 4,405 countVirginia: 32,115 countWashington: 29,753 countWest Virginia: 4,323 countWisconsin: 20,160 countWyoming: 2,763 count
  • Under 5,000
  • 5,000 to 8,000
  • 8,000 to 16K
  • 16K to 28K
  • 28K to 37K
  • 37K and over
count, 2015. 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, 2015

California: 210,277 countCalifornia210,277New York: 131,864 countNew York131,864Texas: 89,511 countTexas89,511Florida: 84,725 countFlorida84,725Illinois: 49,692 countIllinois49,692Pennsylvania: 46,010 countPennsylvania46,010Georgia: 39,912 countGeorgia39,912Ohio: 39,187 countOhio39,187North Carolina: 37,183 countNorth Carolina37,183New Jersey: 36,723 countNew Jersey36,723Massachusetts: 34,896 countMassachusetts34,896Michigan: 34,797 countMichigan34,797Virginia: 32,115 countVirginia32,115Tennessee: 31,120 countTennessee31,120Washington: 29,753 countWashington29,753Minnesota: 28,702 countMinnesota28,702Colorado: 28,393 countColorado28,393Maryland: 27,711 countMaryland27,711Arizona: 23,632 countArizona23,632Oregon: 20,860 countOregon20,860Missouri: 20,570 countMissouri20,570Wisconsin: 20,160 countWisconsin20,160Indiana: 19,733 countIndiana19,733Connecticut: 16,557 countConnecticut16,557Nevada: 16,029 countNevada16,029South Carolina: 15,723 countSouth Carolina15,723Louisiana: 15,505 countLouisiana15,505Kentucky: 12,622 countKentucky12,622Utah: 12,189 countUtah12,189Alabama: 11,999 countAlabama11,999Oklahoma: 11,019 countOklahoma11,019Iowa: 9,638 countIowa9,638Kansas: 9,628 countKansas9,628New Mexico: 8,792 countNew Mexico8,792Maine: 6,956 countMaine6,956Arkansas: 6,718 countArkansas6,718Mississippi: 6,541 countMississippi6,541Hawaii: 6,531 countHawaii6,531Nebraska: 6,494 countNebraska6,494New Hampshire: 6,345 countNew Hampshire6,345Idaho: 5,732 countIdaho5,732Montana: 5,179 countMontana5,179Rhode Island: 4,902 countRhode Island4,902District of Columbia: 4,749 countDistrict of Columbia4,749Vermont: 4,405 countVermont4,405West Virginia: 4,323 countWest Virginia4,323Delaware: 3,550 countDelaware3,550Alaska: 3,489 countAlaska3,489South Dakota: 3,457 countSouth Dakota3,457Wyoming: 2,763 countWyoming2,763North Dakota: 2,372 countNorth Dakota2,372California: 210,277 countCalifornia210,277New York: 131,864 countNew York131,864Texas: 89,511 countTexas89,511Florida: 84,725 countFlorida84,725Illinois: 49,692 countIllinois49,692Pennsylvania: 46,010 countPennsylvania46,010Georgia: 39,912 countGeorgia39,912Ohio: 39,187 countOhio39,187North Carolina: 37,183 countNorth Carolina37,183New Jersey: 36,723 countNew Jersey36,723Massachusetts: 34,896 countMassachusetts34,896Michigan: 34,797 countMichigan34,797Virginia: 32,115 countVirginia32,115Tennessee: 31,120 countTennessee31,120Washington: 29,753 countWashington29,753Minnesota: 28,702 countMinnesota28,702Colorado: 28,393 countColorado28,393Maryland: 27,711 countMaryland27,711Arizona: 23,632 countArizona23,632Oregon: 20,860 countOregon20,860Missouri: 20,570 countMissouri20,570Wisconsin: 20,160 countWisconsin20,160Indiana: 19,733 countIndiana19,733Connecticut: 16,557 countConnecticut16,557Nevada: 16,029 countNevada16,029South Carolina: 15,723 countSouth Carolina15,723Louisiana: 15,505 countLouisiana15,505Kentucky: 12,622 countKentucky12,622Utah: 12,189 countUtah12,189Alabama: 11,999 countAlabama11,999Oklahoma: 11,019 countOklahoma11,019Iowa: 9,638 countIowa9,638Kansas: 9,628 countKansas9,628New Mexico: 8,792 countNew Mexico8,792Maine: 6,956 countMaine6,956Arkansas: 6,718 countArkansas6,718Mississippi: 6,541 countMississippi6,541Hawaii: 6,531 countHawaii6,531Nebraska: 6,494 countNebraska6,494New Hampshire: 6,345 countNew Hampshire6,345Idaho: 5,732 countIdaho5,732Montana: 5,179 countMontana5,179Rhode Island: 4,902 countRhode Island4,902District of Columbia: 4,749 countDistrict of Columbia4,749Vermont: 4,405 countVermont4,405West Virginia: 4,323 countWest Virginia4,323Delaware: 3,550 countDelaware3,550Alaska: 3,489 countAlaska3,489South Dakota: 3,457 countSouth Dakota3,457Wyoming: 2,763 countWyoming2,763North Dakota: 2,372 countNorth Dakota2,372
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

RankStates2015
count		Change on 2014
1California210,277+2.4%
2New York131,864+1.3%
3Texas89,511+2.4%
4Florida84,725+3.1%
5Illinois49,692+1.3%
6Pennsylvania46,010+1.8%
7Georgia39,912+2.5%
8Ohio39,187+1.5%
9North Carolina37,183+3.1%
10New Jersey36,723+2.3%
11Massachusetts34,896+0.1%
12Michigan34,797+2.8%
13Virginia32,115+2.7%
14Tennessee31,120+4.4%
15Washington29,753+3.8%
16Minnesota28,702+2%
17Colorado28,393+2.3%
18Maryland27,711+1.6%
19Arizona23,632+3.2%
20Oregon20,860+4%
21Missouri20,570+3.1%
22Wisconsin20,160+0.9%
23Indiana19,733+2.9%
24Connecticut16,557+1.8%
25Nevada16,029+1.1%
26South Carolina15,723+3%
27Louisiana15,505+1.7%
28Kentucky12,622+2.1%
29Utah12,189+5.6%
30Alabama11,999+3.2%
31Oklahoma11,019+1.1%
32Iowa9,638+2.1%
33Kansas9,628+1.6%
34New Mexico8,792+0.9%
35Maine6,956+1.8%
36Arkansas6,718+1.8%
37Mississippi6,541+3.4%
38Hawaii6,531+2.4%
39Nebraska6,494+4.7%
40New Hampshire6,345+3.5%
41Idaho5,732+4.8%
42Montana5,179+2%
43Rhode Island4,902+3.3%
44District of Columbia4,749+2.4%
45Vermont4,405+1.1%
46West Virginia4,323+2.6%
47Delaware3,550+4.5%
48Alaska3,489+4%
49South Dakota3,457+2.3%
50Wyoming2,763+4.4%
51North Dakota2,372+4.3%

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/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), arts, entertainment, and recreation (NAICS 71), all legal forms (US states by nonemployer businesses: arts, entertainment and recreation, 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), arts, entertainment, and recreation (NAICS 71), all legal forms, US states by nonemployer businesses: arts, entertainment and recreation, 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-arts-entertainment/us-states?period=2015. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2017. 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, 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-arts-entertainment/us-states?period=2015.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2017) 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, 2015 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2015/historical-datasets/, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-arts-entertainment/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), arts, entertainment, and recreation (NAICS 71), all legal forms: US states by nonemployer businesses: arts, entertainment and recreation, 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-arts-entertainment/us-states?period=2015. 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/2015/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, 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-arts-entertainment/us-states?period=2015
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-arts-entertainment/us-states?period=2015.
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/2015/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 210,277 in 2015, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

North Dakota, with 2,372 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), arts, entertainment, and recreation (NAICS 71), all legal forms. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

US states: more rankings