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 2016, at 215,558. North Dakota had the lowest, at 2,435. The median was 16,332 and the figure for the United States was 1.38 million. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest215,558California
Lowest2,435North Dakota
Median16,33251 states
United States1,383,841History

Map of states, 2016

Alabama: 12,601 countAlaska: 3,466 countArizona: 24,449 countArkansas: 7,021 countCalifornia: 215,558 countColorado: 29,745 countConnecticut: 17,111 countDelaware: 3,645 countDistrict of Columbia: 5,187 countFlorida: 84,437 countGeorgia: 41,492 countHawaii: 6,639 countIdaho: 6,072 countIllinois: 50,875 countIndiana: 20,472 countIowa: 9,899 countKansas: 10,012 countKentucky: 12,941 countLouisiana: 16,067 countMaine: 7,349 countMaryland: 28,279 countMassachusetts: 36,127 countMichigan: 35,939 countMinnesota: 29,833 countMississippi: 6,914 countMissouri: 21,438 countMontana: 5,418 countNebraska: 6,561 countNevada: 16,332 countNew Hampshire: 6,482 countNew Jersey: 37,805 countNew Mexico: 8,840 countNew York: 135,145 countNorth Carolina: 38,892 countNorth Dakota: 2,435 countOhio: 40,503 countOklahoma: 11,637 countOregon: 21,539 countPennsylvania: 47,742 countRhode Island: 5,149 countSouth Carolina: 16,535 countSouth Dakota: 3,646 countTennessee: 32,821 countTexas: 93,153 countUtah: 12,866 countVermont: 4,554 countVirginia: 33,226 countWashington: 30,823 countWest Virginia: 4,365 countWisconsin: 20,976 countWyoming: 2,828 count
  • Under 5,000
  • 5,000 to 8,000
  • 8,000 to 16K
  • 16K to 29K
  • 29K to 39K
  • 39K and over
count, 2016. 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, 2016

California: 215,558 countCalifornia215,558New York: 135,145 countNew York135,145Texas: 93,153 countTexas93,153Florida: 84,437 countFlorida84,437Illinois: 50,875 countIllinois50,875Pennsylvania: 47,742 countPennsylvania47,742Georgia: 41,492 countGeorgia41,492Ohio: 40,503 countOhio40,503North Carolina: 38,892 countNorth Carolina38,892New Jersey: 37,805 countNew Jersey37,805Massachusetts: 36,127 countMassachusetts36,127Michigan: 35,939 countMichigan35,939Virginia: 33,226 countVirginia33,226Tennessee: 32,821 countTennessee32,821Washington: 30,823 countWashington30,823Minnesota: 29,833 countMinnesota29,833Colorado: 29,745 countColorado29,745Maryland: 28,279 countMaryland28,279Arizona: 24,449 countArizona24,449Oregon: 21,539 countOregon21,539Missouri: 21,438 countMissouri21,438Wisconsin: 20,976 countWisconsin20,976Indiana: 20,472 countIndiana20,472Connecticut: 17,111 countConnecticut17,111South Carolina: 16,535 countSouth Carolina16,535Nevada: 16,332 countNevada16,332Louisiana: 16,067 countLouisiana16,067Kentucky: 12,941 countKentucky12,941Utah: 12,866 countUtah12,866Alabama: 12,601 countAlabama12,601Oklahoma: 11,637 countOklahoma11,637Kansas: 10,012 countKansas10,012Iowa: 9,899 countIowa9,899New Mexico: 8,840 countNew Mexico8,840Maine: 7,349 countMaine7,349Arkansas: 7,021 countArkansas7,021Mississippi: 6,914 countMississippi6,914Hawaii: 6,639 countHawaii6,639Nebraska: 6,561 countNebraska6,561New Hampshire: 6,482 countNew Hampshire6,482Idaho: 6,072 countIdaho6,072Montana: 5,418 countMontana5,418District of Columbia: 5,187 countDistrict of Columbia5,187Rhode Island: 5,149 countRhode Island5,149Vermont: 4,554 countVermont4,554West Virginia: 4,365 countWest Virginia4,365South Dakota: 3,646 countSouth Dakota3,646Delaware: 3,645 countDelaware3,645Alaska: 3,466 countAlaska3,466Wyoming: 2,828 countWyoming2,828North Dakota: 2,435 countNorth Dakota2,435California: 215,558 countCalifornia215,558New York: 135,145 countNew York135,145Texas: 93,153 countTexas93,153Florida: 84,437 countFlorida84,437Illinois: 50,875 countIllinois50,875Pennsylvania: 47,742 countPennsylvania47,742Georgia: 41,492 countGeorgia41,492Ohio: 40,503 countOhio40,503North Carolina: 38,892 countNorth Carolina38,892New Jersey: 37,805 countNew Jersey37,805Massachusetts: 36,127 countMassachusetts36,127Michigan: 35,939 countMichigan35,939Virginia: 33,226 countVirginia33,226Tennessee: 32,821 countTennessee32,821Washington: 30,823 countWashington30,823Minnesota: 29,833 countMinnesota29,833Colorado: 29,745 countColorado29,745Maryland: 28,279 countMaryland28,279Arizona: 24,449 countArizona24,449Oregon: 21,539 countOregon21,539Missouri: 21,438 countMissouri21,438Wisconsin: 20,976 countWisconsin20,976Indiana: 20,472 countIndiana20,472Connecticut: 17,111 countConnecticut17,111South Carolina: 16,535 countSouth Carolina16,535Nevada: 16,332 countNevada16,332Louisiana: 16,067 countLouisiana16,067Kentucky: 12,941 countKentucky12,941Utah: 12,866 countUtah12,866Alabama: 12,601 countAlabama12,601Oklahoma: 11,637 countOklahoma11,637Kansas: 10,012 countKansas10,012Iowa: 9,899 countIowa9,899New Mexico: 8,840 countNew Mexico8,840Maine: 7,349 countMaine7,349Arkansas: 7,021 countArkansas7,021Mississippi: 6,914 countMississippi6,914Hawaii: 6,639 countHawaii6,639Nebraska: 6,561 countNebraska6,561New Hampshire: 6,482 countNew Hampshire6,482Idaho: 6,072 countIdaho6,072Montana: 5,418 countMontana5,418District of Columbia: 5,187 countDistrict of Columbia5,187Rhode Island: 5,149 countRhode Island5,149Vermont: 4,554 countVermont4,554West Virginia: 4,365 countWest Virginia4,365South Dakota: 3,646 countSouth Dakota3,646Delaware: 3,645 countDelaware3,645Alaska: 3,466 countAlaska3,466Wyoming: 2,828 countWyoming2,828North Dakota: 2,435 countNorth Dakota2,435
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

RankStates2016
count		Change on 2015
1California215,558+2.5%
2New York135,145+2.5%
3Texas93,153+4.1%
4Florida84,437-0.3%
5Illinois50,875+2.4%
6Pennsylvania47,742+3.8%
7Georgia41,492+4%
8Ohio40,503+3.4%
9North Carolina38,892+4.6%
10New Jersey37,805+2.9%
11Massachusetts36,127+3.5%
12Michigan35,939+3.3%
13Virginia33,226+3.5%
14Tennessee32,821+5.5%
15Washington30,823+3.6%
16Minnesota29,833+3.9%
17Colorado29,745+4.8%
18Maryland28,279+2%
19Arizona24,449+3.5%
20Oregon21,539+3.3%
21Missouri21,438+4.2%
22Wisconsin20,976+4%
23Indiana20,472+3.7%
24Connecticut17,111+3.3%
25South Carolina16,535+5.2%
26Nevada16,332+1.9%
27Louisiana16,067+3.6%
28Kentucky12,941+2.5%
29Utah12,866+5.6%
30Alabama12,601+5%
31Oklahoma11,637+5.6%
32Kansas10,012+4%
33Iowa9,899+2.7%
34New Mexico8,840+0.5%
35Maine7,349+5.6%
36Arkansas7,021+4.5%
37Mississippi6,914+5.7%
38Hawaii6,639+1.7%
39Nebraska6,561+1%
40New Hampshire6,482+2.2%
41Idaho6,072+5.9%
42Montana5,418+4.6%
43District of Columbia5,187+9.2%
44Rhode Island5,149+5%
45Vermont4,554+3.4%
46West Virginia4,365+1%
47South Dakota3,646+5.5%
48Delaware3,645+2.7%
49Alaska3,466-0.7%
50Wyoming2,828+2.4%
51North Dakota2,435+2.7%

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/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), arts, entertainment, and recreation (NAICS 71), all legal forms (US states by nonemployer businesses: arts, entertainment and recreation, 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), arts, entertainment, and recreation (NAICS 71), all legal forms, US states by nonemployer businesses: arts, entertainment and recreation, 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-arts-entertainment/us-states?period=2016. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2018. 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, 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-arts-entertainment/us-states?period=2016.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2018) 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, 2016 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2016/historical-datasets/, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-arts-entertainment/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), arts, entertainment, and recreation (NAICS 71), all legal forms: US states by nonemployer businesses: arts, entertainment and recreation, 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-arts-entertainment/us-states?period=2016. 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/2016/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, 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-arts-entertainment/us-states?period=2016
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-arts-entertainment/us-states?period=2016.
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/2016/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 215,558 in 2016, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

North Dakota, with 2,435 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), arts, entertainment, and recreation (NAICS 71), all legal forms. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

US states: more rankings