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 2017, at 221,330. North Dakota had the lowest, at 2,645. The median was 16,684 and the figure for the United States was 1.44 million. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest221,330California
Lowest2,645North Dakota
Median16,68451 states
United States1,436,152History

Map of states, 2017

Alabama: 12,940 countAlaska: 3,498 countArizona: 25,252 countArkansas: 7,414 countCalifornia: 221,330 countColorado: 31,354 countConnecticut: 17,348 countDelaware: 3,780 countDistrict of Columbia: 5,354 countFlorida: 90,671 countGeorgia: 43,576 countHawaii: 6,727 countIdaho: 6,250 countIllinois: 52,379 countIndiana: 21,199 countIowa: 10,349 countKansas: 10,420 countKentucky: 13,438 countLouisiana: 16,585 countMaine: 7,424 countMaryland: 29,031 countMassachusetts: 37,937 countMichigan: 37,620 countMinnesota: 30,968 countMississippi: 7,136 countMissouri: 21,925 countMontana: 5,542 countNebraska: 6,878 countNevada: 16,684 countNew Hampshire: 6,771 countNew Jersey: 38,853 countNew Mexico: 9,208 countNew York: 137,105 countNorth Carolina: 40,573 countNorth Dakota: 2,645 countOhio: 42,404 countOklahoma: 11,875 countOregon: 22,253 countPennsylvania: 49,419 countRhode Island: 5,355 countSouth Carolina: 17,279 countSouth Dakota: 3,860 countTennessee: 34,458 countTexas: 98,383 countUtah: 13,383 countVermont: 4,730 countVirginia: 35,025 countWashington: 32,354 countWest Virginia: 4,338 countWisconsin: 21,968 countWyoming: 2,904 count
  • Under 5,000
  • 5,000 to 9,000
  • 9,000 to 17K
  • 17K to 30K
  • 30K to 40K
  • 40K and over
count, 2017. 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, 2017

California: 221,330 countCalifornia221,330New York: 137,105 countNew York137,105Texas: 98,383 countTexas98,383Florida: 90,671 countFlorida90,671Illinois: 52,379 countIllinois52,379Pennsylvania: 49,419 countPennsylvania49,419Georgia: 43,576 countGeorgia43,576Ohio: 42,404 countOhio42,404North Carolina: 40,573 countNorth Carolina40,573New Jersey: 38,853 countNew Jersey38,853Massachusetts: 37,937 countMassachusetts37,937Michigan: 37,620 countMichigan37,620Virginia: 35,025 countVirginia35,025Tennessee: 34,458 countTennessee34,458Washington: 32,354 countWashington32,354Colorado: 31,354 countColorado31,354Minnesota: 30,968 countMinnesota30,968Maryland: 29,031 countMaryland29,031Arizona: 25,252 countArizona25,252Oregon: 22,253 countOregon22,253Wisconsin: 21,968 countWisconsin21,968Missouri: 21,925 countMissouri21,925Indiana: 21,199 countIndiana21,199Connecticut: 17,348 countConnecticut17,348South Carolina: 17,279 countSouth Carolina17,279Nevada: 16,684 countNevada16,684Louisiana: 16,585 countLouisiana16,585Kentucky: 13,438 countKentucky13,438Utah: 13,383 countUtah13,383Alabama: 12,940 countAlabama12,940Oklahoma: 11,875 countOklahoma11,875Kansas: 10,420 countKansas10,420Iowa: 10,349 countIowa10,349New Mexico: 9,208 countNew Mexico9,208Maine: 7,424 countMaine7,424Arkansas: 7,414 countArkansas7,414Mississippi: 7,136 countMississippi7,136Nebraska: 6,878 countNebraska6,878New Hampshire: 6,771 countNew Hampshire6,771Hawaii: 6,727 countHawaii6,727Idaho: 6,250 countIdaho6,250Montana: 5,542 countMontana5,542Rhode Island: 5,355 countRhode Island5,355District of Columbia: 5,354 countDistrict of Columbia5,354Vermont: 4,730 countVermont4,730West Virginia: 4,338 countWest Virginia4,338South Dakota: 3,860 countSouth Dakota3,860Delaware: 3,780 countDelaware3,780Alaska: 3,498 countAlaska3,498Wyoming: 2,904 countWyoming2,904North Dakota: 2,645 countNorth Dakota2,645California: 221,330 countCalifornia221,330New York: 137,105 countNew York137,105Texas: 98,383 countTexas98,383Florida: 90,671 countFlorida90,671Illinois: 52,379 countIllinois52,379Pennsylvania: 49,419 countPennsylvania49,419Georgia: 43,576 countGeorgia43,576Ohio: 42,404 countOhio42,404North Carolina: 40,573 countNorth Carolina40,573New Jersey: 38,853 countNew Jersey38,853Massachusetts: 37,937 countMassachusetts37,937Michigan: 37,620 countMichigan37,620Virginia: 35,025 countVirginia35,025Tennessee: 34,458 countTennessee34,458Washington: 32,354 countWashington32,354Colorado: 31,354 countColorado31,354Minnesota: 30,968 countMinnesota30,968Maryland: 29,031 countMaryland29,031Arizona: 25,252 countArizona25,252Oregon: 22,253 countOregon22,253Wisconsin: 21,968 countWisconsin21,968Missouri: 21,925 countMissouri21,925Indiana: 21,199 countIndiana21,199Connecticut: 17,348 countConnecticut17,348South Carolina: 17,279 countSouth Carolina17,279Nevada: 16,684 countNevada16,684Louisiana: 16,585 countLouisiana16,585Kentucky: 13,438 countKentucky13,438Utah: 13,383 countUtah13,383Alabama: 12,940 countAlabama12,940Oklahoma: 11,875 countOklahoma11,875Kansas: 10,420 countKansas10,420Iowa: 10,349 countIowa10,349New Mexico: 9,208 countNew Mexico9,208Maine: 7,424 countMaine7,424Arkansas: 7,414 countArkansas7,414Mississippi: 7,136 countMississippi7,136Nebraska: 6,878 countNebraska6,878New Hampshire: 6,771 countNew Hampshire6,771Hawaii: 6,727 countHawaii6,727Idaho: 6,250 countIdaho6,250Montana: 5,542 countMontana5,542Rhode Island: 5,355 countRhode Island5,355District of Columbia: 5,354 countDistrict of Columbia5,354Vermont: 4,730 countVermont4,730West Virginia: 4,338 countWest Virginia4,338South Dakota: 3,860 countSouth Dakota3,860Delaware: 3,780 countDelaware3,780Alaska: 3,498 countAlaska3,498Wyoming: 2,904 countWyoming2,904North Dakota: 2,645 countNorth Dakota2,645
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

RankStates2017
count		Change on 2016
1California221,330+2.7%
2New York137,105+1.5%
3Texas98,383+5.6%
4Florida90,671+7.4%
5Illinois52,379+3%
6Pennsylvania49,419+3.5%
7Georgia43,576+5%
8Ohio42,404+4.7%
9North Carolina40,573+4.3%
10New Jersey38,853+2.8%
11Massachusetts37,937+5%
12Michigan37,620+4.7%
13Virginia35,025+5.4%
14Tennessee34,458+5%
15Washington32,354+5%
16Colorado31,354+5.4%
17Minnesota30,968+3.8%
18Maryland29,031+2.7%
19Arizona25,252+3.3%
20Oregon22,253+3.3%
21Wisconsin21,968+4.7%
22Missouri21,925+2.3%
23Indiana21,199+3.6%
24Connecticut17,348+1.4%
25South Carolina17,279+4.5%
26Nevada16,684+2.2%
27Louisiana16,585+3.2%
28Kentucky13,438+3.8%
29Utah13,383+4%
30Alabama12,940+2.7%
31Oklahoma11,875+2%
32Kansas10,420+4.1%
33Iowa10,349+4.5%
34New Mexico9,208+4.2%
35Maine7,424+1%
36Arkansas7,414+5.6%
37Mississippi7,136+3.2%
38Nebraska6,878+4.8%
39New Hampshire6,771+4.5%
40Hawaii6,727+1.3%
41Idaho6,250+2.9%
42Montana5,542+2.3%
43Rhode Island5,355+4%
44District of Columbia5,354+3.2%
45Vermont4,730+3.9%
46West Virginia4,338-0.6%
47South Dakota3,860+5.9%
48Delaware3,780+3.7%
49Alaska3,498+0.9%
50Wyoming2,904+2.7%
51North Dakota2,645+8.6%

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/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), arts, entertainment, and recreation (NAICS 71), all legal forms (US states by nonemployer businesses: arts, entertainment and recreation, 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), arts, entertainment, and recreation (NAICS 71), all legal forms, US states by nonemployer businesses: arts, entertainment and recreation, 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-arts-entertainment/us-states?period=2017. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2019. 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, 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-arts-entertainment/us-states?period=2017.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2019) 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, 2017 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2017/historical-datasets/, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-arts-entertainment/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), arts, entertainment, and recreation (NAICS 71), all legal forms: US states by nonemployer businesses: arts, entertainment and recreation, 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-arts-entertainment/us-states?period=2017. 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/2017/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, 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-arts-entertainment/us-states?period=2017
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-arts-entertainment/us-states?period=2017.
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/2017/historical-datasets/. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
Embed this chart

Paste this code into a web page or a blog post. The chart shows the latest figures as they are published, with the source and a link back to this page.

Sites that read oEmbed links, such as WordPress, can show the chart when you paste the link to this page.

Use this data in your AI agent

Invokely serves this figure to AI assistants through MCP and to code through a REST API, with the source and citation attached. Ask your assistant:

Rank US states by nonemployer businesses: arts, entertainment and recreation using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"nonemployer_establishments_arts_entertainment","level":"region","within":"United States","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=nonemployer_establishments_arts_entertainment&level=region&within=United%20States&limit=10

Connect Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor in one step. The trial answers 25 calls a day without an account.

Questions

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

California, with 221,330 in 2017, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

North Dakota, with 2,645 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), arts, entertainment, and recreation (NAICS 71), all legal forms. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

US states: more rankings