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 2019, at 233,994. North Dakota had the lowest, at 2,932. The median was 18,676 and the figure for the United States was 1.56 million. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest233,994California
Lowest2,932North Dakota
Median18,67651 states
United States1,563,262History

Map of states, 2019

Alabama: 14,798 countAlaska: 3,706 countArizona: 29,129 countArkansas: 8,377 countCalifornia: 233,994 countColorado: 34,614 countConnecticut: 18,676 countDelaware: 4,247 countDistrict of Columbia: 5,557 countFlorida: 103,187 countGeorgia: 49,289 countHawaii: 7,475 countIdaho: 7,345 countIllinois: 55,191 countIndiana: 23,187 countIowa: 11,180 countKansas: 11,062 countKentucky: 14,768 countLouisiana: 18,222 countMaine: 8,123 countMaryland: 31,004 countMassachusetts: 40,724 countMichigan: 40,472 countMinnesota: 32,730 countMississippi: 8,039 countMissouri: 23,684 countMontana: 6,228 countNebraska: 7,435 countNevada: 19,080 countNew Hampshire: 7,126 countNew Jersey: 42,204 countNew Mexico: 10,130 countNew York: 140,652 countNorth Carolina: 44,920 countNorth Dakota: 2,932 countOhio: 46,403 countOklahoma: 13,377 countOregon: 24,619 countPennsylvania: 53,062 countRhode Island: 6,077 countSouth Carolina: 19,637 countSouth Dakota: 4,183 countTennessee: 38,745 countTexas: 112,681 countUtah: 15,327 countVermont: 5,103 countVirginia: 37,921 countWashington: 35,185 countWest Virginia: 4,720 countWisconsin: 23,546 countWyoming: 3,189 count
  • Under 6,000
  • 6,000 to 10K
  • 10K to 19K
  • 19K to 32K
  • 32K to 44K
  • 44K and over
count, 2019. 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, 2019

California: 233,994 countCalifornia233,994New York: 140,652 countNew York140,652Texas: 112,681 countTexas112,681Florida: 103,187 countFlorida103,187Illinois: 55,191 countIllinois55,191Pennsylvania: 53,062 countPennsylvania53,062Georgia: 49,289 countGeorgia49,289Ohio: 46,403 countOhio46,403North Carolina: 44,920 countNorth Carolina44,920New Jersey: 42,204 countNew Jersey42,204Massachusetts: 40,724 countMassachusetts40,724Michigan: 40,472 countMichigan40,472Tennessee: 38,745 countTennessee38,745Virginia: 37,921 countVirginia37,921Washington: 35,185 countWashington35,185Colorado: 34,614 countColorado34,614Minnesota: 32,730 countMinnesota32,730Maryland: 31,004 countMaryland31,004Arizona: 29,129 countArizona29,129Oregon: 24,619 countOregon24,619Missouri: 23,684 countMissouri23,684Wisconsin: 23,546 countWisconsin23,546Indiana: 23,187 countIndiana23,187South Carolina: 19,637 countSouth Carolina19,637Nevada: 19,080 countNevada19,080Connecticut: 18,676 countConnecticut18,676Louisiana: 18,222 countLouisiana18,222Utah: 15,327 countUtah15,327Alabama: 14,798 countAlabama14,798Kentucky: 14,768 countKentucky14,768Oklahoma: 13,377 countOklahoma13,377Iowa: 11,180 countIowa11,180Kansas: 11,062 countKansas11,062New Mexico: 10,130 countNew Mexico10,130Arkansas: 8,377 countArkansas8,377Maine: 8,123 countMaine8,123Mississippi: 8,039 countMississippi8,039Hawaii: 7,475 countHawaii7,475Nebraska: 7,435 countNebraska7,435Idaho: 7,345 countIdaho7,345New Hampshire: 7,126 countNew Hampshire7,126Montana: 6,228 countMontana6,228Rhode Island: 6,077 countRhode Island6,077District of Columbia: 5,557 countDistrict of Columbia5,557Vermont: 5,103 countVermont5,103West Virginia: 4,720 countWest Virginia4,720Delaware: 4,247 countDelaware4,247South Dakota: 4,183 countSouth Dakota4,183Alaska: 3,706 countAlaska3,706Wyoming: 3,189 countWyoming3,189North Dakota: 2,932 countNorth Dakota2,932California: 233,994 countCalifornia233,994New York: 140,652 countNew York140,652Texas: 112,681 countTexas112,681Florida: 103,187 countFlorida103,187Illinois: 55,191 countIllinois55,191Pennsylvania: 53,062 countPennsylvania53,062Georgia: 49,289 countGeorgia49,289Ohio: 46,403 countOhio46,403North Carolina: 44,920 countNorth Carolina44,920New Jersey: 42,204 countNew Jersey42,204Massachusetts: 40,724 countMassachusetts40,724Michigan: 40,472 countMichigan40,472Tennessee: 38,745 countTennessee38,745Virginia: 37,921 countVirginia37,921Washington: 35,185 countWashington35,185Colorado: 34,614 countColorado34,614Minnesota: 32,730 countMinnesota32,730Maryland: 31,004 countMaryland31,004Arizona: 29,129 countArizona29,129Oregon: 24,619 countOregon24,619Missouri: 23,684 countMissouri23,684Wisconsin: 23,546 countWisconsin23,546Indiana: 23,187 countIndiana23,187South Carolina: 19,637 countSouth Carolina19,637Nevada: 19,080 countNevada19,080Connecticut: 18,676 countConnecticut18,676Louisiana: 18,222 countLouisiana18,222Utah: 15,327 countUtah15,327Alabama: 14,798 countAlabama14,798Kentucky: 14,768 countKentucky14,768Oklahoma: 13,377 countOklahoma13,377Iowa: 11,180 countIowa11,180Kansas: 11,062 countKansas11,062New Mexico: 10,130 countNew Mexico10,130Arkansas: 8,377 countArkansas8,377Maine: 8,123 countMaine8,123Mississippi: 8,039 countMississippi8,039Hawaii: 7,475 countHawaii7,475Nebraska: 7,435 countNebraska7,435Idaho: 7,345 countIdaho7,345New Hampshire: 7,126 countNew Hampshire7,126Montana: 6,228 countMontana6,228Rhode Island: 6,077 countRhode Island6,077District of Columbia: 5,557 countDistrict of Columbia5,557Vermont: 5,103 countVermont5,103West Virginia: 4,720 countWest Virginia4,720Delaware: 4,247 countDelaware4,247South Dakota: 4,183 countSouth Dakota4,183Alaska: 3,706 countAlaska3,706Wyoming: 3,189 countWyoming3,189North Dakota: 2,932 countNorth Dakota2,932
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

RankStates2019
count		Change on 2018
1California233,994+0.8%
2New York140,652-2.1%
3Texas112,681+6.9%
4Florida103,187+6%
5Illinois55,191+0.8%
6Pennsylvania53,062+2.7%
7Georgia49,289+6.3%
8Ohio46,403+3.5%
9North Carolina44,920+5.8%
10New Jersey42,204+2.8%
11Massachusetts40,724+2.8%
12Michigan40,472+2.7%
13Tennessee38,745+5.9%
14Virginia37,921+3.8%
15Washington35,185+4.4%
16Colorado34,614+4.9%
17Minnesota32,730+1.3%
18Maryland31,004+2.6%
19Arizona29,129+8%
20Oregon24,619+4.3%
21Missouri23,684+2.2%
22Wisconsin23,546+2.6%
23Indiana23,187+2.3%
24South Carolina19,637+6.9%
25Nevada19,080+7.6%
26Connecticut18,676+3.6%
27Louisiana18,222+5.3%
28Utah15,327+5.9%
29Alabama14,798+6.3%
30Kentucky14,768+4.5%
31Oklahoma13,377+5.5%
32Iowa11,180+3%
33Kansas11,062+2.5%
34New Mexico10,130+7.1%
35Arkansas8,377+5.7%
36Maine8,123+5.1%
37Mississippi8,039+6.9%
38Hawaii7,475+7.6%
39Nebraska7,435+4.4%
40Idaho7,345+7.1%
41New Hampshire7,126+1.8%
42Montana6,228+4.9%
43Rhode Island6,077+5.9%
44District of Columbia5,557-1.1%
45Vermont5,103+3.9%
46West Virginia4,720+3.5%
47Delaware4,247+6.4%
48South Dakota4,183+0.1%
49Alaska3,706+2.8%
50Wyoming3,189+5.4%
51North Dakota2,932+1.5%

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/2019/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, 2019) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2019/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, 2019. U.S. Census Bureau, 8 Oct. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2019/historical-datasets/. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-arts-entertainment/us-states?period=2019. 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, 2019. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2019/historical-datasets/. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-arts-entertainment/us-states?period=2019.

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, 2019 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2019/historical-datasets/, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-arts-entertainment/us-states?period=2019 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_us_states_by_nonemployer_2019,
  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, 2019}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2019/historical-datasets/},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-arts-entertainment/us-states?period=2019. 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/2019/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, 2019
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/08
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2019/historical-datasets/
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-arts-entertainment/us-states?period=2019
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-arts-entertainment/us-states?period=2019.
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/2019/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 233,994 in 2019, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

North Dakota, with 2,932 in 2019.

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