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 2021, at 211,769. North Dakota had the lowest, at 2,971. The median was 17,789 and the figure for the United States was 1.51 million. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest211,769California
Lowest2,971North Dakota
Median17,78951 states
United States1,513,589History

Map of states, 2021

Alabama: 15,021 countAlaska: 3,398 countArizona: 28,619 countArkansas: 8,554 countCalifornia: 211,769 countColorado: 34,152 countConnecticut: 17,789 countDelaware: 4,165 countDistrict of Columbia: 4,931 countFlorida: 105,925 countGeorgia: 52,160 countHawaii: 6,445 countIdaho: 7,498 countIllinois: 54,385 countIndiana: 23,028 countIowa: 11,259 countKansas: 10,901 countKentucky: 14,828 countLouisiana: 17,157 countMaine: 8,027 countMaryland: 29,699 countMassachusetts: 37,864 countMichigan: 39,180 countMinnesota: 30,408 countMississippi: 8,065 countMissouri: 23,928 countMontana: 6,352 countNebraska: 7,556 countNevada: 18,341 countNew Hampshire: 7,008 countNew Jersey: 39,730 countNew Mexico: 9,406 countNew York: 129,631 countNorth Carolina: 44,161 countNorth Dakota: 2,971 countOhio: 45,792 countOklahoma: 13,577 countOregon: 23,039 countPennsylvania: 51,310 countRhode Island: 5,641 countSouth Carolina: 20,007 countSouth Dakota: 4,328 countTennessee: 39,918 countTexas: 113,938 countUtah: 15,960 countVermont: 4,907 countVirginia: 37,625 countWashington: 32,378 countWest Virginia: 4,653 countWisconsin: 22,968 countWyoming: 3,237 count
  • Under 6,000
  • 6,000 to 9,000
  • 9,000 to 18K
  • 18K to 30K
  • 30K to 43K
  • 43K and over
count, 2021. 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, 2021

California: 211,769 countCalifornia211,769New York: 129,631 countNew York129,631Texas: 113,938 countTexas113,938Florida: 105,925 countFlorida105,925Illinois: 54,385 countIllinois54,385Georgia: 52,160 countGeorgia52,160Pennsylvania: 51,310 countPennsylvania51,310Ohio: 45,792 countOhio45,792North Carolina: 44,161 countNorth Carolina44,161Tennessee: 39,918 countTennessee39,918New Jersey: 39,730 countNew Jersey39,730Michigan: 39,180 countMichigan39,180Massachusetts: 37,864 countMassachusetts37,864Virginia: 37,625 countVirginia37,625Colorado: 34,152 countColorado34,152Washington: 32,378 countWashington32,378Minnesota: 30,408 countMinnesota30,408Maryland: 29,699 countMaryland29,699Arizona: 28,619 countArizona28,619Missouri: 23,928 countMissouri23,928Oregon: 23,039 countOregon23,039Indiana: 23,028 countIndiana23,028Wisconsin: 22,968 countWisconsin22,968South Carolina: 20,007 countSouth Carolina20,007Nevada: 18,341 countNevada18,341Connecticut: 17,789 countConnecticut17,789Louisiana: 17,157 countLouisiana17,157Utah: 15,960 countUtah15,960Alabama: 15,021 countAlabama15,021Kentucky: 14,828 countKentucky14,828Oklahoma: 13,577 countOklahoma13,577Iowa: 11,259 countIowa11,259Kansas: 10,901 countKansas10,901New Mexico: 9,406 countNew Mexico9,406Arkansas: 8,554 countArkansas8,554Mississippi: 8,065 countMississippi8,065Maine: 8,027 countMaine8,027Nebraska: 7,556 countNebraska7,556Idaho: 7,498 countIdaho7,498New Hampshire: 7,008 countNew Hampshire7,008Hawaii: 6,445 countHawaii6,445Montana: 6,352 countMontana6,352Rhode Island: 5,641 countRhode Island5,641District of Columbia: 4,931 countDistrict of Columbia4,931Vermont: 4,907 countVermont4,907West Virginia: 4,653 countWest Virginia4,653South Dakota: 4,328 countSouth Dakota4,328Delaware: 4,165 countDelaware4,165Alaska: 3,398 countAlaska3,398Wyoming: 3,237 countWyoming3,237North Dakota: 2,971 countNorth Dakota2,971California: 211,769 countCalifornia211,769New York: 129,631 countNew York129,631Texas: 113,938 countTexas113,938Florida: 105,925 countFlorida105,925Illinois: 54,385 countIllinois54,385Georgia: 52,160 countGeorgia52,160Pennsylvania: 51,310 countPennsylvania51,310Ohio: 45,792 countOhio45,792North Carolina: 44,161 countNorth Carolina44,161Tennessee: 39,918 countTennessee39,918New Jersey: 39,730 countNew Jersey39,730Michigan: 39,180 countMichigan39,180Massachusetts: 37,864 countMassachusetts37,864Virginia: 37,625 countVirginia37,625Colorado: 34,152 countColorado34,152Washington: 32,378 countWashington32,378Minnesota: 30,408 countMinnesota30,408Maryland: 29,699 countMaryland29,699Arizona: 28,619 countArizona28,619Missouri: 23,928 countMissouri23,928Oregon: 23,039 countOregon23,039Indiana: 23,028 countIndiana23,028Wisconsin: 22,968 countWisconsin22,968South Carolina: 20,007 countSouth Carolina20,007Nevada: 18,341 countNevada18,341Connecticut: 17,789 countConnecticut17,789Louisiana: 17,157 countLouisiana17,157Utah: 15,960 countUtah15,960Alabama: 15,021 countAlabama15,021Kentucky: 14,828 countKentucky14,828Oklahoma: 13,577 countOklahoma13,577Iowa: 11,259 countIowa11,259Kansas: 10,901 countKansas10,901New Mexico: 9,406 countNew Mexico9,406Arkansas: 8,554 countArkansas8,554Mississippi: 8,065 countMississippi8,065Maine: 8,027 countMaine8,027Nebraska: 7,556 countNebraska7,556Idaho: 7,498 countIdaho7,498New Hampshire: 7,008 countNew Hampshire7,008Hawaii: 6,445 countHawaii6,445Montana: 6,352 countMontana6,352Rhode Island: 5,641 countRhode Island5,641District of Columbia: 4,931 countDistrict of Columbia4,931Vermont: 4,907 countVermont4,907West Virginia: 4,653 countWest Virginia4,653South Dakota: 4,328 countSouth Dakota4,328Delaware: 4,165 countDelaware4,165Alaska: 3,398 countAlaska3,398Wyoming: 3,237 countWyoming3,237North Dakota: 2,971 countNorth Dakota2,971
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

RankStates2021
count		Change on 2020
1California211,769+6.9%
2New York129,631+9.5%
3Texas113,938+13.9%
4Florida105,925+8.4%
5Illinois54,385+16.9%
6Georgia52,160+13.5%
7Pennsylvania51,310+16.8%
8Ohio45,792+19.4%
9North Carolina44,161+15.8%
10Tennessee39,918+13.2%
11New Jersey39,730+11.2%
12Michigan39,180+16.9%
13Massachusetts37,864+15.9%
14Virginia37,625+17.2%
15Colorado34,152+17.2%
16Washington32,378+14.7%
17Minnesota30,408+18.5%
18Maryland29,699+16.2%
19Arizona28,619+10.3%
20Missouri23,928+17.2%
21Oregon23,039+11%
22Indiana23,028+18.5%
23Wisconsin22,968+20.3%
24South Carolina20,007+16.5%
25Nevada18,341+10.8%
26Connecticut17,789+13.3%
27Louisiana17,157+10.6%
28Utah15,960+13.6%
29Alabama15,021+14.8%
30Kentucky14,828+19%
31Oklahoma13,577+13.6%
32Iowa11,259+19.5%
33Kansas10,901+17.5%
34New Mexico9,406+15.4%
35Arkansas8,554+15.9%
36Mississippi8,065+13.9%
37Maine8,027+17%
38Nebraska7,556+19%
39Idaho7,498+14.5%
40New Hampshire7,008+16.3%
41Hawaii6,445+7.4%
42Montana6,352+14.2%
43Rhode Island5,641+16.6%
44District of Columbia4,931+5.6%
45Vermont4,907+11.9%
46West Virginia4,653+20.1%
47South Dakota4,328+16.3%
48Delaware4,165+15%
49Alaska3,398+11.6%
50Wyoming3,237+13.5%
51North Dakota2,971+22.7%

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/2021/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. (2024). 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, 2021) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2021/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, 2021. U.S. Census Bureau, 14 Mar. 2024, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2021/historical-datasets/. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-arts-entertainment/us-states?period=2021. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2024. 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, 2021. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2021/historical-datasets/. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-arts-entertainment/us-states?period=2021.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2024) 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, 2021 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2021/historical-datasets/, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-arts-entertainment/us-states?period=2021 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_us_states_by_nonemployer_2021,
  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, 2021}},
  year = {2024},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2021/historical-datasets/},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-arts-entertainment/us-states?period=2021. 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/2021/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, 2021
PY  - 2024
DA  - 2024/03/14
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2021/historical-datasets/
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-arts-entertainment/us-states?period=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-arts-entertainment/us-states?period=2021.
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/2021/historical-datasets/. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Rank US states by nonemployer businesses: arts, entertainment and recreation using official data, and cite the source.
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Questions

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

California, with 211,769 in 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

North Dakota, with 2,971 in 2021.

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