Data / Rankings / Nonemployer businesses: construction / US states

US states by nonemployer businesses: construction

Texas had the highest nonemployer businesses: construction of 51 states in 2016, at 288,107. District of Columbia had the lowest, at 2,020. The median was 36,752 and the figure for the United States was 2.47 million. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest288,107Texas
Lowest2,020District of Columbia
Median36,75251 states
United States2,471,026History

Map of states, 2016

Alabama: 40,258 countAlaska: 4,543 countArizona: 39,010 countArkansas: 28,645 countCalifornia: 221,871 countColorado: 55,552 countConnecticut: 31,177 countDelaware: 6,119 countDistrict of Columbia: 2,020 countFlorida: 181,203 countGeorgia: 97,011 countHawaii: 7,865 countIdaho: 14,428 countIllinois: 92,110 countIndiana: 47,928 countIowa: 26,182 countKansas: 20,662 countKentucky: 38,907 countLouisiana: 38,661 countMaine: 17,362 countMaryland: 42,560 countMassachusetts: 56,783 countMichigan: 77,549 countMinnesota: 39,659 countMississippi: 28,433 countMissouri: 50,878 countMontana: 12,495 countNebraska: 15,558 countNevada: 11,369 countNew Hampshire: 16,378 countNew Jersey: 55,150 countNew Mexico: 11,165 countNew York: 130,570 countNorth Carolina: 87,752 countNorth Dakota: 5,627 countOhio: 90,050 countOklahoma: 36,752 countOregon: 21,486 countPennsylvania: 93,241 countRhode Island: 8,374 countSouth Carolina: 37,335 countSouth Dakota: 7,478 countTennessee: 62,798 countTexas: 288,107 countUtah: 17,458 countVermont: 8,963 countVirginia: 60,599 countWashington: 32,263 countWest Virginia: 9,297 countWisconsin: 38,484 countWyoming: 4,901 count
  • Under 9,000
  • 9,000 to 17K
  • 17K to 37K
  • 37K to 44K
  • 44K to 84K
  • 84K and over
count, 2016. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), construction (NAICS 23), all legal forms. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All states, 2016

Texas: 288,107 countTexas288,107California: 221,871 countCalifornia221,871Florida: 181,203 countFlorida181,203New York: 130,570 countNew York130,570Georgia: 97,011 countGeorgia97,011Pennsylvania: 93,241 countPennsylvania93,241Illinois: 92,110 countIllinois92,110Ohio: 90,050 countOhio90,050North Carolina: 87,752 countNorth Carolina87,752Michigan: 77,549 countMichigan77,549Tennessee: 62,798 countTennessee62,798Virginia: 60,599 countVirginia60,599Massachusetts: 56,783 countMassachusetts56,783Colorado: 55,552 countColorado55,552New Jersey: 55,150 countNew Jersey55,150Missouri: 50,878 countMissouri50,878Indiana: 47,928 countIndiana47,928Maryland: 42,560 countMaryland42,560Alabama: 40,258 countAlabama40,258Minnesota: 39,659 countMinnesota39,659Arizona: 39,010 countArizona39,010Kentucky: 38,907 countKentucky38,907Louisiana: 38,661 countLouisiana38,661Wisconsin: 38,484 countWisconsin38,484South Carolina: 37,335 countSouth Carolina37,335Oklahoma: 36,752 countOklahoma36,752Washington: 32,263 countWashington32,263Connecticut: 31,177 countConnecticut31,177Arkansas: 28,645 countArkansas28,645Mississippi: 28,433 countMississippi28,433Iowa: 26,182 countIowa26,182Oregon: 21,486 countOregon21,486Kansas: 20,662 countKansas20,662Utah: 17,458 countUtah17,458Maine: 17,362 countMaine17,362New Hampshire: 16,378 countNew Hampshire16,378Nebraska: 15,558 countNebraska15,558Idaho: 14,428 countIdaho14,428Montana: 12,495 countMontana12,495Nevada: 11,369 countNevada11,369New Mexico: 11,165 countNew Mexico11,165West Virginia: 9,297 countWest Virginia9,297Vermont: 8,963 countVermont8,963Rhode Island: 8,374 countRhode Island8,374Hawaii: 7,865 countHawaii7,865South Dakota: 7,478 countSouth Dakota7,478Delaware: 6,119 countDelaware6,119North Dakota: 5,627 countNorth Dakota5,627Wyoming: 4,901 countWyoming4,901Alaska: 4,543 countAlaska4,543District of Columbia: 2,020 countDistrict of Columbia2,020Texas: 288,107 countTexas288,107California: 221,871 countCalifornia221,871Florida: 181,203 countFlorida181,203New York: 130,570 countNew York130,570Georgia: 97,011 countGeorgia97,011Pennsylvania: 93,241 countPennsylvania93,241Illinois: 92,110 countIllinois92,110Ohio: 90,050 countOhio90,050North Carolina: 87,752 countNorth Carolina87,752Michigan: 77,549 countMichigan77,549Tennessee: 62,798 countTennessee62,798Virginia: 60,599 countVirginia60,599Massachusetts: 56,783 countMassachusetts56,783Colorado: 55,552 countColorado55,552New Jersey: 55,150 countNew Jersey55,150Missouri: 50,878 countMissouri50,878Indiana: 47,928 countIndiana47,928Maryland: 42,560 countMaryland42,560Alabama: 40,258 countAlabama40,258Minnesota: 39,659 countMinnesota39,659Arizona: 39,010 countArizona39,010Kentucky: 38,907 countKentucky38,907Louisiana: 38,661 countLouisiana38,661Wisconsin: 38,484 countWisconsin38,484South Carolina: 37,335 countSouth Carolina37,335Oklahoma: 36,752 countOklahoma36,752Washington: 32,263 countWashington32,263Connecticut: 31,177 countConnecticut31,177Arkansas: 28,645 countArkansas28,645Mississippi: 28,433 countMississippi28,433Iowa: 26,182 countIowa26,182Oregon: 21,486 countOregon21,486Kansas: 20,662 countKansas20,662Utah: 17,458 countUtah17,458Maine: 17,362 countMaine17,362New Hampshire: 16,378 countNew Hampshire16,378Nebraska: 15,558 countNebraska15,558Idaho: 14,428 countIdaho14,428Montana: 12,495 countMontana12,495Nevada: 11,369 countNevada11,369New Mexico: 11,165 countNew Mexico11,165West Virginia: 9,297 countWest Virginia9,297Vermont: 8,963 countVermont8,963Rhode Island: 8,374 countRhode Island8,374Hawaii: 7,865 countHawaii7,865South Dakota: 7,478 countSouth Dakota7,478Delaware: 6,119 countDelaware6,119North Dakota: 5,627 countNorth Dakota5,627Wyoming: 4,901 countWyoming4,901Alaska: 4,543 countAlaska4,543District of Columbia: 2,020 countDistrict of Columbia2,020
count. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), construction (NAICS 23), all legal forms. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankStates2016
count		Change on 2015
1Texas288,107+4.7%
2California221,871-0.1%
3Florida181,203+2.4%
4New York130,570+0.5%
5Georgia97,011+2.2%
6Pennsylvania93,241+0.3%
7Illinois92,110+0.6%
8Ohio90,050-0.2%
9North Carolina87,752+2.3%
10Michigan77,549+0.4%
11Tennessee62,798+2.1%
12Virginia60,599+1.7%
13Massachusetts56,783+0.1%
14Colorado55,552+3.6%
15New Jersey55,150+0.8%
16Missouri50,878+0.6%
17Indiana47,928+1.2%
18Maryland42,560+2.1%
19Alabama40,258+0.9%
20Minnesota39,659-0.6%
21Arizona39,010+4.3%
22Kentucky38,907+1.1%
23Louisiana38,661+5.1%
24Wisconsin38,484+0.1%
25South Carolina37,335+3.7%
26Oklahoma36,752+1.4%
27Washington32,263+4.4%
28Connecticut31,177-0.5%
29Arkansas28,645+2.8%
30Mississippi28,433+2%
31Iowa26,182+1.1%
32Oregon21,486+2.8%
33Kansas20,662+1.1%
34Utah17,458+2.5%
35Maine17,362+0.1%
36New Hampshire16,378-1.3%
37Nebraska15,558+1.3%
38Idaho14,428+3.9%
39Montana12,495+2.5%
40Nevada11,369+4.8%
41New Mexico11,165+0.9%
42West Virginia9,297+2.4%
43Vermont8,963-0.9%
44Rhode Island8,374-2.2%
45Hawaii7,865+0.6%
46South Dakota7,478+1%
47Delaware6,119+2.4%
48North Dakota5,627-0.6%
49Wyoming4,901+4.7%
50Alaska4,543+2.3%
51District of Columbia2,020-0.1%

Other periods

About this ranking

Number of businesses without paid employees in construction (NAICS 23), 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), construction (NAICS 23), 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), construction (NAICS 23), all legal forms (US states by nonemployer businesses: construction, 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), construction (NAICS 23), all legal forms, US states by nonemployer businesses: construction, 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-construction/us-states?period=2016. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2018. Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), construction (NAICS 23), all legal forms. US states by nonemployer businesses: construction, 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-construction/us-states?period=2016.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2018) Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), construction (NAICS 23), all legal forms, US states by nonemployer businesses: construction, 2016 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2016/historical-datasets/, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-construction/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), construction (NAICS 23), all legal forms: US states by nonemployer businesses: construction, 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-construction/us-states?period=2016. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), construction (NAICS 23), 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), construction (NAICS 23), all legal forms: US states by nonemployer businesses: construction, 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-construction/us-states?period=2016
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-construction/us-states?period=2016.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), construction (NAICS 23), 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: construction?

Texas, with 288,107 in 2016, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which state has the lowest nonemployer businesses: construction?

District of Columbia, with 2,020 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), construction (NAICS 23), all legal forms. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

US states: more rankings