Data / Rankings / Nonemployer businesses: construction / US states

US states by nonemployer businesses: construction

Texas had the highest nonemployer businesses: construction of 51 states in 2019, at 350,258. District of Columbia had the lowest, at 2,129. The median was 38,550 and the figure for the United States was 2.75 million. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest350,258Texas
Lowest2,129District of Columbia
Median38,55051 states
United States2,753,720History

Map of states, 2019

Alabama: 43,491 countAlaska: 4,501 countArizona: 46,900 countArkansas: 31,492 countCalifornia: 246,911 countColorado: 60,817 countConnecticut: 32,030 countDelaware: 6,694 countDistrict of Columbia: 2,129 countFlorida: 244,676 countGeorgia: 115,041 countHawaii: 9,172 countIdaho: 16,557 countIllinois: 92,380 countIndiana: 50,109 countIowa: 26,659 countKansas: 21,397 countKentucky: 41,360 countLouisiana: 41,816 countMaine: 17,601 countMaryland: 49,360 countMassachusetts: 58,073 countMichigan: 82,454 countMinnesota: 40,099 countMississippi: 30,182 countMissouri: 52,763 countMontana: 13,534 countNebraska: 16,223 countNevada: 14,221 countNew Hampshire: 15,833 countNew Jersey: 61,164 countNew Mexico: 12,542 countNew York: 138,940 countNorth Carolina: 99,048 countNorth Dakota: 5,595 countOhio: 94,822 countOklahoma: 38,550 countOregon: 22,861 countPennsylvania: 95,099 countRhode Island: 8,783 countSouth Carolina: 42,162 countSouth Dakota: 7,650 countTennessee: 68,724 countTexas: 350,258 countUtah: 19,809 countVermont: 8,662 countVirginia: 65,910 countWashington: 34,689 countWest Virginia: 9,197 countWisconsin: 39,678 countWyoming: 5,102 count
  • Under 9,000
  • 9,000 to 19K
  • 19K to 39K
  • 39K to 50K
  • 50K to 89K
  • 89K and over
count, 2019. 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, 2019

Texas: 350,258 countTexas350,258California: 246,911 countCalifornia246,911Florida: 244,676 countFlorida244,676New York: 138,940 countNew York138,940Georgia: 115,041 countGeorgia115,041North Carolina: 99,048 countNorth Carolina99,048Pennsylvania: 95,099 countPennsylvania95,099Ohio: 94,822 countOhio94,822Illinois: 92,380 countIllinois92,380Michigan: 82,454 countMichigan82,454Tennessee: 68,724 countTennessee68,724Virginia: 65,910 countVirginia65,910New Jersey: 61,164 countNew Jersey61,164Colorado: 60,817 countColorado60,817Massachusetts: 58,073 countMassachusetts58,073Missouri: 52,763 countMissouri52,763Indiana: 50,109 countIndiana50,109Maryland: 49,360 countMaryland49,360Arizona: 46,900 countArizona46,900Alabama: 43,491 countAlabama43,491South Carolina: 42,162 countSouth Carolina42,162Louisiana: 41,816 countLouisiana41,816Kentucky: 41,360 countKentucky41,360Minnesota: 40,099 countMinnesota40,099Wisconsin: 39,678 countWisconsin39,678Oklahoma: 38,550 countOklahoma38,550Washington: 34,689 countWashington34,689Connecticut: 32,030 countConnecticut32,030Arkansas: 31,492 countArkansas31,492Mississippi: 30,182 countMississippi30,182Iowa: 26,659 countIowa26,659Oregon: 22,861 countOregon22,861Kansas: 21,397 countKansas21,397Utah: 19,809 countUtah19,809Maine: 17,601 countMaine17,601Idaho: 16,557 countIdaho16,557Nebraska: 16,223 countNebraska16,223New Hampshire: 15,833 countNew Hampshire15,833Nevada: 14,221 countNevada14,221Montana: 13,534 countMontana13,534New Mexico: 12,542 countNew Mexico12,542West Virginia: 9,197 countWest Virginia9,197Hawaii: 9,172 countHawaii9,172Rhode Island: 8,783 countRhode Island8,783Vermont: 8,662 countVermont8,662South Dakota: 7,650 countSouth Dakota7,650Delaware: 6,694 countDelaware6,694North Dakota: 5,595 countNorth Dakota5,595Wyoming: 5,102 countWyoming5,102Alaska: 4,501 countAlaska4,501District of Columbia: 2,129 countDistrict of Columbia2,129Texas: 350,258 countTexas350,258California: 246,911 countCalifornia246,911Florida: 244,676 countFlorida244,676New York: 138,940 countNew York138,940Georgia: 115,041 countGeorgia115,041North Carolina: 99,048 countNorth Carolina99,048Pennsylvania: 95,099 countPennsylvania95,099Ohio: 94,822 countOhio94,822Illinois: 92,380 countIllinois92,380Michigan: 82,454 countMichigan82,454Tennessee: 68,724 countTennessee68,724Virginia: 65,910 countVirginia65,910New Jersey: 61,164 countNew Jersey61,164Colorado: 60,817 countColorado60,817Massachusetts: 58,073 countMassachusetts58,073Missouri: 52,763 countMissouri52,763Indiana: 50,109 countIndiana50,109Maryland: 49,360 countMaryland49,360Arizona: 46,900 countArizona46,900Alabama: 43,491 countAlabama43,491South Carolina: 42,162 countSouth Carolina42,162Louisiana: 41,816 countLouisiana41,816Kentucky: 41,360 countKentucky41,360Minnesota: 40,099 countMinnesota40,099Wisconsin: 39,678 countWisconsin39,678Oklahoma: 38,550 countOklahoma38,550Washington: 34,689 countWashington34,689Connecticut: 32,030 countConnecticut32,030Arkansas: 31,492 countArkansas31,492Mississippi: 30,182 countMississippi30,182Iowa: 26,659 countIowa26,659Oregon: 22,861 countOregon22,861Kansas: 21,397 countKansas21,397Utah: 19,809 countUtah19,809Maine: 17,601 countMaine17,601Idaho: 16,557 countIdaho16,557Nebraska: 16,223 countNebraska16,223New Hampshire: 15,833 countNew Hampshire15,833Nevada: 14,221 countNevada14,221Montana: 13,534 countMontana13,534New Mexico: 12,542 countNew Mexico12,542West Virginia: 9,197 countWest Virginia9,197Hawaii: 9,172 countHawaii9,172Rhode Island: 8,783 countRhode Island8,783Vermont: 8,662 countVermont8,662South Dakota: 7,650 countSouth Dakota7,650Delaware: 6,694 countDelaware6,694North Dakota: 5,595 countNorth Dakota5,595Wyoming: 5,102 countWyoming5,102Alaska: 4,501 countAlaska4,501District of Columbia: 2,129 countDistrict of Columbia2,129
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

RankStates2019
count		Change on 2018
1Texas350,258+7.9%
2California246,911+3.2%
3Florida244,676+8%
4New York138,940+3.6%
5Georgia115,041+7.7%
6North Carolina99,048+5.8%
7Pennsylvania95,099+1.2%
8Ohio94,822+3.2%
9Illinois92,380+1%
10Michigan82,454+2.9%
11Tennessee68,724+4.3%
12Virginia65,910+4.9%
13New Jersey61,164+4.5%
14Colorado60,817+3.8%
15Massachusetts58,0730%
16Missouri52,763+1.5%
17Indiana50,109+2%
18Maryland49,360+10.3%
19Arizona46,900+9.2%
20Alabama43,491+5.1%
21South Carolina42,162+6.1%
22Louisiana41,816+3.9%
23Kentucky41,360+3.6%
24Minnesota40,099+0.4%
25Wisconsin39,678+0.5%
26Oklahoma38,550+4%
27Washington34,689+2.2%
28Connecticut32,030+2.3%
29Arkansas31,492+5.4%
30Mississippi30,182+3.3%
31Iowa26,659+1.5%
32Oregon22,861+1.9%
33Kansas21,397+2%
34Utah19,809+5.5%
35Maine17,601-0.5%
36Idaho16,557+5.6%
37Nebraska16,223+2.5%
38New Hampshire15,833-2.9%
39Nevada14,221+9.7%
40Montana13,534+3.1%
41New Mexico12,542+6.2%
42West Virginia9,197+1%
43Hawaii9,172+4.4%
44Rhode Island8,783+2.8%
45Vermont8,662-1.6%
46South Dakota7,650+1.3%
47Delaware6,694+5.3%
48North Dakota5,595-0.3%
49Wyoming5,102+0.5%
50Alaska4,501-1.1%
51District of Columbia2,129+8.8%

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/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), construction (NAICS 23), all legal forms (US states by nonemployer businesses: construction, 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), construction (NAICS 23), all legal forms, US states by nonemployer businesses: construction, 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-construction/us-states?period=2019. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2026. Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), construction (NAICS 23), all legal forms. US states by nonemployer businesses: construction, 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-construction/us-states?period=2019.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2026) Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), construction (NAICS 23), all legal forms, US states by nonemployer businesses: construction, 2019 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2019/historical-datasets/, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-construction/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), construction (NAICS 23), all legal forms: US states by nonemployer businesses: construction, 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-construction/us-states?period=2019. 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/2019/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, 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-construction/us-states?period=2019
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-construction/us-states?period=2019.
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/2019/historical-datasets/. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

Which state has the highest nonemployer businesses: construction?

Texas, with 350,258 in 2019, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which state has the lowest nonemployer businesses: construction?

District of Columbia, with 2,129 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), construction (NAICS 23), all legal forms. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

US states: more rankings