Data / Rankings / Nonemployer businesses: construction / US states

US states by nonemployer businesses: construction

Texas had the highest nonemployer businesses: construction of 51 states in 2021, at 366,199. District of Columbia had the lowest, at 2,130. The median was 39,874 and the figure for the United States was 2.79 million. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest366,199Texas
Lowest2,130District of Columbia
Median39,87451 states
United States2,786,790History

Map of states, 2021

Alabama: 44,609 countAlaska: 4,337 countArizona: 49,281 countArkansas: 32,302 countCalifornia: 234,196 countColorado: 60,407 countConnecticut: 30,892 countDelaware: 6,852 countDistrict of Columbia: 2,130 countFlorida: 261,631 countGeorgia: 122,489 countHawaii: 8,655 countIdaho: 17,435 countIllinois: 91,859 countIndiana: 50,691 countIowa: 27,259 countKansas: 21,881 countKentucky: 41,815 countLouisiana: 44,807 countMaine: 18,401 countMaryland: 47,915 countMassachusetts: 56,408 countMichigan: 82,693 countMinnesota: 39,882 countMississippi: 31,415 countMissouri: 55,002 countMontana: 14,293 countNebraska: 16,297 countNevada: 14,893 countNew Hampshire: 15,844 countNew Jersey: 59,560 countNew Mexico: 12,157 countNew York: 127,917 countNorth Carolina: 99,293 countNorth Dakota: 5,470 countOhio: 95,732 countOklahoma: 39,874 countOregon: 22,357 countPennsylvania: 94,446 countRhode Island: 8,320 countSouth Carolina: 44,270 countSouth Dakota: 7,701 countTennessee: 71,770 countTexas: 366,199 countUtah: 21,362 countVermont: 8,649 countVirginia: 65,617 countWashington: 34,438 countWest Virginia: 9,149 countWisconsin: 40,489 countWyoming: 5,449 count
  • Under 9,000
  • 9,000 to 20K
  • 20K to 40K
  • 40K to 50K
  • 50K to 89K
  • 89K and over
count, 2021. 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, 2021

Texas: 366,199 countTexas366,199Florida: 261,631 countFlorida261,631California: 234,196 countCalifornia234,196New York: 127,917 countNew York127,917Georgia: 122,489 countGeorgia122,489North Carolina: 99,293 countNorth Carolina99,293Ohio: 95,732 countOhio95,732Pennsylvania: 94,446 countPennsylvania94,446Illinois: 91,859 countIllinois91,859Michigan: 82,693 countMichigan82,693Tennessee: 71,770 countTennessee71,770Virginia: 65,617 countVirginia65,617Colorado: 60,407 countColorado60,407New Jersey: 59,560 countNew Jersey59,560Massachusetts: 56,408 countMassachusetts56,408Missouri: 55,002 countMissouri55,002Indiana: 50,691 countIndiana50,691Arizona: 49,281 countArizona49,281Maryland: 47,915 countMaryland47,915Louisiana: 44,807 countLouisiana44,807Alabama: 44,609 countAlabama44,609South Carolina: 44,270 countSouth Carolina44,270Kentucky: 41,815 countKentucky41,815Wisconsin: 40,489 countWisconsin40,489Minnesota: 39,882 countMinnesota39,882Oklahoma: 39,874 countOklahoma39,874Washington: 34,438 countWashington34,438Arkansas: 32,302 countArkansas32,302Mississippi: 31,415 countMississippi31,415Connecticut: 30,892 countConnecticut30,892Iowa: 27,259 countIowa27,259Oregon: 22,357 countOregon22,357Kansas: 21,881 countKansas21,881Utah: 21,362 countUtah21,362Maine: 18,401 countMaine18,401Idaho: 17,435 countIdaho17,435Nebraska: 16,297 countNebraska16,297New Hampshire: 15,844 countNew Hampshire15,844Nevada: 14,893 countNevada14,893Montana: 14,293 countMontana14,293New Mexico: 12,157 countNew Mexico12,157West Virginia: 9,149 countWest Virginia9,149Hawaii: 8,655 countHawaii8,655Vermont: 8,649 countVermont8,649Rhode Island: 8,320 countRhode Island8,320South Dakota: 7,701 countSouth Dakota7,701Delaware: 6,852 countDelaware6,852North Dakota: 5,470 countNorth Dakota5,470Wyoming: 5,449 countWyoming5,449Alaska: 4,337 countAlaska4,337District of Columbia: 2,130 countDistrict of Columbia2,130Texas: 366,199 countTexas366,199Florida: 261,631 countFlorida261,631California: 234,196 countCalifornia234,196New York: 127,917 countNew York127,917Georgia: 122,489 countGeorgia122,489North Carolina: 99,293 countNorth Carolina99,293Ohio: 95,732 countOhio95,732Pennsylvania: 94,446 countPennsylvania94,446Illinois: 91,859 countIllinois91,859Michigan: 82,693 countMichigan82,693Tennessee: 71,770 countTennessee71,770Virginia: 65,617 countVirginia65,617Colorado: 60,407 countColorado60,407New Jersey: 59,560 countNew Jersey59,560Massachusetts: 56,408 countMassachusetts56,408Missouri: 55,002 countMissouri55,002Indiana: 50,691 countIndiana50,691Arizona: 49,281 countArizona49,281Maryland: 47,915 countMaryland47,915Louisiana: 44,807 countLouisiana44,807Alabama: 44,609 countAlabama44,609South Carolina: 44,270 countSouth Carolina44,270Kentucky: 41,815 countKentucky41,815Wisconsin: 40,489 countWisconsin40,489Minnesota: 39,882 countMinnesota39,882Oklahoma: 39,874 countOklahoma39,874Washington: 34,438 countWashington34,438Arkansas: 32,302 countArkansas32,302Mississippi: 31,415 countMississippi31,415Connecticut: 30,892 countConnecticut30,892Iowa: 27,259 countIowa27,259Oregon: 22,357 countOregon22,357Kansas: 21,881 countKansas21,881Utah: 21,362 countUtah21,362Maine: 18,401 countMaine18,401Idaho: 17,435 countIdaho17,435Nebraska: 16,297 countNebraska16,297New Hampshire: 15,844 countNew Hampshire15,844Nevada: 14,893 countNevada14,893Montana: 14,293 countMontana14,293New Mexico: 12,157 countNew Mexico12,157West Virginia: 9,149 countWest Virginia9,149Hawaii: 8,655 countHawaii8,655Vermont: 8,649 countVermont8,649Rhode Island: 8,320 countRhode Island8,320South Dakota: 7,701 countSouth Dakota7,701Delaware: 6,852 countDelaware6,852North Dakota: 5,470 countNorth Dakota5,470Wyoming: 5,449 countWyoming5,449Alaska: 4,337 countAlaska4,337District of Columbia: 2,130 countDistrict of Columbia2,130
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

RankStates2021
count		Change on 2020
1Texas366,199-2%
2Florida261,631-1.8%
3California234,196-6%
4New York127,917-8.9%
5Georgia122,489-3.1%
6North Carolina99,293-6.7%
7Ohio95,732-0.7%
8Pennsylvania94,446-1%
9Illinois91,859-4%
10Michigan82,693-1.5%
11Tennessee71,770-2.7%
12Virginia65,617-7.8%
13Colorado60,407-3.5%
14New Jersey59,560-7.4%
15Massachusetts56,408-5%
16Missouri55,002-1.8%
17Indiana50,691-2.2%
18Arizona49,281-1.2%
19Maryland47,915-10.9%
20Louisiana44,807+2.9%
21Alabama44,609-2.8%
22South Carolina44,270-4.4%
23Kentucky41,815-1.3%
24Wisconsin40,489-0.2%
25Minnesota39,882-1.9%
26Oklahoma39,874-2.6%
27Washington34,438-0.9%
28Arkansas32,302-3%
29Mississippi31,415+1.1%
30Connecticut30,892-5.3%
31Iowa27,259-1.3%
32Oregon22,357-2.3%
33Kansas21,881-0.6%
34Utah21,362+0.7%
35Maine18,401+2%
36Idaho17,435+1.1%
37Nebraska16,297-2.3%
38New Hampshire15,844-1.5%
39Nevada14,893+2.2%
40Montana14,293+1.7%
41New Mexico12,157-3.6%
42West Virginia9,1490%
43Hawaii8,655-1.3%
44Vermont8,649+0.3%
45Rhode Island8,320-4.7%
46South Dakota7,701+0.3%
47Delaware6,852-4.6%
48North Dakota5,470-1.7%
49Wyoming5,449+2.5%
50Alaska4,337-3.1%
51District of Columbia2,130-3.8%

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/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), construction (NAICS 23), all legal forms (US states by nonemployer businesses: construction, 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), construction (NAICS 23), all legal forms, US states by nonemployer businesses: construction, 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-construction/us-states?period=2021. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2024. Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), construction (NAICS 23), all legal forms. US states by nonemployer businesses: construction, 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-construction/us-states?period=2021.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2024) Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), construction (NAICS 23), all legal forms, US states by nonemployer businesses: construction, 2021 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2021/historical-datasets/, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-construction/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), construction (NAICS 23), all legal forms: US states by nonemployer businesses: construction, 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-construction/us-states?period=2021. 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/2021/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, 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-construction/us-states?period=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-construction/us-states?period=2021.
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/2021/historical-datasets/. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

Which state has the highest nonemployer businesses: construction?

Texas, with 366,199 in 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which state has the lowest nonemployer businesses: construction?

District of Columbia, with 2,130 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), construction (NAICS 23), all legal forms. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

US states: more rankings