Data / Rankings / Nonemployer businesses: manufacturing / US states

US states by nonemployer businesses: manufacturing

California had the highest nonemployer businesses: manufacturing of 51 states in 2016, at 46,459. District of Columbia had the lowest, at 297. The median was 4,373 and the figure for the United States was 349,146. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest46,459California
Lowest297District of Columbia
Median4,37351 states
United States349,146History

Map of states, 2016

Alabama: 4,646 countAlaska: 1,160 countArizona: 7,289 countArkansas: 2,807 countCalifornia: 46,459 countColorado: 7,703 countConnecticut: 3,421 countDelaware: 670 countDistrict of Columbia: 297 countFlorida: 22,853 countGeorgia: 10,637 countHawaii: 2,195 countIdaho: 2,852 countIllinois: 10,267 countIndiana: 7,055 countIowa: 3,021 countKansas: 2,852 countKentucky: 3,861 countLouisiana: 4,470 countMaine: 2,474 countMaryland: 4,620 countMassachusetts: 5,993 countMichigan: 12,013 countMinnesota: 7,407 countMississippi: 2,659 countMissouri: 6,108 countMontana: 2,081 countNebraska: 1,540 countNevada: 2,575 countNew Hampshire: 2,160 countNew Jersey: 6,898 countNew Mexico: 2,861 countNew York: 18,225 countNorth Carolina: 10,676 countNorth Dakota: 647 countOhio: 13,099 countOklahoma: 3,963 countOregon: 7,541 countPennsylvania: 14,075 countRhode Island: 1,164 countSouth Carolina: 4,373 countSouth Dakota: 997 countTennessee: 6,495 countTexas: 33,376 countUtah: 4,299 countVermont: 1,917 countVirginia: 6,175 countWashington: 8,810 countWest Virginia: 1,208 countWisconsin: 7,249 countWyoming: 953 count
  • Under 1,700
  • 1,700 to 2,800
  • 2,800 to 4,400
  • 4,400 to 7,000
  • 7,000 to 11K
  • 11K and over
count, 2016. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), manufacturing (NAICS 31-33), all legal forms. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All states, 2016

California: 46,459 countCalifornia46,459Texas: 33,376 countTexas33,376Florida: 22,853 countFlorida22,853New York: 18,225 countNew York18,225Pennsylvania: 14,075 countPennsylvania14,075Ohio: 13,099 countOhio13,099Michigan: 12,013 countMichigan12,013North Carolina: 10,676 countNorth Carolina10,676Georgia: 10,637 countGeorgia10,637Illinois: 10,267 countIllinois10,267Washington: 8,810 countWashington8,810Colorado: 7,703 countColorado7,703Oregon: 7,541 countOregon7,541Minnesota: 7,407 countMinnesota7,407Arizona: 7,289 countArizona7,289Wisconsin: 7,249 countWisconsin7,249Indiana: 7,055 countIndiana7,055New Jersey: 6,898 countNew Jersey6,898Tennessee: 6,495 countTennessee6,495Virginia: 6,175 countVirginia6,175Missouri: 6,108 countMissouri6,108Massachusetts: 5,993 countMassachusetts5,993Alabama: 4,646 countAlabama4,646Maryland: 4,620 countMaryland4,620Louisiana: 4,470 countLouisiana4,470South Carolina: 4,373 countSouth Carolina4,373Utah: 4,299 countUtah4,299Oklahoma: 3,963 countOklahoma3,963Kentucky: 3,861 countKentucky3,861Connecticut: 3,421 countConnecticut3,421Iowa: 3,021 countIowa3,021New Mexico: 2,861 countNew Mexico2,861Idaho: 2,852 countIdaho2,852Kansas: 2,852 countKansas2,852Arkansas: 2,807 countArkansas2,807Mississippi: 2,659 countMississippi2,659Nevada: 2,575 countNevada2,575Maine: 2,474 countMaine2,474Hawaii: 2,195 countHawaii2,195New Hampshire: 2,160 countNew Hampshire2,160Montana: 2,081 countMontana2,081Vermont: 1,917 countVermont1,917Nebraska: 1,540 countNebraska1,540West Virginia: 1,208 countWest Virginia1,208Rhode Island: 1,164 countRhode Island1,164Alaska: 1,160 countAlaska1,160South Dakota: 997 countSouth Dakota997Wyoming: 953 countWyoming953Delaware: 670 countDelaware670North Dakota: 647 countNorth Dakota647District of Columbia: 297 countDistrict of Columbia297California: 46,459 countCalifornia46,459Texas: 33,376 countTexas33,376Florida: 22,853 countFlorida22,853New York: 18,225 countNew York18,225Pennsylvania: 14,075 countPennsylvania14,075Ohio: 13,099 countOhio13,099Michigan: 12,013 countMichigan12,013North Carolina: 10,676 countNorth Carolina10,676Georgia: 10,637 countGeorgia10,637Illinois: 10,267 countIllinois10,267Washington: 8,810 countWashington8,810Colorado: 7,703 countColorado7,703Oregon: 7,541 countOregon7,541Minnesota: 7,407 countMinnesota7,407Arizona: 7,289 countArizona7,289Wisconsin: 7,249 countWisconsin7,249Indiana: 7,055 countIndiana7,055New Jersey: 6,898 countNew Jersey6,898Tennessee: 6,495 countTennessee6,495Virginia: 6,175 countVirginia6,175Missouri: 6,108 countMissouri6,108Massachusetts: 5,993 countMassachusetts5,993Alabama: 4,646 countAlabama4,646Maryland: 4,620 countMaryland4,620Louisiana: 4,470 countLouisiana4,470South Carolina: 4,373 countSouth Carolina4,373Utah: 4,299 countUtah4,299Oklahoma: 3,963 countOklahoma3,963Kentucky: 3,861 countKentucky3,861Connecticut: 3,421 countConnecticut3,421Iowa: 3,021 countIowa3,021New Mexico: 2,861 countNew Mexico2,861Idaho: 2,852 countIdaho2,852Kansas: 2,852 countKansas2,852Arkansas: 2,807 countArkansas2,807Mississippi: 2,659 countMississippi2,659Nevada: 2,575 countNevada2,575Maine: 2,474 countMaine2,474Hawaii: 2,195 countHawaii2,195New Hampshire: 2,160 countNew Hampshire2,160Montana: 2,081 countMontana2,081Vermont: 1,917 countVermont1,917Nebraska: 1,540 countNebraska1,540West Virginia: 1,208 countWest Virginia1,208Rhode Island: 1,164 countRhode Island1,164Alaska: 1,160 countAlaska1,160South Dakota: 997 countSouth Dakota997Wyoming: 953 countWyoming953Delaware: 670 countDelaware670North Dakota: 647 countNorth Dakota647District of Columbia: 297 countDistrict of Columbia297
count. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), manufacturing (NAICS 31-33), all legal forms. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankStates2016
count		Change on 2015
1California46,459-2.9%
2Texas33,376-1.7%
3Florida22,853-3.5%
4New York18,225-1.1%
5Pennsylvania14,075-1.7%
6Ohio13,099-3.3%
7Michigan12,013-1.6%
8North Carolina10,676-1.5%
9Georgia10,637-2%
10Illinois10,267-3.7%
11Washington8,810-2.3%
12Colorado7,703-0.6%
13Oregon7,541-0.3%
14Minnesota7,407-1.7%
15Arizona7,289-0.5%
16Wisconsin7,249+0.9%
17Indiana7,055+0.8%
18New Jersey6,898-1.5%
19Tennessee6,495-1%
20Virginia6,175-0.7%
21Missouri6,108-1.7%
22Massachusetts5,993-2.7%
23Alabama4,646+2.2%
24Maryland4,620+1.3%
25Louisiana4,470-0.9%
26South Carolina4,373+0.2%
27Utah4,299+0.3%
28Oklahoma3,963-2.6%
29Kentucky3,861-2.6%
30Connecticut3,421-3.5%
31Iowa3,021-0.6%
32New Mexico2,861-9.3%
33Idaho2,852+1.6%
33Kansas2,852-0.5%
35Arkansas2,807+1.6%
36Mississippi2,659+2.2%
37Nevada2,575-1.1%
38Maine2,474-2.9%
39Hawaii2,195-1.5%
40New Hampshire2,160-4%
41Montana2,081-0.3%
42Vermont1,917-2.1%
43Nebraska1,540-1.1%
44West Virginia1,208-3.2%
45Rhode Island1,164-5.7%
46Alaska1,160-0.6%
47South Dakota997-3.5%
48Wyoming953-1.4%
49Delaware6700%
50North Dakota647-5.8%
51District of Columbia297+4.9%

Other periods

About this ranking

Number of businesses without paid employees in manufacturing (NAICS 31-33), 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), manufacturing (NAICS 31-33), 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), manufacturing (NAICS 31-33), all legal forms (US states by nonemployer businesses: manufacturing, 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), manufacturing (NAICS 31-33), all legal forms, US states by nonemployer businesses: manufacturing, 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-manufacturing/us-states?period=2016. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2018. Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), manufacturing (NAICS 31-33), all legal forms. US states by nonemployer businesses: manufacturing, 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-manufacturing/us-states?period=2016.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2018) Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), manufacturing (NAICS 31-33), all legal forms, US states by nonemployer businesses: manufacturing, 2016 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2016/historical-datasets/, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-manufacturing/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), manufacturing (NAICS 31-33), all legal forms: US states by nonemployer businesses: manufacturing, 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-manufacturing/us-states?period=2016. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), manufacturing (NAICS 31-33), 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), manufacturing (NAICS 31-33), all legal forms: US states by nonemployer businesses: manufacturing, 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-manufacturing/us-states?period=2016
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-manufacturing/us-states?period=2016.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), manufacturing (NAICS 31-33), 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: manufacturing?

California, with 46,459 in 2016, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which state has the lowest nonemployer businesses: manufacturing?

District of Columbia, with 297 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), manufacturing (NAICS 31-33), all legal forms. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

US states: more rankings