Data / Rankings / Nonemployer businesses: professional, scientific and technical services / US states

US states by nonemployer businesses: professional, scientific and technical services, 2024

California had the highest nonemployer businesses: professional, scientific and technical services of 51 states in 2024, at 594,336. North Dakota had the lowest, at 6,135. The median was 51,432 and the figure for the United States was 4.23 million. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest594,336California
Lowest6,135North Dakota
Median51,43251 states
United States4,233,838History

Map of states, 2024

Alabama: 41,716 countAlaska: 7,394 countArizona: 86,304 countArkansas: 23,492 countCalifornia: 594,336 countColorado: 104,364 countConnecticut: 51,432 countDelaware: 15,755 countDistrict of Columbia: 17,873 countFlorida: 394,826 countGeorgia: 144,731 countHawaii: 17,205 countIdaho: 23,597 countIllinois: 143,762 countIndiana: 55,304 countIowa: 23,892 countKansas: 27,894 countKentucky: 33,957 countLouisiana: 46,677 countMaine: 16,633 countMaryland: 90,355 countMassachusetts: 110,753 countMichigan: 100,630 countMinnesota: 66,843 countMississippi: 22,812 countMissouri: 54,920 countMontana: 14,804 countNebraska: 16,434 countNevada: 43,221 countNew Hampshire: 19,950 countNew Jersey: 140,771 countNew Mexico: 18,336 countNew York: 307,048 countNorth Carolina: 121,133 countNorth Dakota: 6,135 countOhio: 112,755 countOklahoma: 36,807 countOregon: 54,730 countPennsylvania: 135,272 countRhode Island: 14,321 countSouth Carolina: 57,340 countSouth Dakota: 8,364 countTennessee: 77,291 countTexas: 382,886 countUtah: 55,694 countVermont: 10,154 countVirginia: 113,200 countWashington: 96,376 countWest Virginia: 10,356 countWisconsin: 51,935 countWyoming: 11,068 count
  • Under 16K
  • 16K to 24K
  • 24K to 51K
  • 51K to 80K
  • 80K to 120K
  • 120K and over
count, 2024. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), professional, scientific, and technical services (NAICS 54), all legal forms. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All states, 2024

California: 594,336 countCalifornia594,336Florida: 394,826 countFlorida394,826Texas: 382,886 countTexas382,886New York: 307,048 countNew York307,048Georgia: 144,731 countGeorgia144,731Illinois: 143,762 countIllinois143,762New Jersey: 140,771 countNew Jersey140,771Pennsylvania: 135,272 countPennsylvania135,272North Carolina: 121,133 countNorth Carolina121,133Virginia: 113,200 countVirginia113,200Ohio: 112,755 countOhio112,755Massachusetts: 110,753 countMassachusetts110,753Colorado: 104,364 countColorado104,364Michigan: 100,630 countMichigan100,630Washington: 96,376 countWashington96,376Maryland: 90,355 countMaryland90,355Arizona: 86,304 countArizona86,304Tennessee: 77,291 countTennessee77,291Minnesota: 66,843 countMinnesota66,843South Carolina: 57,340 countSouth Carolina57,340Utah: 55,694 countUtah55,694Indiana: 55,304 countIndiana55,304Missouri: 54,920 countMissouri54,920Oregon: 54,730 countOregon54,730Wisconsin: 51,935 countWisconsin51,935Connecticut: 51,432 countConnecticut51,432Louisiana: 46,677 countLouisiana46,677Nevada: 43,221 countNevada43,221Alabama: 41,716 countAlabama41,716Oklahoma: 36,807 countOklahoma36,807Kentucky: 33,957 countKentucky33,957Kansas: 27,894 countKansas27,894Iowa: 23,892 countIowa23,892Idaho: 23,597 countIdaho23,597Arkansas: 23,492 countArkansas23,492Mississippi: 22,812 countMississippi22,812New Hampshire: 19,950 countNew Hampshire19,950New Mexico: 18,336 countNew Mexico18,336District of Columbia: 17,873 countDistrict of Columbia17,873Hawaii: 17,205 countHawaii17,205Maine: 16,633 countMaine16,633Nebraska: 16,434 countNebraska16,434Delaware: 15,755 countDelaware15,755Montana: 14,804 countMontana14,804Rhode Island: 14,321 countRhode Island14,321Wyoming: 11,068 countWyoming11,068West Virginia: 10,356 countWest Virginia10,356Vermont: 10,154 countVermont10,154South Dakota: 8,364 countSouth Dakota8,364Alaska: 7,394 countAlaska7,394North Dakota: 6,135 countNorth Dakota6,135California: 594,336 countCalifornia594,336Florida: 394,826 countFlorida394,826Texas: 382,886 countTexas382,886New York: 307,048 countNew York307,048Georgia: 144,731 countGeorgia144,731Illinois: 143,762 countIllinois143,762New Jersey: 140,771 countNew Jersey140,771Pennsylvania: 135,272 countPennsylvania135,272North Carolina: 121,133 countNorth Carolina121,133Virginia: 113,200 countVirginia113,200Ohio: 112,755 countOhio112,755Massachusetts: 110,753 countMassachusetts110,753Colorado: 104,364 countColorado104,364Michigan: 100,630 countMichigan100,630Washington: 96,376 countWashington96,376Maryland: 90,355 countMaryland90,355Arizona: 86,304 countArizona86,304Tennessee: 77,291 countTennessee77,291Minnesota: 66,843 countMinnesota66,843South Carolina: 57,340 countSouth Carolina57,340Utah: 55,694 countUtah55,694Indiana: 55,304 countIndiana55,304Missouri: 54,920 countMissouri54,920Oregon: 54,730 countOregon54,730Wisconsin: 51,935 countWisconsin51,935Connecticut: 51,432 countConnecticut51,432Louisiana: 46,677 countLouisiana46,677Nevada: 43,221 countNevada43,221Alabama: 41,716 countAlabama41,716Oklahoma: 36,807 countOklahoma36,807Kentucky: 33,957 countKentucky33,957Kansas: 27,894 countKansas27,894Iowa: 23,892 countIowa23,892Idaho: 23,597 countIdaho23,597Arkansas: 23,492 countArkansas23,492Mississippi: 22,812 countMississippi22,812New Hampshire: 19,950 countNew Hampshire19,950New Mexico: 18,336 countNew Mexico18,336District of Columbia: 17,873 countDistrict of Columbia17,873Hawaii: 17,205 countHawaii17,205Maine: 16,633 countMaine16,633Nebraska: 16,434 countNebraska16,434Delaware: 15,755 countDelaware15,755Montana: 14,804 countMontana14,804Rhode Island: 14,321 countRhode Island14,321Wyoming: 11,068 countWyoming11,068West Virginia: 10,356 countWest Virginia10,356Vermont: 10,154 countVermont10,154South Dakota: 8,364 countSouth Dakota8,364Alaska: 7,394 countAlaska7,394North Dakota: 6,135 countNorth Dakota6,135
count. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), professional, scientific, and technical services (NAICS 54), all legal forms. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankStates2024
count		Change on 2023
1California594,336+2.8%
2Florida394,826+8.2%
3Texas382,886+5.9%
4New York307,048+3.2%
5Georgia144,731+5.9%
6Illinois143,762+2.5%
7New Jersey140,771+3.3%
8Pennsylvania135,272+2.1%
9North Carolina121,133+6.6%
10Virginia113,200+2.6%
11Ohio112,755+2.4%
12Massachusetts110,753+2%
13Colorado104,364+2.6%
14Michigan100,630+2.7%
15Washington96,376+3%
16Maryland90,355+1.7%
17Arizona86,304+2.6%
18Tennessee77,291+3.8%
19Minnesota66,843+3.1%
20South Carolina57,340+8.6%
21Utah55,694+6.3%
22Indiana55,304+2.7%
23Missouri54,920+2%
24Oregon54,730+1.9%
25Wisconsin51,935+2.5%
26Connecticut51,432+1.2%
27Louisiana46,677+6.2%
28Nevada43,221+4.9%
29Alabama41,716+2.9%
30Oklahoma36,807+2.8%
31Kentucky33,957+0.5%
32Kansas27,894+2.2%
33Iowa23,892+2.2%
34Idaho23,597+4%
35Arkansas23,492+2.8%
36Mississippi22,812+4.5%
37New Hampshire19,950+2.4%
38New Mexico18,336+1%
39District of Columbia17,873+0.5%
40Hawaii17,205+2.7%
41Maine16,633+2.3%
42Nebraska16,434+1.6%
43Delaware15,755+9%
44Montana14,804+4.1%
45Rhode Island14,321+3.1%
46Wyoming11,068+11.6%
47West Virginia10,356+0.7%
48Vermont10,154+2%
49South Dakota8,364+2.7%
50Alaska7,394+0.4%
51North Dakota6,135+1.4%

Other periods

About this ranking

Number of businesses without paid employees in professional, scientific, and technical services (NAICS 54), 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), professional, scientific, and technical services (NAICS 54), all legal forms. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2024/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), professional, scientific, and technical services (NAICS 54), all legal forms (US states by nonemployer businesses: professional, scientific and technical services, 2024) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2024/historical-datasets/

MLA 9

Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), professional, scientific, and technical services (NAICS 54), all legal forms, US states by nonemployer businesses: professional, scientific and technical services, 2024. U.S. Census Bureau, 29 Sept. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2024/historical-datasets/. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-professional-services/us-states. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2026. Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), professional, scientific, and technical services (NAICS 54), all legal forms. US states by nonemployer businesses: professional, scientific and technical services, 2024. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2024/historical-datasets/. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-professional-services/us-states.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2026) Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), professional, scientific, and technical services (NAICS 54), all legal forms, US states by nonemployer businesses: professional, scientific and technical services, 2024 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2024/historical-datasets/, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-professional-services/us-states (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_us_states_by_nonemployer_2024,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), professional, scientific, and technical services (NAICS 54), all legal forms: US states by nonemployer businesses: professional, scientific and technical services, 2024}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2024/historical-datasets/},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-professional-services/us-states. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), professional, scientific, and technical services (NAICS 54), all legal forms. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2024/historical-datasets/. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), professional, scientific, and technical services (NAICS 54), all legal forms: US states by nonemployer businesses: professional, scientific and technical services, 2024
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/29
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2024/historical-datasets/
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-professional-services/us-states
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-professional-services/us-states.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), professional, scientific, and technical services (NAICS 54), all legal forms. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2024/historical-datasets/. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

Which state has the highest nonemployer businesses: professional, scientific and technical services?

California, with 594,336 in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which state has the lowest nonemployer businesses: professional, scientific and technical services?

North Dakota, with 6,135 in 2024.

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), professional, scientific, and technical services (NAICS 54), all legal forms. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

US states: more rankings