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

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

California had the highest nonemployer businesses: professional, scientific and technical services of 51 states in 2017, at 565,587. North Dakota had the lowest, at 5,176. The median was 40,594 and the figure for the United States was 3.54 million. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest565,587California
Lowest5,176North Dakota
Median40,59451 states
United States3,535,071History

Map of states, 2017

Alabama: 34,022 countAlaska: 6,786 countArizona: 68,303 countArkansas: 18,680 countCalifornia: 565,587 countColorado: 88,887 countConnecticut: 46,482 countDelaware: 9,405 countDistrict of Columbia: 16,669 countFlorida: 264,481 countGeorgia: 109,002 countHawaii: 15,633 countIdaho: 16,645 countIllinois: 127,364 countIndiana: 46,666 countIowa: 20,764 countKansas: 24,941 countKentucky: 29,912 countLouisiana: 40,873 countMaine: 14,162 countMaryland: 78,310 countMassachusetts: 101,725 countMichigan: 85,999 countMinnesota: 60,804 countMississippi: 18,810 countMissouri: 47,722 countMontana: 11,586 countNebraska: 14,015 countNevada: 32,072 countNew Hampshire: 17,551 countNew Jersey: 117,492 countNew Mexico: 16,669 countNew York: 268,138 countNorth Carolina: 92,555 countNorth Dakota: 5,176 countOhio: 99,107 countOklahoma: 30,897 countOregon: 49,719 countPennsylvania: 120,408 countRhode Island: 12,388 countSouth Carolina: 40,594 countSouth Dakota: 6,324 countTennessee: 59,009 countTexas: 292,053 countUtah: 38,690 countVermont: 9,225 countVirginia: 96,105 countWashington: 85,703 countWest Virginia: 9,561 countWisconsin: 44,892 countWyoming: 6,508 count
  • Under 13K
  • 13K to 19K
  • 19K to 41K
  • 41K to 63K
  • 63K to 100K
  • 100K and over
count, 2017. 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, 2017

California: 565,587 countCalifornia565,587Texas: 292,053 countTexas292,053New York: 268,138 countNew York268,138Florida: 264,481 countFlorida264,481Illinois: 127,364 countIllinois127,364Pennsylvania: 120,408 countPennsylvania120,408New Jersey: 117,492 countNew Jersey117,492Georgia: 109,002 countGeorgia109,002Massachusetts: 101,725 countMassachusetts101,725Ohio: 99,107 countOhio99,107Virginia: 96,105 countVirginia96,105North Carolina: 92,555 countNorth Carolina92,555Colorado: 88,887 countColorado88,887Michigan: 85,999 countMichigan85,999Washington: 85,703 countWashington85,703Maryland: 78,310 countMaryland78,310Arizona: 68,303 countArizona68,303Minnesota: 60,804 countMinnesota60,804Tennessee: 59,009 countTennessee59,009Oregon: 49,719 countOregon49,719Missouri: 47,722 countMissouri47,722Indiana: 46,666 countIndiana46,666Connecticut: 46,482 countConnecticut46,482Wisconsin: 44,892 countWisconsin44,892Louisiana: 40,873 countLouisiana40,873South Carolina: 40,594 countSouth Carolina40,594Utah: 38,690 countUtah38,690Alabama: 34,022 countAlabama34,022Nevada: 32,072 countNevada32,072Oklahoma: 30,897 countOklahoma30,897Kentucky: 29,912 countKentucky29,912Kansas: 24,941 countKansas24,941Iowa: 20,764 countIowa20,764Mississippi: 18,810 countMississippi18,810Arkansas: 18,680 countArkansas18,680New Hampshire: 17,551 countNew Hampshire17,551District of Columbia: 16,669 countDistrict of Columbia16,669New Mexico: 16,669 countNew Mexico16,669Idaho: 16,645 countIdaho16,645Hawaii: 15,633 countHawaii15,633Maine: 14,162 countMaine14,162Nebraska: 14,015 countNebraska14,015Rhode Island: 12,388 countRhode Island12,388Montana: 11,586 countMontana11,586West Virginia: 9,561 countWest Virginia9,561Delaware: 9,405 countDelaware9,405Vermont: 9,225 countVermont9,225Alaska: 6,786 countAlaska6,786Wyoming: 6,508 countWyoming6,508South Dakota: 6,324 countSouth Dakota6,324North Dakota: 5,176 countNorth Dakota5,176California: 565,587 countCalifornia565,587Texas: 292,053 countTexas292,053New York: 268,138 countNew York268,138Florida: 264,481 countFlorida264,481Illinois: 127,364 countIllinois127,364Pennsylvania: 120,408 countPennsylvania120,408New Jersey: 117,492 countNew Jersey117,492Georgia: 109,002 countGeorgia109,002Massachusetts: 101,725 countMassachusetts101,725Ohio: 99,107 countOhio99,107Virginia: 96,105 countVirginia96,105North Carolina: 92,555 countNorth Carolina92,555Colorado: 88,887 countColorado88,887Michigan: 85,999 countMichigan85,999Washington: 85,703 countWashington85,703Maryland: 78,310 countMaryland78,310Arizona: 68,303 countArizona68,303Minnesota: 60,804 countMinnesota60,804Tennessee: 59,009 countTennessee59,009Oregon: 49,719 countOregon49,719Missouri: 47,722 countMissouri47,722Indiana: 46,666 countIndiana46,666Connecticut: 46,482 countConnecticut46,482Wisconsin: 44,892 countWisconsin44,892Louisiana: 40,873 countLouisiana40,873South Carolina: 40,594 countSouth Carolina40,594Utah: 38,690 countUtah38,690Alabama: 34,022 countAlabama34,022Nevada: 32,072 countNevada32,072Oklahoma: 30,897 countOklahoma30,897Kentucky: 29,912 countKentucky29,912Kansas: 24,941 countKansas24,941Iowa: 20,764 countIowa20,764Mississippi: 18,810 countMississippi18,810Arkansas: 18,680 countArkansas18,680New Hampshire: 17,551 countNew Hampshire17,551District of Columbia: 16,669 countDistrict of Columbia16,669New Mexico: 16,669 countNew Mexico16,669Idaho: 16,645 countIdaho16,645Hawaii: 15,633 countHawaii15,633Maine: 14,162 countMaine14,162Nebraska: 14,015 countNebraska14,015Rhode Island: 12,388 countRhode Island12,388Montana: 11,586 countMontana11,586West Virginia: 9,561 countWest Virginia9,561Delaware: 9,405 countDelaware9,405Vermont: 9,225 countVermont9,225Alaska: 6,786 countAlaska6,786Wyoming: 6,508 countWyoming6,508South Dakota: 6,324 countSouth Dakota6,324North Dakota: 5,176 countNorth Dakota5,176
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

RankStates2017
count		Change on 2016
1California565,587+2.1%
2Texas292,053+7%
3New York268,138+1.8%
4Florida264,481+9.9%
5Illinois127,364-0.4%
6Pennsylvania120,408+0.5%
7New Jersey117,492+1%
8Georgia109,002+4.4%
9Massachusetts101,725+1.9%
10Ohio99,107+1.3%
11Virginia96,105+1.5%
12North Carolina92,555+1.5%
13Colorado88,887+3.4%
14Michigan85,999+0.6%
15Washington85,703+2%
16Maryland78,310+0.7%
17Arizona68,303+2.7%
18Minnesota60,804+0.1%
19Tennessee59,009+3.1%
20Oregon49,719+2.5%
21Missouri47,722+1.4%
22Indiana46,666+2%
23Connecticut46,482+0.2%
24Wisconsin44,892+0.5%
25Louisiana40,873+2.3%
26South Carolina40,594+2.8%
27Utah38,690+4.8%
28Alabama34,022+0.8%
29Nevada32,072+2.5%
30Oklahoma30,897+3.2%
31Kentucky29,912+0.8%
32Kansas24,941+0.2%
33Iowa20,764+0.3%
34Mississippi18,810+0.8%
35Arkansas18,680+3.5%
36New Hampshire17,551+0.6%
37District of Columbia16,669+3.8%
37New Mexico16,669+1.1%
39Idaho16,645+4.8%
40Hawaii15,633+0.8%
41Maine14,162+1.2%
42Nebraska14,015+1%
43Rhode Island12,388+2.2%
44Montana11,586+2.7%
45West Virginia9,561+1.6%
46Delaware9,405+4.9%
47Vermont9,225+2.2%
48Alaska6,786-0.6%
49Wyoming6,508+4.3%
50South Dakota6,324+0.7%
51North Dakota5,176-0.7%

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/2017/historical-datasets/. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

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APA 7

U.S. Census Bureau. (2019). 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, 2017) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2017/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, 2017. U.S. Census Bureau, 27 June 2019, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2017/historical-datasets/. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-professional-services/us-states?period=2017. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2019. 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, 2017. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2017/historical-datasets/. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-professional-services/us-states?period=2017.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2019) 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, 2017 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2017/historical-datasets/, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-professional-services/us-states?period=2017 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_us_states_by_nonemployer_2017,
  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, 2017}},
  year = {2019},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2017/historical-datasets/},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-professional-services/us-states?period=2017. 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/2017/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, 2017
PY  - 2019
DA  - 2019/06/27
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2017/historical-datasets/
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-professional-services/us-states?period=2017
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-professional-services/us-states?period=2017.
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/2017/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 565,587 in 2017, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

North Dakota, with 5,176 in 2017.

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.

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