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 2018, at 593,879. North Dakota had the lowest, at 5,574. The median was 42,673 and the figure for the United States was 3.73 million. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest593,879California
Lowest5,574North Dakota
Median42,67351 states
United States3,726,651History

Map of states, 2018

Alabama: 36,104 countAlaska: 7,159 countArizona: 72,305 countArkansas: 19,832 countCalifornia: 593,879 countColorado: 93,553 countConnecticut: 48,049 countDelaware: 10,075 countDistrict of Columbia: 17,348 countFlorida: 287,097 countGeorgia: 116,194 countHawaii: 16,104 countIdaho: 18,088 countIllinois: 133,515 countIndiana: 49,194 countIowa: 21,845 countKansas: 25,959 countKentucky: 31,413 countLouisiana: 42,673 countMaine: 14,785 countMaryland: 81,633 countMassachusetts: 105,886 countMichigan: 90,786 countMinnesota: 63,251 countMississippi: 19,826 countMissouri: 49,996 countMontana: 12,303 countNebraska: 14,872 countNevada: 34,383 countNew Hampshire: 18,012 countNew Jersey: 123,501 countNew Mexico: 17,153 countNew York: 282,393 countNorth Carolina: 98,387 countNorth Dakota: 5,574 countOhio: 103,170 countOklahoma: 32,645 countOregon: 52,233 countPennsylvania: 125,164 countRhode Island: 12,794 countSouth Carolina: 43,923 countSouth Dakota: 6,962 countTennessee: 62,839 countTexas: 309,851 countUtah: 41,224 countVermont: 9,614 countVirginia: 99,788 countWashington: 89,215 countWest Virginia: 9,934 countWisconsin: 47,119 countWyoming: 7,049 count
  • Under 13K
  • 13K to 20K
  • 20K to 43K
  • 43K to 66K
  • 66K to 100K
  • 100K and over
count, 2018. 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, 2018

California: 593,879 countCalifornia593,879Texas: 309,851 countTexas309,851Florida: 287,097 countFlorida287,097New York: 282,393 countNew York282,393Illinois: 133,515 countIllinois133,515Pennsylvania: 125,164 countPennsylvania125,164New Jersey: 123,501 countNew Jersey123,501Georgia: 116,194 countGeorgia116,194Massachusetts: 105,886 countMassachusetts105,886Ohio: 103,170 countOhio103,170Virginia: 99,788 countVirginia99,788North Carolina: 98,387 countNorth Carolina98,387Colorado: 93,553 countColorado93,553Michigan: 90,786 countMichigan90,786Washington: 89,215 countWashington89,215Maryland: 81,633 countMaryland81,633Arizona: 72,305 countArizona72,305Minnesota: 63,251 countMinnesota63,251Tennessee: 62,839 countTennessee62,839Oregon: 52,233 countOregon52,233Missouri: 49,996 countMissouri49,996Indiana: 49,194 countIndiana49,194Connecticut: 48,049 countConnecticut48,049Wisconsin: 47,119 countWisconsin47,119South Carolina: 43,923 countSouth Carolina43,923Louisiana: 42,673 countLouisiana42,673Utah: 41,224 countUtah41,224Alabama: 36,104 countAlabama36,104Nevada: 34,383 countNevada34,383Oklahoma: 32,645 countOklahoma32,645Kentucky: 31,413 countKentucky31,413Kansas: 25,959 countKansas25,959Iowa: 21,845 countIowa21,845Arkansas: 19,832 countArkansas19,832Mississippi: 19,826 countMississippi19,826Idaho: 18,088 countIdaho18,088New Hampshire: 18,012 countNew Hampshire18,012District of Columbia: 17,348 countDistrict of Columbia17,348New Mexico: 17,153 countNew Mexico17,153Hawaii: 16,104 countHawaii16,104Nebraska: 14,872 countNebraska14,872Maine: 14,785 countMaine14,785Rhode Island: 12,794 countRhode Island12,794Montana: 12,303 countMontana12,303Delaware: 10,075 countDelaware10,075West Virginia: 9,934 countWest Virginia9,934Vermont: 9,614 countVermont9,614Alaska: 7,159 countAlaska7,159Wyoming: 7,049 countWyoming7,049South Dakota: 6,962 countSouth Dakota6,962North Dakota: 5,574 countNorth Dakota5,574California: 593,879 countCalifornia593,879Texas: 309,851 countTexas309,851Florida: 287,097 countFlorida287,097New York: 282,393 countNew York282,393Illinois: 133,515 countIllinois133,515Pennsylvania: 125,164 countPennsylvania125,164New Jersey: 123,501 countNew Jersey123,501Georgia: 116,194 countGeorgia116,194Massachusetts: 105,886 countMassachusetts105,886Ohio: 103,170 countOhio103,170Virginia: 99,788 countVirginia99,788North Carolina: 98,387 countNorth Carolina98,387Colorado: 93,553 countColorado93,553Michigan: 90,786 countMichigan90,786Washington: 89,215 countWashington89,215Maryland: 81,633 countMaryland81,633Arizona: 72,305 countArizona72,305Minnesota: 63,251 countMinnesota63,251Tennessee: 62,839 countTennessee62,839Oregon: 52,233 countOregon52,233Missouri: 49,996 countMissouri49,996Indiana: 49,194 countIndiana49,194Connecticut: 48,049 countConnecticut48,049Wisconsin: 47,119 countWisconsin47,119South Carolina: 43,923 countSouth Carolina43,923Louisiana: 42,673 countLouisiana42,673Utah: 41,224 countUtah41,224Alabama: 36,104 countAlabama36,104Nevada: 34,383 countNevada34,383Oklahoma: 32,645 countOklahoma32,645Kentucky: 31,413 countKentucky31,413Kansas: 25,959 countKansas25,959Iowa: 21,845 countIowa21,845Arkansas: 19,832 countArkansas19,832Mississippi: 19,826 countMississippi19,826Idaho: 18,088 countIdaho18,088New Hampshire: 18,012 countNew Hampshire18,012District of Columbia: 17,348 countDistrict of Columbia17,348New Mexico: 17,153 countNew Mexico17,153Hawaii: 16,104 countHawaii16,104Nebraska: 14,872 countNebraska14,872Maine: 14,785 countMaine14,785Rhode Island: 12,794 countRhode Island12,794Montana: 12,303 countMontana12,303Delaware: 10,075 countDelaware10,075West Virginia: 9,934 countWest Virginia9,934Vermont: 9,614 countVermont9,614Alaska: 7,159 countAlaska7,159Wyoming: 7,049 countWyoming7,049South Dakota: 6,962 countSouth Dakota6,962North Dakota: 5,574 countNorth Dakota5,574
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

RankStates2018
count		Change on 2017
1California Series break593,879+5%
2Texas Series break309,851+6.1%
3Florida Series break287,097+8.6%
4New York Series break282,393+5.3%
5Illinois Series break133,515+4.8%
6Pennsylvania Series break125,164+3.9%
7New Jersey Series break123,501+5.1%
8Georgia Series break116,194+6.6%
9Massachusetts Series break105,886+4.1%
10Ohio Series break103,170+4.1%
11Virginia Series break99,788+3.8%
12North Carolina Series break98,387+6.3%
13Colorado Series break93,553+5.2%
14Michigan Series break90,786+5.6%
15Washington Series break89,215+4.1%
16Maryland Series break81,633+4.2%
17Arizona Series break72,305+5.9%
18Minnesota Series break63,251+4%
19Tennessee Series break62,839+6.5%
20Oregon Series break52,233+5.1%
21Missouri Series break49,996+4.8%
22Indiana Series break49,194+5.4%
23Connecticut Series break48,049+3.4%
24Wisconsin Series break47,119+5%
25South Carolina Series break43,923+8.2%
26Louisiana Series break42,673+4.4%
27Utah Series break41,224+6.5%
28Alabama Series break36,104+6.1%
29Nevada Series break34,383+7.2%
30Oklahoma Series break32,645+5.7%
31Kentucky Series break31,413+5%
32Kansas Series break25,959+4.1%
33Iowa Series break21,845+5.2%
34Arkansas Series break19,832+6.2%
35Mississippi Series break19,826+5.4%
36Idaho Series break18,088+8.7%
37New Hampshire Series break18,012+2.6%
38District of Columbia Series break17,348+4.1%
39New Mexico Series break17,153+2.9%
40Hawaii Series break16,104+3%
41Nebraska Series break14,872+6.1%
42Maine Series break14,785+4.4%
43Rhode Island Series break12,794+3.3%
44Montana Series break12,303+6.2%
45Delaware Series break10,075+7.1%
46West Virginia Series break9,934+3.9%
47Vermont Series break9,614+4.2%
48Alaska Series break7,159+5.5%
49Wyoming Series break7,049+8.3%
50South Dakota Series break6,962+10.1%
51North Dakota Series break5,574+7.7%

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/2018/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. (2020). 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, 2018) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2018/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, 2018. U.S. Census Bureau, 21 May 2020, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2018/historical-datasets/. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-professional-services/us-states?period=2018. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2020. 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, 2018. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2018/historical-datasets/. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-professional-services/us-states?period=2018.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2020) 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, 2018 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2018/historical-datasets/, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-professional-services/us-states?period=2018 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_us_states_by_nonemployer_2018,
  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, 2018}},
  year = {2020},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2018/historical-datasets/},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-professional-services/us-states?period=2018. 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/2018/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, 2018
PY  - 2020
DA  - 2020/05/21
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2018/historical-datasets/
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-professional-services/us-states?period=2018
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-professional-services/us-states?period=2018.
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/2018/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 593,879 in 2018, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

North Dakota, with 5,574 in 2018.

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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