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 2023, at 577,881. North Dakota had the lowest, at 6,049. The median was 50,667 and the figure for the United States was 4.08 million. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest577,881California
Lowest6,049North Dakota
Median50,66751 states
United States4,075,717History

Map of states, 2023

Alabama: 40,531 countAlaska: 7,362 countArizona: 84,142 countArkansas: 22,854 countCalifornia: 577,881 countColorado: 101,710 countConnecticut: 50,817 countDelaware: 14,450 countDistrict of Columbia: 17,782 countFlorida: 364,863 countGeorgia: 136,618 countHawaii: 16,752 countIdaho: 22,690 countIllinois: 140,212 countIndiana: 53,832 countIowa: 23,376 countKansas: 27,297 countKentucky: 33,784 countLouisiana: 43,950 countMaine: 16,257 countMaryland: 88,868 countMassachusetts: 108,626 countMichigan: 97,945 countMinnesota: 64,813 countMississippi: 21,832 countMissouri: 53,867 countMontana: 14,216 countNebraska: 16,182 countNevada: 41,196 countNew Hampshire: 19,484 countNew Jersey: 136,295 countNew Mexico: 18,148 countNew York: 297,385 countNorth Carolina: 113,585 countNorth Dakota: 6,049 countOhio: 110,077 countOklahoma: 35,807 countOregon: 53,702 countPennsylvania: 132,445 countRhode Island: 13,895 countSouth Carolina: 52,780 countSouth Dakota: 8,146 countTennessee: 74,480 countTexas: 361,655 countUtah: 52,384 countVermont: 9,956 countVirginia: 110,345 countWashington: 93,524 countWest Virginia: 10,285 countWisconsin: 50,667 countWyoming: 9,918 count
  • Under 15K
  • 15K to 23K
  • 23K to 51K
  • 51K to 78K
  • 78K to 110K
  • 110K and over
count, 2023. 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, 2023

California: 577,881 countCalifornia577,881Florida: 364,863 countFlorida364,863Texas: 361,655 countTexas361,655New York: 297,385 countNew York297,385Illinois: 140,212 countIllinois140,212Georgia: 136,618 countGeorgia136,618New Jersey: 136,295 countNew Jersey136,295Pennsylvania: 132,445 countPennsylvania132,445North Carolina: 113,585 countNorth Carolina113,585Virginia: 110,345 countVirginia110,345Ohio: 110,077 countOhio110,077Massachusetts: 108,626 countMassachusetts108,626Colorado: 101,710 countColorado101,710Michigan: 97,945 countMichigan97,945Washington: 93,524 countWashington93,524Maryland: 88,868 countMaryland88,868Arizona: 84,142 countArizona84,142Tennessee: 74,480 countTennessee74,480Minnesota: 64,813 countMinnesota64,813Missouri: 53,867 countMissouri53,867Indiana: 53,832 countIndiana53,832Oregon: 53,702 countOregon53,702South Carolina: 52,780 countSouth Carolina52,780Utah: 52,384 countUtah52,384Connecticut: 50,817 countConnecticut50,817Wisconsin: 50,667 countWisconsin50,667Louisiana: 43,950 countLouisiana43,950Nevada: 41,196 countNevada41,196Alabama: 40,531 countAlabama40,531Oklahoma: 35,807 countOklahoma35,807Kentucky: 33,784 countKentucky33,784Kansas: 27,297 countKansas27,297Iowa: 23,376 countIowa23,376Arkansas: 22,854 countArkansas22,854Idaho: 22,690 countIdaho22,690Mississippi: 21,832 countMississippi21,832New Hampshire: 19,484 countNew Hampshire19,484New Mexico: 18,148 countNew Mexico18,148District of Columbia: 17,782 countDistrict of Columbia17,782Hawaii: 16,752 countHawaii16,752Maine: 16,257 countMaine16,257Nebraska: 16,182 countNebraska16,182Delaware: 14,450 countDelaware14,450Montana: 14,216 countMontana14,216Rhode Island: 13,895 countRhode Island13,895West Virginia: 10,285 countWest Virginia10,285Vermont: 9,956 countVermont9,956Wyoming: 9,918 countWyoming9,918South Dakota: 8,146 countSouth Dakota8,146Alaska: 7,362 countAlaska7,362North Dakota: 6,049 countNorth Dakota6,049California: 577,881 countCalifornia577,881Florida: 364,863 countFlorida364,863Texas: 361,655 countTexas361,655New York: 297,385 countNew York297,385Illinois: 140,212 countIllinois140,212Georgia: 136,618 countGeorgia136,618New Jersey: 136,295 countNew Jersey136,295Pennsylvania: 132,445 countPennsylvania132,445North Carolina: 113,585 countNorth Carolina113,585Virginia: 110,345 countVirginia110,345Ohio: 110,077 countOhio110,077Massachusetts: 108,626 countMassachusetts108,626Colorado: 101,710 countColorado101,710Michigan: 97,945 countMichigan97,945Washington: 93,524 countWashington93,524Maryland: 88,868 countMaryland88,868Arizona: 84,142 countArizona84,142Tennessee: 74,480 countTennessee74,480Minnesota: 64,813 countMinnesota64,813Missouri: 53,867 countMissouri53,867Indiana: 53,832 countIndiana53,832Oregon: 53,702 countOregon53,702South Carolina: 52,780 countSouth Carolina52,780Utah: 52,384 countUtah52,384Connecticut: 50,817 countConnecticut50,817Wisconsin: 50,667 countWisconsin50,667Louisiana: 43,950 countLouisiana43,950Nevada: 41,196 countNevada41,196Alabama: 40,531 countAlabama40,531Oklahoma: 35,807 countOklahoma35,807Kentucky: 33,784 countKentucky33,784Kansas: 27,297 countKansas27,297Iowa: 23,376 countIowa23,376Arkansas: 22,854 countArkansas22,854Idaho: 22,690 countIdaho22,690Mississippi: 21,832 countMississippi21,832New Hampshire: 19,484 countNew Hampshire19,484New Mexico: 18,148 countNew Mexico18,148District of Columbia: 17,782 countDistrict of Columbia17,782Hawaii: 16,752 countHawaii16,752Maine: 16,257 countMaine16,257Nebraska: 16,182 countNebraska16,182Delaware: 14,450 countDelaware14,450Montana: 14,216 countMontana14,216Rhode Island: 13,895 countRhode Island13,895West Virginia: 10,285 countWest Virginia10,285Vermont: 9,956 countVermont9,956Wyoming: 9,918 countWyoming9,918South Dakota: 8,146 countSouth Dakota8,146Alaska: 7,362 countAlaska7,362North Dakota: 6,049 countNorth Dakota6,049
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

RankStates2023
count		Change on 2022
1California577,881+1.2%
2Florida364,863+2.6%
3Texas361,655+1.4%
4New York297,385+2.6%
5Illinois140,212+1.9%
6Georgia136,618+0.4%
7New Jersey136,295+2.5%
8Pennsylvania132,445+1.3%
9North Carolina113,585-0.8%
10Virginia110,345+1%
11Ohio110,077+1%
12Massachusetts108,626+1.4%
13Colorado101,710+3.1%
14Michigan97,945+1.2%
15Washington93,524+1.9%
16Maryland88,868+1%
17Arizona84,142+1.9%
18Tennessee74,480+2.1%
19Minnesota64,813+1%
20Missouri53,867+2.2%
21Indiana53,832+2%
22Oregon53,702+0.9%
23South Carolina52,780+0.6%
24Utah52,384+4.1%
25Connecticut50,817+1.4%
26Wisconsin50,667+1.6%
27Louisiana43,950-3.2%
28Nevada41,196+1.5%
29Alabama40,531+0.9%
30Oklahoma35,807+1.4%
31Kentucky33,784+1.1%
32Kansas27,297+1%
33Iowa23,376+1.1%
34Arkansas22,854+1.9%
35Idaho22,690+2.9%
36Mississippi21,832+2.3%
37New Hampshire19,484+1.2%
38New Mexico18,1480%
39District of Columbia17,782-0.7%
40Hawaii16,752+0.2%
41Maine16,257+1.1%
42Nebraska16,182+3.7%
43Delaware14,450+8.1%
44Montana14,216+1.2%
45Rhode Island13,895+2.1%
46West Virginia10,285+0.2%
47Vermont9,956-0.6%
48Wyoming9,918+8.1%
49South Dakota8,146+2.7%
50Alaska7,362+0.9%
51North Dakota6,049+3.1%

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/2023/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. (2025). 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, 2023) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2023/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, 2023. U.S. Census Bureau, 15 May 2025, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2023/historical-datasets/. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-professional-services/us-states?period=2023. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2025. 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, 2023. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2023/historical-datasets/. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-professional-services/us-states?period=2023.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2025) 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, 2023 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2023/historical-datasets/, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-professional-services/us-states?period=2023 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_us_states_by_nonemployer_2023,
  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, 2023}},
  year = {2025},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2023/historical-datasets/},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-professional-services/us-states?period=2023. 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/2023/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, 2023
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/05/15
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2023/historical-datasets/
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-professional-services/us-states?period=2023
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-professional-services/us-states?period=2023.
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/2023/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 577,881 in 2023, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

North Dakota, with 6,049 in 2023.

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