Data / Rankings / Nonemployer businesses: real estate, rental and leasing / US states

US states by nonemployer businesses: real estate, rental and leasing

California had the highest nonemployer businesses: real estate, rental and leasing of 51 states in 2014, at 315,451. Alaska had the lowest, at 4,854. The median was 31,859 and the figure for the United States was 2.54 million. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest315,451California
Lowest4,854Alaska
Median31,85951 states
United States2,543,791History

Map of states, 2014

Alabama: 29,803 countAlaska: 4,854 countArizona: 59,219 countArkansas: 17,261 countCalifornia: 315,451 countColorado: 59,937 countConnecticut: 35,419 countDelaware: 8,935 countDistrict of Columbia: 4,995 countFlorida: 234,216 countGeorgia: 72,417 countHawaii: 11,689 countIdaho: 15,675 countIllinois: 89,810 countIndiana: 42,711 countIowa: 22,898 countKansas: 20,009 countKentucky: 27,562 countLouisiana: 33,614 countMaine: 11,123 countMaryland: 47,783 countMassachusetts: 55,070 countMichigan: 75,148 countMinnesota: 42,051 countMississippi: 15,087 countMissouri: 44,156 countMontana: 11,646 countNebraska: 14,695 countNevada: 28,235 countNew Hampshire: 12,213 countNew Jersey: 93,634 countNew Mexico: 11,846 countNew York: 189,829 countNorth Carolina: 73,557 countNorth Dakota: 7,083 countOhio: 80,470 countOklahoma: 24,163 countOregon: 31,859 countPennsylvania: 85,909 countRhode Island: 9,493 countSouth Carolina: 35,851 countSouth Dakota: 7,994 countTennessee: 39,407 countTexas: 179,186 countUtah: 31,857 countVermont: 5,440 countVirginia: 63,577 countWashington: 53,463 countWest Virginia: 8,570 countWisconsin: 39,534 countWyoming: 7,387 count
  • Under 10K
  • 10K to 17K
  • 17K to 32K
  • 32K to 45K
  • 45K to 75K
  • 75K and over
count, 2014. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), real estate and rental and leasing (NAICS 53), all legal forms. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All states, 2014

California: 315,451 countCalifornia315,451Florida: 234,216 countFlorida234,216New York: 189,829 countNew York189,829Texas: 179,186 countTexas179,186New Jersey: 93,634 countNew Jersey93,634Illinois: 89,810 countIllinois89,810Pennsylvania: 85,909 countPennsylvania85,909Ohio: 80,470 countOhio80,470Michigan: 75,148 countMichigan75,148North Carolina: 73,557 countNorth Carolina73,557Georgia: 72,417 countGeorgia72,417Virginia: 63,577 countVirginia63,577Colorado: 59,937 countColorado59,937Arizona: 59,219 countArizona59,219Massachusetts: 55,070 countMassachusetts55,070Washington: 53,463 countWashington53,463Maryland: 47,783 countMaryland47,783Missouri: 44,156 countMissouri44,156Indiana: 42,711 countIndiana42,711Minnesota: 42,051 countMinnesota42,051Wisconsin: 39,534 countWisconsin39,534Tennessee: 39,407 countTennessee39,407South Carolina: 35,851 countSouth Carolina35,851Connecticut: 35,419 countConnecticut35,419Louisiana: 33,614 countLouisiana33,614Oregon: 31,859 countOregon31,859Utah: 31,857 countUtah31,857Alabama: 29,803 countAlabama29,803Nevada: 28,235 countNevada28,235Kentucky: 27,562 countKentucky27,562Oklahoma: 24,163 countOklahoma24,163Iowa: 22,898 countIowa22,898Kansas: 20,009 countKansas20,009Arkansas: 17,261 countArkansas17,261Idaho: 15,675 countIdaho15,675Mississippi: 15,087 countMississippi15,087Nebraska: 14,695 countNebraska14,695New Hampshire: 12,213 countNew Hampshire12,213New Mexico: 11,846 countNew Mexico11,846Hawaii: 11,689 countHawaii11,689Montana: 11,646 countMontana11,646Maine: 11,123 countMaine11,123Rhode Island: 9,493 countRhode Island9,493Delaware: 8,935 countDelaware8,935West Virginia: 8,570 countWest Virginia8,570South Dakota: 7,994 countSouth Dakota7,994Wyoming: 7,387 countWyoming7,387North Dakota: 7,083 countNorth Dakota7,083Vermont: 5,440 countVermont5,440District of Columbia: 4,995 countDistrict of Columbia4,995Alaska: 4,854 countAlaska4,854California: 315,451 countCalifornia315,451Florida: 234,216 countFlorida234,216New York: 189,829 countNew York189,829Texas: 179,186 countTexas179,186New Jersey: 93,634 countNew Jersey93,634Illinois: 89,810 countIllinois89,810Pennsylvania: 85,909 countPennsylvania85,909Ohio: 80,470 countOhio80,470Michigan: 75,148 countMichigan75,148North Carolina: 73,557 countNorth Carolina73,557Georgia: 72,417 countGeorgia72,417Virginia: 63,577 countVirginia63,577Colorado: 59,937 countColorado59,937Arizona: 59,219 countArizona59,219Massachusetts: 55,070 countMassachusetts55,070Washington: 53,463 countWashington53,463Maryland: 47,783 countMaryland47,783Missouri: 44,156 countMissouri44,156Indiana: 42,711 countIndiana42,711Minnesota: 42,051 countMinnesota42,051Wisconsin: 39,534 countWisconsin39,534Tennessee: 39,407 countTennessee39,407South Carolina: 35,851 countSouth Carolina35,851Connecticut: 35,419 countConnecticut35,419Louisiana: 33,614 countLouisiana33,614Oregon: 31,859 countOregon31,859Utah: 31,857 countUtah31,857Alabama: 29,803 countAlabama29,803Nevada: 28,235 countNevada28,235Kentucky: 27,562 countKentucky27,562Oklahoma: 24,163 countOklahoma24,163Iowa: 22,898 countIowa22,898Kansas: 20,009 countKansas20,009Arkansas: 17,261 countArkansas17,261Idaho: 15,675 countIdaho15,675Mississippi: 15,087 countMississippi15,087Nebraska: 14,695 countNebraska14,695New Hampshire: 12,213 countNew Hampshire12,213New Mexico: 11,846 countNew Mexico11,846Hawaii: 11,689 countHawaii11,689Montana: 11,646 countMontana11,646Maine: 11,123 countMaine11,123Rhode Island: 9,493 countRhode Island9,493Delaware: 8,935 countDelaware8,935West Virginia: 8,570 countWest Virginia8,570South Dakota: 7,994 countSouth Dakota7,994Wyoming: 7,387 countWyoming7,387North Dakota: 7,083 countNorth Dakota7,083Vermont: 5,440 countVermont5,440District of Columbia: 4,995 countDistrict of Columbia4,995Alaska: 4,854 countAlaska4,854
count. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), real estate and rental and leasing (NAICS 53), all legal forms. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankStates2014
count		Change on 2013
1California315,451+2.9%
2Florida234,216+8.2%
3New York189,829+4.6%
4Texas179,186+6.8%
5New Jersey93,634+3.4%
6Illinois89,810+2.6%
7Pennsylvania85,909+3.4%
8Ohio80,470+2.9%
9Michigan75,148+3%
10North Carolina73,557+3.5%
11Georgia72,417+3.7%
12Virginia63,577+3.1%
13Colorado59,937+3.7%
14Arizona59,219+2.3%
15Massachusetts55,070+3.2%
16Washington53,463+4.2%
17Maryland47,783+3.2%
18Missouri44,156+2.5%
19Indiana42,711+3.5%
20Minnesota42,051+2.3%
21Wisconsin39,534+1.6%
22Tennessee39,407+4.6%
23South Carolina35,851+2.4%
24Connecticut35,419+1.6%
25Louisiana33,614+3.5%
26Oregon31,859+3.2%
27Utah31,857+3.4%
28Alabama29,803+2.5%
29Nevada28,235+2.3%
30Kentucky27,562+2.2%
31Oklahoma24,163+4.5%
32Iowa22,898+3.9%
33Kansas20,009+3.1%
34Arkansas17,261+1.9%
35Idaho15,675+4.2%
36Mississippi15,087+3%
37Nebraska14,695+3.3%
38New Hampshire12,213+2.3%
39New Mexico11,846+1.8%
40Hawaii11,689+4.4%
41Montana11,646+4.1%
42Maine11,123+3.7%
43Rhode Island9,493+1.4%
44Delaware8,935+3.7%
45West Virginia8,570+2.4%
46South Dakota7,994+4.4%
47Wyoming7,387+3.4%
48North Dakota7,083+6.2%
49Vermont5,440+0.4%
50District of Columbia4,995+6.4%
51Alaska4,854+5.2%

Other periods

About this ranking

Number of businesses without paid employees in real estate and rental and leasing (NAICS 53), 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), real estate and rental and leasing (NAICS 53), all legal forms. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2014/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. (2017). Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), real estate and rental and leasing (NAICS 53), all legal forms (US states by nonemployer businesses: real estate, rental and leasing, 2014) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2014/historical-datasets/

MLA 9

Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), real estate and rental and leasing (NAICS 53), all legal forms, US states by nonemployer businesses: real estate, rental and leasing, 2014. U.S. Census Bureau, 6 June 2017, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2014/historical-datasets/. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-real-estate/us-states?period=2014. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2017. Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), real estate and rental and leasing (NAICS 53), all legal forms. US states by nonemployer businesses: real estate, rental and leasing, 2014. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2014/historical-datasets/. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-real-estate/us-states?period=2014.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2017) Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), real estate and rental and leasing (NAICS 53), all legal forms, US states by nonemployer businesses: real estate, rental and leasing, 2014 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2014/historical-datasets/, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-real-estate/us-states?period=2014 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_us_states_by_nonemployer_2014,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), real estate and rental and leasing (NAICS 53), all legal forms: US states by nonemployer businesses: real estate, rental and leasing, 2014}},
  year = {2017},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2014/historical-datasets/},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-real-estate/us-states?period=2014. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), real estate and rental and leasing (NAICS 53), all legal forms. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2014/historical-datasets/. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), real estate and rental and leasing (NAICS 53), all legal forms: US states by nonemployer businesses: real estate, rental and leasing, 2014
PY  - 2017
DA  - 2017/06/06
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2014/historical-datasets/
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-real-estate/us-states?period=2014
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-real-estate/us-states?period=2014.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), real estate and rental and leasing (NAICS 53), all legal forms. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2014/historical-datasets/. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

Which state has the highest nonemployer businesses: real estate, rental and leasing?

California, with 315,451 in 2014, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which state has the lowest nonemployer businesses: real estate, rental and leasing?

Alaska, with 4,854 in 2014.

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), real estate and rental and leasing (NAICS 53), all legal forms. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

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