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 2015, at 324,150. Alaska had the lowest, at 5,113. The median was 33,229 and the figure for the United States was 2.64 million. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest324,150California
Lowest5,113Alaska
Median33,22951 states
United States2,635,780History

Map of states, 2015

Alabama: 30,402 countAlaska: 5,113 countArizona: 60,926 countArkansas: 17,870 countCalifornia: 324,150 countColorado: 61,846 countConnecticut: 36,267 countDelaware: 9,370 countDistrict of Columbia: 5,148 countFlorida: 252,157 countGeorgia: 75,243 countHawaii: 12,091 countIdaho: 16,352 countIllinois: 92,271 countIndiana: 43,537 countIowa: 23,676 countKansas: 20,779 countKentucky: 28,371 countLouisiana: 33,546 countMaine: 11,459 countMaryland: 49,092 countMassachusetts: 56,692 countMichigan: 77,039 countMinnesota: 43,418 countMississippi: 15,702 countMissouri: 45,791 countMontana: 12,050 countNebraska: 15,253 countNevada: 28,822 countNew Hampshire: 12,564 countNew Jersey: 96,358 countNew Mexico: 12,141 countNew York: 197,249 countNorth Carolina: 76,453 countNorth Dakota: 7,281 countOhio: 82,228 countOklahoma: 25,157 countOregon: 33,200 countPennsylvania: 88,569 countRhode Island: 9,678 countSouth Carolina: 37,347 countSouth Dakota: 8,364 countTennessee: 41,054 countTexas: 187,754 countUtah: 33,229 countVermont: 5,611 countVirginia: 65,460 countWashington: 55,084 countWest Virginia: 8,674 countWisconsin: 40,292 countWyoming: 7,600 count
  • Under 10K
  • 10K to 17K
  • 17K to 33K
  • 33K to 47K
  • 47K to 77K
  • 77K and over
count, 2015. 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, 2015

California: 324,150 countCalifornia324,150Florida: 252,157 countFlorida252,157New York: 197,249 countNew York197,249Texas: 187,754 countTexas187,754New Jersey: 96,358 countNew Jersey96,358Illinois: 92,271 countIllinois92,271Pennsylvania: 88,569 countPennsylvania88,569Ohio: 82,228 countOhio82,228Michigan: 77,039 countMichigan77,039North Carolina: 76,453 countNorth Carolina76,453Georgia: 75,243 countGeorgia75,243Virginia: 65,460 countVirginia65,460Colorado: 61,846 countColorado61,846Arizona: 60,926 countArizona60,926Massachusetts: 56,692 countMassachusetts56,692Washington: 55,084 countWashington55,084Maryland: 49,092 countMaryland49,092Missouri: 45,791 countMissouri45,791Indiana: 43,537 countIndiana43,537Minnesota: 43,418 countMinnesota43,418Tennessee: 41,054 countTennessee41,054Wisconsin: 40,292 countWisconsin40,292South Carolina: 37,347 countSouth Carolina37,347Connecticut: 36,267 countConnecticut36,267Louisiana: 33,546 countLouisiana33,546Utah: 33,229 countUtah33,229Oregon: 33,200 countOregon33,200Alabama: 30,402 countAlabama30,402Nevada: 28,822 countNevada28,822Kentucky: 28,371 countKentucky28,371Oklahoma: 25,157 countOklahoma25,157Iowa: 23,676 countIowa23,676Kansas: 20,779 countKansas20,779Arkansas: 17,870 countArkansas17,870Idaho: 16,352 countIdaho16,352Mississippi: 15,702 countMississippi15,702Nebraska: 15,253 countNebraska15,253New Hampshire: 12,564 countNew Hampshire12,564New Mexico: 12,141 countNew Mexico12,141Hawaii: 12,091 countHawaii12,091Montana: 12,050 countMontana12,050Maine: 11,459 countMaine11,459Rhode Island: 9,678 countRhode Island9,678Delaware: 9,370 countDelaware9,370West Virginia: 8,674 countWest Virginia8,674South Dakota: 8,364 countSouth Dakota8,364Wyoming: 7,600 countWyoming7,600North Dakota: 7,281 countNorth Dakota7,281Vermont: 5,611 countVermont5,611District of Columbia: 5,148 countDistrict of Columbia5,148Alaska: 5,113 countAlaska5,113California: 324,150 countCalifornia324,150Florida: 252,157 countFlorida252,157New York: 197,249 countNew York197,249Texas: 187,754 countTexas187,754New Jersey: 96,358 countNew Jersey96,358Illinois: 92,271 countIllinois92,271Pennsylvania: 88,569 countPennsylvania88,569Ohio: 82,228 countOhio82,228Michigan: 77,039 countMichigan77,039North Carolina: 76,453 countNorth Carolina76,453Georgia: 75,243 countGeorgia75,243Virginia: 65,460 countVirginia65,460Colorado: 61,846 countColorado61,846Arizona: 60,926 countArizona60,926Massachusetts: 56,692 countMassachusetts56,692Washington: 55,084 countWashington55,084Maryland: 49,092 countMaryland49,092Missouri: 45,791 countMissouri45,791Indiana: 43,537 countIndiana43,537Minnesota: 43,418 countMinnesota43,418Tennessee: 41,054 countTennessee41,054Wisconsin: 40,292 countWisconsin40,292South Carolina: 37,347 countSouth Carolina37,347Connecticut: 36,267 countConnecticut36,267Louisiana: 33,546 countLouisiana33,546Utah: 33,229 countUtah33,229Oregon: 33,200 countOregon33,200Alabama: 30,402 countAlabama30,402Nevada: 28,822 countNevada28,822Kentucky: 28,371 countKentucky28,371Oklahoma: 25,157 countOklahoma25,157Iowa: 23,676 countIowa23,676Kansas: 20,779 countKansas20,779Arkansas: 17,870 countArkansas17,870Idaho: 16,352 countIdaho16,352Mississippi: 15,702 countMississippi15,702Nebraska: 15,253 countNebraska15,253New Hampshire: 12,564 countNew Hampshire12,564New Mexico: 12,141 countNew Mexico12,141Hawaii: 12,091 countHawaii12,091Montana: 12,050 countMontana12,050Maine: 11,459 countMaine11,459Rhode Island: 9,678 countRhode Island9,678Delaware: 9,370 countDelaware9,370West Virginia: 8,674 countWest Virginia8,674South Dakota: 8,364 countSouth Dakota8,364Wyoming: 7,600 countWyoming7,600North Dakota: 7,281 countNorth Dakota7,281Vermont: 5,611 countVermont5,611District of Columbia: 5,148 countDistrict of Columbia5,148Alaska: 5,113 countAlaska5,113
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

RankStates2015
count		Change on 2014
1California324,150+2.8%
2Florida252,157+7.7%
3New York197,249+3.9%
4Texas187,754+4.8%
5New Jersey96,358+2.9%
6Illinois92,271+2.7%
7Pennsylvania88,569+3.1%
8Ohio82,228+2.2%
9Michigan77,039+2.5%
10North Carolina76,453+3.9%
11Georgia75,243+3.9%
12Virginia65,460+3%
13Colorado61,846+3.2%
14Arizona60,926+2.9%
15Massachusetts56,692+2.9%
16Washington55,084+3%
17Maryland49,092+2.7%
18Missouri45,791+3.7%
19Indiana43,537+1.9%
20Minnesota43,418+3.3%
21Tennessee41,054+4.2%
22Wisconsin40,292+1.9%
23South Carolina37,347+4.2%
24Connecticut36,267+2.4%
25Louisiana33,546-0.2%
26Utah33,229+4.3%
27Oregon33,200+4.2%
28Alabama30,402+2%
29Nevada28,822+2.1%
30Kentucky28,371+2.9%
31Oklahoma25,157+4.1%
32Iowa23,676+3.4%
33Kansas20,779+3.8%
34Arkansas17,870+3.5%
35Idaho16,352+4.3%
36Mississippi15,702+4.1%
37Nebraska15,253+3.8%
38New Hampshire12,564+2.9%
39New Mexico12,141+2.5%
40Hawaii12,091+3.4%
41Montana12,050+3.5%
42Maine11,459+3%
43Rhode Island9,678+1.9%
44Delaware9,370+4.9%
45West Virginia8,674+1.2%
46South Dakota8,364+4.6%
47Wyoming7,600+2.9%
48North Dakota7,281+2.8%
49Vermont5,611+3.1%
50District of Columbia5,148+3.1%
51Alaska5,113+5.3%

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/2015/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, 2015) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2015/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, 2015. U.S. Census Bureau, 7 July 2017, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2015/historical-datasets/. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-real-estate/us-states?period=2015. 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, 2015. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2015/historical-datasets/. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-real-estate/us-states?period=2015.

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, 2015 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2015/historical-datasets/, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-real-estate/us-states?period=2015 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_us_states_by_nonemployer_2015,
  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, 2015}},
  year = {2017},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2015/historical-datasets/},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-real-estate/us-states?period=2015. 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/2015/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, 2015
PY  - 2017
DA  - 2017/07/07
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2015/historical-datasets/
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-real-estate/us-states?period=2015
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-real-estate/us-states?period=2015.
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/2015/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 324,150 in 2015, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

Alaska, with 5,113 in 2015.

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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