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 2016, at 327,862. Alaska had the lowest, at 5,138. The median was 34,184 and the figure for the United States was 2.68 million. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest327,862California
Lowest5,138Alaska
Median34,18451 states
United States2,678,028History

Map of states, 2016

Alabama: 31,032 countAlaska: 5,138 countArizona: 61,422 countArkansas: 18,410 countCalifornia: 327,862 countColorado: 63,338 countConnecticut: 36,600 countDelaware: 9,613 countDistrict of Columbia: 5,487 countFlorida: 245,008 countGeorgia: 76,166 countHawaii: 12,490 countIdaho: 16,899 countIllinois: 93,530 countIndiana: 44,275 countIowa: 24,286 countKansas: 21,271 countKentucky: 29,042 countLouisiana: 35,135 countMaine: 11,805 countMaryland: 50,293 countMassachusetts: 58,038 countMichigan: 78,528 countMinnesota: 44,464 countMississippi: 16,172 countMissouri: 46,907 countMontana: 12,372 countNebraska: 15,734 countNevada: 29,371 countNew Hampshire: 12,964 countNew Jersey: 99,105 countNew Mexico: 12,281 countNew York: 201,630 countNorth Carolina: 79,014 countNorth Dakota: 7,499 countOhio: 83,800 countOklahoma: 26,039 countOregon: 34,184 countPennsylvania: 90,529 countRhode Island: 9,899 countSouth Carolina: 38,851 countSouth Dakota: 8,588 countTennessee: 42,997 countTexas: 188,861 countUtah: 34,067 countVermont: 5,609 countVirginia: 67,000 countWashington: 56,868 countWest Virginia: 8,726 countWisconsin: 41,010 countWyoming: 7,819 count
  • Under 11K
  • 11K to 18K
  • 18K to 34K
  • 34K to 48K
  • 48K to 79K
  • 79K and over
count, 2016. 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, 2016

California: 327,862 countCalifornia327,862Florida: 245,008 countFlorida245,008New York: 201,630 countNew York201,630Texas: 188,861 countTexas188,861New Jersey: 99,105 countNew Jersey99,105Illinois: 93,530 countIllinois93,530Pennsylvania: 90,529 countPennsylvania90,529Ohio: 83,800 countOhio83,800North Carolina: 79,014 countNorth Carolina79,014Michigan: 78,528 countMichigan78,528Georgia: 76,166 countGeorgia76,166Virginia: 67,000 countVirginia67,000Colorado: 63,338 countColorado63,338Arizona: 61,422 countArizona61,422Massachusetts: 58,038 countMassachusetts58,038Washington: 56,868 countWashington56,868Maryland: 50,293 countMaryland50,293Missouri: 46,907 countMissouri46,907Minnesota: 44,464 countMinnesota44,464Indiana: 44,275 countIndiana44,275Tennessee: 42,997 countTennessee42,997Wisconsin: 41,010 countWisconsin41,010South Carolina: 38,851 countSouth Carolina38,851Connecticut: 36,600 countConnecticut36,600Louisiana: 35,135 countLouisiana35,135Oregon: 34,184 countOregon34,184Utah: 34,067 countUtah34,067Alabama: 31,032 countAlabama31,032Nevada: 29,371 countNevada29,371Kentucky: 29,042 countKentucky29,042Oklahoma: 26,039 countOklahoma26,039Iowa: 24,286 countIowa24,286Kansas: 21,271 countKansas21,271Arkansas: 18,410 countArkansas18,410Idaho: 16,899 countIdaho16,899Mississippi: 16,172 countMississippi16,172Nebraska: 15,734 countNebraska15,734New Hampshire: 12,964 countNew Hampshire12,964Hawaii: 12,490 countHawaii12,490Montana: 12,372 countMontana12,372New Mexico: 12,281 countNew Mexico12,281Maine: 11,805 countMaine11,805Rhode Island: 9,899 countRhode Island9,899Delaware: 9,613 countDelaware9,613West Virginia: 8,726 countWest Virginia8,726South Dakota: 8,588 countSouth Dakota8,588Wyoming: 7,819 countWyoming7,819North Dakota: 7,499 countNorth Dakota7,499Vermont: 5,609 countVermont5,609District of Columbia: 5,487 countDistrict of Columbia5,487Alaska: 5,138 countAlaska5,138California: 327,862 countCalifornia327,862Florida: 245,008 countFlorida245,008New York: 201,630 countNew York201,630Texas: 188,861 countTexas188,861New Jersey: 99,105 countNew Jersey99,105Illinois: 93,530 countIllinois93,530Pennsylvania: 90,529 countPennsylvania90,529Ohio: 83,800 countOhio83,800North Carolina: 79,014 countNorth Carolina79,014Michigan: 78,528 countMichigan78,528Georgia: 76,166 countGeorgia76,166Virginia: 67,000 countVirginia67,000Colorado: 63,338 countColorado63,338Arizona: 61,422 countArizona61,422Massachusetts: 58,038 countMassachusetts58,038Washington: 56,868 countWashington56,868Maryland: 50,293 countMaryland50,293Missouri: 46,907 countMissouri46,907Minnesota: 44,464 countMinnesota44,464Indiana: 44,275 countIndiana44,275Tennessee: 42,997 countTennessee42,997Wisconsin: 41,010 countWisconsin41,010South Carolina: 38,851 countSouth Carolina38,851Connecticut: 36,600 countConnecticut36,600Louisiana: 35,135 countLouisiana35,135Oregon: 34,184 countOregon34,184Utah: 34,067 countUtah34,067Alabama: 31,032 countAlabama31,032Nevada: 29,371 countNevada29,371Kentucky: 29,042 countKentucky29,042Oklahoma: 26,039 countOklahoma26,039Iowa: 24,286 countIowa24,286Kansas: 21,271 countKansas21,271Arkansas: 18,410 countArkansas18,410Idaho: 16,899 countIdaho16,899Mississippi: 16,172 countMississippi16,172Nebraska: 15,734 countNebraska15,734New Hampshire: 12,964 countNew Hampshire12,964Hawaii: 12,490 countHawaii12,490Montana: 12,372 countMontana12,372New Mexico: 12,281 countNew Mexico12,281Maine: 11,805 countMaine11,805Rhode Island: 9,899 countRhode Island9,899Delaware: 9,613 countDelaware9,613West Virginia: 8,726 countWest Virginia8,726South Dakota: 8,588 countSouth Dakota8,588Wyoming: 7,819 countWyoming7,819North Dakota: 7,499 countNorth Dakota7,499Vermont: 5,609 countVermont5,609District of Columbia: 5,487 countDistrict of Columbia5,487Alaska: 5,138 countAlaska5,138
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

RankStates2016
count		Change on 2015
1California327,862+1.1%
2Florida245,008-2.8%
3New York201,630+2.2%
4Texas188,861+0.6%
5New Jersey99,105+2.9%
6Illinois93,530+1.4%
7Pennsylvania90,529+2.2%
8Ohio83,800+1.9%
9North Carolina79,014+3.3%
10Michigan78,528+1.9%
11Georgia76,166+1.2%
12Virginia67,000+2.4%
13Colorado63,338+2.4%
14Arizona61,422+0.8%
15Massachusetts58,038+2.4%
16Washington56,868+3.2%
17Maryland50,293+2.4%
18Missouri46,907+2.4%
19Minnesota44,464+2.4%
20Indiana44,275+1.7%
21Tennessee42,997+4.7%
22Wisconsin41,010+1.8%
23South Carolina38,851+4%
24Connecticut36,600+0.9%
25Louisiana35,135+4.7%
26Oregon34,184+3%
27Utah34,067+2.5%
28Alabama31,032+2.1%
29Nevada29,371+1.9%
30Kentucky29,042+2.4%
31Oklahoma26,039+3.5%
32Iowa24,286+2.6%
33Kansas21,271+2.4%
34Arkansas18,410+3%
35Idaho16,899+3.3%
36Mississippi16,172+3%
37Nebraska15,734+3.2%
38New Hampshire12,964+3.2%
39Hawaii12,490+3.3%
40Montana12,372+2.7%
41New Mexico12,281+1.2%
42Maine11,805+3%
43Rhode Island9,899+2.3%
44Delaware9,613+2.6%
45West Virginia8,726+0.6%
46South Dakota8,588+2.7%
47Wyoming7,819+2.9%
48North Dakota7,499+3%
49Vermont5,609-0%
50District of Columbia5,487+6.6%
51Alaska5,138+0.5%

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/2016/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. (2018). 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, 2016) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2016/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, 2016. U.S. Census Bureau, 21 June 2018, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2016/historical-datasets/. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-real-estate/us-states?period=2016. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2018. 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, 2016. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2016/historical-datasets/. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-real-estate/us-states?period=2016.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2018) 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, 2016 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2016/historical-datasets/, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-real-estate/us-states?period=2016 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_us_states_by_nonemployer_2016,
  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, 2016}},
  year = {2018},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2016/historical-datasets/},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-real-estate/us-states?period=2016. 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/2016/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, 2016
PY  - 2018
DA  - 2018/06/21
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2016/historical-datasets/
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-real-estate/us-states?period=2016
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-real-estate/us-states?period=2016.
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/2016/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 327,862 in 2016, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

Alaska, with 5,138 in 2016.

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.

US states: more rankings