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 2023, at 355,175. District of Columbia had the lowest, at 6,097. The median was 38,684 and the figure for the United States was 3.17 million. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest355,175California
Lowest6,097District of Columbia
Median38,68451 states
United States3,170,531History

Map of states, 2023

Alabama: 38,684 countAlaska: 6,734 countArizona: 67,559 countArkansas: 23,497 countCalifornia: 355,175 countColorado: 72,694 countConnecticut: 39,177 countDelaware: 12,873 countDistrict of Columbia: 6,097 countFlorida: 336,663 countGeorgia: 95,257 countHawaii: 14,711 countIdaho: 21,539 countIllinois: 103,220 countIndiana: 50,792 countIowa: 27,769 countKansas: 24,171 countKentucky: 33,633 countLouisiana: 37,921 countMaine: 14,277 countMaryland: 54,933 countMassachusetts: 65,733 countMichigan: 86,373 countMinnesota: 47,856 countMississippi: 19,329 countMissouri: 54,093 countMontana: 16,226 countNebraska: 19,466 countNevada: 32,810 countNew Hampshire: 14,707 countNew Jersey: 116,423 countNew Mexico: 13,468 countNew York: 236,857 countNorth Carolina: 95,780 countNorth Dakota: 8,780 countOhio: 92,002 countOklahoma: 32,301 countOregon: 36,773 countPennsylvania: 104,689 countRhode Island: 10,738 countSouth Carolina: 46,703 countSouth Dakota: 10,736 countTennessee: 58,323 countTexas: 259,349 countUtah: 43,575 countVermont: 6,732 countVirginia: 75,100 countWashington: 61,870 countWest Virginia: 9,476 countWisconsin: 45,127 countWyoming: 11,760 count
  • Under 13K
  • 13K to 23K
  • 23K to 39K
  • 39K to 56K
  • 56K to 94K
  • 94K and over
count, 2023. 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, 2023

California: 355,175 countCalifornia355,175Florida: 336,663 countFlorida336,663Texas: 259,349 countTexas259,349New York: 236,857 countNew York236,857New Jersey: 116,423 countNew Jersey116,423Pennsylvania: 104,689 countPennsylvania104,689Illinois: 103,220 countIllinois103,220North Carolina: 95,780 countNorth Carolina95,780Georgia: 95,257 countGeorgia95,257Ohio: 92,002 countOhio92,002Michigan: 86,373 countMichigan86,373Virginia: 75,100 countVirginia75,100Colorado: 72,694 countColorado72,694Arizona: 67,559 countArizona67,559Massachusetts: 65,733 countMassachusetts65,733Washington: 61,870 countWashington61,870Tennessee: 58,323 countTennessee58,323Maryland: 54,933 countMaryland54,933Missouri: 54,093 countMissouri54,093Indiana: 50,792 countIndiana50,792Minnesota: 47,856 countMinnesota47,856South Carolina: 46,703 countSouth Carolina46,703Wisconsin: 45,127 countWisconsin45,127Utah: 43,575 countUtah43,575Connecticut: 39,177 countConnecticut39,177Alabama: 38,684 countAlabama38,684Louisiana: 37,921 countLouisiana37,921Oregon: 36,773 countOregon36,773Kentucky: 33,633 countKentucky33,633Nevada: 32,810 countNevada32,810Oklahoma: 32,301 countOklahoma32,301Iowa: 27,769 countIowa27,769Kansas: 24,171 countKansas24,171Arkansas: 23,497 countArkansas23,497Idaho: 21,539 countIdaho21,539Nebraska: 19,466 countNebraska19,466Mississippi: 19,329 countMississippi19,329Montana: 16,226 countMontana16,226Hawaii: 14,711 countHawaii14,711New Hampshire: 14,707 countNew Hampshire14,707Maine: 14,277 countMaine14,277New Mexico: 13,468 countNew Mexico13,468Delaware: 12,873 countDelaware12,873Wyoming: 11,760 countWyoming11,760Rhode Island: 10,738 countRhode Island10,738South Dakota: 10,736 countSouth Dakota10,736West Virginia: 9,476 countWest Virginia9,476North Dakota: 8,780 countNorth Dakota8,780Alaska: 6,734 countAlaska6,734Vermont: 6,732 countVermont6,732District of Columbia: 6,097 countDistrict of Columbia6,097California: 355,175 countCalifornia355,175Florida: 336,663 countFlorida336,663Texas: 259,349 countTexas259,349New York: 236,857 countNew York236,857New Jersey: 116,423 countNew Jersey116,423Pennsylvania: 104,689 countPennsylvania104,689Illinois: 103,220 countIllinois103,220North Carolina: 95,780 countNorth Carolina95,780Georgia: 95,257 countGeorgia95,257Ohio: 92,002 countOhio92,002Michigan: 86,373 countMichigan86,373Virginia: 75,100 countVirginia75,100Colorado: 72,694 countColorado72,694Arizona: 67,559 countArizona67,559Massachusetts: 65,733 countMassachusetts65,733Washington: 61,870 countWashington61,870Tennessee: 58,323 countTennessee58,323Maryland: 54,933 countMaryland54,933Missouri: 54,093 countMissouri54,093Indiana: 50,792 countIndiana50,792Minnesota: 47,856 countMinnesota47,856South Carolina: 46,703 countSouth Carolina46,703Wisconsin: 45,127 countWisconsin45,127Utah: 43,575 countUtah43,575Connecticut: 39,177 countConnecticut39,177Alabama: 38,684 countAlabama38,684Louisiana: 37,921 countLouisiana37,921Oregon: 36,773 countOregon36,773Kentucky: 33,633 countKentucky33,633Nevada: 32,810 countNevada32,810Oklahoma: 32,301 countOklahoma32,301Iowa: 27,769 countIowa27,769Kansas: 24,171 countKansas24,171Arkansas: 23,497 countArkansas23,497Idaho: 21,539 countIdaho21,539Nebraska: 19,466 countNebraska19,466Mississippi: 19,329 countMississippi19,329Montana: 16,226 countMontana16,226Hawaii: 14,711 countHawaii14,711New Hampshire: 14,707 countNew Hampshire14,707Maine: 14,277 countMaine14,277New Mexico: 13,468 countNew Mexico13,468Delaware: 12,873 countDelaware12,873Wyoming: 11,760 countWyoming11,760Rhode Island: 10,738 countRhode Island10,738South Dakota: 10,736 countSouth Dakota10,736West Virginia: 9,476 countWest Virginia9,476North Dakota: 8,780 countNorth Dakota8,780Alaska: 6,734 countAlaska6,734Vermont: 6,732 countVermont6,732District of Columbia: 6,097 countDistrict of Columbia6,097
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

RankStates2023
count		Change on 2022
1California355,175+0.7%
2Florida336,663+0.9%
3Texas259,349+1.1%
4New York236,857+2.3%
5New Jersey116,423+0.8%
6Pennsylvania104,689+1.1%
7Illinois103,220+0.7%
8North Carolina95,780-1.5%
9Georgia95,257-0.9%
10Ohio92,002+1.1%
11Michigan86,373+0.6%
12Virginia75,100+1.1%
13Colorado72,694+1.4%
14Arizona67,559-0.2%
15Massachusetts65,733+1.2%
16Washington61,870-0.2%
17Tennessee58,323+1.8%
18Maryland54,933+1.3%
19Missouri54,093+1%
20Indiana50,792+1.5%
21Minnesota47,856+0.7%
22South Carolina46,703-0.9%
23Wisconsin45,127-0%
24Utah43,575+3.6%
25Connecticut39,177-1.1%
26Alabama38,684+0.7%
27Louisiana37,921-3.9%
28Oregon36,773+0.1%
29Kentucky33,633+1%
30Nevada32,810-0.6%
31Oklahoma32,301+0.9%
32Iowa27,769+1.3%
33Kansas24,1710%
34Arkansas23,497+2%
35Idaho21,539+0.7%
36Nebraska19,466+3.2%
37Mississippi19,329+1.2%
38Montana16,226+1.7%
39Hawaii14,711-2.5%
40New Hampshire14,707+0.1%
41Maine14,277+1.5%
42New Mexico13,468+1%
43Delaware12,873+5.6%
44Wyoming11,760+7.8%
45Rhode Island10,738-1.1%
46South Dakota10,736+1.3%
47West Virginia9,476+0.7%
48North Dakota8,780+1.8%
49Alaska6,734+2.1%
50Vermont6,732+1.2%
51District of Columbia6,097+1.9%

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/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), real estate and rental and leasing (NAICS 53), all legal forms (US states by nonemployer businesses: real estate, rental and leasing, 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), real estate and rental and leasing (NAICS 53), all legal forms, US states by nonemployer businesses: real estate, rental and leasing, 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-real-estate/us-states?period=2023. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2025. 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, 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-real-estate/us-states?period=2023.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2025) 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, 2023 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2023/historical-datasets/, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-real-estate/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), real estate and rental and leasing (NAICS 53), all legal forms: US states by nonemployer businesses: real estate, rental and leasing, 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-real-estate/us-states?period=2023. 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/2023/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, 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-real-estate/us-states?period=2023
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-real-estate/us-states?period=2023.
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/2023/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 355,175 in 2023, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

District of Columbia, with 6,097 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), real estate and rental and leasing (NAICS 53), all legal forms. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

US states: more rankings