Data / Rankings / Nonemployer businesses: retail trade / US states

US states by nonemployer businesses: retail trade

California had the highest nonemployer businesses: retail trade of 51 states in 2014, at 234,730. District of Columbia had the lowest, at 1,866. The median was 26,089 and the figure for the United States was 1.96 million. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest234,730California
Lowest1,866District of Columbia
Median26,08951 states
United States1,960,682History

Map of states, 2014

Alabama: 28,405 countAlaska: 4,418 countArizona: 38,293 countArkansas: 18,062 countCalifornia: 234,730 countColorado: 37,006 countConnecticut: 18,854 countDelaware: 5,283 countDistrict of Columbia: 1,866 countFlorida: 140,619 countGeorgia: 62,458 countHawaii: 10,067 countIdaho: 12,729 countIllinois: 69,005 countIndiana: 39,582 countIowa: 22,580 countKansas: 20,080 countKentucky: 27,384 countLouisiana: 26,089 countMaine: 9,131 countMaryland: 32,998 countMassachusetts: 29,972 countMichigan: 58,211 countMinnesota: 38,831 countMississippi: 17,431 countMissouri: 38,842 countMontana: 8,459 countNebraska: 13,495 countNevada: 17,462 countNew Hampshire: 8,528 countNew Jersey: 49,391 countNew Mexico: 11,189 countNew York: 118,191 countNorth Carolina: 59,029 countNorth Dakota: 5,930 countOhio: 67,966 countOklahoma: 25,776 countOregon: 23,959 countPennsylvania: 78,791 countRhode Island: 5,536 countSouth Carolina: 27,450 countSouth Dakota: 7,695 countTennessee: 43,057 countTexas: 182,912 countUtah: 22,887 countVermont: 4,312 countVirginia: 43,214 countWashington: 38,967 countWest Virginia: 10,346 countWisconsin: 38,748 countWyoming: 4,466 count
  • Under 8,000
  • 8,000 to 17K
  • 17K to 26K
  • 26K to 39K
  • 39K to 59K
  • 59K and over
count, 2014. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), retail trade (NAICS 44-45), all legal forms. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All states, 2014

California: 234,730 countCalifornia234,730Texas: 182,912 countTexas182,912Florida: 140,619 countFlorida140,619New York: 118,191 countNew York118,191Pennsylvania: 78,791 countPennsylvania78,791Illinois: 69,005 countIllinois69,005Ohio: 67,966 countOhio67,966Georgia: 62,458 countGeorgia62,458North Carolina: 59,029 countNorth Carolina59,029Michigan: 58,211 countMichigan58,211New Jersey: 49,391 countNew Jersey49,391Virginia: 43,214 countVirginia43,214Tennessee: 43,057 countTennessee43,057Indiana: 39,582 countIndiana39,582Washington: 38,967 countWashington38,967Missouri: 38,842 countMissouri38,842Minnesota: 38,831 countMinnesota38,831Wisconsin: 38,748 countWisconsin38,748Arizona: 38,293 countArizona38,293Colorado: 37,006 countColorado37,006Maryland: 32,998 countMaryland32,998Massachusetts: 29,972 countMassachusetts29,972Alabama: 28,405 countAlabama28,405South Carolina: 27,450 countSouth Carolina27,450Kentucky: 27,384 countKentucky27,384Louisiana: 26,089 countLouisiana26,089Oklahoma: 25,776 countOklahoma25,776Oregon: 23,959 countOregon23,959Utah: 22,887 countUtah22,887Iowa: 22,580 countIowa22,580Kansas: 20,080 countKansas20,080Connecticut: 18,854 countConnecticut18,854Arkansas: 18,062 countArkansas18,062Nevada: 17,462 countNevada17,462Mississippi: 17,431 countMississippi17,431Nebraska: 13,495 countNebraska13,495Idaho: 12,729 countIdaho12,729New Mexico: 11,189 countNew Mexico11,189West Virginia: 10,346 countWest Virginia10,346Hawaii: 10,067 countHawaii10,067Maine: 9,131 countMaine9,131New Hampshire: 8,528 countNew Hampshire8,528Montana: 8,459 countMontana8,459South Dakota: 7,695 countSouth Dakota7,695North Dakota: 5,930 countNorth Dakota5,930Rhode Island: 5,536 countRhode Island5,536Delaware: 5,283 countDelaware5,283Wyoming: 4,466 countWyoming4,466Alaska: 4,418 countAlaska4,418Vermont: 4,312 countVermont4,312District of Columbia: 1,866 countDistrict of Columbia1,866California: 234,730 countCalifornia234,730Texas: 182,912 countTexas182,912Florida: 140,619 countFlorida140,619New York: 118,191 countNew York118,191Pennsylvania: 78,791 countPennsylvania78,791Illinois: 69,005 countIllinois69,005Ohio: 67,966 countOhio67,966Georgia: 62,458 countGeorgia62,458North Carolina: 59,029 countNorth Carolina59,029Michigan: 58,211 countMichigan58,211New Jersey: 49,391 countNew Jersey49,391Virginia: 43,214 countVirginia43,214Tennessee: 43,057 countTennessee43,057Indiana: 39,582 countIndiana39,582Washington: 38,967 countWashington38,967Missouri: 38,842 countMissouri38,842Minnesota: 38,831 countMinnesota38,831Wisconsin: 38,748 countWisconsin38,748Arizona: 38,293 countArizona38,293Colorado: 37,006 countColorado37,006Maryland: 32,998 countMaryland32,998Massachusetts: 29,972 countMassachusetts29,972Alabama: 28,405 countAlabama28,405South Carolina: 27,450 countSouth Carolina27,450Kentucky: 27,384 countKentucky27,384Louisiana: 26,089 countLouisiana26,089Oklahoma: 25,776 countOklahoma25,776Oregon: 23,959 countOregon23,959Utah: 22,887 countUtah22,887Iowa: 22,580 countIowa22,580Kansas: 20,080 countKansas20,080Connecticut: 18,854 countConnecticut18,854Arkansas: 18,062 countArkansas18,062Nevada: 17,462 countNevada17,462Mississippi: 17,431 countMississippi17,431Nebraska: 13,495 countNebraska13,495Idaho: 12,729 countIdaho12,729New Mexico: 11,189 countNew Mexico11,189West Virginia: 10,346 countWest Virginia10,346Hawaii: 10,067 countHawaii10,067Maine: 9,131 countMaine9,131New Hampshire: 8,528 countNew Hampshire8,528Montana: 8,459 countMontana8,459South Dakota: 7,695 countSouth Dakota7,695North Dakota: 5,930 countNorth Dakota5,930Rhode Island: 5,536 countRhode Island5,536Delaware: 5,283 countDelaware5,283Wyoming: 4,466 countWyoming4,466Alaska: 4,418 countAlaska4,418Vermont: 4,312 countVermont4,312District of Columbia: 1,866 countDistrict of Columbia1,866
count. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), retail trade (NAICS 44-45), all legal forms. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankStates2014
count		Change on 2013
1California234,730+2.7%
2Texas182,912+6.7%
3Florida140,619+5%
4New York118,191+0.5%
5Pennsylvania78,791+0.1%
6Illinois69,005+1.1%
7Ohio67,966+0.3%
8Georgia62,458+2.6%
9North Carolina59,029+3.7%
10Michigan58,211+1.3%
11New Jersey49,391+2%
12Virginia43,214+3.5%
13Tennessee43,057+3.9%
14Indiana39,582+1%
15Washington38,967+3.2%
16Missouri38,842+1.8%
17Minnesota38,831+2.3%
18Wisconsin38,748+3.1%
19Arizona38,293+6.9%
20Colorado37,006+4.1%
21Maryland32,998+1.5%
22Massachusetts29,972+1.8%
23Alabama28,405+1.5%
24South Carolina27,450+2.7%
25Kentucky27,384-0.8%
26Louisiana26,089+3.5%
27Oklahoma25,776+5%
28Oregon23,959+3.9%
29Utah22,887+8.3%
30Iowa22,580-0.3%
31Kansas20,080+0.5%
32Connecticut18,854+0.1%
33Arkansas18,062+4.6%
34Nevada17,462+5.4%
35Mississippi17,431+2.4%
36Nebraska13,495+2.3%
37Idaho12,729+4.6%
38New Mexico11,189+2.8%
39West Virginia10,346-2.6%
40Hawaii10,067+2.6%
41Maine9,131+1.3%
42New Hampshire8,528+1.8%
43Montana8,459+2.8%
44South Dakota7,695+3.6%
45North Dakota5,930+3.1%
46Rhode Island5,536+0.3%
47Delaware5,283+2.1%
48Wyoming4,466+1.8%
49Alaska4,418+10.8%
50Vermont4,312-0.3%
51District of Columbia1,866-5.8%

Other periods

About this ranking

Number of businesses without paid employees in retail trade (NAICS 44-45), 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), retail trade (NAICS 44-45), 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), retail trade (NAICS 44-45), all legal forms (US states by nonemployer businesses: retail trade, 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), retail trade (NAICS 44-45), all legal forms, US states by nonemployer businesses: retail trade, 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-retail-trade/us-states?period=2014. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2017. Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), retail trade (NAICS 44-45), all legal forms. US states by nonemployer businesses: retail trade, 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-retail-trade/us-states?period=2014.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2017) Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), retail trade (NAICS 44-45), all legal forms, US states by nonemployer businesses: retail trade, 2014 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2014/historical-datasets/, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-retail-trade/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), retail trade (NAICS 44-45), all legal forms: US states by nonemployer businesses: retail trade, 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-retail-trade/us-states?period=2014. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), retail trade (NAICS 44-45), 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), retail trade (NAICS 44-45), all legal forms: US states by nonemployer businesses: retail trade, 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-retail-trade/us-states?period=2014
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-retail-trade/us-states?period=2014.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), retail trade (NAICS 44-45), 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: retail trade?

California, with 234,730 in 2014, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which state has the lowest nonemployer businesses: retail trade?

District of Columbia, with 1,866 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), retail trade (NAICS 44-45), all legal forms. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

US states: more rankings