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 2016, at 236,905. District of Columbia had the lowest, at 1,798. The median was 26,630 and the figure for the United States was 2 million. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest236,905California
Lowest1,798District of Columbia
Median26,63051 states
United States2,003,669History

Map of states, 2016

Alabama: 28,910 countAlaska: 4,576 countArizona: 39,782 countArkansas: 18,617 countCalifornia: 236,905 countColorado: 38,142 countConnecticut: 19,266 countDelaware: 5,690 countDistrict of Columbia: 1,798 countFlorida: 140,281 countGeorgia: 63,732 countHawaii: 10,450 countIdaho: 13,447 countIllinois: 70,763 countIndiana: 40,537 countIowa: 23,199 countKansas: 20,707 countKentucky: 28,197 countLouisiana: 26,320 countMaine: 9,402 countMaryland: 33,415 countMassachusetts: 30,093 countMichigan: 59,513 countMinnesota: 39,138 countMississippi: 17,413 countMissouri: 39,789 countMontana: 8,498 countNebraska: 14,454 countNevada: 19,389 countNew Hampshire: 8,697 countNew Jersey: 50,537 countNew Mexico: 10,883 countNew York: 118,328 countNorth Carolina: 62,619 countNorth Dakota: 6,127 countOhio: 68,666 countOklahoma: 26,630 countOregon: 25,081 countPennsylvania: 80,786 countRhode Island: 5,416 countSouth Carolina: 28,986 countSouth Dakota: 7,903 countTennessee: 43,768 countTexas: 185,915 countUtah: 25,008 countVermont: 4,299 countVirginia: 46,696 countWashington: 40,644 countWest Virginia: 10,122 countWisconsin: 39,309 countWyoming: 4,826 count
  • Under 9,000
  • 9,000 to 18K
  • 18K to 27K
  • 27K to 39K
  • 39K to 62K
  • 62K and over
count, 2016. 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, 2016

California: 236,905 countCalifornia236,905Texas: 185,915 countTexas185,915Florida: 140,281 countFlorida140,281New York: 118,328 countNew York118,328Pennsylvania: 80,786 countPennsylvania80,786Illinois: 70,763 countIllinois70,763Ohio: 68,666 countOhio68,666Georgia: 63,732 countGeorgia63,732North Carolina: 62,619 countNorth Carolina62,619Michigan: 59,513 countMichigan59,513New Jersey: 50,537 countNew Jersey50,537Virginia: 46,696 countVirginia46,696Tennessee: 43,768 countTennessee43,768Washington: 40,644 countWashington40,644Indiana: 40,537 countIndiana40,537Missouri: 39,789 countMissouri39,789Arizona: 39,782 countArizona39,782Wisconsin: 39,309 countWisconsin39,309Minnesota: 39,138 countMinnesota39,138Colorado: 38,142 countColorado38,142Maryland: 33,415 countMaryland33,415Massachusetts: 30,093 countMassachusetts30,093South Carolina: 28,986 countSouth Carolina28,986Alabama: 28,910 countAlabama28,910Kentucky: 28,197 countKentucky28,197Oklahoma: 26,630 countOklahoma26,630Louisiana: 26,320 countLouisiana26,320Oregon: 25,081 countOregon25,081Utah: 25,008 countUtah25,008Iowa: 23,199 countIowa23,199Kansas: 20,707 countKansas20,707Nevada: 19,389 countNevada19,389Connecticut: 19,266 countConnecticut19,266Arkansas: 18,617 countArkansas18,617Mississippi: 17,413 countMississippi17,413Nebraska: 14,454 countNebraska14,454Idaho: 13,447 countIdaho13,447New Mexico: 10,883 countNew Mexico10,883Hawaii: 10,450 countHawaii10,450West Virginia: 10,122 countWest Virginia10,122Maine: 9,402 countMaine9,402New Hampshire: 8,697 countNew Hampshire8,697Montana: 8,498 countMontana8,498South Dakota: 7,903 countSouth Dakota7,903North Dakota: 6,127 countNorth Dakota6,127Delaware: 5,690 countDelaware5,690Rhode Island: 5,416 countRhode Island5,416Wyoming: 4,826 countWyoming4,826Alaska: 4,576 countAlaska4,576Vermont: 4,299 countVermont4,299District of Columbia: 1,798 countDistrict of Columbia1,798California: 236,905 countCalifornia236,905Texas: 185,915 countTexas185,915Florida: 140,281 countFlorida140,281New York: 118,328 countNew York118,328Pennsylvania: 80,786 countPennsylvania80,786Illinois: 70,763 countIllinois70,763Ohio: 68,666 countOhio68,666Georgia: 63,732 countGeorgia63,732North Carolina: 62,619 countNorth Carolina62,619Michigan: 59,513 countMichigan59,513New Jersey: 50,537 countNew Jersey50,537Virginia: 46,696 countVirginia46,696Tennessee: 43,768 countTennessee43,768Washington: 40,644 countWashington40,644Indiana: 40,537 countIndiana40,537Missouri: 39,789 countMissouri39,789Arizona: 39,782 countArizona39,782Wisconsin: 39,309 countWisconsin39,309Minnesota: 39,138 countMinnesota39,138Colorado: 38,142 countColorado38,142Maryland: 33,415 countMaryland33,415Massachusetts: 30,093 countMassachusetts30,093South Carolina: 28,986 countSouth Carolina28,986Alabama: 28,910 countAlabama28,910Kentucky: 28,197 countKentucky28,197Oklahoma: 26,630 countOklahoma26,630Louisiana: 26,320 countLouisiana26,320Oregon: 25,081 countOregon25,081Utah: 25,008 countUtah25,008Iowa: 23,199 countIowa23,199Kansas: 20,707 countKansas20,707Nevada: 19,389 countNevada19,389Connecticut: 19,266 countConnecticut19,266Arkansas: 18,617 countArkansas18,617Mississippi: 17,413 countMississippi17,413Nebraska: 14,454 countNebraska14,454Idaho: 13,447 countIdaho13,447New Mexico: 10,883 countNew Mexico10,883Hawaii: 10,450 countHawaii10,450West Virginia: 10,122 countWest Virginia10,122Maine: 9,402 countMaine9,402New Hampshire: 8,697 countNew Hampshire8,697Montana: 8,498 countMontana8,498South Dakota: 7,903 countSouth Dakota7,903North Dakota: 6,127 countNorth Dakota6,127Delaware: 5,690 countDelaware5,690Rhode Island: 5,416 countRhode Island5,416Wyoming: 4,826 countWyoming4,826Alaska: 4,576 countAlaska4,576Vermont: 4,299 countVermont4,299District of Columbia: 1,798 countDistrict of Columbia1,798
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

RankStates2016
count		Change on 2015
1California236,905+0.3%
2Texas185,915-0.2%
3Florida140,281-2.6%
4New York118,328-0.3%
5Pennsylvania80,786+1.9%
6Illinois70,763+1.8%
7Ohio68,666+1.2%
8Georgia63,732-0.5%
9North Carolina62,619+3.4%
10Michigan59,513+1.1%
11New Jersey50,537+1%
12Virginia46,696+5.8%
13Tennessee43,768+0.3%
14Washington40,644+2.3%
15Indiana40,537-0.2%
16Missouri39,789+0.7%
17Arizona39,782+2.5%
18Wisconsin39,309+1.7%
19Minnesota39,138+0.9%
20Colorado38,142+1.2%
21Maryland33,415+1.1%
22Massachusetts30,093+1.3%
23South Carolina28,986+2.5%
24Alabama28,910-0.6%
25Kentucky28,197+1.7%
26Oklahoma26,630+2.5%
27Louisiana26,320+0.6%
28Oregon25,081+2%
29Utah25,008+5.5%
30Iowa23,199+2.8%
31Kansas20,707+0.9%
32Nevada19,389+6.4%
33Connecticut19,266+2%
34Arkansas18,617+0.7%
35Mississippi17,413-0.6%
36Nebraska14,454+4.2%
37Idaho13,447+2.7%
38New Mexico10,883-1.7%
39Hawaii10,450+3.9%
40West Virginia10,122-1.5%
41Maine9,402+2.7%
42New Hampshire8,697+2.1%
43Montana8,498+1%
44South Dakota7,903+1.5%
45North Dakota6,127+3.5%
46Delaware5,690+5.4%
47Rhode Island5,416-0.5%
48Wyoming4,826+2.2%
49Alaska4,576+6.7%
50Vermont4,299+2.1%
51District of Columbia1,798-1.4%

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/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), retail trade (NAICS 44-45), all legal forms (US states by nonemployer businesses: retail trade, 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), retail trade (NAICS 44-45), all legal forms, US states by nonemployer businesses: retail trade, 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-retail-trade/us-states?period=2016. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2018. Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), retail trade (NAICS 44-45), all legal forms. US states by nonemployer businesses: retail trade, 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-retail-trade/us-states?period=2016.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2018) Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), retail trade (NAICS 44-45), all legal forms, US states by nonemployer businesses: retail trade, 2016 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2016/historical-datasets/, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-retail-trade/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), retail trade (NAICS 44-45), all legal forms: US states by nonemployer businesses: retail trade, 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-retail-trade/us-states?period=2016. 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/2016/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, 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-retail-trade/us-states?period=2016
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-retail-trade/us-states?period=2016.
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/2016/historical-datasets/. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

Which state has the highest nonemployer businesses: retail trade?

California, with 236,905 in 2016, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which state has the lowest nonemployer businesses: retail trade?

District of Columbia, with 1,798 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), retail trade (NAICS 44-45), all legal forms. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

US states: more rankings