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 2017, at 242,592. District of Columbia had the lowest, at 1,883. The median was 28,439 and the figure for the United States was 2.09 million. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest242,592California
Lowest1,883District of Columbia
Median28,43951 states
United States2,093,459History

Map of states, 2017

Alabama: 29,638 countAlaska: 5,089 countArizona: 41,309 countArkansas: 19,532 countCalifornia: 242,592 countColorado: 39,868 countConnecticut: 19,591 countDelaware: 5,898 countDistrict of Columbia: 1,883 countFlorida: 151,848 countGeorgia: 66,856 countHawaii: 10,924 countIdaho: 14,464 countIllinois: 71,323 countIndiana: 42,344 countIowa: 23,994 countKansas: 21,467 countKentucky: 29,182 countLouisiana: 27,359 countMaine: 9,825 countMaryland: 33,945 countMassachusetts: 40,098 countMichigan: 61,451 countMinnesota: 40,413 countMississippi: 17,811 countMissouri: 41,408 countMontana: 8,960 countNebraska: 15,254 countNevada: 20,491 countNew Hampshire: 9,118 countNew Jersey: 51,455 countNew Mexico: 10,794 countNew York: 118,980 countNorth Carolina: 65,455 countNorth Dakota: 6,553 countOhio: 71,262 countOklahoma: 28,439 countOregon: 26,468 countPennsylvania: 83,370 countRhode Island: 5,532 countSouth Carolina: 31,176 countSouth Dakota: 8,408 countTennessee: 45,713 countTexas: 196,455 countUtah: 27,059 countVermont: 5,110 countVirginia: 48,699 countWashington: 42,925 countWest Virginia: 10,828 countWisconsin: 39,683 countWyoming: 5,160 count
  • Under 9,000
  • 9,000 to 19K
  • 19K to 28K
  • 28K to 41K
  • 41K to 64K
  • 64K and over
count, 2017. 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, 2017

California: 242,592 countCalifornia242,592Texas: 196,455 countTexas196,455Florida: 151,848 countFlorida151,848New York: 118,980 countNew York118,980Pennsylvania: 83,370 countPennsylvania83,370Illinois: 71,323 countIllinois71,323Ohio: 71,262 countOhio71,262Georgia: 66,856 countGeorgia66,856North Carolina: 65,455 countNorth Carolina65,455Michigan: 61,451 countMichigan61,451New Jersey: 51,455 countNew Jersey51,455Virginia: 48,699 countVirginia48,699Tennessee: 45,713 countTennessee45,713Washington: 42,925 countWashington42,925Indiana: 42,344 countIndiana42,344Missouri: 41,408 countMissouri41,408Arizona: 41,309 countArizona41,309Minnesota: 40,413 countMinnesota40,413Massachusetts: 40,098 countMassachusetts40,098Colorado: 39,868 countColorado39,868Wisconsin: 39,683 countWisconsin39,683Maryland: 33,945 countMaryland33,945South Carolina: 31,176 countSouth Carolina31,176Alabama: 29,638 countAlabama29,638Kentucky: 29,182 countKentucky29,182Oklahoma: 28,439 countOklahoma28,439Louisiana: 27,359 countLouisiana27,359Utah: 27,059 countUtah27,059Oregon: 26,468 countOregon26,468Iowa: 23,994 countIowa23,994Kansas: 21,467 countKansas21,467Nevada: 20,491 countNevada20,491Connecticut: 19,591 countConnecticut19,591Arkansas: 19,532 countArkansas19,532Mississippi: 17,811 countMississippi17,811Nebraska: 15,254 countNebraska15,254Idaho: 14,464 countIdaho14,464Hawaii: 10,924 countHawaii10,924West Virginia: 10,828 countWest Virginia10,828New Mexico: 10,794 countNew Mexico10,794Maine: 9,825 countMaine9,825New Hampshire: 9,118 countNew Hampshire9,118Montana: 8,960 countMontana8,960South Dakota: 8,408 countSouth Dakota8,408North Dakota: 6,553 countNorth Dakota6,553Delaware: 5,898 countDelaware5,898Rhode Island: 5,532 countRhode Island5,532Wyoming: 5,160 countWyoming5,160Vermont: 5,110 countVermont5,110Alaska: 5,089 countAlaska5,089District of Columbia: 1,883 countDistrict of Columbia1,883California: 242,592 countCalifornia242,592Texas: 196,455 countTexas196,455Florida: 151,848 countFlorida151,848New York: 118,980 countNew York118,980Pennsylvania: 83,370 countPennsylvania83,370Illinois: 71,323 countIllinois71,323Ohio: 71,262 countOhio71,262Georgia: 66,856 countGeorgia66,856North Carolina: 65,455 countNorth Carolina65,455Michigan: 61,451 countMichigan61,451New Jersey: 51,455 countNew Jersey51,455Virginia: 48,699 countVirginia48,699Tennessee: 45,713 countTennessee45,713Washington: 42,925 countWashington42,925Indiana: 42,344 countIndiana42,344Missouri: 41,408 countMissouri41,408Arizona: 41,309 countArizona41,309Minnesota: 40,413 countMinnesota40,413Massachusetts: 40,098 countMassachusetts40,098Colorado: 39,868 countColorado39,868Wisconsin: 39,683 countWisconsin39,683Maryland: 33,945 countMaryland33,945South Carolina: 31,176 countSouth Carolina31,176Alabama: 29,638 countAlabama29,638Kentucky: 29,182 countKentucky29,182Oklahoma: 28,439 countOklahoma28,439Louisiana: 27,359 countLouisiana27,359Utah: 27,059 countUtah27,059Oregon: 26,468 countOregon26,468Iowa: 23,994 countIowa23,994Kansas: 21,467 countKansas21,467Nevada: 20,491 countNevada20,491Connecticut: 19,591 countConnecticut19,591Arkansas: 19,532 countArkansas19,532Mississippi: 17,811 countMississippi17,811Nebraska: 15,254 countNebraska15,254Idaho: 14,464 countIdaho14,464Hawaii: 10,924 countHawaii10,924West Virginia: 10,828 countWest Virginia10,828New Mexico: 10,794 countNew Mexico10,794Maine: 9,825 countMaine9,825New Hampshire: 9,118 countNew Hampshire9,118Montana: 8,960 countMontana8,960South Dakota: 8,408 countSouth Dakota8,408North Dakota: 6,553 countNorth Dakota6,553Delaware: 5,898 countDelaware5,898Rhode Island: 5,532 countRhode Island5,532Wyoming: 5,160 countWyoming5,160Vermont: 5,110 countVermont5,110Alaska: 5,089 countAlaska5,089District of Columbia: 1,883 countDistrict of Columbia1,883
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

RankStates2017
count		Change on 2016
1California242,592+2.4%
2Texas196,455+5.7%
3Florida151,848+8.2%
4New York118,980+0.6%
5Pennsylvania83,370+3.2%
6Illinois71,323+0.8%
7Ohio71,262+3.8%
8Georgia66,856+4.9%
9North Carolina65,455+4.5%
10Michigan61,451+3.3%
11New Jersey51,455+1.8%
12Virginia48,699+4.3%
13Tennessee45,713+4.4%
14Washington42,925+5.6%
15Indiana42,344+4.5%
16Missouri41,408+4.1%
17Arizona41,309+3.8%
18Minnesota40,413+3.3%
19Massachusetts40,098+33.2%
20Colorado39,868+4.5%
21Wisconsin39,683+1%
22Maryland33,945+1.6%
23South Carolina31,176+7.6%
24Alabama29,638+2.5%
25Kentucky29,182+3.5%
26Oklahoma28,439+6.8%
27Louisiana27,359+3.9%
28Utah27,059+8.2%
29Oregon26,468+5.5%
30Iowa23,994+3.4%
31Kansas21,467+3.7%
32Nevada20,491+5.7%
33Connecticut19,591+1.7%
34Arkansas19,532+4.9%
35Mississippi17,811+2.3%
36Nebraska15,254+5.5%
37Idaho14,464+7.6%
38Hawaii10,924+4.5%
39West Virginia10,828+7%
40New Mexico10,794-0.8%
41Maine9,825+4.5%
42New Hampshire9,118+4.8%
43Montana8,960+5.4%
44South Dakota8,408+6.4%
45North Dakota6,553+7%
46Delaware5,898+3.7%
47Rhode Island5,532+2.1%
48Wyoming5,160+6.9%
49Vermont5,110+18.9%
50Alaska5,089+11.2%
51District of Columbia1,883+4.7%

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/2017/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. (2019). Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), retail trade (NAICS 44-45), all legal forms (US states by nonemployer businesses: retail trade, 2017) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2017/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, 2017. U.S. Census Bureau, 27 June 2019, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2017/historical-datasets/. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-retail-trade/us-states?period=2017. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2019. Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), retail trade (NAICS 44-45), all legal forms. US states by nonemployer businesses: retail trade, 2017. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2017/historical-datasets/. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-retail-trade/us-states?period=2017.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2019) Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), retail trade (NAICS 44-45), all legal forms, US states by nonemployer businesses: retail trade, 2017 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2017/historical-datasets/, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-retail-trade/us-states?period=2017 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_us_states_by_nonemployer_2017,
  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, 2017}},
  year = {2019},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2017/historical-datasets/},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-retail-trade/us-states?period=2017. 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/2017/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, 2017
PY  - 2019
DA  - 2019/06/27
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2017/historical-datasets/
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-retail-trade/us-states?period=2017
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-retail-trade/us-states?period=2017.
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/2017/historical-datasets/. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

Which state has the highest nonemployer businesses: retail trade?

California, with 242,592 in 2017, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which state has the lowest nonemployer businesses: retail trade?

District of Columbia, with 1,883 in 2017.

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