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 2020, at 257,684. District of Columbia had the lowest, at 2,153. The median was 29,304 and the figure for the United States was 2.26 million. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest257,684California
Lowest2,153District of Columbia
Median29,30451 states
United States2,256,913History

Map of states, 2020

Alabama: 31,977 countAlaska: 4,386 countArizona: 44,383 countArkansas: 20,615 countCalifornia: 257,684 countColorado: 39,294 countConnecticut: 20,157 countDelaware: 6,778 countDistrict of Columbia: 2,153 countFlorida: 186,347 countGeorgia: 80,114 countHawaii: 11,246 countIdaho: 15,353 countIllinois: 89,610 countIndiana: 41,799 countIowa: 23,569 countKansas: 20,498 countKentucky: 29,304 countLouisiana: 29,487 countMaine: 9,758 countMaryland: 38,363 countMassachusetts: 44,004 countMichigan: 64,383 countMinnesota: 39,605 countMississippi: 19,248 countMissouri: 42,512 countMontana: 9,216 countNebraska: 14,596 countNevada: 22,337 countNew Hampshire: 9,305 countNew Jersey: 57,827 countNew Mexico: 10,966 countNew York: 124,108 countNorth Carolina: 70,165 countNorth Dakota: 6,349 countOhio: 72,176 countOklahoma: 27,641 countOregon: 26,708 countPennsylvania: 81,671 countRhode Island: 5,784 countSouth Carolina: 34,605 countSouth Dakota: 8,370 countTennessee: 49,440 countTexas: 221,595 countUtah: 28,663 countVermont: 5,260 countVirginia: 60,066 countWashington: 42,023 countWest Virginia: 10,150 countWisconsin: 39,860 countWyoming: 5,405 count
  • Under 9,000
  • 9,000 to 20K
  • 20K to 29K
  • 29K to 42K
  • 42K to 68K
  • 68K and over
count, 2020. 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, 2020

California: 257,684 countCalifornia257,684Texas: 221,595 countTexas221,595Florida: 186,347 countFlorida186,347New York: 124,108 countNew York124,108Illinois: 89,610 countIllinois89,610Pennsylvania: 81,671 countPennsylvania81,671Georgia: 80,114 countGeorgia80,114Ohio: 72,176 countOhio72,176North Carolina: 70,165 countNorth Carolina70,165Michigan: 64,383 countMichigan64,383Virginia: 60,066 countVirginia60,066New Jersey: 57,827 countNew Jersey57,827Tennessee: 49,440 countTennessee49,440Arizona: 44,383 countArizona44,383Massachusetts: 44,004 countMassachusetts44,004Missouri: 42,512 countMissouri42,512Washington: 42,023 countWashington42,023Indiana: 41,799 countIndiana41,799Wisconsin: 39,860 countWisconsin39,860Minnesota: 39,605 countMinnesota39,605Colorado: 39,294 countColorado39,294Maryland: 38,363 countMaryland38,363South Carolina: 34,605 countSouth Carolina34,605Alabama: 31,977 countAlabama31,977Louisiana: 29,487 countLouisiana29,487Kentucky: 29,304 countKentucky29,304Utah: 28,663 countUtah28,663Oklahoma: 27,641 countOklahoma27,641Oregon: 26,708 countOregon26,708Iowa: 23,569 countIowa23,569Nevada: 22,337 countNevada22,337Arkansas: 20,615 countArkansas20,615Kansas: 20,498 countKansas20,498Connecticut: 20,157 countConnecticut20,157Mississippi: 19,248 countMississippi19,248Idaho: 15,353 countIdaho15,353Nebraska: 14,596 countNebraska14,596Hawaii: 11,246 countHawaii11,246New Mexico: 10,966 countNew Mexico10,966West Virginia: 10,150 countWest Virginia10,150Maine: 9,758 countMaine9,758New Hampshire: 9,305 countNew Hampshire9,305Montana: 9,216 countMontana9,216South Dakota: 8,370 countSouth Dakota8,370Delaware: 6,778 countDelaware6,778North Dakota: 6,349 countNorth Dakota6,349Rhode Island: 5,784 countRhode Island5,784Wyoming: 5,405 countWyoming5,405Vermont: 5,260 countVermont5,260Alaska: 4,386 countAlaska4,386District of Columbia: 2,153 countDistrict of Columbia2,153California: 257,684 countCalifornia257,684Texas: 221,595 countTexas221,595Florida: 186,347 countFlorida186,347New York: 124,108 countNew York124,108Illinois: 89,610 countIllinois89,610Pennsylvania: 81,671 countPennsylvania81,671Georgia: 80,114 countGeorgia80,114Ohio: 72,176 countOhio72,176North Carolina: 70,165 countNorth Carolina70,165Michigan: 64,383 countMichigan64,383Virginia: 60,066 countVirginia60,066New Jersey: 57,827 countNew Jersey57,827Tennessee: 49,440 countTennessee49,440Arizona: 44,383 countArizona44,383Massachusetts: 44,004 countMassachusetts44,004Missouri: 42,512 countMissouri42,512Washington: 42,023 countWashington42,023Indiana: 41,799 countIndiana41,799Wisconsin: 39,860 countWisconsin39,860Minnesota: 39,605 countMinnesota39,605Colorado: 39,294 countColorado39,294Maryland: 38,363 countMaryland38,363South Carolina: 34,605 countSouth Carolina34,605Alabama: 31,977 countAlabama31,977Louisiana: 29,487 countLouisiana29,487Kentucky: 29,304 countKentucky29,304Utah: 28,663 countUtah28,663Oklahoma: 27,641 countOklahoma27,641Oregon: 26,708 countOregon26,708Iowa: 23,569 countIowa23,569Nevada: 22,337 countNevada22,337Arkansas: 20,615 countArkansas20,615Kansas: 20,498 countKansas20,498Connecticut: 20,157 countConnecticut20,157Mississippi: 19,248 countMississippi19,248Idaho: 15,353 countIdaho15,353Nebraska: 14,596 countNebraska14,596Hawaii: 11,246 countHawaii11,246New Mexico: 10,966 countNew Mexico10,966West Virginia: 10,150 countWest Virginia10,150Maine: 9,758 countMaine9,758New Hampshire: 9,305 countNew Hampshire9,305Montana: 9,216 countMontana9,216South Dakota: 8,370 countSouth Dakota8,370Delaware: 6,778 countDelaware6,778North Dakota: 6,349 countNorth Dakota6,349Rhode Island: 5,784 countRhode Island5,784Wyoming: 5,405 countWyoming5,405Vermont: 5,260 countVermont5,260Alaska: 4,386 countAlaska4,386District of Columbia: 2,153 countDistrict of Columbia2,153
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

RankStates2020
count		Change on 2019
1California257,684+5.4%
2Texas221,595+6.1%
3Florida186,347+11.5%
4New York124,108+4.4%
5Illinois89,610+31.1%
6Pennsylvania81,671+3.5%
7Georgia80,114+12.9%
8Ohio72,176+3.5%
9North Carolina70,165+7.1%
10Michigan64,383+6%
11Virginia60,066+31.2%
12New Jersey57,827+11.3%
13Tennessee49,440+6.4%
14Arizona44,383+4.7%
15Massachusetts44,004+10.9%
16Missouri42,512+5.7%
17Washington42,023+2%
18Indiana41,799+4.3%
19Wisconsin39,860+4.5%
20Minnesota39,605+2.1%
21Colorado39,294+1.4%
22Maryland38,363+14.1%
23South Carolina34,605+8.6%
24Alabama31,977+5.7%
25Louisiana29,487+8.3%
26Kentucky29,304+4%
27Utah28,663+5%
28Oklahoma27,641+2.4%
29Oregon26,708+1.7%
30Iowa23,569+3.7%
31Nevada22,337+4.7%
32Arkansas20,615+8%
33Kansas20,498+1.1%
34Connecticut20,157+4.6%
35Mississippi19,248+5.5%
36Idaho15,353+3.4%
37Nebraska14,596+2%
38Hawaii11,246+6.1%
39New Mexico10,966+2.7%
40West Virginia10,150+2.4%
41Maine9,758+3.5%
42New Hampshire9,305+6%
43Montana9,216+1.8%
44South Dakota8,370+0.5%
45Delaware6,778+9.1%
46North Dakota6,349+1.3%
47Rhode Island5,784+6.1%
48Wyoming5,405+5.3%
49Vermont5,260+6.5%
50Alaska4,386-2.3%
51District of Columbia2,153+11.6%

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/2020/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. (2023). Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), retail trade (NAICS 44-45), all legal forms (US states by nonemployer businesses: retail trade, 2020) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2020/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, 2020. U.S. Census Bureau, 17 Aug. 2023, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2020/historical-datasets/. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-retail-trade/us-states?period=2020. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2023. Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), retail trade (NAICS 44-45), all legal forms. US states by nonemployer businesses: retail trade, 2020. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2020/historical-datasets/. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-retail-trade/us-states?period=2020.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2023) Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), retail trade (NAICS 44-45), all legal forms, US states by nonemployer businesses: retail trade, 2020 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2020/historical-datasets/, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-retail-trade/us-states?period=2020 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_us_states_by_nonemployer_2020,
  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, 2020}},
  year = {2023},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2020/historical-datasets/},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-retail-trade/us-states?period=2020. 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/2020/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, 2020
PY  - 2023
DA  - 2023/08/17
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2020/historical-datasets/
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-retail-trade/us-states?period=2020
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-retail-trade/us-states?period=2020.
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/2020/historical-datasets/. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

Which state has the highest nonemployer businesses: retail trade?

California, with 257,684 in 2020, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which state has the lowest nonemployer businesses: retail trade?

District of Columbia, with 2,153 in 2020.

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