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 2021, at 274,667. District of Columbia had the lowest, at 2,412. The median was 29,736 and the figure for the United States was 2.37 million. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest274,667California
Lowest2,412District of Columbia
Median29,73651 states
United States2,369,980History

Map of states, 2021

Alabama: 33,883 countAlaska: 4,382 countArizona: 45,531 countArkansas: 21,077 countCalifornia: 274,667 countColorado: 40,637 countConnecticut: 20,949 countDelaware: 7,214 countDistrict of Columbia: 2,412 countFlorida: 190,579 countGeorgia: 86,956 countHawaii: 11,149 countIdaho: 15,817 countIllinois: 99,854 countIndiana: 43,085 countIowa: 23,756 countKansas: 20,953 countKentucky: 29,736 countLouisiana: 32,325 countMaine: 10,209 countMaryland: 48,861 countMassachusetts: 48,816 countMichigan: 67,385 countMinnesota: 40,669 countMississippi: 20,137 countMissouri: 49,472 countMontana: 9,258 countNebraska: 14,536 countNevada: 23,468 countNew Hampshire: 9,539 countNew Jersey: 59,637 countNew Mexico: 11,501 countNew York: 125,804 countNorth Carolina: 71,562 countNorth Dakota: 6,231 countOhio: 75,239 countOklahoma: 27,475 countOregon: 27,221 countPennsylvania: 84,149 countRhode Island: 5,997 countSouth Carolina: 36,113 countSouth Dakota: 8,564 countTennessee: 51,923 countTexas: 229,394 countUtah: 29,715 countVermont: 5,764 countVirginia: 65,959 countWashington: 42,683 countWest Virginia: 10,454 countWisconsin: 41,826 countWyoming: 5,457 count
  • Under 9,000
  • 9,000 to 21K
  • 21K to 30K
  • 30K to 44K
  • 44K to 70K
  • 70K and over
count, 2021. 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, 2021

California: 274,667 countCalifornia274,667Texas: 229,394 countTexas229,394Florida: 190,579 countFlorida190,579New York: 125,804 countNew York125,804Illinois: 99,854 countIllinois99,854Georgia: 86,956 countGeorgia86,956Pennsylvania: 84,149 countPennsylvania84,149Ohio: 75,239 countOhio75,239North Carolina: 71,562 countNorth Carolina71,562Michigan: 67,385 countMichigan67,385Virginia: 65,959 countVirginia65,959New Jersey: 59,637 countNew Jersey59,637Tennessee: 51,923 countTennessee51,923Missouri: 49,472 countMissouri49,472Maryland: 48,861 countMaryland48,861Massachusetts: 48,816 countMassachusetts48,816Arizona: 45,531 countArizona45,531Indiana: 43,085 countIndiana43,085Washington: 42,683 countWashington42,683Wisconsin: 41,826 countWisconsin41,826Minnesota: 40,669 countMinnesota40,669Colorado: 40,637 countColorado40,637South Carolina: 36,113 countSouth Carolina36,113Alabama: 33,883 countAlabama33,883Louisiana: 32,325 countLouisiana32,325Kentucky: 29,736 countKentucky29,736Utah: 29,715 countUtah29,715Oklahoma: 27,475 countOklahoma27,475Oregon: 27,221 countOregon27,221Iowa: 23,756 countIowa23,756Nevada: 23,468 countNevada23,468Arkansas: 21,077 countArkansas21,077Kansas: 20,953 countKansas20,953Connecticut: 20,949 countConnecticut20,949Mississippi: 20,137 countMississippi20,137Idaho: 15,817 countIdaho15,817Nebraska: 14,536 countNebraska14,536New Mexico: 11,501 countNew Mexico11,501Hawaii: 11,149 countHawaii11,149West Virginia: 10,454 countWest Virginia10,454Maine: 10,209 countMaine10,209New Hampshire: 9,539 countNew Hampshire9,539Montana: 9,258 countMontana9,258South Dakota: 8,564 countSouth Dakota8,564Delaware: 7,214 countDelaware7,214North Dakota: 6,231 countNorth Dakota6,231Rhode Island: 5,997 countRhode Island5,997Vermont: 5,764 countVermont5,764Wyoming: 5,457 countWyoming5,457Alaska: 4,382 countAlaska4,382District of Columbia: 2,412 countDistrict of Columbia2,412California: 274,667 countCalifornia274,667Texas: 229,394 countTexas229,394Florida: 190,579 countFlorida190,579New York: 125,804 countNew York125,804Illinois: 99,854 countIllinois99,854Georgia: 86,956 countGeorgia86,956Pennsylvania: 84,149 countPennsylvania84,149Ohio: 75,239 countOhio75,239North Carolina: 71,562 countNorth Carolina71,562Michigan: 67,385 countMichigan67,385Virginia: 65,959 countVirginia65,959New Jersey: 59,637 countNew Jersey59,637Tennessee: 51,923 countTennessee51,923Missouri: 49,472 countMissouri49,472Maryland: 48,861 countMaryland48,861Massachusetts: 48,816 countMassachusetts48,816Arizona: 45,531 countArizona45,531Indiana: 43,085 countIndiana43,085Washington: 42,683 countWashington42,683Wisconsin: 41,826 countWisconsin41,826Minnesota: 40,669 countMinnesota40,669Colorado: 40,637 countColorado40,637South Carolina: 36,113 countSouth Carolina36,113Alabama: 33,883 countAlabama33,883Louisiana: 32,325 countLouisiana32,325Kentucky: 29,736 countKentucky29,736Utah: 29,715 countUtah29,715Oklahoma: 27,475 countOklahoma27,475Oregon: 27,221 countOregon27,221Iowa: 23,756 countIowa23,756Nevada: 23,468 countNevada23,468Arkansas: 21,077 countArkansas21,077Kansas: 20,953 countKansas20,953Connecticut: 20,949 countConnecticut20,949Mississippi: 20,137 countMississippi20,137Idaho: 15,817 countIdaho15,817Nebraska: 14,536 countNebraska14,536New Mexico: 11,501 countNew Mexico11,501Hawaii: 11,149 countHawaii11,149West Virginia: 10,454 countWest Virginia10,454Maine: 10,209 countMaine10,209New Hampshire: 9,539 countNew Hampshire9,539Montana: 9,258 countMontana9,258South Dakota: 8,564 countSouth Dakota8,564Delaware: 7,214 countDelaware7,214North Dakota: 6,231 countNorth Dakota6,231Rhode Island: 5,997 countRhode Island5,997Vermont: 5,764 countVermont5,764Wyoming: 5,457 countWyoming5,457Alaska: 4,382 countAlaska4,382District of Columbia: 2,412 countDistrict of Columbia2,412
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

RankStates2021
count		Change on 2020
1California274,667+6.6%
2Texas229,394+3.5%
3Florida190,579+2.3%
4New York125,804+1.4%
5Illinois99,854+11.4%
6Georgia86,956+8.5%
7Pennsylvania84,149+3%
8Ohio75,239+4.2%
9North Carolina71,562+2%
10Michigan67,385+4.7%
11Virginia65,959+9.8%
12New Jersey59,637+3.1%
13Tennessee51,923+5%
14Missouri49,472+16.4%
15Maryland48,861+27.4%
16Massachusetts48,816+10.9%
17Arizona45,531+2.6%
18Indiana43,085+3.1%
19Washington42,683+1.6%
20Wisconsin41,826+4.9%
21Minnesota40,669+2.7%
22Colorado40,637+3.4%
23South Carolina36,113+4.4%
24Alabama33,883+6%
25Louisiana32,325+9.6%
26Kentucky29,736+1.5%
27Utah29,715+3.7%
28Oklahoma27,475-0.6%
29Oregon27,221+1.9%
30Iowa23,756+0.8%
31Nevada23,468+5.1%
32Arkansas21,077+2.2%
33Kansas20,953+2.2%
34Connecticut20,949+3.9%
35Mississippi20,137+4.6%
36Idaho15,817+3%
37Nebraska14,536-0.4%
38New Mexico11,501+4.9%
39Hawaii11,149-0.9%
40West Virginia10,454+3%
41Maine10,209+4.6%
42New Hampshire9,539+2.5%
43Montana9,258+0.5%
44South Dakota8,564+2.3%
45Delaware7,214+6.4%
46North Dakota6,231-1.9%
47Rhode Island5,997+3.7%
48Vermont5,764+9.6%
49Wyoming5,457+1%
50Alaska4,382-0.1%
51District of Columbia2,412+12%

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/2021/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. (2024). Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), retail trade (NAICS 44-45), all legal forms (US states by nonemployer businesses: retail trade, 2021) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2021/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, 2021. U.S. Census Bureau, 14 Mar. 2024, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2021/historical-datasets/. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-retail-trade/us-states?period=2021. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2024. Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), retail trade (NAICS 44-45), all legal forms. US states by nonemployer businesses: retail trade, 2021. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2021/historical-datasets/. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-retail-trade/us-states?period=2021.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2024) Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), retail trade (NAICS 44-45), all legal forms, US states by nonemployer businesses: retail trade, 2021 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2021/historical-datasets/, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-retail-trade/us-states?period=2021 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_us_states_by_nonemployer_2021,
  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, 2021}},
  year = {2024},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2021/historical-datasets/},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-retail-trade/us-states?period=2021. 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/2021/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, 2021
PY  - 2024
DA  - 2024/03/14
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2021/historical-datasets/
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-retail-trade/us-states?period=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-retail-trade/us-states?period=2021.
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/2021/historical-datasets/. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

Which state has the highest nonemployer businesses: retail trade?

California, with 274,667 in 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which state has the lowest nonemployer businesses: retail trade?

District of Columbia, with 2,412 in 2021.

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