Data / Rankings / Nonemployer businesses: transportation and warehousing / US states

US states by nonemployer businesses: transportation and warehousing

California had the highest nonemployer businesses: transportation and warehousing of 51 states in 2016, at 308,642. Vermont had the lowest, at 1,484. The median was 16,403 and the figure for the United States was 1.86 million. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest308,642California
Lowest1,484Vermont
Median16,40351 states
United States1,864,990History

Map of states, 2016

Alabama: 14,937 countAlaska: 2,394 countArizona: 33,654 countArkansas: 10,857 countCalifornia: 308,642 countColorado: 30,410 countConnecticut: 12,579 countDelaware: 3,649 countDistrict of Columbia: 6,736 countFlorida: 170,071 countGeorgia: 64,135 countHawaii: 5,678 countIdaho: 5,715 countIllinois: 121,694 countIndiana: 26,961 countIowa: 12,063 countKansas: 9,446 countKentucky: 16,403 countLouisiana: 22,202 countMaine: 3,390 countMaryland: 45,113 countMassachusetts: 43,257 countMichigan: 37,637 countMinnesota: 28,881 countMississippi: 11,549 countMissouri: 23,862 countMontana: 3,066 countNebraska: 7,978 countNevada: 20,506 countNew Hampshire: 2,997 countNew Jersey: 67,795 countNew Mexico: 5,530 countNew York: 155,025 countNorth Carolina: 41,258 countNorth Dakota: 3,044 countOhio: 50,296 countOklahoma: 13,379 countOregon: 15,591 countPennsylvania: 56,662 countRhode Island: 4,567 countSouth Carolina: 18,285 countSouth Dakota: 3,040 countTennessee: 29,992 countTexas: 175,572 countUtah: 9,210 countVermont: 1,484 countVirginia: 48,047 countWashington: 35,614 countWest Virginia: 3,829 countWisconsin: 18,635 countWyoming: 1,673 count
  • Under 4,000
  • 4,000 to 9,000
  • 9,000 to 16K
  • 16K to 30K
  • 30K to 50K
  • 50K and over
count, 2016. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), transportation and warehousing (NAICS 48-49), all legal forms. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All states, 2016

California: 308,642 countCalifornia308,642Texas: 175,572 countTexas175,572Florida: 170,071 countFlorida170,071New York: 155,025 countNew York155,025Illinois: 121,694 countIllinois121,694New Jersey: 67,795 countNew Jersey67,795Georgia: 64,135 countGeorgia64,135Pennsylvania: 56,662 countPennsylvania56,662Ohio: 50,296 countOhio50,296Virginia: 48,047 countVirginia48,047Maryland: 45,113 countMaryland45,113Massachusetts: 43,257 countMassachusetts43,257North Carolina: 41,258 countNorth Carolina41,258Michigan: 37,637 countMichigan37,637Washington: 35,614 countWashington35,614Arizona: 33,654 countArizona33,654Colorado: 30,410 countColorado30,410Tennessee: 29,992 countTennessee29,992Minnesota: 28,881 countMinnesota28,881Indiana: 26,961 countIndiana26,961Missouri: 23,862 countMissouri23,862Louisiana: 22,202 countLouisiana22,202Nevada: 20,506 countNevada20,506Wisconsin: 18,635 countWisconsin18,635South Carolina: 18,285 countSouth Carolina18,285Kentucky: 16,403 countKentucky16,403Oregon: 15,591 countOregon15,591Alabama: 14,937 countAlabama14,937Oklahoma: 13,379 countOklahoma13,379Connecticut: 12,579 countConnecticut12,579Iowa: 12,063 countIowa12,063Mississippi: 11,549 countMississippi11,549Arkansas: 10,857 countArkansas10,857Kansas: 9,446 countKansas9,446Utah: 9,210 countUtah9,210Nebraska: 7,978 countNebraska7,978District of Columbia: 6,736 countDistrict of Columbia6,736Idaho: 5,715 countIdaho5,715Hawaii: 5,678 countHawaii5,678New Mexico: 5,530 countNew Mexico5,530Rhode Island: 4,567 countRhode Island4,567West Virginia: 3,829 countWest Virginia3,829Delaware: 3,649 countDelaware3,649Maine: 3,390 countMaine3,390Montana: 3,066 countMontana3,066North Dakota: 3,044 countNorth Dakota3,044South Dakota: 3,040 countSouth Dakota3,040New Hampshire: 2,997 countNew Hampshire2,997Alaska: 2,394 countAlaska2,394Wyoming: 1,673 countWyoming1,673Vermont: 1,484 countVermont1,484California: 308,642 countCalifornia308,642Texas: 175,572 countTexas175,572Florida: 170,071 countFlorida170,071New York: 155,025 countNew York155,025Illinois: 121,694 countIllinois121,694New Jersey: 67,795 countNew Jersey67,795Georgia: 64,135 countGeorgia64,135Pennsylvania: 56,662 countPennsylvania56,662Ohio: 50,296 countOhio50,296Virginia: 48,047 countVirginia48,047Maryland: 45,113 countMaryland45,113Massachusetts: 43,257 countMassachusetts43,257North Carolina: 41,258 countNorth Carolina41,258Michigan: 37,637 countMichigan37,637Washington: 35,614 countWashington35,614Arizona: 33,654 countArizona33,654Colorado: 30,410 countColorado30,410Tennessee: 29,992 countTennessee29,992Minnesota: 28,881 countMinnesota28,881Indiana: 26,961 countIndiana26,961Missouri: 23,862 countMissouri23,862Louisiana: 22,202 countLouisiana22,202Nevada: 20,506 countNevada20,506Wisconsin: 18,635 countWisconsin18,635South Carolina: 18,285 countSouth Carolina18,285Kentucky: 16,403 countKentucky16,403Oregon: 15,591 countOregon15,591Alabama: 14,937 countAlabama14,937Oklahoma: 13,379 countOklahoma13,379Connecticut: 12,579 countConnecticut12,579Iowa: 12,063 countIowa12,063Mississippi: 11,549 countMississippi11,549Arkansas: 10,857 countArkansas10,857Kansas: 9,446 countKansas9,446Utah: 9,210 countUtah9,210Nebraska: 7,978 countNebraska7,978District of Columbia: 6,736 countDistrict of Columbia6,736Idaho: 5,715 countIdaho5,715Hawaii: 5,678 countHawaii5,678New Mexico: 5,530 countNew Mexico5,530Rhode Island: 4,567 countRhode Island4,567West Virginia: 3,829 countWest Virginia3,829Delaware: 3,649 countDelaware3,649Maine: 3,390 countMaine3,390Montana: 3,066 countMontana3,066North Dakota: 3,044 countNorth Dakota3,044South Dakota: 3,040 countSouth Dakota3,040New Hampshire: 2,997 countNew Hampshire2,997Alaska: 2,394 countAlaska2,394Wyoming: 1,673 countWyoming1,673Vermont: 1,484 countVermont1,484
count. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), transportation and warehousing (NAICS 48-49), all legal forms. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankStates2016
count		Change on 2015
1California308,642+27.6%
2Texas175,572+15.8%
3Florida170,071+26.5%
4New York155,025+16.2%
5Illinois121,694+21.6%
6New Jersey67,795+29.4%
7Georgia64,135+20.7%
8Pennsylvania56,662+29.5%
9Ohio50,296+15.3%
10Virginia48,047+25.2%
11Maryland45,113+30.2%
12Massachusetts43,257+27.5%
13North Carolina41,258+18.8%
14Michigan37,637+12.3%
15Washington35,614+24.5%
16Arizona33,654+33.5%
17Colorado30,410+31.3%
18Tennessee29,992+16.8%
19Minnesota28,881+18.2%
20Indiana26,961+11.1%
21Missouri23,862+12.8%
22Louisiana22,202+20.6%
23Nevada20,506+87.4%
24Wisconsin18,635+15.2%
25South Carolina18,285+19.5%
26Kentucky16,403+10.7%
27Oregon15,591+28.2%
28Alabama14,937+8.6%
29Oklahoma13,379+9%
30Connecticut12,579+33%
31Iowa12,063+7.9%
32Mississippi11,549+9.3%
33Arkansas10,857+8.8%
34Kansas9,446+14.8%
35Utah9,210+30.4%
36Nebraska7,978+12.4%
37District of Columbia6,736+31.7%
38Idaho5,715+9.7%
39Hawaii5,678+39.7%
40New Mexico5,530+15.5%
41Rhode Island4,567+33.5%
42West Virginia3,829+8%
43Delaware3,649+34%
44Maine3,390+8%
45Montana3,066+9.1%
46North Dakota3,044+2%
47South Dakota3,040-1.2%
48New Hampshire2,997+17.6%
49Alaska2,394-1.9%
50Wyoming1,673+0.2%
51Vermont1,484+8.5%

Other periods

About this ranking

Number of businesses without paid employees in transportation and warehousing (NAICS 48-49), 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), transportation and warehousing (NAICS 48-49), 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), transportation and warehousing (NAICS 48-49), all legal forms (US states by nonemployer businesses: transportation and warehousing, 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), transportation and warehousing (NAICS 48-49), all legal forms, US states by nonemployer businesses: transportation and warehousing, 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-transportation-warehousing/us-states?period=2016. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2018. Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), transportation and warehousing (NAICS 48-49), all legal forms. US states by nonemployer businesses: transportation and warehousing, 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-transportation-warehousing/us-states?period=2016.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2018) Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), transportation and warehousing (NAICS 48-49), all legal forms, US states by nonemployer businesses: transportation and warehousing, 2016 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2016/historical-datasets/, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-transportation-warehousing/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), transportation and warehousing (NAICS 48-49), all legal forms: US states by nonemployer businesses: transportation and warehousing, 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-transportation-warehousing/us-states?period=2016. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), transportation and warehousing (NAICS 48-49), 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), transportation and warehousing (NAICS 48-49), all legal forms: US states by nonemployer businesses: transportation and warehousing, 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-transportation-warehousing/us-states?period=2016
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-transportation-warehousing/us-states?period=2016.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), transportation and warehousing (NAICS 48-49), 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: transportation and warehousing?

California, with 308,642 in 2016, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which state has the lowest nonemployer businesses: transportation and warehousing?

Vermont, with 1,484 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), transportation and warehousing (NAICS 48-49), all legal forms. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

US states: more rankings