Data / Rankings / Nonemployer businesses: wholesale trade / US states

US states by nonemployer businesses: wholesale trade

California had the highest nonemployer businesses: wholesale trade of 51 states in 2013, at 60,876. District of Columbia had the lowest, at 279. The median was 4,502 and the figure for the United States was 406,469. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest60,876California
Lowest279District of Columbia
Median4,50251 states
United States406,469History

Map of states, 2013

Alabama: 5,061 countAlaska: 563 countArizona: 7,519 countArkansas: 2,833 countCalifornia: 60,876 countColorado: 6,891 countConnecticut: 4,400 countDelaware: 1,099 countDistrict of Columbia: 279 countFlorida: 38,649 countGeorgia: 12,897 countHawaii: 2,644 countIdaho: 1,944 countIllinois: 14,396 countIndiana: 6,372 countIowa: 3,170 countKansas: 3,139 countKentucky: 4,300 countLouisiana: 4,502 countMaine: 1,560 countMaryland: 5,770 countMassachusetts: 7,137 countMichigan: 11,386 countMinnesota: 6,742 countMississippi: 2,986 countMissouri: 6,366 countMontana: 1,271 countNebraska: 1,796 countNevada: 3,641 countNew Hampshire: 1,846 countNew Jersey: 14,047 countNew Mexico: 3,393 countNew York: 32,638 countNorth Carolina: 11,467 countNorth Dakota: 739 countOhio: 12,902 countOklahoma: 3,799 countOregon: 4,821 countPennsylvania: 14,052 countRhode Island: 1,222 countSouth Carolina: 5,207 countSouth Dakota: 866 countTennessee: 7,176 countTexas: 34,462 countUtah: 3,718 countVermont: 884 countVirginia: 7,017 countWashington: 7,579 countWest Virginia: 1,340 countWisconsin: 6,467 countWyoming: 638 count
  • Under 1,300
  • 1,300 to 3,100
  • 3,100 to 4,500
  • 4,500 to 6,800
  • 6,800 to 12K
  • 12K and over
count, 2013. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), wholesale trade (NAICS 42), all legal forms. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All states, 2013

California: 60,876 countCalifornia60,876Florida: 38,649 countFlorida38,649Texas: 34,462 countTexas34,462New York: 32,638 countNew York32,638Illinois: 14,396 countIllinois14,396Pennsylvania: 14,052 countPennsylvania14,052New Jersey: 14,047 countNew Jersey14,047Ohio: 12,902 countOhio12,902Georgia: 12,897 countGeorgia12,897North Carolina: 11,467 countNorth Carolina11,467Michigan: 11,386 countMichigan11,386Washington: 7,579 countWashington7,579Arizona: 7,519 countArizona7,519Tennessee: 7,176 countTennessee7,176Massachusetts: 7,137 countMassachusetts7,137Virginia: 7,017 countVirginia7,017Colorado: 6,891 countColorado6,891Minnesota: 6,742 countMinnesota6,742Wisconsin: 6,467 countWisconsin6,467Indiana: 6,372 countIndiana6,372Missouri: 6,366 countMissouri6,366Maryland: 5,770 countMaryland5,770South Carolina: 5,207 countSouth Carolina5,207Alabama: 5,061 countAlabama5,061Oregon: 4,821 countOregon4,821Louisiana: 4,502 countLouisiana4,502Connecticut: 4,400 countConnecticut4,400Kentucky: 4,300 countKentucky4,300Oklahoma: 3,799 countOklahoma3,799Utah: 3,718 countUtah3,718Nevada: 3,641 countNevada3,641New Mexico: 3,393 countNew Mexico3,393Iowa: 3,170 countIowa3,170Kansas: 3,139 countKansas3,139Mississippi: 2,986 countMississippi2,986Arkansas: 2,833 countArkansas2,833Hawaii: 2,644 countHawaii2,644Idaho: 1,944 countIdaho1,944New Hampshire: 1,846 countNew Hampshire1,846Nebraska: 1,796 countNebraska1,796Maine: 1,560 countMaine1,560West Virginia: 1,340 countWest Virginia1,340Montana: 1,271 countMontana1,271Rhode Island: 1,222 countRhode Island1,222Delaware: 1,099 countDelaware1,099Vermont: 884 countVermont884South Dakota: 866 countSouth Dakota866North Dakota: 739 countNorth Dakota739Wyoming: 638 countWyoming638Alaska: 563 countAlaska563District of Columbia: 279 countDistrict of Columbia279California: 60,876 countCalifornia60,876Florida: 38,649 countFlorida38,649Texas: 34,462 countTexas34,462New York: 32,638 countNew York32,638Illinois: 14,396 countIllinois14,396Pennsylvania: 14,052 countPennsylvania14,052New Jersey: 14,047 countNew Jersey14,047Ohio: 12,902 countOhio12,902Georgia: 12,897 countGeorgia12,897North Carolina: 11,467 countNorth Carolina11,467Michigan: 11,386 countMichigan11,386Washington: 7,579 countWashington7,579Arizona: 7,519 countArizona7,519Tennessee: 7,176 countTennessee7,176Massachusetts: 7,137 countMassachusetts7,137Virginia: 7,017 countVirginia7,017Colorado: 6,891 countColorado6,891Minnesota: 6,742 countMinnesota6,742Wisconsin: 6,467 countWisconsin6,467Indiana: 6,372 countIndiana6,372Missouri: 6,366 countMissouri6,366Maryland: 5,770 countMaryland5,770South Carolina: 5,207 countSouth Carolina5,207Alabama: 5,061 countAlabama5,061Oregon: 4,821 countOregon4,821Louisiana: 4,502 countLouisiana4,502Connecticut: 4,400 countConnecticut4,400Kentucky: 4,300 countKentucky4,300Oklahoma: 3,799 countOklahoma3,799Utah: 3,718 countUtah3,718Nevada: 3,641 countNevada3,641New Mexico: 3,393 countNew Mexico3,393Iowa: 3,170 countIowa3,170Kansas: 3,139 countKansas3,139Mississippi: 2,986 countMississippi2,986Arkansas: 2,833 countArkansas2,833Hawaii: 2,644 countHawaii2,644Idaho: 1,944 countIdaho1,944New Hampshire: 1,846 countNew Hampshire1,846Nebraska: 1,796 countNebraska1,796Maine: 1,560 countMaine1,560West Virginia: 1,340 countWest Virginia1,340Montana: 1,271 countMontana1,271Rhode Island: 1,222 countRhode Island1,222Delaware: 1,099 countDelaware1,099Vermont: 884 countVermont884South Dakota: 866 countSouth Dakota866North Dakota: 739 countNorth Dakota739Wyoming: 638 countWyoming638Alaska: 563 countAlaska563District of Columbia: 279 countDistrict of Columbia279
count. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), wholesale trade (NAICS 42), all legal forms. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankStates2013
count		Change on 2012
1California60,876-0.5%
2Florida38,649+1.6%
3Texas34,462-1%
4New York32,638-1.6%
5Illinois14,396-3.6%
6Pennsylvania14,052+0.3%
7New Jersey14,047-1.5%
8Ohio12,902-2%
9Georgia12,897+1.7%
10North Carolina11,467+2.1%
11Michigan11,386-2%
12Washington7,579-2.3%
13Arizona7,519+1.2%
14Tennessee7,176-2%
15Massachusetts7,137-0.5%
16Virginia7,017+0.3%
17Colorado6,891-1.4%
18Minnesota6,742-2.3%
19Wisconsin6,467-2.1%
20Indiana6,372-1.2%
21Missouri6,366-1.2%
22Maryland5,770+2%
23South Carolina5,207-1.2%
24Alabama5,061-0%
25Oregon4,821-0.1%
26Louisiana4,502+1.1%
27Connecticut4,400-1.8%
28Kentucky4,300-0.2%
29Oklahoma3,799+2.2%
30Utah3,718-1.7%
31Nevada3,641+2.7%
32New Mexico3,393-2.8%
33Iowa3,170-1%
34Kansas3,139+1.3%
35Mississippi2,986+0.4%
36Arkansas2,833-2.3%
37Hawaii2,644+0.8%
38Idaho1,944+2.3%
39New Hampshire1,846-3.2%
40Nebraska1,796-0.4%
41Maine1,560-1.5%
42West Virginia1,340+2.1%
43Montana1,271+1%
44Rhode Island1,222-0.7%
45Delaware1,099+9.2%
46Vermont884-0.2%
47South Dakota866-2.8%
48North Dakota739+1.2%
49Wyoming638+4.8%
50Alaska563+2.2%
51District of Columbia279-9.1%

Other periods

About this ranking

Number of businesses without paid employees in wholesale trade (NAICS 42), 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), wholesale trade (NAICS 42), all legal forms. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2013/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. (2017). Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), wholesale trade (NAICS 42), all legal forms (US states by nonemployer businesses: wholesale trade, 2013) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2013/historical-datasets/

MLA 9

Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), wholesale trade (NAICS 42), all legal forms, US states by nonemployer businesses: wholesale trade, 2013. U.S. Census Bureau, 6 June 2017, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2013/historical-datasets/. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-wholesale-trade/us-states?period=2013. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2017. Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), wholesale trade (NAICS 42), all legal forms. US states by nonemployer businesses: wholesale trade, 2013. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2013/historical-datasets/. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-wholesale-trade/us-states?period=2013.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2017) Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), wholesale trade (NAICS 42), all legal forms, US states by nonemployer businesses: wholesale trade, 2013 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2013/historical-datasets/, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-wholesale-trade/us-states?period=2013 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_us_states_by_nonemployer_2013,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), wholesale trade (NAICS 42), all legal forms: US states by nonemployer businesses: wholesale trade, 2013}},
  year = {2017},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2013/historical-datasets/},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-wholesale-trade/us-states?period=2013. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), wholesale trade (NAICS 42), all legal forms. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2013/historical-datasets/. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), wholesale trade (NAICS 42), all legal forms: US states by nonemployer businesses: wholesale trade, 2013
PY  - 2017
DA  - 2017/06/06
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2013/historical-datasets/
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-wholesale-trade/us-states?period=2013
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-wholesale-trade/us-states?period=2013.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), wholesale trade (NAICS 42), all legal forms. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2013/historical-datasets/. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

Which state has the highest nonemployer businesses: wholesale trade?

California, with 60,876 in 2013, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which state has the lowest nonemployer businesses: wholesale trade?

District of Columbia, with 279 in 2013.

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), wholesale trade (NAICS 42), all legal forms. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

US states: more rankings