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 2016, at 61,924. District of Columbia had the lowest, at 301. The median was 4,549 and the figure for the United States was 406,938. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest61,924California
Lowest301District of Columbia
Median4,54951 states
United States406,938History

Map of states, 2016

Alabama: 5,164 countAlaska: 598 countArizona: 7,759 countArkansas: 2,909 countCalifornia: 61,924 countColorado: 7,252 countConnecticut: 4,235 countDelaware: 1,115 countDistrict of Columbia: 301 countFlorida: 38,001 countGeorgia: 12,696 countHawaii: 2,585 countIdaho: 1,997 countIllinois: 13,981 countIndiana: 6,179 countIowa: 3,145 countKansas: 3,119 countKentucky: 4,254 countLouisiana: 4,549 countMaine: 1,631 countMaryland: 5,693 countMassachusetts: 7,162 countMichigan: 11,108 countMinnesota: 6,489 countMississippi: 2,971 countMissouri: 6,342 countMontana: 1,261 countNebraska: 1,755 countNevada: 3,730 countNew Hampshire: 1,816 countNew Jersey: 14,220 countNew Mexico: 2,722 countNew York: 33,037 countNorth Carolina: 11,521 countNorth Dakota: 748 countOhio: 12,501 countOklahoma: 3,790 countOregon: 4,956 countPennsylvania: 13,891 countRhode Island: 1,201 countSouth Carolina: 5,430 countSouth Dakota: 910 countTennessee: 7,127 countTexas: 34,864 countUtah: 4,030 countVermont: 883 countVirginia: 7,281 countWashington: 7,529 countWest Virginia: 1,319 countWisconsin: 6,486 countWyoming: 771 count
  • Under 1,300
  • 1,300 to 3,000
  • 3,000 to 4,500
  • 4,500 to 6,700
  • 6,700 to 12K
  • 12K and over
count, 2016. 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, 2016

California: 61,924 countCalifornia61,924Florida: 38,001 countFlorida38,001Texas: 34,864 countTexas34,864New York: 33,037 countNew York33,037New Jersey: 14,220 countNew Jersey14,220Illinois: 13,981 countIllinois13,981Pennsylvania: 13,891 countPennsylvania13,891Georgia: 12,696 countGeorgia12,696Ohio: 12,501 countOhio12,501North Carolina: 11,521 countNorth Carolina11,521Michigan: 11,108 countMichigan11,108Arizona: 7,759 countArizona7,759Washington: 7,529 countWashington7,529Virginia: 7,281 countVirginia7,281Colorado: 7,252 countColorado7,252Massachusetts: 7,162 countMassachusetts7,162Tennessee: 7,127 countTennessee7,127Minnesota: 6,489 countMinnesota6,489Wisconsin: 6,486 countWisconsin6,486Missouri: 6,342 countMissouri6,342Indiana: 6,179 countIndiana6,179Maryland: 5,693 countMaryland5,693South Carolina: 5,430 countSouth Carolina5,430Alabama: 5,164 countAlabama5,164Oregon: 4,956 countOregon4,956Louisiana: 4,549 countLouisiana4,549Kentucky: 4,254 countKentucky4,254Connecticut: 4,235 countConnecticut4,235Utah: 4,030 countUtah4,030Oklahoma: 3,790 countOklahoma3,790Nevada: 3,730 countNevada3,730Iowa: 3,145 countIowa3,145Kansas: 3,119 countKansas3,119Mississippi: 2,971 countMississippi2,971Arkansas: 2,909 countArkansas2,909New Mexico: 2,722 countNew Mexico2,722Hawaii: 2,585 countHawaii2,585Idaho: 1,997 countIdaho1,997New Hampshire: 1,816 countNew Hampshire1,816Nebraska: 1,755 countNebraska1,755Maine: 1,631 countMaine1,631West Virginia: 1,319 countWest Virginia1,319Montana: 1,261 countMontana1,261Rhode Island: 1,201 countRhode Island1,201Delaware: 1,115 countDelaware1,115South Dakota: 910 countSouth Dakota910Vermont: 883 countVermont883Wyoming: 771 countWyoming771North Dakota: 748 countNorth Dakota748Alaska: 598 countAlaska598District of Columbia: 301 countDistrict of Columbia301California: 61,924 countCalifornia61,924Florida: 38,001 countFlorida38,001Texas: 34,864 countTexas34,864New York: 33,037 countNew York33,037New Jersey: 14,220 countNew Jersey14,220Illinois: 13,981 countIllinois13,981Pennsylvania: 13,891 countPennsylvania13,891Georgia: 12,696 countGeorgia12,696Ohio: 12,501 countOhio12,501North Carolina: 11,521 countNorth Carolina11,521Michigan: 11,108 countMichigan11,108Arizona: 7,759 countArizona7,759Washington: 7,529 countWashington7,529Virginia: 7,281 countVirginia7,281Colorado: 7,252 countColorado7,252Massachusetts: 7,162 countMassachusetts7,162Tennessee: 7,127 countTennessee7,127Minnesota: 6,489 countMinnesota6,489Wisconsin: 6,486 countWisconsin6,486Missouri: 6,342 countMissouri6,342Indiana: 6,179 countIndiana6,179Maryland: 5,693 countMaryland5,693South Carolina: 5,430 countSouth Carolina5,430Alabama: 5,164 countAlabama5,164Oregon: 4,956 countOregon4,956Louisiana: 4,549 countLouisiana4,549Kentucky: 4,254 countKentucky4,254Connecticut: 4,235 countConnecticut4,235Utah: 4,030 countUtah4,030Oklahoma: 3,790 countOklahoma3,790Nevada: 3,730 countNevada3,730Iowa: 3,145 countIowa3,145Kansas: 3,119 countKansas3,119Mississippi: 2,971 countMississippi2,971Arkansas: 2,909 countArkansas2,909New Mexico: 2,722 countNew Mexico2,722Hawaii: 2,585 countHawaii2,585Idaho: 1,997 countIdaho1,997New Hampshire: 1,816 countNew Hampshire1,816Nebraska: 1,755 countNebraska1,755Maine: 1,631 countMaine1,631West Virginia: 1,319 countWest Virginia1,319Montana: 1,261 countMontana1,261Rhode Island: 1,201 countRhode Island1,201Delaware: 1,115 countDelaware1,115South Dakota: 910 countSouth Dakota910Vermont: 883 countVermont883Wyoming: 771 countWyoming771North Dakota: 748 countNorth Dakota748Alaska: 598 countAlaska598District of Columbia: 301 countDistrict of Columbia301
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

RankStates2016
count		Change on 2015
1California61,924-1.6%
2Florida38,001-6.6%
3Texas34,864-4.1%
4New York33,037-2.4%
5New Jersey14,220-1%
6Illinois13,981-2.7%
7Pennsylvania13,891+0.5%
8Georgia12,696-4.1%
9Ohio12,501-2%
10North Carolina11,521-0.9%
11Michigan11,108-0.4%
12Arizona7,759-3.3%
13Washington7,529-3.7%
14Virginia7,281-0.6%
15Colorado7,252-0.9%
16Massachusetts7,162-2.5%
17Tennessee7,127-2.6%
18Minnesota6,489-3.4%
19Wisconsin6,486-1.4%
20Missouri6,342-1.7%
21Indiana6,179-4.6%
22Maryland5,693-0.6%
23South Carolina5,430-1.4%
24Alabama5,164-1.1%
25Oregon4,956-1.8%
26Louisiana4,549+0.8%
27Kentucky4,254-0.8%
28Connecticut4,235-3.4%
29Utah4,030+1%
30Oklahoma3,790-0.7%
31Nevada3,730-2.5%
32Iowa3,145-0.1%
33Kansas3,119-2.6%
34Mississippi2,971-1%
35Arkansas2,909-3.4%
36New Mexico2,722-6.3%
37Hawaii2,585-2.1%
38Idaho1,997-1.8%
39New Hampshire1,816-2.8%
40Nebraska1,755-4.8%
41Maine1,631+0.1%
42West Virginia1,319-3.2%
43Montana1,261+1.4%
44Rhode Island1,201+0.6%
45Delaware1,115-1.8%
46South Dakota910+0.1%
47Vermont883-2.5%
48Wyoming771+1.4%
49North Dakota748+4.6%
50Alaska598-6.9%
51District of Columbia301-1.6%

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/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), wholesale trade (NAICS 42), all legal forms (US states by nonemployer businesses: wholesale trade, 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), wholesale trade (NAICS 42), all legal forms, US states by nonemployer businesses: wholesale trade, 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-wholesale-trade/us-states?period=2016. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2018. Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), wholesale trade (NAICS 42), all legal forms. US states by nonemployer businesses: wholesale trade, 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-wholesale-trade/us-states?period=2016.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2018) Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), wholesale trade (NAICS 42), all legal forms, US states by nonemployer businesses: wholesale trade, 2016 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2016/historical-datasets/, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-wholesale-trade/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), wholesale trade (NAICS 42), all legal forms: US states by nonemployer businesses: wholesale trade, 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-wholesale-trade/us-states?period=2016. 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/2016/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, 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-wholesale-trade/us-states?period=2016
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-wholesale-trade/us-states?period=2016.
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/2016/historical-datasets/. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
Embed this chart

Paste this code into a web page or a blog post. The chart shows the latest figures as they are published, with the source and a link back to this page.

Sites that read oEmbed links, such as WordPress, can show the chart when you paste the link to this page.

Use this data in your AI agent

Invokely serves this figure to AI assistants through MCP and to code through a REST API, with the source and citation attached. Ask your assistant:

Rank US states by nonemployer businesses: wholesale trade using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"nonemployer_establishments_wholesale_trade","level":"region","within":"United States","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=nonemployer_establishments_wholesale_trade&level=region&within=United%20States&limit=10

Connect Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor in one step. The trial answers 25 calls a day without an account.

Questions

Which state has the highest nonemployer businesses: wholesale trade?

California, with 61,924 in 2016, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which state has the lowest nonemployer businesses: wholesale trade?

District of Columbia, with 301 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), wholesale trade (NAICS 42), all legal forms. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

US states: more rankings