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 2020, at 58,796. District of Columbia had the lowest, at 271. The median was 4,163 and the figure for the United States was 393,682. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest58,796California
Lowest271District of Columbia
Median4,16351 states
United States393,682History

Map of states, 2020

Alabama: 4,837 countAlaska: 498 countArizona: 7,318 countArkansas: 2,768 countCalifornia: 58,796 countColorado: 6,327 countConnecticut: 3,950 countDelaware: 1,350 countDistrict of Columbia: 271 countFlorida: 43,706 countGeorgia: 12,841 countHawaii: 2,131 countIdaho: 1,985 countIllinois: 13,719 countIndiana: 5,549 countIowa: 3,003 countKansas: 2,752 countKentucky: 3,818 countLouisiana: 4,313 countMaine: 1,486 countMaryland: 5,379 countMassachusetts: 7,533 countMichigan: 10,586 countMinnesota: 5,730 countMississippi: 2,846 countMissouri: 5,907 countMontana: 1,232 countNebraska: 1,686 countNevada: 3,743 countNew Hampshire: 1,651 countNew Jersey: 14,195 countNew Mexico: 2,136 countNew York: 31,378 countNorth Carolina: 10,836 countNorth Dakota: 724 countOhio: 11,197 countOklahoma: 3,628 countOregon: 4,163 countPennsylvania: 12,518 countRhode Island: 1,071 countSouth Carolina: 5,454 countSouth Dakota: 865 countTennessee: 6,744 countTexas: 35,376 countUtah: 3,695 countVermont: 757 countVirginia: 7,190 countWashington: 6,348 countWest Virginia: 1,132 countWisconsin: 5,707 countWyoming: 857 count
  • Under 1,300
  • 1,300 to 2,800
  • 2,800 to 4,200
  • 4,200 to 6,000
  • 6,000 to 11K
  • 11K and over
count, 2020. 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, 2020

California: 58,796 countCalifornia58,796Florida: 43,706 countFlorida43,706Texas: 35,376 countTexas35,376New York: 31,378 countNew York31,378New Jersey: 14,195 countNew Jersey14,195Illinois: 13,719 countIllinois13,719Georgia: 12,841 countGeorgia12,841Pennsylvania: 12,518 countPennsylvania12,518Ohio: 11,197 countOhio11,197North Carolina: 10,836 countNorth Carolina10,836Michigan: 10,586 countMichigan10,586Massachusetts: 7,533 countMassachusetts7,533Arizona: 7,318 countArizona7,318Virginia: 7,190 countVirginia7,190Tennessee: 6,744 countTennessee6,744Washington: 6,348 countWashington6,348Colorado: 6,327 countColorado6,327Missouri: 5,907 countMissouri5,907Minnesota: 5,730 countMinnesota5,730Wisconsin: 5,707 countWisconsin5,707Indiana: 5,549 countIndiana5,549South Carolina: 5,454 countSouth Carolina5,454Maryland: 5,379 countMaryland5,379Alabama: 4,837 countAlabama4,837Louisiana: 4,313 countLouisiana4,313Oregon: 4,163 countOregon4,163Connecticut: 3,950 countConnecticut3,950Kentucky: 3,818 countKentucky3,818Nevada: 3,743 countNevada3,743Utah: 3,695 countUtah3,695Oklahoma: 3,628 countOklahoma3,628Iowa: 3,003 countIowa3,003Mississippi: 2,846 countMississippi2,846Arkansas: 2,768 countArkansas2,768Kansas: 2,752 countKansas2,752New Mexico: 2,136 countNew Mexico2,136Hawaii: 2,131 countHawaii2,131Idaho: 1,985 countIdaho1,985Nebraska: 1,686 countNebraska1,686New Hampshire: 1,651 countNew Hampshire1,651Maine: 1,486 countMaine1,486Delaware: 1,350 countDelaware1,350Montana: 1,232 countMontana1,232West Virginia: 1,132 countWest Virginia1,132Rhode Island: 1,071 countRhode Island1,071South Dakota: 865 countSouth Dakota865Wyoming: 857 countWyoming857Vermont: 757 countVermont757North Dakota: 724 countNorth Dakota724Alaska: 498 countAlaska498District of Columbia: 271 countDistrict of Columbia271California: 58,796 countCalifornia58,796Florida: 43,706 countFlorida43,706Texas: 35,376 countTexas35,376New York: 31,378 countNew York31,378New Jersey: 14,195 countNew Jersey14,195Illinois: 13,719 countIllinois13,719Georgia: 12,841 countGeorgia12,841Pennsylvania: 12,518 countPennsylvania12,518Ohio: 11,197 countOhio11,197North Carolina: 10,836 countNorth Carolina10,836Michigan: 10,586 countMichigan10,586Massachusetts: 7,533 countMassachusetts7,533Arizona: 7,318 countArizona7,318Virginia: 7,190 countVirginia7,190Tennessee: 6,744 countTennessee6,744Washington: 6,348 countWashington6,348Colorado: 6,327 countColorado6,327Missouri: 5,907 countMissouri5,907Minnesota: 5,730 countMinnesota5,730Wisconsin: 5,707 countWisconsin5,707Indiana: 5,549 countIndiana5,549South Carolina: 5,454 countSouth Carolina5,454Maryland: 5,379 countMaryland5,379Alabama: 4,837 countAlabama4,837Louisiana: 4,313 countLouisiana4,313Oregon: 4,163 countOregon4,163Connecticut: 3,950 countConnecticut3,950Kentucky: 3,818 countKentucky3,818Nevada: 3,743 countNevada3,743Utah: 3,695 countUtah3,695Oklahoma: 3,628 countOklahoma3,628Iowa: 3,003 countIowa3,003Mississippi: 2,846 countMississippi2,846Arkansas: 2,768 countArkansas2,768Kansas: 2,752 countKansas2,752New Mexico: 2,136 countNew Mexico2,136Hawaii: 2,131 countHawaii2,131Idaho: 1,985 countIdaho1,985Nebraska: 1,686 countNebraska1,686New Hampshire: 1,651 countNew Hampshire1,651Maine: 1,486 countMaine1,486Delaware: 1,350 countDelaware1,350Montana: 1,232 countMontana1,232West Virginia: 1,132 countWest Virginia1,132Rhode Island: 1,071 countRhode Island1,071South Dakota: 865 countSouth Dakota865Wyoming: 857 countWyoming857Vermont: 757 countVermont757North Dakota: 724 countNorth Dakota724Alaska: 498 countAlaska498District of Columbia: 271 countDistrict of Columbia271
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

RankStates2020
count		Change on 2019
1California58,796-2.2%
2Florida43,706+4.9%
3Texas35,376+1.6%
4New York31,378+0.5%
5New Jersey14,195+2.6%
6Illinois13,719+8.5%
7Georgia12,841+3%
8Pennsylvania12,518-0.9%
9Ohio11,197-2.4%
10North Carolina10,836+0.5%
11Michigan10,586+1.5%
12Massachusetts7,533+0.5%
13Arizona7,318-2.8%
14Virginia7,190+11.1%
15Tennessee6,744-1%
16Washington6,348-4.9%
17Colorado6,327-4%
18Missouri5,907+0.3%
19Minnesota5,730-5.2%
20Wisconsin5,707-4.3%
21Indiana5,549-1.1%
22South Carolina5,454+4.9%
23Maryland5,379+3.8%
24Alabama4,837+1%
25Louisiana4,313+0.2%
26Oregon4,163-5.9%
27Connecticut3,950-1.8%
28Kentucky3,818+1.4%
29Nevada3,743-0.5%
30Utah3,695-4.6%
31Oklahoma3,628+2.2%
32Iowa3,003+1.7%
33Mississippi2,846+0.3%
34Arkansas2,768+2.5%
35Kansas2,752-3.2%
36New Mexico2,136-7.3%
37Hawaii2,131-8.3%
38Idaho1,985+2.3%
39Nebraska1,686-1.8%
40New Hampshire1,651-0.2%
41Maine1,486-2.6%
42Delaware1,350+4.4%
43Montana1,232-2.6%
44West Virginia1,132-2.6%
45Rhode Island1,071-1.3%
46South Dakota865+2.9%
47Wyoming857+10.9%
48Vermont757-7.6%
49North Dakota724-2.4%
50Alaska498-5.9%
51District of Columbia271-8.4%

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/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), wholesale trade (NAICS 42), all legal forms (US states by nonemployer businesses: wholesale 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), wholesale trade (NAICS 42), all legal forms, US states by nonemployer businesses: wholesale 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-wholesale-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), wholesale trade (NAICS 42), all legal forms. US states by nonemployer businesses: wholesale 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-wholesale-trade/us-states?period=2020.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2023) Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), wholesale trade (NAICS 42), all legal forms, US states by nonemployer businesses: wholesale 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-wholesale-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), wholesale trade (NAICS 42), all legal forms: US states by nonemployer businesses: wholesale 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-wholesale-trade/us-states?period=2020. 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/2020/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, 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-wholesale-trade/us-states?period=2020
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-wholesale-trade/us-states?period=2020.
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/2020/historical-datasets/. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

Which state has the highest nonemployer businesses: wholesale trade?

California, with 58,796 in 2020, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which state has the lowest nonemployer businesses: wholesale trade?

District of Columbia, with 271 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), wholesale trade (NAICS 42), all legal forms. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

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