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 2021, at 57,002. District of Columbia had the lowest, at 306. The median was 4,049 and the figure for the United States was 387,165. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest57,002California
Lowest306District of Columbia
Median4,04951 states
United States387,165History

Map of states, 2021

Alabama: 4,705 countAlaska: 481 countArizona: 7,133 countArkansas: 2,773 countCalifornia: 57,002 countColorado: 6,262 countConnecticut: 3,814 countDelaware: 1,362 countDistrict of Columbia: 306 countFlorida: 42,228 countGeorgia: 12,706 countHawaii: 2,140 countIdaho: 2,025 countIllinois: 13,781 countIndiana: 5,523 countIowa: 2,950 countKansas: 2,688 countKentucky: 3,838 countLouisiana: 4,255 countMaine: 1,556 countMaryland: 5,795 countMassachusetts: 7,952 countMichigan: 10,411 countMinnesota: 5,608 countMississippi: 2,870 countMissouri: 6,177 countMontana: 1,265 countNebraska: 1,701 countNevada: 3,639 countNew Hampshire: 1,605 countNew Jersey: 13,778 countNew Mexico: 2,110 countNew York: 30,182 countNorth Carolina: 10,316 countNorth Dakota: 752 countOhio: 11,172 countOklahoma: 3,550 countOregon: 4,049 countPennsylvania: 12,375 countRhode Island: 1,063 countSouth Carolina: 5,315 countSouth Dakota: 869 countTennessee: 6,676 countTexas: 34,889 countUtah: 3,680 countVermont: 772 countVirginia: 7,289 countWashington: 6,018 countWest Virginia: 1,097 countWisconsin: 5,803 countWyoming: 859 count
  • Under 1,300
  • 1,300 to 2,700
  • 2,700 to 4,000
  • 4,000 to 6,100
  • 6,100 to 11K
  • 11K and over
count, 2021. 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, 2021

California: 57,002 countCalifornia57,002Florida: 42,228 countFlorida42,228Texas: 34,889 countTexas34,889New York: 30,182 countNew York30,182Illinois: 13,781 countIllinois13,781New Jersey: 13,778 countNew Jersey13,778Georgia: 12,706 countGeorgia12,706Pennsylvania: 12,375 countPennsylvania12,375Ohio: 11,172 countOhio11,172Michigan: 10,411 countMichigan10,411North Carolina: 10,316 countNorth Carolina10,316Massachusetts: 7,952 countMassachusetts7,952Virginia: 7,289 countVirginia7,289Arizona: 7,133 countArizona7,133Tennessee: 6,676 countTennessee6,676Colorado: 6,262 countColorado6,262Missouri: 6,177 countMissouri6,177Washington: 6,018 countWashington6,018Wisconsin: 5,803 countWisconsin5,803Maryland: 5,795 countMaryland5,795Minnesota: 5,608 countMinnesota5,608Indiana: 5,523 countIndiana5,523South Carolina: 5,315 countSouth Carolina5,315Alabama: 4,705 countAlabama4,705Louisiana: 4,255 countLouisiana4,255Oregon: 4,049 countOregon4,049Kentucky: 3,838 countKentucky3,838Connecticut: 3,814 countConnecticut3,814Utah: 3,680 countUtah3,680Nevada: 3,639 countNevada3,639Oklahoma: 3,550 countOklahoma3,550Iowa: 2,950 countIowa2,950Mississippi: 2,870 countMississippi2,870Arkansas: 2,773 countArkansas2,773Kansas: 2,688 countKansas2,688Hawaii: 2,140 countHawaii2,140New Mexico: 2,110 countNew Mexico2,110Idaho: 2,025 countIdaho2,025Nebraska: 1,701 countNebraska1,701New Hampshire: 1,605 countNew Hampshire1,605Maine: 1,556 countMaine1,556Delaware: 1,362 countDelaware1,362Montana: 1,265 countMontana1,265West Virginia: 1,097 countWest Virginia1,097Rhode Island: 1,063 countRhode Island1,063South Dakota: 869 countSouth Dakota869Wyoming: 859 countWyoming859Vermont: 772 countVermont772North Dakota: 752 countNorth Dakota752Alaska: 481 countAlaska481District of Columbia: 306 countDistrict of Columbia306California: 57,002 countCalifornia57,002Florida: 42,228 countFlorida42,228Texas: 34,889 countTexas34,889New York: 30,182 countNew York30,182Illinois: 13,781 countIllinois13,781New Jersey: 13,778 countNew Jersey13,778Georgia: 12,706 countGeorgia12,706Pennsylvania: 12,375 countPennsylvania12,375Ohio: 11,172 countOhio11,172Michigan: 10,411 countMichigan10,411North Carolina: 10,316 countNorth Carolina10,316Massachusetts: 7,952 countMassachusetts7,952Virginia: 7,289 countVirginia7,289Arizona: 7,133 countArizona7,133Tennessee: 6,676 countTennessee6,676Colorado: 6,262 countColorado6,262Missouri: 6,177 countMissouri6,177Washington: 6,018 countWashington6,018Wisconsin: 5,803 countWisconsin5,803Maryland: 5,795 countMaryland5,795Minnesota: 5,608 countMinnesota5,608Indiana: 5,523 countIndiana5,523South Carolina: 5,315 countSouth Carolina5,315Alabama: 4,705 countAlabama4,705Louisiana: 4,255 countLouisiana4,255Oregon: 4,049 countOregon4,049Kentucky: 3,838 countKentucky3,838Connecticut: 3,814 countConnecticut3,814Utah: 3,680 countUtah3,680Nevada: 3,639 countNevada3,639Oklahoma: 3,550 countOklahoma3,550Iowa: 2,950 countIowa2,950Mississippi: 2,870 countMississippi2,870Arkansas: 2,773 countArkansas2,773Kansas: 2,688 countKansas2,688Hawaii: 2,140 countHawaii2,140New Mexico: 2,110 countNew Mexico2,110Idaho: 2,025 countIdaho2,025Nebraska: 1,701 countNebraska1,701New Hampshire: 1,605 countNew Hampshire1,605Maine: 1,556 countMaine1,556Delaware: 1,362 countDelaware1,362Montana: 1,265 countMontana1,265West Virginia: 1,097 countWest Virginia1,097Rhode Island: 1,063 countRhode Island1,063South Dakota: 869 countSouth Dakota869Wyoming: 859 countWyoming859Vermont: 772 countVermont772North Dakota: 752 countNorth Dakota752Alaska: 481 countAlaska481District of Columbia: 306 countDistrict of Columbia306
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

RankStates2021
count		Change on 2020
1California57,002-3.1%
2Florida42,228-3.4%
3Texas34,889-1.4%
4New York30,182-3.8%
5Illinois13,781+0.5%
6New Jersey13,778-2.9%
7Georgia12,706-1.1%
8Pennsylvania12,375-1.1%
9Ohio11,172-0.2%
10Michigan10,411-1.7%
11North Carolina10,316-4.8%
12Massachusetts7,952+5.6%
13Virginia7,289+1.4%
14Arizona7,133-2.5%
15Tennessee6,676-1%
16Colorado6,262-1%
17Missouri6,177+4.6%
18Washington6,018-5.2%
19Wisconsin5,803+1.7%
20Maryland5,795+7.7%
21Minnesota5,608-2.1%
22Indiana5,523-0.5%
23South Carolina5,315-2.5%
24Alabama4,705-2.7%
25Louisiana4,255-1.3%
26Oregon4,049-2.7%
27Kentucky3,838+0.5%
28Connecticut3,814-3.4%
29Utah3,680-0.4%
30Nevada3,639-2.8%
31Oklahoma3,550-2.1%
32Iowa2,950-1.8%
33Mississippi2,870+0.8%
34Arkansas2,773+0.2%
35Kansas2,688-2.3%
36Hawaii2,140+0.4%
37New Mexico2,110-1.2%
38Idaho2,025+2%
39Nebraska1,701+0.9%
40New Hampshire1,605-2.8%
41Maine1,556+4.7%
42Delaware1,362+0.9%
43Montana1,265+2.7%
44West Virginia1,097-3.1%
45Rhode Island1,063-0.7%
46South Dakota869+0.5%
47Wyoming859+0.2%
48Vermont772+2%
49North Dakota752+3.9%
50Alaska481-3.4%
51District of Columbia306+12.9%

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/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), wholesale trade (NAICS 42), all legal forms (US states by nonemployer businesses: wholesale 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), wholesale trade (NAICS 42), all legal forms, US states by nonemployer businesses: wholesale 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-wholesale-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), wholesale trade (NAICS 42), all legal forms. US states by nonemployer businesses: wholesale 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-wholesale-trade/us-states?period=2021.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2024) Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), wholesale trade (NAICS 42), all legal forms, US states by nonemployer businesses: wholesale 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-wholesale-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), wholesale trade (NAICS 42), all legal forms: US states by nonemployer businesses: wholesale 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-wholesale-trade/us-states?period=2021. 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/2021/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, 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-wholesale-trade/us-states?period=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-wholesale-trade/us-states?period=2021.
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/2021/historical-datasets/. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

Which state has the highest nonemployer businesses: wholesale trade?

California, with 57,002 in 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which state has the lowest nonemployer businesses: wholesale trade?

District of Columbia, with 306 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), wholesale trade (NAICS 42), all legal forms. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

US states: more rankings