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 2023, at 65,323. District of Columbia had the lowest, at 404. The median was 4,798 and the figure for the United States was 458,466. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest65,323California
Lowest404District of Columbia
Median4,79851 states
United States458,466History

Map of states, 2023

Alabama: 5,359 countAlaska: 571 countArizona: 8,449 countArkansas: 3,358 countCalifornia: 65,323 countColorado: 7,433 countConnecticut: 4,485 countDelaware: 1,865 countDistrict of Columbia: 404 countFlorida: 50,830 countGeorgia: 14,579 countHawaii: 2,360 countIdaho: 2,482 countIllinois: 16,290 countIndiana: 6,548 countIowa: 3,655 countKansas: 3,238 countKentucky: 4,419 countLouisiana: 4,638 countMaine: 1,760 countMaryland: 7,156 countMassachusetts: 8,863 countMichigan: 12,244 countMinnesota: 6,756 countMississippi: 3,388 countMissouri: 7,443 countMontana: 1,611 countNebraska: 2,005 countNevada: 4,671 countNew Hampshire: 1,790 countNew Jersey: 17,055 countNew Mexico: 2,324 countNew York: 35,827 countNorth Carolina: 12,134 countNorth Dakota: 883 countOhio: 13,024 countOklahoma: 4,275 countOregon: 4,798 countPennsylvania: 15,014 countRhode Island: 1,193 countSouth Carolina: 6,002 countSouth Dakota: 1,134 countTennessee: 7,859 countTexas: 42,198 countUtah: 4,856 countVermont: 858 countVirginia: 8,570 countWashington: 6,985 countWest Virginia: 1,400 countWisconsin: 6,875 countWyoming: 1,229 count
  • Under 1,700
  • 1,700 to 3,300
  • 3,300 to 4,800
  • 4,800 to 7,200
  • 7,200 to 13K
  • 13K and over
count, 2023. 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, 2023

California: 65,323 countCalifornia65,323Florida: 50,830 countFlorida50,830Texas: 42,198 countTexas42,198New York: 35,827 countNew York35,827New Jersey: 17,055 countNew Jersey17,055Illinois: 16,290 countIllinois16,290Pennsylvania: 15,014 countPennsylvania15,014Georgia: 14,579 countGeorgia14,579Ohio: 13,024 countOhio13,024Michigan: 12,244 countMichigan12,244North Carolina: 12,134 countNorth Carolina12,134Massachusetts: 8,863 countMassachusetts8,863Virginia: 8,570 countVirginia8,570Arizona: 8,449 countArizona8,449Tennessee: 7,859 countTennessee7,859Missouri: 7,443 countMissouri7,443Colorado: 7,433 countColorado7,433Maryland: 7,156 countMaryland7,156Washington: 6,985 countWashington6,985Wisconsin: 6,875 countWisconsin6,875Minnesota: 6,756 countMinnesota6,756Indiana: 6,548 countIndiana6,548South Carolina: 6,002 countSouth Carolina6,002Alabama: 5,359 countAlabama5,359Utah: 4,856 countUtah4,856Oregon: 4,798 countOregon4,798Nevada: 4,671 countNevada4,671Louisiana: 4,638 countLouisiana4,638Connecticut: 4,485 countConnecticut4,485Kentucky: 4,419 countKentucky4,419Oklahoma: 4,275 countOklahoma4,275Iowa: 3,655 countIowa3,655Mississippi: 3,388 countMississippi3,388Arkansas: 3,358 countArkansas3,358Kansas: 3,238 countKansas3,238Idaho: 2,482 countIdaho2,482Hawaii: 2,360 countHawaii2,360New Mexico: 2,324 countNew Mexico2,324Nebraska: 2,005 countNebraska2,005Delaware: 1,865 countDelaware1,865New Hampshire: 1,790 countNew Hampshire1,790Maine: 1,760 countMaine1,760Montana: 1,611 countMontana1,611West Virginia: 1,400 countWest Virginia1,400Wyoming: 1,229 countWyoming1,229Rhode Island: 1,193 countRhode Island1,193South Dakota: 1,134 countSouth Dakota1,134North Dakota: 883 countNorth Dakota883Vermont: 858 countVermont858Alaska: 571 countAlaska571District of Columbia: 404 countDistrict of Columbia404California: 65,323 countCalifornia65,323Florida: 50,830 countFlorida50,830Texas: 42,198 countTexas42,198New York: 35,827 countNew York35,827New Jersey: 17,055 countNew Jersey17,055Illinois: 16,290 countIllinois16,290Pennsylvania: 15,014 countPennsylvania15,014Georgia: 14,579 countGeorgia14,579Ohio: 13,024 countOhio13,024Michigan: 12,244 countMichigan12,244North Carolina: 12,134 countNorth Carolina12,134Massachusetts: 8,863 countMassachusetts8,863Virginia: 8,570 countVirginia8,570Arizona: 8,449 countArizona8,449Tennessee: 7,859 countTennessee7,859Missouri: 7,443 countMissouri7,443Colorado: 7,433 countColorado7,433Maryland: 7,156 countMaryland7,156Washington: 6,985 countWashington6,985Wisconsin: 6,875 countWisconsin6,875Minnesota: 6,756 countMinnesota6,756Indiana: 6,548 countIndiana6,548South Carolina: 6,002 countSouth Carolina6,002Alabama: 5,359 countAlabama5,359Utah: 4,856 countUtah4,856Oregon: 4,798 countOregon4,798Nevada: 4,671 countNevada4,671Louisiana: 4,638 countLouisiana4,638Connecticut: 4,485 countConnecticut4,485Kentucky: 4,419 countKentucky4,419Oklahoma: 4,275 countOklahoma4,275Iowa: 3,655 countIowa3,655Mississippi: 3,388 countMississippi3,388Arkansas: 3,358 countArkansas3,358Kansas: 3,238 countKansas3,238Idaho: 2,482 countIdaho2,482Hawaii: 2,360 countHawaii2,360New Mexico: 2,324 countNew Mexico2,324Nebraska: 2,005 countNebraska2,005Delaware: 1,865 countDelaware1,865New Hampshire: 1,790 countNew Hampshire1,790Maine: 1,760 countMaine1,760Montana: 1,611 countMontana1,611West Virginia: 1,400 countWest Virginia1,400Wyoming: 1,229 countWyoming1,229Rhode Island: 1,193 countRhode Island1,193South Dakota: 1,134 countSouth Dakota1,134North Dakota: 883 countNorth Dakota883Vermont: 858 countVermont858Alaska: 571 countAlaska571District of Columbia: 404 countDistrict of Columbia404
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

RankStates2023
count		Change on 2022
1California65,323+1.2%
2Florida50,830+3.5%
3Texas42,198+3.2%
4New York35,827+2.7%
5New Jersey17,055+2.5%
6Illinois16,290+3.7%
7Pennsylvania15,014+3.1%
8Georgia14,579+1%
9Ohio13,024+1.4%
10Michigan12,244+1%
11North Carolina12,134+2.4%
12Massachusetts8,863+0.7%
13Virginia8,570+2.4%
14Arizona8,449+5.4%
15Tennessee7,859+5.3%
16Missouri7,443+8.1%
17Colorado7,433+4.9%
18Maryland7,156+3%
19Washington6,985+4.3%
20Wisconsin6,875+3.4%
21Minnesota6,756+2.5%
22Indiana6,548+3.8%
23South Carolina6,002+1.5%
24Alabama5,359+0.4%
25Utah4,856+4.9%
26Oregon4,798+5.1%
27Nevada4,671+4.2%
28Louisiana4,638-4.3%
29Connecticut4,485+3.1%
30Kentucky4,419+2.3%
31Oklahoma4,275+6.3%
32Iowa3,655+3.5%
33Mississippi3,388+5.6%
34Arkansas3,358+2.1%
35Kansas3,238+5.2%
36Idaho2,482+3.5%
37Hawaii2,360+1.7%
38New Mexico2,324-0%
39Nebraska2,005+4.4%
40Delaware1,865+9.1%
41New Hampshire1,790+0.2%
42Maine1,760+1.5%
43Montana1,611+5.4%
44West Virginia1,400+10.9%
45Wyoming1,229+16.5%
46Rhode Island1,193-1.2%
47South Dakota1,134+4.9%
48North Dakota883+4.1%
49Vermont858-0.7%
50Alaska571+1.6%
51District of Columbia404+3.6%

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/2023/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. (2025). Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), wholesale trade (NAICS 42), all legal forms (US states by nonemployer businesses: wholesale trade, 2023) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2023/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, 2023. U.S. Census Bureau, 15 May 2025, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2023/historical-datasets/. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-wholesale-trade/us-states?period=2023. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2025. Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), wholesale trade (NAICS 42), all legal forms. US states by nonemployer businesses: wholesale trade, 2023. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2023/historical-datasets/. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-wholesale-trade/us-states?period=2023.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2025) Nonemployer Statistics, state and US files: establishments (ESTAB), wholesale trade (NAICS 42), all legal forms, US states by nonemployer businesses: wholesale trade, 2023 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2023/historical-datasets/, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-wholesale-trade/us-states?period=2023 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_us_states_by_nonemployer_2023,
  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, 2023}},
  year = {2025},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2023/historical-datasets/},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-wholesale-trade/us-states?period=2023. 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/2023/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, 2023
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/05/15
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics/datasets/2023/historical-datasets/
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-wholesale-trade/us-states?period=2023
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/nonemployer-businesses-wholesale-trade/us-states?period=2023.
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/2023/historical-datasets/. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

Which state has the highest nonemployer businesses: wholesale trade?

California, with 65,323 in 2023, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which state has the lowest nonemployer businesses: wholesale trade?

District of Columbia, with 404 in 2023.

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