Data / Companies / The United States

Companies in the United States

The latest figures for 3 indicators in the United States, how the states compare, and the source of each figure.

Figures last updated on 2026-10-12.

Employer firms

Employer firms in the United States were 5.59 million in 2023, up 0.9% from 2022.

Of 51 states in 2023, California had the most employer firms (725,847) and Alaska the fewest (14,857).

United States, 20235.59 millionUp 0.9% from 2022History
Highest, 2023725,847California
Lowest, 202314,857Alaska
California: 725,847 countCalifornia725,847Florida: 455,648 countFlorida455,648Texas: 448,396 countTexas448,396New York: 402,077 countNew York402,077Illinois: 222,365 countIllinois222,365Pennsylvania: 211,009 countPennsylvania211,009Georgia: 177,543 countGeorgia177,543North Carolina: 175,992 countNorth Carolina175,992New Jersey: 175,347 countNew Jersey175,347Ohio: 167,526 countOhio167,526
Top 10 states, 2023. count. Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Highest and lowest states

Full ranking of states. Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties; U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties.

Business applications

Business applications in the United States were 531,728 in August 2026, up 11.4% from August 2025.

Of 51 states in August 2026, Florida had the most business applications (61,380) and Vermont the fewest (783).

United States, August 2026531,728Up 11.4% from August 2025History
Highest, August 202661,380Florida
Lowest, August 2026783Vermont
Florida: 61,380 countFlorida61,380California: 55,619 countCalifornia55,619Texas: 48,692 countTexas48,692New York: 26,762 countNew York26,762Georgia: 23,383 countGeorgia23,383North Carolina: 16,692 countNorth Carolina16,692Illinois: 16,559 countIllinois16,559New Jersey: 15,873 countNew Jersey15,873Colorado: 15,602 countColorado15,602Michigan: 14,883 countMichigan14,883
Top 10 states, August 2026. count. Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Highest and lowest states

Full ranking of states. Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Formation Statistics: business applications (BA_BA), all sectors, seasonally adjusted, United States and states.

Business establishments (QCEW)

Business establishments (QCEW) in the United States were 12.11 million in 2025, up 0.5% from 2024.

Of 51 states in 2025, California had the most business establishments (1.88 million) and Alaska the fewest (25,169).

United States, 202512.11 millionUp 0.5% from 2024History
Highest, 20251.88 millionCalifornia
Lowest, 202525,169Alaska
California: 1,877,156 countCalifornia1,877,156Florida: 868,046 countFlorida868,046Texas: 856,979 countTexas856,979New York: 708,524 countNew York708,524Georgia: 395,028 countGeorgia395,028Pennsylvania: 389,774 countPennsylvania389,774Illinois: 379,658 countIllinois379,658North Carolina: 359,089 countNorth Carolina359,089Ohio: 347,138 countOhio347,138New Jersey: 329,088 countNew Jersey329,088
Top 10 states, 2025. count. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Highest and lowest states

Full ranking of states. Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties.

Sources and citations

Each figure comes from the table cited here. Cite the publisher; these citations include any notice the publisher requires.

  1. U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
  2. U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
  3. U.S. Census Bureau. Business Formation Statistics: business applications (BA_BA), all sectors, seasonally adjusted, United States and states. https://www.census.gov/econ/bfs/csv/bfs_monthly.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-09.
  4. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

More topics for the United States

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:

Compare companies figures across the United States with official data, and cite the sources.
rank_places {"indicator":"employer_firms","level":"region","within":"United States","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=employer_firms&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.