Largest employer bases
California had the largest private-sector establishment count in the 2024 BLS QCEW annual file, followed by Florida and Texas. QCEW covers employers subject to unemployment insurance. Nonemployer businesses fall outside this count.
| Rank | State | 2024 establishments | Change vs 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 1,812,802 | +16.7% |
| 2 | Florida | 876,034 | +23.1% |
| 3 | Texas | 829,105 | +18.8% |
| 4 | New York | 691,628 | +10.3% |
| 5 | Illinois | 387,954 | +6.1% |
| 6 | Georgia | 383,400 | +36.8% |
| 7 | Pennsylvania | 375,291 | +8.5% |
| 8 | North Carolina | 368,542 | +32.2% |
| 9 | Ohio | 328,831 | +14.4% |
| 10 | New Jersey | 320,477 | +18.0% |
All states
| Rank | State | 2024 establishments | Change vs 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 1,812,802 | +16.7% |
| 2 | Florida | 876,034 | +23.1% |
| 3 | Texas | 829,105 | +18.8% |
| 4 | New York | 691,628 | +10.3% |
| 5 | Illinois | 387,954 | +6.1% |
| 6 | Georgia | 383,400 | +36.8% |
| 7 | Pennsylvania | 375,291 | +8.5% |
| 8 | North Carolina | 368,542 | +32.2% |
| 9 | Ohio | 328,831 | +14.4% |
| 10 | New Jersey | 320,477 | +18.0% |
| 11 | Virginia | 308,528 | +13.3% |
| 12 | Michigan | 292,907 | +15.3% |
| 13 | Massachusetts | 276,202 | +8.9% |
| 14 | Colorado | 246,252 | +18.6% |
| 15 | Missouri | 233,602 | +17.2% |
| 16 | Washington | 232,529 | -6.5% |
| 17 | Arizona | 222,682 | +37.4% |
| 18 | Tennessee | 222,670 | +37.5% |
| 19 | Minnesota | 205,850 | +20.0% |
| 20 | Wisconsin | 195,879 | +16.1% |
| 21 | Maryland | 192,176 | +11.3% |
| 22 | Indiana | 186,716 | +14.4% |
| 23 | South Carolina | 186,229 | +36.4% |
| 24 | Oregon | 180,622 | +18.1% |
| 25 | Alabama | 154,400 | +25.4% |
| 26 | Kentucky | 152,232 | +29.9% |
| 27 | Louisiana | 149,265 | +15.8% |
| 28 | Connecticut | 145,501 | +21.6% |
| 29 | Utah | 135,539 | +30.3% |
| 30 | Oklahoma | 123,123 | +16.4% |
| 31 | Nevada | 106,439 | +30.9% |
| 32 | Iowa | 105,436 | +7.6% |
| 33 | Idaho | 99,957 | +64.8% |
| 34 | Arkansas | 99,464 | +13.4% |
| 35 | Kansas | 94,959 | +15.0% |
| 36 | Mississippi | 85,365 | +22.3% |
| 37 | Nebraska | 73,388 | +8.4% |
| 38 | New Mexico | 64,556 | +9.8% |
| 39 | New Hampshire | 64,226 | +25.7% |
| 40 | Maine | 62,343 | +23.6% |
| 41 | Montana | 61,654 | +28.7% |
| 42 | West Virginia | 57,789 | +23.1% |
| 43 | Hawaii | 57,568 | +36.7% |
| 44 | Rhode Island | 48,281 | +26.6% |
| 45 | Delaware | 45,178 | +33.6% |
| 46 | South Dakota | 37,934 | +19.4% |
| 47 | North Dakota | 34,330 | +15.0% |
| 48 | Vermont | 30,789 | +25.6% |
| 49 | Wyoming | 29,070 | +15.1% |
| 50 | Alaska | 23,333 | +15.7% |
Source note
Source: BLS QCEW annual files, private-sector establishments, 2024 annual average. Change is versus 2019.