Research · Updated October 18, 2026

How many small businesses are there in the U.S.?

The number of small businesses in the U.S. and in each state, and the number of business locations in each county, split into businesses with employees and businesses without. The figures come from the Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Each count names its year, and the years differ.

In 202236.2MSmall businesses

How many small businesses are in the U.S.

There were 36,186,089 small businesses in the U.S. in 2022: 6,374,594 employer firms with fewer than 500 employees and 29,811,495 firms with no employees.

Counting firms of every size, the Census Bureau's Annual Business Survey found 36,364,950 businesses in 2023 (5,934,950 with employees and 30,430,000 without), or 108 per 1,000 residents.

Small businesses, 202236,186,089
With employees (fewer than 500), 20226,374,59417.6%
Without employees, 202229,811,49582.4%

Small business means a firm with fewer than 500 employees, the cutoff the SBA Office of Advocacy uses for this statistic. Count = Census Statistics of U.S. Businesses 2022 (employer firms under 500 employees) + Census Nonemployer Statistics 2022. The 2023 count is from the Annual Business Survey and Nonemployer Statistics by Demographics.

How many small businesses there are

The Census Bureau does not publish one small-business number, so this page builds it from two of its tables, both for 2022. The first is Statistics of U.S. Businesses (SUSB), 2022, the latest year available. It counts employer firms by enterprise size, and 6,374,594 of the 6,395,635 employer firms had fewer than 500 employees. The second is Nonemployer Statistics for 2022, which counted 29,811,495 firms with no paid employees. The sum is 36,186,089.

A small business here is a firm with fewer than 500 employees, the cutoff the SBA Office of Advocacy uses for this statistic. SBA loan and contracting size standards vary by industry and are not applied. Nothing in the count is estimated. Texas had 3,517,343 small businesses (493,818 employer firms and 3,023,525 without employees), second only to California. County-level small-business counts are not published: SUSB gives enterprise size only for states and the U.S., so the county tables below count business locations instead.

Businesses with and without employees

Most U.S. businesses have no employees. In 2023, 83.7% of businesses (30,430,000) were owner-only operations, and 16.3% (5,934,950) had at least one paid employee. Together they were 108 businesses per 1,000 residents, using the 2023 population of 336,755,052.

Figure 1

Share of U.S. businesses with and without employees, 2023

Without employees 30,430,000
With employees 5,934,950

Source: Census Bureau, ABS/NES-D 2023 (AB2300NESD01). A business without employees has no paid employees and at least $1,000 in sales and receipts ($1 in construction).

Businesses by number of employees

The Census Bureau's Statistics of U.S. Businesses (SUSB) counts employer firms by size, with 2022 as the latest year. It counted 6,395,635 employer firms, of which 6,374,594 (99.67%) had fewer than 500 employees and 5,720,093 (89.4%) had fewer than 20. 21,041 had 500 or more.

Firms with fewer than 500 employees employed 62,250,556 people, 45.9% of the 135,748,407 people employed by private employers. The SBA Office of Advocacy uses the same cutoff of fewer than 500 employees for its research; size standards for SBA loan and contracting programs vary by industry.

Table 2

Employer firms by size, U.S., 2022

Size	Firms	Share of employer firms
Fewer than 20 employees	5,720,093	89.4%
Fewer than 500 employees	6,374,594	99.67%
500 or more employees	21,041	n/a
All employer firms	6,395,635	100%

Source: Census Bureau, Statistics of U.S. Businesses 2022.

The 2022 employer count (6,395,635) is higher than the 2023 count above (5,934,950). The years differ, and the two surveys use different methods. Each figure on this page carries its source and year; we do not add figures from different years.

Businesses without employees, by legal form

Census Nonemployer Statistics (NES) counted 30,427,808 businesses without employees in 2023. 26,284,342 (86.4%) were sole proprietorships, 2,273,750 were partnerships, 1,409,941 were S corporations and 459,775 were C corporations or other corporate forms. Average receipts were $57,611.

Table 3

Businesses without employees, by legal form, U.S., 2023

Sole proprietorships 26,284,342
Partnerships 2,273,750
S corporations 1,409,941
C corporations and other corporate forms 459,775

Source: Census Bureau, Nonemployer Statistics 2023.

Census does not count LLCs as a legal form. It classifies a business by how it files taxes. A single-member LLC usually appears as a sole proprietorship, a multi-member LLC as a partnership, and an LLC that elected corporate tax treatment as an S or C corporation. How many LLCs there are cannot be read from these tables, and this page does not estimate it.

Businesses in each state

Table 4

Small businesses (2022) and all businesses (2023) by state


United States	36,186,089	36,364,950	5,934,950	30,430,000	108	83.7%	45.9%
Alabama	465,610	459,676	70,676	389,000	89.8	84.6%	46.0%	25
Alaska	77,814	77,722	16,222	61,500	105.8	79.1%	54.2%	51
Arizona	706,640	717,314	119,314	598,000	96.3	83.4%	42.6%	16
Arkansas	292,728	294,201	49,201	245,000	95.8	83.3%	46.1%	33
California	4,340,784	4,328,791	791,791	3,537,000	110.5	81.7%	47.4%	1
Colorado	730,887	748,658	140,658	608,000	126.6	81.2%	48.6%	14
Connecticut	381,129	391,346	65,346	326,000	107.5	83.3%	48.1%	29
Delaware	111,346	115,350	22,350	93,000	111.4	80.6%	50.6%	45
District of Columbia	82,666	79,583	14,583	65,000	116.6	81.7%	49.1%	49
Florida	3,485,976	3,617,294	500,294	3,117,000	157.8	86.2%	39.6%	2
Georgia	1,374,972	1,352,525	188,525	1,164,000	122.2	86.1%	42.5%	6
Hawaii	144,375	144,211	23,211	121,000	100.5	83.9%	49.6%	42
Idaho	207,670	211,244	46,244	165,000	107.2	78.1%	56.0%	36
Illinois	1,353,957	1,358,091	238,091	1,120,000	107.5	82.5%	43.7%	5
Indiana	591,671	589,466	103,466	486,000	85.7	82.4%	43.2%	19
Iowa	289,962	286,666	57,666	229,000	89.2	79.9%	46.0%	34
Kansas	273,419	271,627	52,627	219,000	92.1	80.6%	48.9%	35
Kentucky	393,860	398,546	62,546	336,000	87.6	84.3%	42.6%	27
Louisiana	511,235	496,611	77,611	419,000	108.0	84.4%	54.1%	24
Maine	160,215	159,944	32,944	127,000	114.1	79.4%	54.5%	39
Maryland	696,710	703,496	104,496	599,000	113.4	85.1%	47.9%	17
Massachusetts	756,096	770,011	137,011	633,000	108.9	82.2%	44.7%	13
Michigan	983,079	978,461	163,461	815,000	97.2	83.3%	47.7%	11
Minnesota	560,428	563,485	110,485	453,000	97.9	80.4%	45.8%	21
Mississippi	294,768	294,925	41,925	253,000	100.2	85.8%	47.0%	32
Missouri	590,131	587,850	102,850	485,000	94.7	82.5%	44.4%	20
Montana	141,011	144,269	34,269	110,000	127.6	76.2%	66.3%	41
Nebraska	193,495	196,718	41,718	155,000	98.9	78.8%	47.5%	37
Nevada	353,621	359,486	59,486	300,000	112.0	83.5%	45.0%	31
New Hampshire	145,314	145,391	29,391	116,000	103.7	79.8%	50.3%	40
New Jersey	1,051,630	1,069,622	185,622	884,000	113.8	82.6%	48.8%	10
New Mexico	172,113	172,406	32,406	140,000	81.3	81.2%	53.3%	38
New York	2,378,996	2,412,227	427,227	1,985,000	121.9	82.3%	46.6%	4
North Carolina	1,107,537	1,101,475	181,475	920,000	101.3	83.5%	44.2%	8
North Dakota	78,219	79,019	18,519	60,500	100.4	76.6%	57.6%	50
Ohio	1,081,292	1,079,013	170,013	909,000	91.4	84.2%	43.8%	9
Oklahoma	395,520	396,555	69,555	327,000	97.6	82.5%	50.8%	28
Oregon	417,747	420,384	91,384	329,000	98.9	78.3%	53.4%	26
Pennsylvania	1,169,008	1,167,827	212,827	955,000	89.8	81.8%	45.2%	7
Rhode Island	116,149	118,020	23,020	95,000	107.2	80.5%	51.1%	43
South Carolina	530,402	532,169	86,169	446,000	98.7	83.8%	42.9%	22
South Dakota	96,770	98,007	22,507	75,500	106.8	77.0%	58.0%	46
Tennessee	741,196	745,320	96,320	649,000	104.2	87.1%	41.5%	15
Texas	3,517,343	3,563,732	470,732	3,093,000	116.0	86.8%	44.4%	3
Utah	371,569	380,759	76,759	304,000	110.4	79.8%	45.4%	30
Vermont	81,949	81,582	16,582	65,000	126.0	79.7%	62.1%	48
Virginia	880,366	887,928	147,928	740,000	101.7	83.3%	45.9%	12
Washington	695,695	699,111	153,111	546,000	89.2	78.1%	48.7%	18
West Virginia	118,045	117,445	22,945	94,500	66.4	80.5%	47.4%	44
Wisconsin	497,370	498,315	101,315	397,000	84.0	79.7%	48.0%	23
Wyoming	81,924	85,113	19,113	66,000	145.6	77.5%	65.2%	47

Census rounds counts of firms without employees. A firm that operates in several states is counted in each, so state counts add up to more than the U.S. total. Per-resident rates use the July 1, 2023 population estimate. Small businesses (fewer than 500 employees, plus businesses without employees) and the share of employment are from the 2022 SUSB and Nonemployer Statistics; a firm that operates in several states is counted in each, so the 2022 state counts also add up to more than the U.S. total.

Where the counts are highest and lowest

California (4,328,791), Florida (3,617,294), Texas (3,563,732), New York (2,412,227) and Illinois (1,358,091) have the most businesses. Alaska (77,722), North Dakota (79,019), the District of Columbia (79,583), Vermont (81,582) and Wyoming (85,113) have the fewest.

Per resident, Florida (157.8 per 1,000), Wyoming (145.6), Montana (127.6), Colorado (126.6) and Vermont (126.0) are highest. West Virginia (66.4), New Mexico (81.3), Wisconsin (84.0), Indiana (85.7) and Kentucky (87.6) are lowest.

Small firms employ a larger share of workers in Montana (66.3%), Wyoming (65.2%) and Vermont (62.1%), and a smaller share in Florida (39.6%), Tennessee (41.5%) and Georgia (42.5%). The share of businesses without employees is highest in Tennessee (87.1%), Texas (86.8%) and Florida (86.2%) and lowest in Montana (76.2%), North Dakota (76.6%) and South Dakota (77.0%).

Figure 2

Businesses per 1,000 residents, 2023

Select a state on the map.

Under 90
90 to 100
100 to 110
110 to 120
120 to 130
130 or more

United States

108

per 1,000 residents · 36,364,950 businesses

Source: Census Bureau, ABS/NES-D 2023 and population estimates. Median state 103.7. State counts include a multi-state firm in each state, so they are not comparable with the U.S. figure.

Business locations by county and metro

The state figures above count businesses. The Census Bureau's County Business Patterns (CBP) counts business locations with paid employees in each county and metro area, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) gives a newer count for counties. These count locations, not firms, so a store chain with five stores counts five times, and they do not include businesses without employees.

Table 5

Business locations with paid employees, by county: the 25 counties with the most


Los Angeles County, CA	304,988	3,987,736	299,617	31.3	609,719	4,548,021
Cook County, IL	134,513	2,492,328	207,144	26.2	139,775	2,569,918
Harris County, TX	111,215	2,182,164	175,822	22.7	121,633	2,436,205
Maricopa County, AZ	109,863	2,016,986	131,738	23.9	140,725	2,297,478
Orange County, CA	106,961	1,580,778	118,690	34.0	160,601	1,663,154
Miami-Dade County, FL	98,394	1,055,440	71,595	35.2	126,589	1,277,549
New York County, NY	93,904	2,322,720	339,413	57.6	129,854	2,499,641
San Diego County, CA	93,407	1,391,721	106,220	28.5	142,139	1,537,403
Dallas County, TX	71,182	1,648,702	131,921	27.0	81,745	1,808,432
King County, WA	70,376	1,305,947	143,711	30.8	82,524	1,421,311
Broward County, FL	68,191	780,632	47,826	34.1	82,218	855,401
Kings County, NY	62,317	745,880	37,589	23.9	75,396	926,187
Palm Beach County, FL	55,803	592,227	39,289	35.8	71,730	672,223
Clark County, NV	54,202	974,603	53,617	23.1	72,611	1,145,474
Queens County, NY	51,188	616,045	35,017	22.1	57,726	746,601
Suffolk County, NY	50,748	592,580	39,330	33.1	56,066	681,732
Santa Clara County, CA	49,154	1,171,397	212,780	26.0	89,281	1,126,059
Nassau County, NY	48,718	562,420	38,183	35.1	56,318	630,639
Tarrant County, TX	47,656	882,289	55,720	21.7	49,605	1,014,778
Riverside County, CA	46,244	687,526	36,178	18.5	95,761	847,946
Orange County, FL	45,588	842,028	49,128	30.4	56,445	961,014
Middlesex County, MA	44,624	963,417	97,832	27.1	59,334	880,696
Hillsborough County, FL	42,977	697,689	47,306	27.6	58,498	788,882
Travis County, TX	42,837	736,608	63,554	31.7	50,881	931,218
San Bernardino County, CA	42,571	718,612	39,235	19.3	85,331	845,978

CBP covers employer locations in the private sector except crop and animal production, rail, postal service, private households and public administration; counts are as published, with noise added by Census, and withheld cells show "n/a". QCEW counts locations covered by state unemployment insurance, all ownerships, and covers 2026 Q1. Per-resident rates use the Vintage 2025 estimate for July 1, 2023. Metro and micro areas that cross a state line are counted whole under each state they touch.

What these numbers count

Firms, locations and employers.

The state table counts firms (companies). The county and metro table counts locations. A firm can have many locations.

Years differ.

The small-business count is for 2022, other firm counts are for 2023, size classes for 2022, legal form for 2023, county locations for 2023, and the newest locations count for the first quarter of 2026.

Rounded counts.

Census rounds nonemployer counts by state.

Legal form.

LLCs are not a category in these tables.

Small business.

In Office of Advocacy research, a firm with fewer than 500 employees; SBA program size standards vary by industry. Most small businesses have no employees at all.

Methodology

Source

Firm counts by state come from the Census Bureau's Annual Business Survey and Nonemployer Statistics by Demographics combined table (AB2300NESD01, data year 2023). It counts employer firms (with paid employees) and nonemployer firms (no paid employees and at least $1,000 in receipts; $1 in construction). The small-business count adds the employer firms with fewer than 500 employees (SUSB 2022, enterprise employment size "<500", all industries) to all firms without employees (Nonemployer Statistics 2022, all industries and legal forms), so both parts are for 2022. SUSB has no 2023 release yet. A state's employer firms are counted in every state where the firm operates, so state small-business counts add up to more than the U.S. figure. Counts of employer firms by employment size and small-business employment come from Statistics of U.S. Businesses 2022. Nonemployer counts by legal form come from Nonemployer Statistics 2023, and by state for the small-business count from Nonemployer Statistics 2022. Locations by county and metro come from County Business Patterns 2023 and the BLS QCEW for the first quarter of 2026. Per-resident rates use Census Vintage 2025 population estimates, for July 1, 2023 on the firm and location counts. The SBA figures are quoted from the Office of Advocacy's FAQ and are not recalculated. Data downloaded October 18, 2026.

Frequently asked questions

How many small businesses are in the U.S.?

36,186,089 in 2022, the latest year of the Census Bureau's Statistics of U.S. Businesses. That is 6,374,594 employer firms with fewer than 500 employees plus 29,811,495 firms with no employees, from Nonemployer Statistics for the same year. Texas had 3,517,343. The Census Bureau has no single published small-business count; this one is our sum of two published tables.

How many businesses are in the U.S.?

The Census Bureau counted 36,364,950 in 2023: 5,934,950 with employees and 30,430,000 without.

Does the SBA count the same number?

Almost. The SBA Office of Advocacy reports 36,207,130 small businesses for 2022, 99.9% of all businesses. That is every employer firm (6,395,635, including 21,041 with 500 or more employees) plus 29,811,495 without employees. Our count leaves out the 500-or-more firms.

How many businesses have employees?

5,934,950 in 2023 by the Annual Business Survey, or 6,395,635 in 2022 by the Statistics of U.S. Businesses. The two differ by year and by survey method.

What percentage of businesses have no employees?

83.7% in 2023.

Which state has the most businesses?

California, with 4,328,791 in 2023.

Which state has the most businesses per person?

Florida, with 157.8 per 1,000 residents.

How many LLCs are there?

The Census tables do not count LLCs as a legal form, so there is no count here. Single-member LLCs usually appear as sole proprietorships and multi-member LLCs as partnerships.

What share of workers work at small businesses?

45.9% of private-sector employment in 2022 (62,250,556 of 135,748,407) was at firms with fewer than 500 employees.

Cite this page

You are welcome to use these figures with a link to this page. For a single state, link to this page with the state's postal code at the end, for example #tx.

Suggested citation

Mainstay Filing, "How Many Small Businesses Are There in the U.S.," updated October 18, 2026, using U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Business Survey and Nonemployer Statistics by Demographics 2023, Statistics of U.S. Businesses 2022, Nonemployer Statistics 2022 and 2023, and County Business Patterns 2023. https://mainstayfiling.com/research/how-many-businesses/

Last updated:October 18, 2026
Data years:2022 (small businesses, size), 2023 (all firms), 2026 Q1 (locations)
Next update:when the Census Bureau releases 2024 data

Sources

U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Business Survey and Nonemployer Statistics by Demographics 2023, table AB2300NESD01. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/abs/data/2023/. Downloaded October 18, 2026.
U.S. Census Bureau, Statistics of U.S. Businesses 2022. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/susb/tables/2022/.
U.S. Census Bureau, Nonemployer Statistics 2022 and 2023. https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/nonemployer-statistics.html.
U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023, state, county and metro files. https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/cbp.html.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2026 Q1. https://www.bls.gov/cew/.
U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 population estimates. https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest.html.
U.S. Small Business Administration, Office of Advocacy, Frequently Asked Questions About Small Business, February 2026. https://advocacy.sba.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/FINAL_FAQsAboutSmallBusiness_2026_012826.pdf.

Mainstay Filing is a business filing service, not a law firm or tax advisor. This page reports public government statistics and is not legal, tax or financial advice.