Florida Has One in Ten U.S. Businesses With No Employees. It Added One in Five of the New Ones.

The newest Census count added 1.56 million businesses with no paid employees in a year. Every state grew. But the growth was not spread like the businesses are — two states took a third of it.

Every state grew, at very different speeds

Nonemployer Statistics counts businesses that have no paid employees and file taxes as a sole proprietorship, partnership or corporation — the freelancer, the one-truck hauler, the landlord with a single rental. The 2024 file, released September 29, 2026, puts the national count at 31,985,874, up 5.1% in a year. Every one of the 51 places grew, but the range is wide: Florida rose 9.9%, South Carolina 8.3% and Texas 7.3%, while the District of Columbia rose 0.3% and Alaska 0.5%. Only 10 of the 51 grew faster than the country as a whole — the national rate is pulled up by a few large, fast-growing states.

One state holds one in ten of these businesses. It took one in five of the new ones.

Where the 1.56 million landed

A state’s share of the increase can be set beside its share of the existing count. If growth were spread evenly, the two would match. They do not. Florida held 10.2% of the 2023 count and took 19.9% of the increase, about double. Texas held 10.2% and took 14.5%. Georgia and North Carolina also took more than their share, and New York slightly more. California is the reverse: it holds the largest share of any state, 11.6%, and took 9.6% of the increase. Florida and Texas together hold 20.4% of these businesses and added 34.4% of the growth.

It is not only the drivers

Transportation and warehousing — the sector that includes drivers and couriers — added more no-employee businesses than any other sector nationally, and it is Florida’s largest gain too, at 64,023. So the question is whether Florida’s lead is a delivery story. It is not. Take that sector out of both years and Florida still grew 9.2%, against 4.3% for the country, and 17 of its 18 sectors grew. South Carolina and Texas stay near the top. At the other end, Alaska’s count outside transportation fell 0.6% — the only state where it fell. The file records where these businesses are counted, not why they started there, and this article does not offer a reason.

What to do with this if you work on your own

If you are in Florida, Texas or another fast-growing state, the number of businesses run with no employees around you rose faster in 2024 than almost anywhere else. That is more potential partners and subcontractors, and more competition for the same customers. Know which one you are planning for. If you are in a slow-growing state, the field is not filling up as quickly — but the national number still rose by 1,558,066 in one year, so the crowd is growing everywhere.

Three limits worth holding. These are businesses, not people. This is a single year, 2023 to 2024, and one year is not a trend. And the file counts businesses without employees only — a business that hired its first worker in 2024 leaves this count, so a slow-growing state can also be one where more of them took that step.

Published by The Lonely Entrepreneur — the community and coaching platform for entrepreneurs who are building alone. lonelyentrepreneur.com

This article is for educational purposes and is not a substitute for professional financial or legal advice.