Most applications
July 2026, seasonally adjusted.
- 1Florida65,332
- 2California61,133
- 3Texas57,190
- 4New York31,072
- 5Georgia25,863
50-state research desk
Business activity looks different when scale, population, and time are separated.
These profiles combine a common statistical baseline with reporting specific to each state. Applications show where people are filing for employer identification numbers—not where every filing became an operating company.
Highest population-adjusted rate
Trailing 12 months through July 2026, per 100,000 residents.
Fastest recent increase
Latest trailing year versus the preceding 12 months.
- 1Kentucky+38.5%
- 2Alaska+32.3%
- 3Missouri+32.1%
- 4Mississippi+30.7%
- 5Kansas+30.5%
The comparison changes with the question
Florida led the July count, but Wyoming had the highest trailing-year rate relative to population. Kentucky recorded the fastest trailing-year increase. Those are three different findings: scale, filings per resident, and recent direction.
The national July report explains how retail filings drove the monthly record while employer-oriented measures moved much less.
Wyoming and Delaware require special care. Their exceptionally high filing rates can reflect entity-registration choices as well as business activity by residents. The rates should not be read as startup success or a general ranking of business conditions. The monthly formation explainer defines applications and projected employer formations.
Formation is only one part of the state picture. Montana has the highest small-business employment share, Tennessee has the highest nonemployer share, Nevada has the most concentrated leading-county employment, and Washington recorded the sharpest trailing-year application decline. The national small-business employment benchmark and national employer and nonemployer business count explain those measures.
Download the 50-state baseline (CSV) · Read the calculation policy
Application intensity and recent growth tell different stories.
The median state recorded 1,588.1 applications per 100,000 residents and +16.1% trailing-year growth. Kentucky grew fastest; Florida had the highest rate among the 48 states shown on the common scale; Washington declined most sharply.
A scatter plot compares 48 states by trailing-year applications per 100,000 residents and change from the preceding 12 months. Wyoming and Delaware appear in a separate registration-sensitive outlier panel. The chart does not imply that filing intensity causes growth.
Selected findings on small screens
50-state median1,588.1 per 100,000 · +16.1% growth
Kentucky1,656.0 per 100,000+38.5% growth
Florida3,022.5 per 100,000+13.9% growth
Mississippi2,081.6 per 100,000+30.7% growth
Washington1,463.6 per 100,000−19.6% growth
Registration-sensitive rate outliers
Wyoming 14,473.3 per 100,000 · +20.2% growth
Delaware 5,759.3 per 100,000 · +3.0% growth
View the exact values
| State | Applications per 100,000 | Rate rank | Trailing-year change | Growth rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 1,487.8 | 30 | +24.0% | 11 |
| Alaska | 1,723.0 | 20 | +32.3% | 2 |
| Arizona | 2,024.8 | 11 | +24.8% | 10 |
| Arkansas | 1,450.7 | 34 | +23.9% | 13 |
| California | 1,534.5 | 29 | +13.6% | 33 |
| Colorado | 2,723.0 | 5 | +18.7% | 20 |
| Connecticut | 1,478.0 | 32 | +15.6% | 26 |
| Delaware | 5,759.3 | 2 | +3.0% | 47 |
| Florida | 3,022.5 | 3 | +13.9% | 32 |
| Georgia | 2,457.0 | 6 | +15.3% | 28 |
| Hawaii | 1,297.5 | 41 | −0.7% | 48 |
| Idaho | 1,795.1 | 16 | +13.6% | 34 |
| Illinois | 1,559.6 | 27 | +14.5% | 31 |
| Indiana | 1,409.2 | 37 | +12.0% | 42 |
| Iowa | 1,165.1 | 47 | +15.2% | 29 |
| Kansas | 1,437.8 | 35 | +30.5% | 5 |
| Kentucky | 1,656.0 | 23 | +38.5% | 1 |
| Louisiana | 1,766.0 | 18 | +22.4% | 16 |
| Maine | 1,064.2 | 49 | +5.6% | 46 |
| Maryland | 1,732.0 | 19 | +12.7% | 40 |
| Massachusetts | 1,186.7 | 46 | +12.0% | 41 |
| Michigan | 1,652.0 | 24 | +24.0% | 12 |
| Minnesota | 1,314.8 | 40 | +13.1% | 38 |
| Mississippi | 2,081.6 | 9 | +30.7% | 4 |
| Missouri | 1,838.3 | 13 | +32.1% | 3 |
| Montana | 2,817.6 | 4 | +15.5% | 27 |
| Nebraska | 1,202.2 | 45 | +17.2% | 24 |
| Nevada | 2,103.3 | 8 | +9.8% | 45 |
| New Hampshire | 1,391.3 | 38 | +23.1% | 14 |
| New Jersey | 1,813.6 | 15 | +11.9% | 43 |
| New Mexico | 2,055.9 | 10 | +21.2% | 17 |
| New York | 1,604.3 | 25 | +10.6% | 44 |
| North Carolina | 1,770.4 | 17 | +20.2% | 18 |
| North Dakota | 1,212.3 | 44 | +13.3% | 36 |
| Ohio | 1,545.3 | 28 | +22.7% | 15 |
| Oklahoma | 1,679.1 | 21 | +28.6% | 6 |
| Oregon | 1,485.8 | 31 | −3.4% | 49 |
| Pennsylvania | 1,283.1 | 43 | +13.1% | 37 |
| Rhode Island | 1,129.8 | 48 | +13.0% | 39 |
| South Carolina | 1,838.3 | 14 | +18.3% | 23 |
| South Dakota | 1,413.9 | 36 | +14.9% | 30 |
| Tennessee | 1,571.9 | 26 | +25.6% | 9 |
| Texas | 1,852.6 | 12 | +18.3% | 21 |
| Utah | 2,357.8 | 7 | +27.7% | 8 |
| Vermont | 1,288.0 | 42 | +13.4% | 35 |
| Virginia | 1,679.0 | 22 | +16.7% | 25 |
| Washington | 1,463.6 | 33 | −19.6% | 50 |
| West Virginia | 1,037.7 | 50 | +18.3% | 22 |
| Wisconsin | 1,331.4 | 39 | +27.8% | 7 |
| Wyoming | 14,473.3 | 1 | +20.2% | 19 |
Regional context
Growth was fastest in the Midwest; filing rates remained higher in the South and West.
| Region | Trailing-year applications | Change from prior year | Per 100,000 residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northeast | 856,679 | +12.0% | 1,476.0 |
| Midwest | 1,046,999 | +20.4% | 1,500.8 |
| South | 2,737,960 | +17.9% | 2,056.4 |
| West | 1,483,972 | +11.8% | 1,851.6 |
BizFacts calculations use unadjusted state applications from August 2025 through July 2026 and Census Vintage 2025 population estimates. Regional totals use the Census four-region grouping.
State directory