Catering businesses by state

Census industry: Caterers (NAICS 722320). Nationwide: 13,222 employer establishments (0.4 per 10,000 residents) and 406,608 businesses without employees.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023 [source], Nonemployer Statistics 2024 [source], Population Estimates Vintage 2024 [source]. Downloaded and processed November 5, 2026. Public domain.

Look up your county →


California	1,961	0.5	41,969	10.6
New York	1,266	0.6	22,740	11.4
Florida	993	0.4	43,163	18.5
Texas	866	0.3	56,654	18.1
Pennsylvania	579	0.4	10,717	8.2
New Jersey	533	0.6	9,349	9.8
Illinois	513	0.4	13,083	10.3
Ohio	490	0.4	12,221	10.3
Massachusetts	436	0.6	5,024	7
Georgia	383	0.3	23,628	21.1
North Carolina	356	0.3	12,927	11.7
Michigan	346	0.3	12,289	12.1
Washington	304	0.4	5,013	6.3
Virginia	286	0.3	9,809	11.1
Maryland	283	0.5	8,648	13.8
Colorado	268	0.5	5,959	10
Indiana	217	0.3	6,193	8.9
Wisconsin	208	0.4	3,668	6.2
Minnesota	200	0.3	3,550	6.1
Missouri	193	0.3	5,444	8.7
Tennessee	190	0.3	11,267	15.6
Louisiana	189	0.4	9,262	20.1
Connecticut	183	0.5	3,251	8.8
Arizona	177	0.2	7,206	9.5
South Carolina	165	0.3	7,702	14.1
Oregon	143	0.3	3,529	8.3
Utah	118	0.3	2,517	7.2
Nevada	109	0.3	3,853	11.8
Kentucky	104	0.2	4,090	8.9
Alabama	87	0.2	6,595	12.8
Iowa	86	0.3	2,200	6.8
Oklahoma	78	0.2	4,086	10
Hawaii	74	0.5	1,802	12.5
Kansas	74	0.3	2,274	7.7
Maine	70	0.5	1,127	8
New Hampshire	69	0.5	922	6.5
Nebraska	62	0.3	1,661	8.3
Mississippi	60	0.2	6,015	20.4
Montana	57	0.5	1,151	10.1
Idaho	55	0.3	1,601	8
Rhode Island	52	0.5	823	7.4
District of Columbia	48	0.7	883	12.6
Vermont	48	0.7	655	10.1
Arkansas	42	0.1	3,560	11.5
New Mexico	38	0.2	1,852	8.7
Wyoming	36	0.6	651	11.1
Delaware	33	0.3	975	9.3
West Virginia	28	0.2	1,150	6.5
Alaska	27	0.4	653	8.8
South Dakota	20	0.2	655	7.1
North Dakota	19	0.2	592	7.4

Thinking of starting one? Read how to start a catering business, then price it with the startup cost calculator.

What these counts mean — and what they don't

Counts are not market saturation. They don't measure demand, prices, quality, how busy businesses are, or how far customers travel. A high count can mean a crowded market — or a strong one that supports many businesses.
Employer establishments (County Business Patterns 2023) are physical locations with paid employees, counted as of mid-March. One company can have several. Self-employed people without employees, private households, railroads, agricultural production and most government are excluded. [source]
Nonemployer businesses (Nonemployer Statistics 2024) have no paid employees, at least $1,000 in annual receipts ($1 in construction), and are subject to federal income tax. Many are part-time or side businesses. [source]
Different years and industry definitions. Employer counts use 2017 industry codes; nonemployer counts use 2022 codes. County nonemployer figures are only published for broader industry groups, so we label which group is shown. Don't add the two counts together for a precise total.
Per 10,000 residents uses Census population estimates for the same year as each count. It helps compare places of different sizes, nothing more.
Employment is shown only when Census marks the figure as low or moderate noise. Census adds statistical noise to protect businesses' confidentiality. Establishment counts themselves are published without noise.
Your business may be classified differently from these industry codes — check several related industries.

Sources

County Business Patterns 2023 — county, state and U.S. files — U.S. Census Bureau, verified 2026-11-03
Nonemployer Statistics 2024 — county, state and U.S. files — U.S. Census Bureau, verified 2026-11-03
County population estimates, Vintage 2024 — U.S. Census Bureau, verified 2026-11-03
County Business Patterns methodology (coverage, establishments, noise flags) — U.S. Census Bureau, verified 2026-11-03
Nonemployer Statistics glossary (definition of a nonemployer business) — U.S. Census Bureau, verified 2026-11-03