Trucking (owner-operator) businesses by state
Census industry: General Freight Trucking, Long-Distance, Truckload (NAICS 484121). Nationwide: 60,137 employer establishments (1.8 per 10,000 residents) and 549,344 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.
| California | 7,792 | 2 | 69,092 | 17.5 |
| Illinois | 6,973 | 5.5 | 47,850 | 37.6 |
| Texas | 6,318 | 2.1 | 74,282 | 23.7 |
| Florida | 3,866 | 1.7 | 62,579 | 26.8 |
| Pennsylvania | 2,160 | 1.7 | 19,496 | 14.9 |
| Michigan | 2,058 | 2 | 15,055 | 14.8 |
| Georgia | 1,967 | 1.8 | 21,382 | 19.1 |
| North Carolina | 1,952 | 1.8 | 13,339 | 12.1 |
| Ohio | 1,902 | 1.6 | 23,686 | 19.9 |
| Indiana | 1,776 | 2.6 | 12,838 | 18.5 |
| Washington | 1,719 | 2.2 | 10,050 | 12.6 |
| New York | 1,486 | 0.8 | 28,206 | 14.2 |
| Missouri | 1,347 | 2.2 | 8,479 | 13.6 |
| Tennessee | 1,162 | 1.6 | 8,818 | 12.2 |
| Wisconsin | 1,141 | 1.9 | 5,265 | 8.8 |
| Minnesota | 1,051 | 1.8 | 12,485 | 21.6 |
| New Jersey | 934 | 1 | 11,994 | 12.6 |
| Oregon | 924 | 2.2 | 2,984 | 7 |
| Iowa | 921 | 2.9 | 4,451 | 13.7 |
| Virginia | 913 | 1 | 7,726 | 8.8 |
| South Carolina | 787 | 1.5 | 8,059 | 14.7 |
| Alabama | 766 | 1.5 | 5,739 | 11.1 |
| Oklahoma | 762 | 1.9 | 4,339 | 10.6 |
| Arizona | 754 | 1 | 7,027 | 9.3 |
| Kansas | 733 | 2.5 | 3,274 | 11 |
| Arkansas | 636 | 2.1 | 3,669 | 11.9 |
| Kentucky | 618 | 1.4 | 7,312 | 15.9 |
| Colorado | 603 | 1 | 4,818 | 8.1 |
| Utah | 602 | 1.7 | 2,697 | 7.7 |
| Nebraska | 553 | 2.8 | 3,393 | 16.9 |
| Idaho | 541 | 2.7 | 2,158 | 10.8 |
| Mississippi | 483 | 1.6 | 6,192 | 21 |
| Nevada | 483 | 1.5 | 4,492 | 13.7 |
| Massachusetts | 441 | 0.6 | 3,113 | 4.4 |
| Louisiana | 427 | 0.9 | 5,608 | 12.2 |
| Maryland | 419 | 0.7 | 5,218 | 8.3 |
| South Dakota | 318 | 3.5 | 1,348 | 14.6 |
| Montana | 279 | 2.5 | 755 | 6.6 |
| North Dakota | 273 | 3.5 | 1,017 | 12.8 |
| Connecticut | 244 | 0.7 | 2,358 | 6.4 |
| New Mexico | 208 | 1 | 1,972 | 9.3 |
| Maine | 189 | 1.4 | 561 | 4 |
| Wyoming | 177 | 3 | 624 | 10.6 |
| West Virginia | 125 | 0.7 | 912 | 5.2 |
| Delaware | 88 | 0.8 | 846 | 8 |
| Rhode Island | 76 | 0.7 | 661 | 5.9 |
| Alaska | 63 | 0.9 | 265 | 3.6 |
| New Hampshire | 57 | 0.4 | 377 | 2.7 |
| Vermont | 52 | 0.8 | 218 | 3.4 |
| Hawaii | 12 | 0.1 | 62 | 0.4 |
| District of Columbia | 6 | 0.1 | 203 | 2.9 |
Thinking of starting one? Read how to start a trucking (owner-operator) 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