Employers and nonemployers | Employment size of firms | Employment size of establishments | Receipts size of firms |
Independently, the Small Business Administration's Office of Size Standards defines size standards for each NAICS industry [PDF] to determine which businesses are eligible for its programs.
About three quarters of all U.S. business firms have no payroll. Most are self-employed persons operating unincorporated businesses, and may or may not be the owner's principal source of income. Because nonemployers account for only about 3.4 percent of business receipts, they are not included in most business statistics, for example, most reports from the Economic Census. Since 1997, however, nonemployers have grown faster than employer firms.
Firms | Estab- lish- ments |
Sales or Receipts ($1,000) |
|
---|---|---|---|
All firms | 23,343,821 | 24,846,832 | 22,832,560,524 |
Nonemployers (firms with no payroll) | 17,646,062 | 17,646,062 | 770,032,328 |
Employers (firms with payroll) | 5,697,759 |
7,200,770 |
22,062,528,196 |
Nonemployer Statistics annually classify nonemployer firms by industry and geographic area (U.S., states, counties, and metropolitan areas.)
Employment size of enterprise | Firms | Estab- lish- ments |
Paid employees |
Annual payroll ($1,000) |
Sales or Receipts ($1,000) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
n/a - Receipts data are available for employers only for the years for which an economic census is taken (2002, 1997). | |||||
All firms | 25,409,525 | 26,911,465 | 115,074,924 | 4,253,995,732 | n/a |
Nonemployer firms | 19,523,741 | 19,523,741 | n/a | n/a | 887,001,820 |
Employer firms | 5,885,784 | 7,387,724 | 115,074,924 | 4,253,995,732 | n/a |
Firms with no employees as of March 12, but with payroll at some time during the year | 802,034 | 803,355 | 0 | 40,043,549 | n/a |
Firms with 1 to 4 employees | 2,777,680 | 2,782,252 | 5,844,637 | 165,904,564 | n/a |
Firms with 5 to 9 employees | 1,043,448 | 1,055,937 | 6,852,769 | 195,519,100 | n/a |
Firms with 10 to 19 employees | 632,682 | 666,574 | 8,499,681 | 257,802,789 | n/a |
Firms with 20 to 99 employees | 526,355 | 692,677 | 20,642,614 | 670,418,442 | n/a |
Firms with 100 to 499 employees | 86,538 | 330,447 | 16,757,751 | 587,676,161 | n/a |
Firms with 500 employees or more | 17,047 | 1,056,482 | 56,477,472 | 2,336,631,127 | n/a |
Firms with 500 to 749 employees | 5,695 | 66,305 | 3,449,491 | 130,408,281 | n/a |
Firms with 750 to 999 employees | 2,709 | 41,835 | 2,331,851 | 87,180,964 | n/a |
Firms with 1,000 to 1,499 employees | 2,828 | 57,479 | 3,444,427 | 132,832,629 | n/a |
Firms with 1,500 to 2,499 employees | 2,281 | 76,491 | 4,396,430 | 179,582,908 | n/a |
Firms with 2,500 employees or more | 3,534 | 814,372 | 42,855,273 | 1,806,626,345 | n/a |
Firms with 2,500 to 4,999 employees | 1,739 | 106,893 | 6,038,196 | 262,111,452 | n/a |
Firms with 5,000 to 9,999 employees | 905 | 120,311 | 6,378,292 | 278,396,903 | n/a |
Firms with 10,000 employees or more | 890 | 587,168 | 30,438,785 | 1,266,117,990 | n/a |
Source: Statistics of U.S. Businesses (See industry and state detail) and Nonemployer Statistics
Employment size of enterprise | Firms | Estab- lish- ments |
Paid employees |
Annual payroll ($1,000) |
Receipts ($1,000) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
All firms | 23,343,821 | 24,846,832 | 112,400,654 | 3,943,179,606 | 22,832,560,524 |
Nonemployer firms | 17,646,062 | 17,646,062 | n/a | n/a | 770,032,328 |
Employer firms | 5,697,759 | 7,200,770 | 112,400,654 | 3,943,179,606 | 22,062,528,196 |
Firms with no employees as of March 12, but with payroll at some time during the year | 770,041 | 771,135 | 0 | 38,127,022 | 215,139,058 |
Firms with 1 to 4 employees | 2,695,606 | 2,699,380 | 5,697,652 | 155,662,211 | 937,533,365 |
Firms with 5 to 9 employees | 1,010,804 | 1,024,081 | 6,639,666 | 182,383,776 | 888,342,543 |
Firms with 10 to 19 employees | 613,880 | 652,930 | 8,246,053 | 241,410,588 | 1,085,595,864 |
Firms with 20 to 99 employees | 508,249 | 692,775 | 19,874,069 | 623,716,021 | 2,884,696,648 |
Firms with 100 to 499 employees | 82,334 | 332,508 | 15,908,852 | 535,749,956 | 2,547,423,855 |
Firms with 500 employees or more | 16,845 | 1,027,961 | 56,034,362 | 2,166,130,032 | 13,503,796,863 |
Firms with 500 to 749 employees | 5,639 | 65,551 | 3,417,297 | 119,505,263 | 594,323,923 |
Firms with 750 to 999 employees | 2,687 | 41,818 | 2,317,418 | 81,133,941 | 394,053,128 |
Firms with 1,000 to 1,499 employees | 2,717 | 57,004 | 3,308,797 | 119,102,361 | 625,211,077 |
Firms with 1,500 to 2,499 employees | 2,278 | 72,374 | 4,361,890 | 163,164,065 | 839,662,317 |
Firms with 2,500 employees or more | 3,524 | 791,214 | 42,628,960 | 1,683,224,402 | 11,050,546,418 |
Firms with 2,500 to 4,999 employees | 1,727 | 103,810 | 5,964,080 | 236,201,022 | 1,419,783,211 |
Firms with 5,000 to 9,999 employees | 884 | 117,990 | 6,131,966 | 242,128,393 | 1,458,302,943 |
Firms with 10,000 employees or more | 913 | 569,414 | 30,532,914 | 1,204,894,987 | 8,172,460,264 |
Source: 2002 Economic Census and Statistics of U.S. Businesses
Economic Census Establishment and Firm Size reports, present national data classified by NAICS industry.
Statistics of U.S. Businesses is published each year for the U.S., states, and metropolitan areas. Classification is by the employment size of the overall enterprise, but by the location and NAICS industry of the establishment. Customized tabulations are also available.
More data |
Year | Firms by employment size of enterprise | Paid employees by employment size of enterprise | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Total | 20 + | 100 + | 500 + | Total | 20 + | 100 + | 500 + | ||
2004 | 5,885,784 | 10.7% | 1.8% | 0.3% | 115,074,924 | 81.6% | 63.6% | 49.1% | |
2003 | 5,767,127 | 10.7% | 1.8% | 0.3% | 113,398,043 | 81.6% | 63.8% | 49.3% | |
2002 | 5,697,759 | 10.7% | 1.7% | 0.3% | 112,400,654 | 81.7% | 64.0% | 49.9% | |
2001 | 5,657,774 | 11.0% | 1.8% | 0.3% | 115,061,184 | 82.1% | 64.4% | 50.1% | |
2000 | 5,652,544 | 10.9% | 1.8% | 0.3% | 114,064,976 | 82.0% | 64.2% | 49.9% | |
1999 | 5,607,743 | 10.7% | 1.7% | 0.3% | 110,705,661 | 81.6% | 63.8% | 49.7% | |
1998 | 5,579,177 | 10.6% | 1.7% | 0.3% | 108,117,731 | 81.2% | 63.3% | 49.1% | |
1997 | 5,541,918 | 10.5% | 1.7% | 0.3% | 105,299,123 | 80.9% | 62.7% | 48.2% | |
1996 | 5,478,047 | 10.4% | 1.7% | 0.3% | 102,187,297 | 80.5% | 62.3% | 48.0% | |
1995 | 5,369,068 | 10.5% | 1.7% | 0.3% | 100,314,946 | 80.5% | 62.1% | 47.5% | |
1994 | 5,276,964 | 10.2% | 1.7% | 0.3% | 96,721,594 | 80.2% | 61.9% | 47.3% | |
1993 | 5,193,642 | 10.2% | 1.7% | 0.3% | 94,773,913 | 79.9% | 61.5% | 46.9% | |
1992 | 5,095,356 | 10.3% | 1.6% | 0.3% | 92,825,797 | 79.8% | 61.3% | 47.0% | |
1991 | 5,051,025 | 10.3% | 1.6% | 0.3% | 92,307,559 | 79.7% | 61.2% | 46.9% | |
1990 | 5,073,795 | 10.6% | 1.7% | 0.3% | 93,469,275 | 79.8% | 60.8% | 46.3% | |
1989 | 5,021,315 | 10.5% | 1.7% | 0.3% | 91,626,094 | 79.7% | 60.7% | 46.1% | |
1988 | 4,954,645 | 10.3% | 1.6% | 0.3% | 87,844,303 | 79.1% | 60.0% | 45.5% |
A number of sources provide information by employment size of establishment: the annual County Business Patterns and several reports from the 2002 Economic Census, including even statistics by ZIP Code. Most students prefer to define small business in terms of the size of the entire company or firm, not individual establishments. For example, most researchers would prefer to classify a large fast-food chain as a large company rather than as a collection of small establishments.
Economic Census Establishment and Firm Size reports, present national data classified by NAICS industry.
Receipts Size of Enterprise | Payroll Annual ($1,000) |
Sales or Receipts ($1,000) |
|||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Employer firms | 5,697,759 | 7,200,770 | 112,400,654 | 3,943,179,606 | 22,062,528,196 |
Less than $100 thousand | 1,291,552 | 1,292,473 | 1,945,928 | 26,447,381 | 64,040,172 |
$100 to $499 thousand | 2,387,780 | 2,396,006 | 8,724,876 | 167,457,202 | 596,925,336 |
$500 to $999 thousand | 819,513 | 835,546 | 6,869,133 | 166,589,812 | 576,474,893 |
$1 to $4.9 million | 906,936 | 1,038,624 | 17,430,229 | 519,122,708 | 1,896,143,798 |
$5 to $9.9 million | 138,195 | 225,217 | 7,054,818 | 242,369,521 | 957,896,121 |
$10 to $49.9 million | 122,785 | 350,320 | 14,465,046 | 522,395,899 | 2,504,242,359 |
$50 to $99.9 million | 15,895 | 104,599 | 5,430,875 | 203,490,400 | 1,095,837,221 |
$100 to $249.9 million | 8,732 | 123,220 | 6,648,609 | 259,027,065 | 1,330,102,972 |
$250 to $499.9 million | 2,880 | 93,491 | 5,201,186 | 199,189,814 | 1,006,886,217 |
$500 to $999.9 million | 1,544 | 107,929 | 5,380,010 | 204,735,327 | 1,078,980,045 |
$1 to 2.499 billion | 1,056 | 174,666 | 7,132,953 | 280,897,627 | 1,642,368,662 |
$2.5 billion or more | 891 | 458,679 | 26,116,991 | 1,151,456,850 | 9,312,630,400 |
Source: Statistics of U.S. Businesses, 2002
Statistics of U.S. Businesses tables showing receipt size by NAICS industry of the establishment are accessible as spreadsheets for 2002 and 1997. Receipts size detail is much less than shown in Establishment and Firm Size reports cited below.
Economic Census Establishment and Firm Size reports, present national data classified by the NAICS industry of the establishment.
Corresponding data for 1992, from 1992 Enterprise Statistics, differ somewhat in methodology. The PDF presents these statistics by SIC industry of the parent company. (Enterprise Statistics was not funded for years after 1992.)
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