Key finding: Florida had more business applications than any other state in July 2026.
It had 65,332 applications.
But Florida ranked much lower on another Census measure.
Census expects 2,773 new employer firms to come from those applications within one year.
That works out to 4.24 new employer firms for every 100 applications.
Florida ranked 41st among the 50 states on this measure.
Maine ranked first.
Maine had 9.95 new employer firms for every 100 applications.
Yet Maine had far fewer applications than Florida.
State Results
| Rank | State | Business applications | Projected formations within 4 quarters | Projected formations per 100 applications | Application rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maine | 1,467 | 146 | 9.95 | 45 |
| 2 | Washington | 9,885 | 849 | 8.59 | 18 |
| 3 | North Dakota | 862 | 69 | 8.00 | 49 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | 7,497 | 581 | 7.75 | 25 |
| 5 | Idaho | 3,454 | 265 | 7.67 | 37 |
| 6 | Oregon | 5,742 | 430 | 7.49 | 32 |
| 7 | New Hampshire | 1,947 | 142 | 7.29 | 42 |
| 8 | Vermont | 731 | 52 | 7.11 | 50 |
| 9 | Alaska | 1,367 | 96 | 7.02 | 46 |
| 10 | Nebraska | 2,059 | 144 | 6.99 | 41 |
| 11 | South Dakota | 1,224 | 84 | 6.86 | 47 |
| 12 | California | 61,133 | 3,988 | 6.52 | 2 |
| 13 | Rhode Island | 1,063 | 69 | 6.49 | 48 |
| 14 | New York | 31,072 | 1,981 | 6.38 | 4 |
| 15 | Iowa | 3,321 | 202 | 6.08 | 39 |
| 16 | Utah | 7,663 | 442 | 5.77 | 22 |
| 17 | Kansas | 4,392 | 251 | 5.71 | 36 |
| 18 | North Carolina | 17,717 | 973 | 5.49 | 7 |
| 19 | Connecticut | 5,026 | 276 | 5.49 | 34 |
| 20 | Texas | 57,190 | 3,134 | 5.48 | 3 |
| 21 | Missouri | 12,159 | 661 | 5.44 | 15 |
| 22 | Virginia | 12,753 | 684 | 5.36 | 14 |
| 23 | Minnesota | 6,604 | 352 | 5.33 | 29 |
| 24 | Tennessee | 11,313 | 600 | 5.30 | 16 |
| 25 | New Jersey | 15,826 | 836 | 5.28 | 11 |
| 26 | South Carolina | 9,368 | 492 | 5.25 | 19 |
| 27 | West Virginia | 1,645 | 86 | 5.23 | 43 |
| 28 | Arizona | 14,085 | 734 | 5.21 | 12 |
| 29 | Pennsylvania | 13,920 | 707 | 5.08 | 13 |
| 30 | Montana | 2,730 | 135 | 4.95 | 40 |
| 31 | Nevada | 6,174 | 305 | 4.94 | 31 |
| 32 | Indiana | 10,639 | 505 | 4.75 | 17 |
| 33 | Wisconsin | 7,657 | 363 | 4.74 | 23 |
| 34 | Colorado | 17,259 | 814 | 4.72 | 8 |
| 35 | Illinois | 18,288 | 857 | 4.69 | 6 |
| 36 | Alabama | 7,731 | 361 | 4.67 | 21 |
| 37 | Delaware | 5,314 | 238 | 4.48 | 33 |
| 38 | Oklahoma | 6,461 | 286 | 4.43 | 30 |
| 39 | Ohio | 17,061 | 738 | 4.33 | 9 |
| 40 | Kentucky | 7,088 | 305 | 4.30 | 27 |
| 41 | Florida | 65,332 | 2,773 | 4.24 | 1 |
| 42 | New Mexico | 3,439 | 138 | 4.01 | 38 |
| 43 | Georgia | 25,863 | 1,017 | 3.93 | 5 |
| 44 | Arkansas | 5,023 | 192 | 3.82 | 35 |
| 45 | Hawaii | 1,478 | 55 | 3.72 | 44 |
| 46 | Maryland | 9,134 | 333 | 3.65 | 20 |
| 47 | Louisiana | 7,317 | 236 | 3.23 | 26 |
| 48 | Michigan | 16,514 | 531 | 3.22 | 10 |
| 49 | Wyoming | 7,538 | 233 | 3.09 | 24 |
| 50 | Mississippi | 6,979 | 169 | 2.42 | 28 |
Source: RecurSave calculation using U.S. Census Bureau Business Formation Statistics for July 2026. Both Census series are seasonally adjusted.
What the Numbers Show
Florida was first for total applications.
It was 41st when we compared new employer firms with applications.
Maine showed the reverse pattern.
It ranked first on the per-100 measure.
Maine's figure was more than twice Florida's.
The U.S. figure was 5.17 per 100 applications.
These numbers do not count firms that have opened.
They are Census estimates.
Census uses past data to estimate how many employer firms may start within one year.
Method
We used Census data for July 2026.
We used two sets of numbers:
- Business Applications
- Projected Business Formations within Four Quarters
Both sets came from the same Census data.
Both were adjusted for normal changes through the year.
We used data for all types of business.
We ranked all 50 states.
Washington, D.C. was not part of the ranking.
For each state, we divided the projected new employer firms by the number of applications.
We then multiplied the result by 100.
The table shows two decimal places.
Limitations
These are estimates.
They are not a count of firms that opened.
An application does not mean a new firm has opened.
Census can change its past numbers when new data arrive.
This study covers one month.
It does not show how firms perform over time.
It also does not tell us why states differ.
Why This Matters
Application totals show where people filed the most applications.
But they do not tell the whole story.
This second measure puts the number of expected employer firms next to the number of applications.
That can change the ranking a lot.
Florida is the clearest example.
It ranked first for applications.
It ranked 41st on the per-100 measure.