Key finding: New York ranked first in July 2026 at 41.4%. Mississippi ranked last at 18.2%.
The gap was 23.3 points.
New York's share was 2.28 times as high.
The U.S. share was 26.2%.
The Census Bureau calls some applications High-Propensity Business Applications, or HBA.
HBA is a type of business application.
Census uses details on the application to place it in this group.
HBA does not mean a business has opened.
High-propensity business applications by state
| Rank | State or D.C. | Business applications | High-propensity applications | HBA share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | 31,072 | 12,866 | 41.4% |
| 2 | Delaware | 5,314 | 1,916 | 36.1% |
| 3 | Massachusetts | 7,497 | 2,557 | 34.1% |
| 4 | Maine | 1,467 | 474 | 32.3% |
| 5 | North Dakota | 862 | 269 | 31.2% |
| 6 | Rhode Island | 1,063 | 327 | 30.8% |
| 7 | California | 61,133 | 18,548 | 30.3% |
| 8 | Vermont | 731 | 218 | 29.8% |
| 9 | Nebraska | 2,059 | 611 | 29.7% |
| 10 | Washington | 9,885 | 2,888 | 29.2% |
| 11 | Idaho | 3,454 | 1,002 | 29.0% |
| 12 | Hawaii | 1,478 | 427 | 28.9% |
| 13 | Pennsylvania | 13,920 | 4,021 | 28.9% |
| 14 | Montana | 2,730 | 776 | 28.4% |
| 15 | Alaska | 1,367 | 384 | 28.1% |
| 16 | Maryland | 9,134 | 2,531 | 27.7% |
| 17 | New Hampshire | 1,947 | 538 | 27.6% |
| 18 | Illinois | 18,288 | 5,042 | 27.6% |
| 19 | District of Columbia | 1,422 | 391 | 27.5% |
| 20 | New Mexico | 3,439 | 944 | 27.4% |
| 21 | West Virginia | 1,645 | 447 | 27.2% |
| 22 | Oregon | 5,742 | 1,553 | 27.0% |
| 23 | Iowa | 3,321 | 898 | 27.0% |
| 24 | Connecticut | 5,026 | 1,337 | 26.6% |
| 25 | Minnesota | 6,604 | 1,753 | 26.5% |
| 26 | North Carolina | 17,717 | 4,701 | 26.5% |
| 27 | Virginia | 12,753 | 3,358 | 26.3% |
| 28 | New Jersey | 15,826 | 4,077 | 25.8% |
| 29 | Florida | 65,332 | 16,438 | 25.2% |
| 30 | Nevada | 6,174 | 1,523 | 24.7% |
| 31 | South Dakota | 1,224 | 301 | 24.6% |
| 32 | Kansas | 4,392 | 1,062 | 24.2% |
| 33 | Utah | 7,663 | 1,842 | 24.0% |
| 34 | Tennessee | 11,313 | 2,716 | 24.0% |
| 35 | South Carolina | 9,368 | 2,231 | 23.8% |
| 36 | Oklahoma | 6,461 | 1,522 | 23.6% |
| 37 | Arizona | 14,085 | 3,306 | 23.5% |
| 38 | Georgia | 25,863 | 6,069 | 23.5% |
| 39 | Louisiana | 7,317 | 1,712 | 23.4% |
| 40 | Texas | 57,190 | 13,343 | 23.3% |
| 41 | Wisconsin | 7,657 | 1,784 | 23.3% |
| 42 | Wyoming | 7,538 | 1,714 | 22.7% |
| 43 | Ohio | 17,061 | 3,871 | 22.7% |
| 44 | Kentucky | 7,088 | 1,582 | 22.3% |
| 45 | Indiana | 10,639 | 2,336 | 22.0% |
| 46 | Arkansas | 5,023 | 1,095 | 21.8% |
| 47 | Michigan | 16,514 | 3,577 | 21.7% |
| 48 | Alabama | 7,731 | 1,663 | 21.5% |
| 49 | Colorado | 17,259 | 3,613 | 20.9% |
| 50 | Missouri | 12,159 | 2,436 | 20.0% |
| 51 | Mississippi | 6,979 | 1,267 | 18.2% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau Business Formation Statistics. RecurSave used July 2026 seasonally adjusted data released August 12, 2026.
New York ranked first
New York had 31,072 applications.
Of these, 12,866 were HBA.
That gave New York a 41.4% share.
Mississippi had 6,979 applications.
Of these, 1,267 were HBA.
That gave Mississippi an 18.2% share.
The gap was 23.3 points.
New York's share was 2.28 times as high.
What the data show
This ranking looks at the type of applications filed.
It does not count new firms.
It does not rank good or bad firms.
It does not show how many firms will hire staff.
Census looks at details on each EIN application.
It uses those details to flag some applications as HBA.
These applications have traits linked with later payroll firms.
The table shows the HBA share for each state.
Method
RecurSave used Census data for July 2026.
Two figures were used for each state and D.C.:
- Business Applications
- High-Propensity Business Applications
Both use the same month.
Both use the same Census data set.
The formula was:
HBA ÷ Business Applications × 100
RecurSave then ranked the results.
For the U.S., there were 578,926 applications.
Of these, 151,857 were HBA.
That gave the U.S. a 26.2% share.
Limits
HBA does not mean a firm has opened.
The data do not measure firm growth.
They do not measure success.
They do not measure jobs.
The table covers one month.
Ranks may change each month.
Census may also change old figures.
Census changed its HBA rules in 2026.
It removed some applications tied to online sales.
It then updated the old data.
Census also moved the series to 2022 NAICS.
This study does not explain why states differ.
Why this is useful
Raw counts favor big states.
A share gives each state the same base.
This makes states easier to compare.
The July range was large.
New York was at 41.4%.
Mississippi was at 18.2%.
The U.S. was at 26.2%.