- Georgia has the ninth-highest rate of workers self-employed in their own incorporated business out of all US states
- Florida has the highest rate of workers self-employed, and Montana places second in the ranking
- Data from the United States Census Bureau statistics was gathered to determine the ranking
New data analysis has revealed the states with the most self-employed workers, with Georgia placing ninth on the list.
Post-COVID-19, there have been marked changes in the workplace and workforce, with a rise in hybrid employment and unfortunate layoffs in struggling businesses. Self-employment has become a popular choice for workers seeking to become their own bosses and manage their own work-life balance.
Personal finance experts at Wealth of Geeks have analyzed the latest US Census Bureau statistics to determine the states with the highest levels of workers self-employed in their own incorporated business. Across the US, a total of 16,627,267 workers identify as self-employed, which is 10.23% of the total employed population.
| Rank | State | % of people self-employed in own incorporated business |
| 1 | Florida | 6.40% |
| 2 | Montana | 5.99% |
| 3 | Wyoming | 5.82% |
| 4 | Colorado | 5.11% |
| 5 | Idaho | 5.06% |
| 6 | Maine | 4.86% |
| 7 | Vermont | 4.78% |
| 8 | Utah | 4.53% |
| 9 | Georgia | 4.44% |
| 10 | Delaware | 4.39% |
First in the list of the US states with the highest rate of self-employment is Florida, with this class of work accounting for 6.4% of its population – a total of 671,306 people. Management, business, science, and arts occupations hold the highest level of self-employed workers in Florida, equating to 316,385 people.
In second place is Montana, with 5.99% of its population identifying as self-employed, which is 33,543 people. Montana’s highest rate of self-employment is in the management, business, science and arts occupations, with 17,950 workers self-employed in these areas.
Following in third position is Wyoming, where 5.82% of the state’s population is self-employed, which is 16,939 people. Of this total, 10,040 people are self-employed in management, business, science, and arts occupations in Wyoming.
Closely behind in fourth place is Colorado, with 5.11% of the population – 159,992 people, reporting as self-employed. Notably, sales and office occupations have the second-highest level self-employment in Colorado, with 32,777 people in these industries.
Idaho takes the fifth spot, with 5.06% of the state’s population, which is 46,572 people, identifying as self-employed workers. Nearly half of the self-employed population in Idaho are in management, business, science, and arts occupations, totalling 22,714 people.
Sixth on the list is Maine, where self-employed workers account for 4.86% of its population, which is 33,852 people. Maine has a high rate of self-employment in natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations, with 7,292 self-employed workers in these areas.
The seventh state in the ranking is Vermont, with 4.78% of the state’s population being self-employed, which is 16,454 people. Management, business, science, and arts occupations in Vermont hold the highest levels of self-employment, with 8,686 workers in these areas.
Closely following behind is Utah in eighth place, where self-employed workers make up 4.53% of its population – a total of 78,553 people. Of this value, 40,277 workers are self-employed in management, business, science, and arts occupations.
In ninth position is Georgia, with 4.44% of the state’s population reporting as self-employed, which is 234,196 people. Georgia has a high rate of self-employed workers in sales and office occupations, with 54,274 people in these roles.
Finally, completing the ranking of the US states with the highest levels of self-employment is Delaware, with 4.39% of the state’s population being self-employed – a total of 21,905 people. Management, business, science, and arts occupations hold the highest levels of self-employed workers, with 10,071 people in these areas.
A spokesperson for Wealth of Geeks commented on these findings: “This self-employment data is highly promising after the turbulence of the pandemic; a high proportion of the total working population are operating as their own boss.
“Shedding light on this data gives an insight into 2024 the trends of the labor market, as well as the trajectory of the US economy since these self-employed business owners are significant contributors”.
