The short version
2026 editionKey takeaways
Each takeaway links to its canonical data row. Reported figures belong to their cited producer; modeled results are labeled as calculations.
- All covered nonemployer industries: calculated annual receipts per nonemployer establishment: $57,611.05 (2023).Workspace369 calculation
- Professional, scientific, and technical services: calculated annual receipts per nonemployer establishment: $57,478.79 (2023).Workspace369 calculation
- Legal services: calculated annual receipts per nonemployer establishment: $84,545.00 (2023).Workspace369 calculation
- Accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping, and payroll services: calculated annual receipts per nonemployer establishment: $34,531.62 (2023).Workspace369 calculation
- Specialized design services: calculated annual receipts per nonemployer establishment: $46,086.94 (2023).Workspace369 calculation
- Computer systems design and related services: calculated annual receipts per nonemployer establishment: $59,971.15 (2023).Workspace369 calculation
- Management, scientific, and technical consulting services: calculated annual receipts per nonemployer establishment: $59,835.79 (2023).Workspace369 calculation
- Scientific research and development services: calculated annual receipts per nonemployer establishment: $37,053.13 (2023).Workspace369 calculation
- Advertising, public relations, and related services: calculated annual receipts per nonemployer establishment: $60,830.61 (2023).Workspace369 calculation
- Marketing research and public opinion polling: calculated annual receipts per nonemployer establishment: $44,376.23 (2023).Workspace369 calculation
- Photographic services: calculated annual receipts per nonemployer establishment: $28,831.30 (2023).Workspace369 calculation
- Translation and interpretation services: calculated annual receipts per nonemployer establishment: $26,605.04 (2023).Workspace369 calculation
How much revenue do nonemployer businesses report by industry?
Revenue per business varies across the selected service industries; the figures below divide total Census receipts by establishments. They describe gross business activity, not an owner’s salary or take-home income.
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| Industry (2022 NAICS) | Establishments | Total receipts (USD thousands) | Calculated receipts / establishment (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All covered nonemployer industries | 30,427,808 | $1,752,978,019.00 | $57,611.05 |
| Professional, scientific, and technical services | 4,075,717 | $234,267,272.00 | $57,478.79 |
| Legal services | 274,000 | $23,165,331.00 | $84,545.00 |
| Accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping, and payroll services | 396,812 | $13,702,563.00 | $34,531.62 |
| Specialized design services | 277,731 | $12,799,771.00 | $46,086.94 |
| Computer systems design and related services | 343,329 | $20,589,836.00 | $59,971.15 |
| Management, scientific, and technical consulting services | 1,081,961 | $64,739,993.00 | $59,835.79 |
| Scientific research and development services | 58,029 | $2,150,156.00 | $37,053.13 |
| Advertising, public relations, and related services | 207,863 | $12,644,434.00 | $60,830.61 |
| Marketing research and public opinion polling | 40,138 | $1,781,173.00 | $44,376.23 |
| Photographic services | 236,666 | $6,823,388.00 | $28,831.30 |
| Translation and interpretation services | 54,203 | $1,442,073.00 | $26,605.04 |
Sector totals and their subindustries overlap and must not be summed. All legal forms and receipt sizes are included. Dollar totals are in thousands; per-establishment values are in dollars.
Primary source: U.S. Census Bureau — May 15, 2025
How do professional-service business receipts compare by state?
This state comparison holds the broad sector constant: professional, scientific, and technical services. It covers all states and the District of Columbia, but local industry mix still differs.
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These are nominal 2023 receipts with no cost-of-living adjustment. A state’s mean is not a recommended revenue target, and a larger mean does not show higher owner profitability.
Primary source: U.S. Census Bureau — May 15, 2025
Does a nonemployer business always mean a solo freelancer?
No. Nonemployer means no paid employees, not necessarily one owner. The dataset includes multiple legal forms and businesses that are not an owner’s main source of income.
The label “solo business” describes the research question. The measured Census population is stated above every comparison and in each downloadable row.
Primary source: U.S. Census Bureau — checked September 12, 2026
Can receipts per business be used as a profit or salary benchmark?
No. Receipts are measured before subtracting expenses, and the average is a ratio of totals. It does not reveal the median business, hours worked or any owner’s after-tax income.
The companion sole-proprietor report uses a different IRS population and measures net income separately; the two datasets must not be joined as if they describe identical businesses.
Primary source: U.S. Census Bureau — checked September 12, 2026
How this report was built
Methodology and limitations
- We extracted the Census 2023 Nonemployer Statistics U.S. and state historical CSV files, released May 15, 2025. The latest year listed on the checked NES datasets page is 2023; the 2026 edition is a verification date, not a new observation year.
- We select all legal forms (LFO=-), all receipt sizes nationally (RCPTOT_SIZE=001), selected national service industries, and NAICS 54 for each state and the District of Columbia. Industry titles follow the 2022 NAICS reference used by this release.
- Census reports receipts in thousands of dollars. Workspace369 calculates annual receipts per establishment as the published amount × 1,000 ÷ establishment count. These are arithmetic means, not medians, full-time earnings or original survey results.
- Census applies disclosure protection, including noise infusion. The source flags are retained in the input snapshot and method notes. Unavailable or suppressed amounts cannot be treated as zero; selected rows here have published amounts.
- Methodological changes beginning in 2022 limit comparisons with older NES releases. This report uses a single-year cross-section, not a pre/post growth series.
What these numbers cannot tell you
- Nonemployer businesses are not the same population as Schedule C returns, employer firms, or all self-employed people.
- Receipts are not net income. Results include part-time and secondary businesses and do not control for hours, legal form or industry mix.
- Published totals contain rounding and disclosure noise. Differences in calculated means are descriptive and should not be read as precise rankings of business opportunity.
Freshness and corrections
Maintained by the Workspace369 editorial team. Review annually when the next primary release is available; check source links quarterly. The edition date changes only when the evidence or content is substantively reviewed; it does not change the underlying observation period.
First edition: . Data extraction, source attribution and arithmetic checked for this edition. No independent peer review is claimed.
Found an error or a newer primary release? Send a correction with the source and affected statistic. Confirmed corrections should be recorded in the revision history before republishing.
Primary sources and provenance
Every reported numeric cell links directly to its producer. The downloads include exact table or workbook locators, observation periods, access dates, formulas and input references.
- U.S. Census Bureau2023 Nonemployer Statistics: United States dataset ↗Published May 15, 2025. Accessed September 12, 2026.U.S. federal government data; attribution requested. No agency endorsement.
Source file fingerprint (SHA-256)
420e37afbf7c05f3cd399316e59f21df9022efc0fcde8c965354c920f9329576 - U.S. Census Bureau2023 Nonemployer Statistics: state dataset ↗Published May 15, 2025. Accessed September 12, 2026.U.S. federal government data; attribution requested. No agency endorsement.
Source file fingerprint (SHA-256)
2e75357e5ee8fe73ad83ba66bb6212df9e93e1b4edadda60425f7ff26c5741b7 - U.S. Census BureauNonemployer record layouts: units, legal forms and disclosure flags ↗Publication date not recorded; see the original source. Accessed September 12, 2026.U.S. federal government data; attribution requested. No agency endorsement.
- U.S. Census BureauNonemployer Statistics methodology ↗Publication date not recorded; see the original source. Accessed September 12, 2026.U.S. federal government data; attribution requested. No agency endorsement.
- U.S. Census BureauNonemployer industry reference files ↗Publication date not recorded; see the original source. Accessed September 12, 2026.U.S. federal government data; attribution requested. No agency endorsement.
Made to be checked, then cited
How to cite this report
For a source-reported statistic, credit the original publisher and link to the exact row here when using our compilation. For a modeled result, cite Workspace369 and include the assumptions. Linking to this page does not make us the original producer of third-party data.
Workspace369. (2026-09-12). Solo Business Revenue Benchmarks by Industry and State. https://workspace369.com/research/solo-business-revenue-benchmarks/. Primary sources and observation periods as listed in the report.
The downloads are English-language reference datasets, including on translated pages. Source rights remain with their producers. Attribute Workspace369’s compilation and calculations; consult each source’s reuse terms.