Photography businesses by state

Census industry: Photography Studios, Portrait (NAICS 541921). Nationwide: 11,483 employer establishments (0.3 per 10,000 residents) and 243,502 businesses without employees.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023 [source], Nonemployer Statistics 2024 [source], Population Estimates Vintage 2024 [source]. Downloaded and processed November 5, 2026. Public domain.

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California	1,456	0.4	29,202	7.4
Florida	1,007	0.4	16,770	7.2
New York	873	0.4	16,125	8.1
Texas	790	0.3	21,142	6.8
Illinois	501	0.4	7,918	6.2
North Carolina	377	0.3	7,602	6.9
Georgia	375	0.3	8,684	7.8
Pennsylvania	353	0.3	8,132	6.2
Colorado	336	0.6	6,174	10.4
New Jersey	325	0.3	6,426	6.8
Ohio	292	0.2	7,907	6.7
Virginia	290	0.3	6,147	7
Minnesota	263	0.5	4,688	8.1
Washington	252	0.3	6,078	7.6
Michigan	233	0.2	7,241	7.1
Arizona	229	0.3	4,658	6.1
Missouri	223	0.4	4,399	7
Utah	212	0.6	3,644	10.4
Wisconsin	198	0.3	4,406	7.4
Massachusetts	194	0.3	4,992	7
Tennessee	189	0.3	5,580	7.7
Nevada	184	0.6	2,165	6.6
Maryland	174	0.3	4,464	7.1
South Carolina	171	0.3	3,995	7.3
Indiana	170	0.2	4,248	6.1
Oregon	142	0.3	3,751	8.8
Louisiana	139	0.3	2,891	6.3
Iowa	121	0.4	2,261	7
Nebraska	118	0.6	1,442	7.2
Alabama	117	0.2	3,049	5.9
Hawaii	102	0.7	1,542	10.7
Kansas	99	0.3	2,053	6.9
Oklahoma	99	0.2	2,626	6.4
Kentucky	91	0.2	2,526	5.5
Connecticut	88	0.2	2,571	7
Arkansas	84	0.3	1,772	5.7
Montana	74	0.7	1,329	11.7
Idaho	72	0.4	1,838	9.2
Mississippi	51	0.2	1,420	4.8
New Mexico	46	0.2	1,111	5.2
New Hampshire	45	0.3	1,172	8.3
South Dakota	44	0.5	853	9.2
Maine	43	0.3	1,219	8.7
Delaware	41	0.4	593	5.6
Rhode Island	39	0.4	826	7.4
North Dakota	36	0.5	618	7.8
Wyoming	35	0.6	602	10.2
Alaska	27	0.4	586	7.9
West Virginia	25	0.1	934	5.3
Vermont	23	0.4	600	9.3
District of Columbia	15	0.2	530	7.5

Thinking of starting one? Read how to start a photography business, then price it with the startup cost calculator.

What these counts mean — and what they don't

Counts are not market saturation. They don't measure demand, prices, quality, how busy businesses are, or how far customers travel. A high count can mean a crowded market — or a strong one that supports many businesses.
Employer establishments (County Business Patterns 2023) are physical locations with paid employees, counted as of mid-March. One company can have several. Self-employed people without employees, private households, railroads, agricultural production and most government are excluded. [source]
Nonemployer businesses (Nonemployer Statistics 2024) have no paid employees, at least $1,000 in annual receipts ($1 in construction), and are subject to federal income tax. Many are part-time or side businesses. [source]
Different years and industry definitions. Employer counts use 2017 industry codes; nonemployer counts use 2022 codes. County nonemployer figures are only published for broader industry groups, so we label which group is shown. Don't add the two counts together for a precise total.
Per 10,000 residents uses Census population estimates for the same year as each count. It helps compare places of different sizes, nothing more.
Employment is shown only when Census marks the figure as low or moderate noise. Census adds statistical noise to protect businesses' confidentiality. Establishment counts themselves are published without noise.
Your business may be classified differently from these industry codes — check several related industries.

Sources

County Business Patterns 2023 — county, state and U.S. files — U.S. Census Bureau, verified 2026-11-03
Nonemployer Statistics 2024 — county, state and U.S. files — U.S. Census Bureau, verified 2026-11-03
County population estimates, Vintage 2024 — U.S. Census Bureau, verified 2026-11-03
County Business Patterns methodology (coverage, establishments, noise flags) — U.S. Census Bureau, verified 2026-11-03
Nonemployer Statistics glossary (definition of a nonemployer business) — U.S. Census Bureau, verified 2026-11-03