The United States had 11,834 florist establishments in 2023, employing 55,143 people and reporting $1,386,900 thousand in annual payroll. The latest figures from the U.S. Census Bureau’s County Business Patterns provide a detailed view of where florist businesses operate, how large they are, and how they are organized.
Table of contents
- National florist industry size
- Where florist establishments are located
- Employment and payroll in leading states
- Establishments by employment size
- Legal forms of florist businesses
- 2022 and 2023 comparison points
National florist industry size
The 2023 national count was 11,834 florist establishments. In the same year, those establishments employed 55,143 people. The industry’s reported annual payroll was $1,386,900 thousand, or $1.3869 billion as expressed in the source’s thousands-of-dollars unit. First-quarter payroll was $332,781 thousand.
These measures describe establishments and their employees for the 2023 reference year. An establishment is a business location or operating unit counted in the County Business Patterns data; the figures should therefore be read as a business-establishment profile rather than a count of individual brands or owners. The source is the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2023 County Business Patterns file, titled “CB2300CBP: All Sectors: County Business Patterns, including ZIP Code Business Patterns, by Legal Form of Organization and Employment Size Class for the U.S., States, and Selected Geographies: 2023.”
For context, the 2022 County Business Patterns file recorded 11,999 florist establishments and 57,192 employees nationally. The 2022 source reports the national establishment and employment measures, but the supplied figures do not include a national annual-payroll total for that year. The U.S. Census Bureau’s 2022 County Business Patterns file is titled “CB2200CBP: All Sectors: County Business Patterns, including ZIP Code Business Patterns, by Legal Form of Organization and Employment Size Class for the U.S., States, and Selected Geographies: 2022.”
The two annual snapshots put the latest florist establishment count alongside an earlier reference point without treating the figures as a forecast. They are separate reported measurements for 2022 and 2023, and the available statistics do not establish why the counts differ.
Where florist establishments are located
Florist establishments are distributed across many states, with the largest reported 2023 counts concentrated in California, New York, Texas, Florida, and Pennsylvania. The following figures are establishment counts, not employment totals.
| State | Florist establishments, 2023 |
|---|---|
| California | 1,203 |
| New York | 962 |
| Texas | 818 |
| Florida | 657 |
| Pennsylvania | 535 |
| Illinois | 487 |
| Ohio | 435 |
| New Jersey | 407 |
| Michigan | 365 |
| North Carolina | 357 |
| Georgia | 343 |
| Virginia | 291 |
| Massachusetts | 286 |
| Indiana | 266 |
| Wisconsin | 239 |
California had the highest supplied state count at 1,203 florist establishments in 2023. New York followed with 962, while Texas had 818. Florida had 657 and Pennsylvania had 535. The next reported counts were 487 in Illinois, 435 in Ohio, and 407 in New Jersey.
The remaining supplied state figures show a broad second tier: Michigan had 365 establishments, North Carolina had 357, Georgia had 343, Virginia had 291, Massachusetts had 286, Indiana had 266, and Wisconsin had 239. Together, these numbers show the geographic spread of florist establishments, while the source’s national total includes every state and the other geographies covered by the Census Bureau file.
All state counts in this section refer to 2023 and come from the 2023 County Business Patterns source. They are best used as a reference for the distribution of establishments during that measurement year, rather than as a current operating directory.
Employment and payroll in leading states
The leading states by establishment count also account for substantial reported florist employment and payroll. California’s 1,203 establishments employed 4,958 people in 2023. Those establishments reported $147,136 thousand in annual payroll and $36,055 thousand in first-quarter payroll.
New York’s 962 establishments employed 3,770 people. Annual payroll was $126,949 thousand, and first-quarter payroll was $29,510 thousand. Texas had 818 establishments and 3,808 employees, with $103,769 thousand in annual payroll and $25,351 thousand in first-quarter payroll.
Florida’s 657 florist establishments employed 3,107 people. They reported $84,173 thousand in annual payroll and $21,093 thousand in first-quarter payroll. Pennsylvania had 535 establishments employing 2,741 people, with $65,651 thousand in annual payroll and $15,556 thousand in first-quarter payroll.
| State | Establishments | Employees | Annual payroll ($ thousand) | First-quarter payroll ($ thousand) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 1,203 | 4,958 | 147,136 | 36,055 |
| New York | 962 | 3,770 | 126,949 | 29,510 |
| Texas | 818 | 3,808 | 103,769 | 25,351 |
| Florida | 657 | 3,107 | 84,173 | 21,093 |
| Pennsylvania | 535 | 2,741 | 65,651 | 15,556 |
Payroll values in the table retain the source’s unit of thousands of dollars. For example, California’s reported annual payroll is $147,136 thousand, not $147,136 in individual dollars. The first-quarter figures are separate measurements from annual payroll and should not be added to it.
These state employment and payroll measures are all for 2023 and are drawn from the 2023 County Business Patterns file. The figures identify the scale recorded for florist establishments in each state; they do not provide a wage distribution, an average wage, or a forecast of future payroll.
Establishments by employment size
The 2023 data also groups florist establishments by employment-size class. The largest class in the supplied figures was establishments with fewer than 5 employees, numbering 7,666. Another 2,837 establishments had 5 to 9 employees, and 1,061 had 10 to 19 employees.
Larger establishments were much less numerous in the reported distribution. There were 244 florist establishments with 20 to 49 employees, 23 with 50 to 99 employees, and 3 with 100 to 249 employees.
| Employment-size class | Establishments, 2023 |
|---|---|
| Fewer than 5 employees | 7,666 |
| 5 to 9 employees | 2,837 |
| 10 to 19 employees | 1,061 |
| 20 to 49 employees | 244 |
| 50 to 99 employees | 23 |
| 100 to 249 employees | 3 |
This distribution places the supplied florist establishments primarily in the smallest employment categories. The data also includes all legal forms combined with 11,834 establishments, matching the national 2023 establishment total reported in the same source. The size-class figures describe establishment counts within each reported band; they do not show the exact employee count inside a band.
The employment-size measures come from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2023 County Business Patterns file. Because the categories are ranges, they should not be used to calculate an exact average establishment size from the supplied figures alone.
Legal forms of florist businesses
The 2023 florist establishment count can also be viewed by legal form of organization. S-corporations accounted for 5,412 establishments, making them the largest supplied legal-form category. Individual proprietorships accounted for 3,487 establishments, while C-corporations and other corporate legal forms accounted for 1,501.
Partnerships accounted for 1,420 florist establishments. The remaining reported categories were non-profit organizations with 9 establishments and other noncorporate legal forms with 5 establishments. All legal forms combined accounted for 11,834 establishments.
| Legal form of organization | Establishments, 2023 |
|---|---|
| S-corporations | 5,412 |
| Individual proprietorships | 3,487 |
| C-corporations and other corporate forms | 1,501 |
| Partnerships | 1,420 |
| Non-profit | 9 |
| Other noncorporate forms | 5 |
| All legal forms combined | 11,834 |
Legal form and employment size describe different dimensions of the industry. A legal-form count identifies how an establishment is organized in the source classification, while an employment-size count places it in an employee range. The supplied figures do not connect each legal form to a specific employment-size class, so the categories should be read separately.
These legal-form counts are from the 2023 County Business Patterns source. They describe the reported classification for florist establishments in 2023 and do not indicate ownership quality, profitability, or business performance.
2022 and 2023 comparison points
The available state comparison points show how reported establishment counts differed between the two annual files. California had 1,207 florist establishments in 2022 and 1,203 in 2023. New York had 956 in 2022 and 962 in 2023. Texas had 836 in 2022 and 818 in 2023.
Florida had 636 florist establishments in 2022 and 657 in 2023. Pennsylvania had 536 in 2022 and 535 in 2023.
| State | 2022 establishments | 2023 establishments |
|---|---|---|
| California | 1,207 | 1,203 |
| New York | 956 | 962 |
| Texas | 836 | 818 |
| Florida | 636 | 657 |
| Pennsylvania | 536 | 535 |
The 2022 values are reported in the 2022 County Business Patterns file, while the 2023 values are reported in the 2023 County Business Patterns file. The comparison is limited to establishment counts because the supplied state figures for 2022 do not include matching employment or payroll measures.
The national and state figures therefore offer several distinct ways to understand florist businesses: the number of establishments, the people employed, reported annual and first-quarter payroll, the distribution across employment-size classes, and the legal forms represented in the industry. Each measure is tied to its stated Census Bureau reference year and geography.