A swath of the U.S. from the south Atlantic into the heartland has the greatest number of businesses deemed essential during stay-at-home orders. Nonessential businesses are now joining critical industries, opening their doors to the public for the first time in weeks as most state governors loosen COVID-19 restrictions.
Although essential businesses vary by state, they often belong to industries such as health care, food and agriculture, communications and emergency services.
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Methodology
For this new study, LendingTree measured essential businesses in every state as defined by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.
To rank the states with the most essential businesses, researchers analyzed data from the Census Bureau’s 2016 County Business Patterns Survey. We compared the total number of establishments in each state to the number of essential establishments. Essential businesses were defined according to a report from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development. The state with the largest number of essential businesses as a percent of total businesses ranked first. The state with the lowest figure ranked last.
Each state may have its own list of what businesses it considers essential. We used Minnesota’s list of critical industries because the list included NAICS codes, which allowed us to compare those industries to Census Bureau data. Workers in industries considered critical on this list qualify for Critical Sector worker exemption, meaning they may leave home during a stay-at-home order to go to work if they are not able to work from home. This does not necessarily mean that those workers’ employers will stay open. For example, many restaurants have closed or religious organizations were prohibited from holding services.
Here’s how the states rank when it comes to essential businesses:
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51. District of Columbia
Total businesses – 23,400
Total essential businesses – 17,019
Percent of businesses considered essential – 72.8%
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50. Hawaii
Total businesses – 32,609
Total essential businesses – 24,261
Percent of businesses considered essential – 74.5%
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49. Wisconsin
Total businesses – 141,957
Total essential businesses – 107,856
Percent of businesses considered essential – 76%
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48. New York
Total businesses – 546,422
Total essential businesses – 416,194
Percent of businesses considered essential – 76.2%
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47. Nevada
Total businesses – 66,174
Total essential businesses – 50,758
Percent of businesses considered essential – 76.6%
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46. New Hampshire
Total businesses – 38,121
Total essential businesses – 29,298
Percent of businesses considered essential – 76.7%
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45. Vermont
Total businesses – 20,891
Total essential businesses – 16,090
Percent of businesses considered essential – 76.9%
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44. Alaska
Total businesses – 21,071
Total essential businesses – 16,253
Percent of businesses considered essential – 77.1%
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43. Montana
Total businesses – 37,930
Total essential businesses – 29,335
Percent of businesses considered essential – 77.3%
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42. California
Total businesses – 940,190
Total essential businesses – 728,306
Percent of businesses considered essential – 77.5%
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41. South Dakota
Total businesses – 26,835
Total essential businesses – 20,848
Percent of businesses considered essential – 77.8%
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40. Michigan
Total businesses – 222,302
Total essential businesses – 172,922
Percent of businesses considered essential – 77.8%
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39. Maine
Total businesses – 41,341
Total essential businesses – 32,193
Percent of businesses considered essential – 77.8%
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38. Minnesota
Total businesses – 151,576
Total essential businesses – 118,126
Percent of businesses considered essential – 77.8%
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Tennessee
Total businesses – 137,675
Total essential businesses – 107,335
Percent of businesses considered essential – 78%
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36. Ohio
Total businesses – 252,817
Total essential businesses – 197,140
Percent of businesses considered essential – 78%
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35. Pennsylvania
Total businesses – 302,554
Total essential businesses – 235,952
Percent of businesses considered essential – 78%
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34. Indiana
Total businesses – 148,203
Total essential businesses – 115,737
Percent of businesses considered essential – 78%
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33. Rhode Island
Total businesses – 28,540
Total essential businesses – 22,290
Percent of businesses considered essential – 78%
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32. Connecticut
Total businesses – 89,334
Total essential businesses – 69,801
Percent of businesses considered essential – 78.1%
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31. Utah
Total businesses – 79,898
Total essential businesses – 62,550
Percent of businesses considered essential – 78.1%
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30. Iowa
Total businesses – 82,426
Total essential businesses – 64,602
Percent of businesses considered essential – 78.1%
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29. Florida
Total businesses – 556,868
Total essential businesses – 438,046
Percent of businesses considered essential – 78.3%
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28. North Dakota
Total businesses – 24,352
Total essential businesses – 19,165
Percent of businesses considered essential – 78.4%
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27. Delaware
Total businesses – 25,176
Total essential businesses – 19,840
Percent of businesses considered essential – 78.7%
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26. Oregon
Total businesses – 117,129
Total essential businesses – 92,344
Percent of businesses considered essential – 78.8%
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25. New Jersey
Total businesses – 233,618
Total essential businesses – 184,557
Percent of businesses considered essential – 79%
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24. South Carolina
Total businesses – 108,987
Total essential businesses – 86,101
Percent of businesses considered essential – 79%
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23. Wyoming
Total businesses – 20,870
Total essential businesses – 16,489
Percent of businesses considered essential – 79.1%
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22. North Carolina
Total businesses – 233,042
Total essential businesses – 184,344
Percent of businesses considered essential – 79.1%
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21. Kentucky
Total businesses – 90,948
Total essential businesses – 71,974
Percent of businesses considered essential – 79.1%
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20. Illinois
Total businesses – 320,878
Total essential businesses – 254,016
Percent of businesses considered essential – 79.2%
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19. New Mexico
Total businesses – 43,767
Total essential businesses – 34,680
Percent of businesses considered essential – 79.2%
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18. Massachusetts
Total businesses – 179,444
Total essential businesses – 142,412
Percent of businesses considered essential – 79.2%
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17. Missouri
Total businesses – 150,153
Total essential businesses – 119,381
Percent of businesses considered essential – 79.4%
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16. Arizona
Total businesses – 143,024
Total essential businesses – 113,863
Percent of businesses considered essential – 79.5%
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15. Georgia
Total businesses – 233,169
Total essential businesses – 185,660
Percent of businesses considered essential – 79.6%
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14. Nebraska
Total businesses – 54,649
Total essential businesses – 43,547
Percent of businesses considered essential – 79.6%
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13. West Virginia
Total businesses – 36,236
Total essential businesses – 28,878
Percent of businesses considered essential – 79.6%
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12. Louisiana
Total businesses – 106,331
Total essential businesses – 84,765
Percent of businesses considered essential – 79.7%
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11. Texas
Total businesses – 592,060
Total essential businesses – 472,420
Percent of businesses considered essential – 79.7%
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10. Washington
Total businesses – 190,715
Total essential businesses – 152,196
Percent of businesses considered essential – 79.8%
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9. Colorado
Total businesses – 169,568
Total essential businesses – 135,352
Percent of businesses considered essential – 79.8%
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8. Alabama
Total businesses – 100,168
Total essential businesses – 79,981
Percent of businesses considered essential – 79.8%
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7. Arkansas
Total businesses – 66,519
Total essential businesses – 53,175
Percent of businesses considered essential – 80%
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6. Kansas
Total businesses – 74,672
Total essential businesses – 59,758
Percent of businesses considered essential – 80.3%
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5. Idaho
Total businesses – 47,292
Total essential businesses – 37,971
Percent of businesses considered essential – 80.4%
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4. Mississippi
Total businesses – 58,981
Total essential businesses – 47,403
Percent of businesses considered essential – 80.5%
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3. Oklahoma
Total businesses – 93,431
Total essential businesses – 75,192
Percent of businesses considered essential – 80.5%
Oklahoma’s definition of essential industries includes construction and infrastructure, finance, restaurants and retail, among others. Religious services is the state’s most prominent essential offering, according to our analysis.
Oklahoma’s governor did not place the state under a mandatory stay-at-home order, instead putting a safer-at-home policy in place to require senior residents older than 65 or people with underlying medical conditions to remain home. Many citywide stay-at-home orders expired May 1 in some of the biggest areas in the state, including Oklahoma City. Nonessential businesses like malls, restaurants, and hair and nail salons are now open throughout the state.
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2. Virginia
Total businesses – 201,593
Total essential businesses – 162,469
Percent of businesses considered essential – 80.6%
Virginia businesses and residents were originally expected to remain under a stay-at-home order from March 24 to June 10, but the first phase of reopening began May 15 in certain parts of the state. Some restaurants are now allowed to open outdoor seating to 50% capacity, while retail businesses and places of worship can also open at 50% capacity.
Like in Maryland, the restrictions on businesses vary by city and county. However, some Virginia residents have begun disregarding localized restrictions — such as the stay-at-home order in Northern Virginia — and crowding off-limits parks and waterfront areas.
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1. Maryland
Total businesses – 139,143
Total essential businesses – 113,410
Percent of businesses considered essential – 81.5%
Maryland’s stay-at-home order went into effect on March 30, limiting all nonessential activities statewide. Airports, grocery stores and hospitals were among the essential local businesses permitted to stay open.
The governor lifted the statewide order on May 15, though some cities and counties, including Baltimore, will stay under the order for a while longer. Nonessential businesses in those areas may remain closed or open at limited capacity while the restrictions are in place.
“This article originally appeared on LendingTree.com and was syndicated by MediaFeed.org.”
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