Nonprofit Employment Statistics at a Glance
Nonprofit employment is not evenly distributed across the United States. The supplied BLS state nonprofit employment chart for 2022 shows a national private-employment share of 9.9% for the United States, with states ranging from 2.8% in Nevada to 25.2% in the District of Columbia (BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022).
Fast facts
- United States: 9.9% of total private employment came from nonprofits in 2022 (BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022).
- Highest share: District of Columbia at 25.2% (BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022).
- Lowest share: Nevada at 2.8% (BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022).
- Above 15%: Several Northeastern and Upper Plains jurisdictions crossed that mark, including Massachusetts, Maine, Vermont, Pennsylvania, North Dakota, and West Virginia (BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022).
- Below 6%: Alabama, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Nevada, and U.S. Virgin Islands sat at or near the bottom of the list (BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022).
Table of contents
- What nonprofit employment statistics show
- State-by-state nonprofit employment comparison
- Where nonprofit employment is strongest
- Where nonprofit employment is lowest
- What the spread says about regional labor markets
- Detailed state table
What nonprofit employment statistics show
These nonprofit employment statistics are useful because they measure the nonprofit sector as a share of total private employment, not just as an isolated headcount. That makes the dataset a direct comparison tool: it shows how much of a state’s private labor market is tied to nonprofit work in 2022 (BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022).
The headline number is simple: 9.9% nationwide. That national share is a useful anchor, but the state data shows the real story. Some states cluster near the national average, while others sit far above it or well below it. That spread is large enough to change how you think about the nonprofit workforce from place to place.
Big number
25.2% of total private employment in the District of Columbia was nonprofit employment in 2022 (BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022).
That is more than double the U.S. total share of 9.9%. At the other end, Nevada’s 2.8% share is less than one-third of the national figure (BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022).
Why it matters
When a state has a larger nonprofit share of private employment, nonprofits are a more visible part of the labor market. When the share is lower, the private job mix is more concentrated in other industries. The data does not explain why those differences exist, but it does show that the nonprofit footprint varies dramatically across the country (BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022).
State-by-state nonprofit employment comparison
A compact way to read the dataset is to group states into rough tiers. The table below highlights the highest and lowest shares in the supplied figures.
| Tier | Jurisdiction | Nonprofit employment share of total private employment | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highest | District of Columbia | 25.2% | BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022 |
| High | Vermont | 19.8% | BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022 |
| High | Massachusetts | 17.6% | BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022 |
| High | Maine | 17.2% | BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022 |
| High | New York | 17.0% | BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022 |
| High | Rhode Island | 17.0% | BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022 |
| High | Pennsylvania | 15.7% | BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022 |
| High | North Dakota | 15.6% | BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022 |
| Low | Nevada | 2.8% | BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022 |
| Low | Texas | 5.1% | BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022 |
| Low | South Carolina | 5.7% | BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022 |
| Low | U.S. Virgin Islands | 5.8% | BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022 |
| Low | Alabama | 4.8% | BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022 |
| Low | Mississippi | 6.0% | BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022 |
This table makes the contrast clear. The top of the distribution is dominated by jurisdictions above 15%, while the bottom includes several places at roughly 6% or below (BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022).
Key takeaways
- The District of Columbia’s 25.2% share is the standout value in the dataset (BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022).
- Vermont, Massachusetts, Maine, New York, and Rhode Island all sat at or above 17.0% (BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022).
- Nevada, Alabama, Texas, South Carolina, and the U.S. Virgin Islands were all below 6.0% or close to it (BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022).
- The national share of 9.9% sits in the middle of the overall range, not near either extreme (BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022).
Where nonprofit employment is strongest
The strongest nonprofit employment shares are concentrated in a relatively small set of jurisdictions. That does not mean every state in the top tier is identical, but the clustering is still striking. The highest values in the dataset all sit well above the national share of 9.9% (BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022).
Highest-share jurisdictions
- District of Columbia: 25.2% of total private employment (BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022).
- Vermont: 19.8% (BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022).
- Massachusetts: 17.6% (BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022).
- Maine: 17.2% (BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022).
- New York: 17.0% and Rhode Island: 17.0% (BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022).
What stands out in the upper tier
- The top six entries all exceed 17% except the next group below them, which still stays above 15% (BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022).
- District of Columbia is the only jurisdiction above 25%, creating a clear high end for the dataset (BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022).
- The Northeast appears often in the upper tier, with Massachusetts, Maine, New York, and Rhode Island all in the 17% to 18% range or above (BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022).
- Vermont is especially notable because its nonprofit share of 19.8% is close to one-fifth of private employment (BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022).
At a glance
| Jurisdiction | Share | Position relative to U.S. total |
|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | 25.2% | 15.3 percentage points above U.S. total |
| Vermont | 19.8% | 9.9 points above U.S. total |
| Massachusetts | 17.6% | 7.7 points above U.S. total |
| Maine | 17.2% | 7.3 points above U.S. total |
| New York | 17.0% | 7.1 points above U.S. total |
| Pennsylvania | 15.7% | 5.8 points above U.S. total |
The table above uses only the supplied percentages and the U.S. total share of 9.9%. That makes the gap easy to read without adding any outside assumptions (BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022).
Where nonprofit employment is lowest
The lower end of the nonprofit employment statistics is just as informative. A few states and territories sit far below the national average, and the bottom tier includes values spread from 2.8% up through about 6.2% (BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022).
Lowest-share jurisdictions
- Nevada: 2.8% (BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022).
- Alabama: 4.8% (BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022).
- Texas: 5.1% (BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022).
- South Carolina: 5.7% (BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022).
- U.S. Virgin Islands: 5.8% (BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022).
- Mississippi, Wyoming, and Puerto Rico: 6.0% each (BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022).
Why the bottom tier matters
The bottom tier is important because it shows that a lower nonprofit share is not limited to one region or one type of place. The values appear across multiple parts of the country and also include territories in the supplied dataset (BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022).
A few additional low-end observations:
- Texas at 5.1% is one of the lowest large-state values in the dataset (BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022).
- Alabama at 4.8% is lower than every state in the bottom cluster except Nevada (BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022).
- Puerto Rico at 6.0% and U.S. Virgin Islands at 5.8% extend the comparison beyond the 50 states (BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022).
- The bottom values are not tightly packed at a single point; they spread across almost three percentage points from 2.8% to 6.0% or 6.2% (BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022).
What the spread says about regional labor markets
The range from 2.8% to 25.2% is wide enough to show that nonprofit employment is not a uniform feature of private labor markets. The nonprofit share in some jurisdictions is small enough to be a minor slice of private employment, while in others it is a major component (BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022).
A few useful ways to think about the spread
- Near the national total: States such as Indiana, Kentucky, and Alabama at 9.9%, 9.9%, and 4.8% show that there is no single pattern even among nearby positions in the ranking (BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022).
- Moderately above average: Oregon at 12.4%, Ohio at 12.0%, and Hawaii at 11.9% sit clearly above the U.S. total without reaching the very highest tier (BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022).
- Strongly above average: Maryland at 13.4%, Montana at 13.9%, New Hampshire at 14.3%, Alaska and Minnesota at 14.6%, and South Dakota at 14.7% all land in a substantial middle-high band (BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022).
- Well above average: Jurisdictions at 15% or more are concentrated enough to form their own cluster, separate from the national norm (BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022).
Middle-of-the-pack states
Many jurisdictions cluster closer to the U.S. total than to either extreme. Those include:
- Arizona: 8.0%
- Arkansas: 9.1%
- California: 7.8%
- Colorado: 7.1%
- Florida: 7.2%
- Georgia: 7.3%
- Kansas: 8.2%
- Michigan: 10.4%
- Nebraska: 10.8%
- Washington: 9.7%
These figures all come from the same 2022 BLS state nonprofit employment chart and show a broad middle range around the national 9.9% share (BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022).
Detailed state table
The full list below keeps the source labels visible and preserves the supplied comparisons in one place.
| Jurisdiction | Nonprofit employment share | Source |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 9.9% | BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022 |
| Alabama | 4.8% | BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022 |
| Alaska | 14.6% | BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022 |
| Arizona | 8.0% | BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022 |
| Arkansas | 9.1% | BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022 |
| California | 7.8% | BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022 |
| Colorado | 7.1% | BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022 |
| Connecticut | 15.1% | BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022 |
| Delaware | 11.5% | BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022 |
| District of Columbia | 25.2% | BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022 |
| Florida | 7.2% | BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022 |
| Georgia | 7.3% | BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022 |
| Hawaii | 11.9% | BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022 |
| Idaho | 6.8% | BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022 |
| Illinois | 11.0% | BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022 |
| Indiana | 9.9% | BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022 |
| Iowa | 10.7% | BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022 |
| Kansas | 8.2% | BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022 |
| Kentucky | 9.9% | BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022 |
| Louisiana | 9.4% | BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022 |
| Maine | 17.2% | BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022 |
| Maryland | 13.4% | BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022 |
| Massachusetts | 17.6% | BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022 |
| Michigan | 10.4% | BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022 |
| Minnesota | 14.6% | BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022 |
| Mississippi | 6.0% | BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022 |
| Missouri | 11.0% | BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022 |
| Montana | 13.9% | BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022 |
| Nebraska | 10.8% | BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022 |
| Nevada | 2.8% | BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022 |
| New Hampshire | 14.3% | BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022 |
| New Jersey | 9.5% | BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022 |
| New Mexico | 8.0% | BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022 |
| New York | 17.0% | BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022 |
| North Carolina | 8.1% | BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022 |
| North Dakota | 15.6% | BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022 |
| Ohio | 12.0% | BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022 |
| Oklahoma | 7.6% | BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022 |
| Oregon | 12.4% | BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022 |
| Pennsylvania | 15.7% | BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022 |
| Rhode Island | 17.0% | BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022 |
| South Carolina | 5.7% | BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022 |
| South Dakota | 14.7% | BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022 |
| Tennessee | 7.7% | BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022 |
| Texas | 5.1% | BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022 |
| Utah | 6.2% | BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022 |
| Vermont | 19.8% | BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022 |
| Virginia | 8.7% | BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022 |
| Washington | 9.7% | BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022 |
| West Virginia | 15.2% | BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022 |
| Wisconsin | 11.4% | BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022 |
| Wyoming | 6.0% | BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022 |
| Puerto Rico | 6.0% | BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022 |
| U.S. Virgin Islands | 5.8% | BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022 |
The table shows how wide the spread is across jurisdictions while keeping the national comparison visible. It also makes it easy to spot clusters: the top tier above 15%, the large middle band around 7% to 12%, and the low end below 6% or just above it (BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022).
Interpreting the nonprofit employment mix
A state’s nonprofit employment share is only one lens, but it is a useful one. The supplied data shows that nonprofit employment can represent a small slice of private employment in some places and a major share in others. That means a national average like 9.9% can hide a lot of local variation (BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022).
The clearest reading of the dataset is this:
- The national baseline is 9.9%.
- The upper end reaches 25.2%.
- The lower end drops to 2.8%.
- The middle contains many states between roughly 7% and 12%.
- The highest shares are concentrated in a relatively small number of jurisdictions, while the lowest shares are spread across several states and territories (BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022).
That pattern makes nonprofit employment statistics especially useful for state-level comparison. They show not just whether nonprofits matter, but how differently they matter from place to place (BLS state nonprofit employment chart, 2022).