Number of Nonprofits by State (2026)

The United States is home to a vast ecosystem of nonprofit organizations, with 1,935,344 registered nonprofits according to the most recent Business Master File data. These organizations—ranging from small community groups to massive health systems—form a critical pillar of the American economy and social fabric. This report provides state-by-state distribution data, employment trends, and sector analysis to help nonprofit leaders, donors, and policymakers understand the landscape. This analysis is part of our nonprofit industry statistics hub.

Key takeaways

Total number of nonprofits by state: The big three lead

California leads all states with almost 200,000 registered nonprofits as of 2023, followed by Texas with 148,000 and New York with 122,000 nonprofit organizations. California, New York, and Massachusetts are the leading states for nonprofit organizations by both amount of assets and number of organizations, and combined they cover over 25% of all nonprofits in the US.

This concentration reflects broader patterns: the greatest number of public charities is generally found in states with the largest populations, with California, New York, and Texas reporting the largest number of public charities and also having the largest populations. However, over 50% of all nonprofit assets in the US are concentrated in just the top ten states, meaning that the bottom 40 states, while hosting hundreds of thousands of nonprofits, control a much smaller share of sector resources.

National nonprofit employment: A major workforce sector

In 2022, over 300,000 nonprofit establishments in the country accounted for 12.8 million jobs, or 9.9 percent of private-sector employment. For the first time, nonprofit employment now equals manufacturing, with retail trade and accommodation and food services being the only U.S. industries that employ more people than nonprofits.

Nearly 2 out of every 3 nonprofit jobs in 2022 were in the health care and social assistance sector (66.3 percent), with other sectors including educational services (16.4 percent), other services (6.3 percent), and arts, entertainment, and recreation (2.6 percent).

State-by-state employment disparities

Nonprofit employment's share of total state employment varies dramatically by geography. In 2022, Washington D.C. had the largest rate of nonprofit employment as a share of total employment, with 25 percent, followed by Vermont (20 percent) and Massachusetts (18 percent). Vermont, Massachusetts, Maine, New York, and Rhode Island also had high shares of nonprofit employment, with each reporting 17.0 percent or more of private employment in nonprofit organizations.

At the other end of the spectrum, at the state level, the nonprofit share of employment ranged from a high of 25.2 percent (District of Columbia) to a low of 2.8 percent (Nevada). This near-9-fold difference reflects regional economic structures inherited from colonial history and federal land policy. The Northeast developed a robust tradition of private, nonprofit colleges and hospitals during the colonial era, whereas the West and Midwest, thanks in part to the network of public land-grant colleges fostered by the federal government after the Civil War, evolved a more robust public college system, and, in the post-World War II period, a significant for-profit health industry.

Revenue concentration and economic power

While nonprofits are numerically distributed across all 50 states, nonprofit revenue is highly concentrated. Nonprofit revenue reached hundreds of billions across U.S. states in 2024, with California leading at $593.4 billion. Following California was New York, where 132,097 nonprofits reported a collective $445.8 billion in revenue, Pennsylvania's 85,346 nonprofits reported $247.3 billion, while Texas' 157,840 nonprofits reported $219.6 billion.

It is notable that Texas, with the second-highest number of nonprofits nationally (148,000), generates less revenue per nonprofit than New York (122,000 nonprofits but higher aggregate revenue), suggesting differences in average organization size, sector mix, and mission scale between states.

Health dominance across state leadership

In 33 states plus Washington D.C., a health organization tallied in as the largest nonprofit; just six states have a community organization as their largest nonprofit, and six more have an education organization as their largest, with four states having a finance organization as their largest and Virginia having The Nature Conservancy. Health organizations not only represent most of the states' largest nonprofits, but they also make up the top five biggest nonprofits when looking at all of the data combined. This reflects the scale and dominance of hospital systems and health plans in the nonprofit sector.

Volunteer workforce and civic engagement

Approximately 63 million Americans — 25% of the adult population — volunteer their time, talents, and energy to making a difference through nonprofits and other civic organizations. This represents a substantial in-kind contribution to the sector beyond paid employment and is distributed unevenly across states based on demographics, culture, and organizational capacity to recruit and manage volunteers.

Nonprofit formation and sustainability challenges

The nonprofit count does not include all nonprofits: those with less than $5,000 annual revenue and religious congregations need not register with the IRS (although many congregations do). This means the actual number of functioning charitable organizations—including countless informal mutual aid networks, faith communities, and hyper-local groups—is significantly higher than registered counts.

In general, exempt organizations are required to file annual returns, although there are exceptions; if an organization does not file as required for three consecutive years, it automatically loses its tax-exempt status. This compliance requirement is a critical challenge for smaller organizations, particularly those in resource-constrained rural and underserved communities, and contributes to periodic waves of organizational formation and dissolution across states.

What this means for your volunteer program

Understanding the nonprofit landscape by state is essential for volunteer recruitment, retention, and risk management. In states like California, New York, and Texas, nonprofits compete intensely for volunteer talent. In high-nonprofit-employment states like the District of Columbia, Massachusetts, and Vermont, your organization operates in an ecosystem where nonprofit work is culturally central—but so is expectation for professional standards.

One critical operational need: volunteer screening. 40 states, plus DC, require 501(c)(3) nonprofits to register prior to soliciting donations, and many of these states—along with federal law and sector best practices—implicitly or explicitly expect rigorous volunteer vetting. VolunteerBadge's $5 FCRA-compliant background check with identity verification removes the compliance guesswork, eliminates monthly fees, and scales easily whether you're in a three-volunteer community group or managing hundreds of volunteers across multiple states. Your state's nonprofit density should not dictate whether your organization can afford professional-grade screening.

Ready to strengthen your volunteer intake and keep your mission safe?

Explore more:

• Background check compliance statistics for nonprofits
• Bulk importing and managing volunteers
• VolunteerBadge Academy: nonprofit risk management training

Download the data

⬇ Download the data (.xlsx)

Frequently asked questions

Q: How many nonprofits are there in my state?
A: California leads with almost 200,000, Texas has 148,000, and New York has 122,000. For detailed state-by-state breakdowns, check the Independent Sector Nonprofit State Profiles dashboard or the Candid Social Sector Dashboard.

Q: Why do some states have far more nonprofits than others?
A: The number of public charities in a state reflects state population size. Larger, wealthier, and more densely populated states naturally support more organizations. Historical factors also matter: the Northeast developed a robust tradition of private, nonprofit colleges and hospitals during the colonial era, whereas the West and Midwest evolved more public systems, affecting nonprofit density and sector composition today.

Q: What percentage of U.S. jobs are in nonprofits?
A: In 2022, nonprofits accounted for 12.8 million jobs, or 9.9 percent of private-sector employment. This varies dramatically by state, from 25 percent in Washington D.C. to much lower percentages in western and southern states.

Q: Which sectors dominate nonprofit employment?
A: Nearly 2 out of every 3 nonprofit jobs in 2022 were in the health care and social assistance sector (66.3 percent), with educational services accounting for 16.4 percent, other services for 6.3 percent, and arts, entertainment, and recreation for 2.6 percent.

Q: How do I find the largest nonprofit in my state?
A: In 33 states plus Washington D.C., a health organization is the largest nonprofit; six states have a community organization as their largest, and six have an education organization. Kittleman Search and ProPublica's Nonprofit Explorer provide state-by-state lists of top organizations by revenue and assets.

Q: What does it mean that 25% of Americans volunteer?
A: Approximately 63 million Americans — 25% of the adult population — volunteer their time, talents, and energy. This represents enormous in-kind support to nonprofits nationwide, though volunteer rates vary by state, education level, and regional culture. Nonprofits should invest in volunteer recruitment, screening, and retention infrastructure accordingly.

Sources & references

1. Candid. U.S. Social Sector Dashboard
2. Candid. Organizations in the U.S. social sector
3. Candid Learning. How many nonprofit organizations are there in the U.S.?
4. Statista. Number of nonprofit organizations by state U.S. 2023
5. Statista. Total nonprofit organizations in the U.S. 1998–2024
6. Kittleman Search. The Largest Nonprofits in Each State
7. TaxExemptWorld. Top States in the US Ranked by Nonprofit Assets
8. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Nonprofit Sector Research Data (2007–2022)
9. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Nonprofits accounted for 12.8 million jobs, 9.9 percent of private-sector employment, in 2022
10. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Nonprofit organizations: state and regional employment trends (Monthly Labor Review, March 2025)
11. Internal Revenue Service. Charities and Nonprofits
12. Internal Revenue Service. SOI Tax Stats: Charities and Other Tax Exempt Organizations Statistics
13. Independent Sector. Nonprofit State Profiles Dashboard
14. Independent Sector. Nonprofit Economic Data Advocacy
15. National Council of Nonprofits. State Nonprofit Data & Reports
16. George Mason University. Nonprofit Employment Data Project
17. Candid Learning. How many people are employed in the nonprofit sector?
18. Foundation Group. 50 Nonprofit Facts and Statistics
19. Urban Institute. Nonprofit Trends Tracker
20. Fox News. State nonprofits bring in hundreds of billions of dollars in revenue each year
21. ProPublica. Nonprofit Explorer
22. Funraise. The State of the Nonprofit Sector (2026)
23. Center for Effective Philanthropy. State of Nonprofits 2026
24. Business Initiative. Number of Nonprofits in the U.S. (2025)