Part
01
of one
Part
01
How many US offices are there with 50 or more employees in the office in the 30 most populous US cities?
Hello! It is my pleasure to respond to your query in providing you with information about how many firms/offices there are in the United States with a specific number of employees, especially as they are spread across the 30 most populous US cities.
We’ll begin by reviewing the 30 most populous cities in America, then we’ll determine the market size across the states in which those cities are located. After that, we’ll get to the heart of your query in discovering how many businesses fit your (adjusted) profile in each city (as well as the total potential market across those cities as a whole).
30 MOST POPULOUS US CITIES
The National League of Cities noted the following as the most populous cities in America (top 30), according to US Census Bureau data (starting with most populous first):
1. New York
2. Los Angeles
3. Chicago
4. Houston
5. Philadelphia
6. Phoenix
7. San Antonio
8. San Diego
9. Dallas
10. San Jose
11. Indianapolis
12. Jacksonville
13. San Francisco
14. Austin
15. Columbus
16. Fort Worth
17. Louisville-Jefferson
18. Charlotte
19. Detroit
20. El Paso
21. Memphis
22. Nashville-Davidson
23. Baltimore
24. Boston
25. Seattle
26. Washington DC
27. Denver
28. Milwaukee
29. Portland
30. Las Vegas
However, Ballotpedia shows the list a bit differently – and uses more recent data. Their list is as follows:
1. New York
2. Los Angeles
3. Chicago
4. Houston
5. Philadelphia
6. Phoenix
7. San Antonio
8. San Diego
9. Dallas
10. San Jose
11. Austin
12. Indianapolis
13. Jacksonville
14. San Francisco
15. Columbus
16. Charlotte
17. Fort Worth
18. Detroit
19. El Paso
20. Memphis
21. Seattle
22. Denver
23. Washington DC
24. Boston
25. Nashville
26. Baltimore
27. Oklahoma City
28. Louisville
29. Portland
30. Las Vegas
Either way, the same cities are on the list, so we’ll use the newest-ranked ones (on the second list) as the foundation for the remainder of this response. Next, we’ll look at the breakdown by state for firms related to your query.
FIRM SIZES: OVERVIEW & FINDINGS (BY STATE)
The Small Business Association tracks US data on firm sizes across all industries within each state in America. They track the following sizes: 0 – 4 employees; 5 – 9 employees; 10 – 19 employees; fewer than 20 employees; 20 – 99 employees; 100 – 499 employees; fewer than 500 employees; and 500 or more employees. The first four (4) categories, we’re not interested in; two of the latter four (4) categories are those in which we’re interested.
Additionally, they categorize businesses and offices by either “firm” or “establishment”. For our purposes, we’ll work with only the “firm” businesses, since they are most likely to represent offices (rather than other types of businesses). “Establishments” are less likely to be offices (and more likely to be restaurants, warehouses, retail locations, etc – that do not qualify as “offices” for our purposes).
We’ll begin by pulling the state-level data for each state of the top 30 most populous cities, as listed previously in this response (the last list above). Removing the repeated states, that leaves us with 21 states (as noted below). From here, we’ll need to pull some statistics to get the total number of offices of this size for each state. Unfortunately, based on the data that is publicly tracked-and-available, we cannot provide you with the number of offices with 50 or more employees; however, we can provide a number that is close. We will tally each state and city’s firms-by-number-of-employee that includes all firms with 100+ employees. Although this will give us with a bit smaller number than you’re looking for, it is the best we can do with the data that is publicly-available.
The following list details the number of firms in the listed states with 100+ employees, according to the Small Business Administration and US Census Bureau – and my calculations (which include adding up the values in both categories of firms-by-employee-size = 100 – 499 employees and 500+ employees). It is my hope that this gives you the most accurate number / market size possible, with the data available.
1. New York = 7457 + 4336 = 11,793
2. California = 12,056 + 5660 = 17,716
3. Illinois = 5914 + 4457 = 10,371
4. Texas = 9336 + 5523 = 14,859
5. Pennsylvania = 5366 + 4046 = 9412
6. Arizona = 2671 + 2948 = 5619
7. Indiana = 2957 + 3007 = 5964
8. Florida = 6147 + 4417 = 10,564
9. Ohio = 4817 + 3808 = 8625
10. North Carolina = 3590 + 3471 = 7061
11. Michigan = 3721 + 3065 = 6786
12. Tennessee = 2706 + 3048 = 5754
13. Washington = 2918 + 2805 = 5723
14. Colorado = 2612 + 3043 = 5655
15. Washington DC = 959 + 1338 = 2297
16. Massachusetts = 3401 + 3020= 6421
17. Maryland = 2711 + 2721 = 5432
18. Oklahoma = 1703 + 2075 = 3778
19. Kentucky = 1798 + 2382 = 4180
20. Oregon = 1763 + 2120 = 3883
21. Nevada = 1483 + 2084 = 3567
Across these 21 states, the Small Business Administration’s information shows that there are 155,460 total firms (not total firms + establishments) that have 100+ employees – which means a lot of potential business accounts with a lot of potential hungry employees!
It is important to note, however, that the SBECouncil reports that, in 2012 (a bit old for our needs), “businesses with less than 20 workers made up 89.6% of all US firms." Additionally, BusinessInsider reports that businesses with 20 – 99 employees (those we’re not looking at here) account for about 18% of “total employment in the US economy,” which is a fairly significant market. So, you may want to look at these sized business markets as well, if your offerings can include lower-priced options (that would work best for small numbers of employees). Just let Wonder know if you’d like us to research this for you!
Now that we understand what the total state market potential is, let’s look at the breakdown by city, as well.
FIRM SIZES: OVERVIEW & FINDINGS (BY CITY)
For the data for each city, I scoured resources from every city and state compiled in our list (above); my main resource was the census.gov website. My findings are noted below (using the most recent data available per source). Please Note: Whereas the state-level data was calculated using 100+ employees, the city-level data was calculated using 50+ employees, just as requested. All data comes from 2014, which is the most recent data available for all sources.
1. New York = 20,666
2. Los Angeles = 15,990
3. Chicago = 13,453
4. Houston = 9259
5. Philadelphia = 8981
6. Phoenix = 6513
7. San Antonio = 3919
8. San Diego = 5210
9. Dallas = 10,366
10. San Jose = 3911
11. Austin = 4039
12. Indianapolis = 4083
13. Jacksonville = 2921
14. San Francisco = 8077
15. Columbus = 3837
16. Charlotte = 4254
17. Fort Worth (Included in Dallas’ figures)
18. Detroit = 6229
19. El Paso = 1524
20. Memphis = 2922
21. Seattle = 6234
22. Denver = 5595
23. Washington DC = 9701
24. Boston = 8179
25. Nashville = 3781
26. Baltimore = 4968
27. Oklahoma City = 2905
28. Louisville = 2925
29. Portland = 4507
30. Las Vegas = 3621
DATA ANALYSIS
To conclude, for the 21 states that include the most populous cities, the estimate for your total market size equals 155,460 businesses as shown by adding all state values (from above) together. For the 30 most populous cities in the US, the estimate for your total market size equals 188,570 businesses as shown by adding all city values (from above) together.
Additionally, your total market size would be anywhere from 155,460 to 188,570 total businesses. (Note – there is a discrepancy in calculations – with the second number including businesses with 100+ employees and the second including businesses with 50+ employees. The higher number is your actual market size (the other was given for comparison). Remember: If you open up options for smaller businesses (those with 20 or fewer employees), you open up an even bigger market. Just reach out to Wonder if you’d like calculations on just how much bigger!
___________________
SUMMARY
The 30 most populous cities in the United States are: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Antonio, San Diego, Dallas, San Jose, Austin, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, San Francisco, Columbus, Charlotte, Fort Worth, Detroit, El Paso, Memphis, Seattle, Denver, Washington DC, Boston, Nashville, Baltimore, Oklahoma City, Louisville, Portland, and Las Vegas.
The total market size for firms with 100+ employees across the 21 states that include the most populous cities in the country equals 155,460 total potential client-businesses! The total market size for firms with 50+ employees across the 30 most populous US cities equals 188,570 total potential client-businesses! With the right options, subscription plans, and marketing, your business has amazing potential!!
___________________
Thank you again for your question, and I hope this information gives you what you need. Please contact Wonder again for any other questions you may have!