The Bureau of Labor Statistics recorded private NAICS 722410 drinking-place establishments in every state listed below for its 2023 annual average. The classification covers bars, taverns, nightclubs and other places primarily serving alcoholic beverages for immediate consumption, making it a consistent establishment-count proxy for licensed drinking establishments rather than a legal license inventory.
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How to read these counts
The source is the BLS Employment and Wages Online Annual Averages, 2023. Each figure is a 2023 annual-average count of private-ownership establishments in NAICS 722410, Drinking places (alcoholic beverages), under the 2022 NAICS classification. BLS defines an annual-average establishment count as the average of the four quarterly establishment counts.
These are counts of establishments covered by unemployment insurance reporting, not a count of every active state alcohol license. State licensing totals can differ because licensing rules, coverage rules, suppression and classification practices are not identical. The state names below are mapped from the published QCEW area FIPS codes. The figures should therefore be read as a comparable operating-market measure, not as a legal determination of whether a particular venue holds a license.
| Region | States represented | Largest listed count |
|---|---|---|
| Northeast | 9 | New York: 3,401 |
| Midwest | 12 | Illinois: 3,128 |
| South Atlantic | 8 | Florida: 2,136 |
| South Central | 8 | Texas: 2,930 |
| Mountain | 8 | Arizona: 661 |
| Pacific | 5 | California: 2,932 |
For managers, the useful comparison is the scale of the establishment base in the same measurement period and classification. A larger count does not by itself describe demand, sales, profitability, competition intensity or the number of licenses available.
There are several practical limits to keep in mind when using this baseline. First, the word “establishment” describes a business location in the statistical series; it is not necessarily identical to a legal permit, a brand, or a single room within a larger hospitality operation. Second, the annual-average method smooths the four quarterly counts. A state can therefore have an annual-average figure that does not match a count taken from one particular quarter. Third, the industry code is designed for consistent classification. It groups covered drinking places by their primary activity, so the count should not be expanded into an unsupported estimate of all hospitality businesses that sell alcohol.
The figures are best used as a starting point for questions that can be answered with a comparable state measure: how large the covered establishment base was in 2023, which states appear larger or smaller within the series, and where additional licensing or local-market research may be needed. They should not be used to calculate market share, growth, closure rates or per-venue performance because the supplied facts contain no earlier period, revenue, employment, population or license-level detail.
Northeast
The Northeast figures range from single-digit establishment counts in New Hampshire to more than three thousand in New York. In the 2023 annual average, BLS recorded 137 private NAICS 722410 establishments in Maine, 6 in New Hampshire and 109 in Vermont. Massachusetts had 553, while Rhode Island had 244 and Connecticut had 251.
The larger markets in this regional set were New York, with 3,401 establishments, New Jersey, with 806, and Pennsylvania, with 2,162. All of these figures refer to private establishments and the same 2023 annual-average period. They are not current-year estimates or forecasts.
For a bar-management comparison, the Northeast data shows why state-level labels matter. Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont sit alongside much larger reported establishment bases in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, but the figures should not be interpreted as a ranking of individual operators. They describe the number of covered establishments assigned to the NAICS category in each state.
Source for every Northeast figure: BLS Employment and Wages Online Annual Averages, 2023.
Midwest
The Midwest entries include several of the largest state counts in the dataset. BLS recorded 2,013 private NAICS 722410 establishments in Ohio, 972 in Indiana and 3,128 in Illinois during the 2023 annual average. Michigan recorded 1,815, while Wisconsin recorded 2,819.
The remaining listed Midwest states were Iowa, with 905 establishments; Kansas, with 298; Minnesota, with 1,034; Missouri, with 747; Nebraska, with 567; South Dakota, with 359; and North Dakota, with 408. These figures are all measured using the same BLS annual-average method and 2022 NAICS classification.
The spread across these states is relevant when a regional operator compares staffing, purchasing or competitive research inputs. It does not support conclusions about average venue size or revenue, because the supplied measure counts establishments only. It also does not identify whether a location is a neighborhood bar, tavern, nightclub or another drinking place within NAICS 722410.
Source for every Midwest figure: BLS Employment and Wages Online Annual Averages, 2023.
South Atlantic
The South Atlantic figures include both smaller state markets and one of the largest listed counts. BLS recorded 55 private NAICS 722410 establishments in Delaware, 519 in Maryland, 89 in Virginia and 290 in West Virginia for the 2023 annual average.
North Carolina recorded 1,004 establishments, South Carolina recorded 484 and Georgia recorded 594. Florida recorded 2,136, the largest count among the South Atlantic states included here. Every value is a private establishment count for the 2023 annual average, not a count of state-issued alcohol permits.
For operators comparing this region, the classification boundary is especially important. A state total can be used to describe the reported covered establishment base, but it cannot reveal how those establishments are distributed among cities, tourism markets, rural areas or venue formats. Those questions require other measurements that are not included here.
Source for every South Atlantic figure: BLS Employment and Wages Online Annual Averages, 2023.
South Central
In the South Central group, BLS recorded 385 private NAICS 722410 establishments in Kentucky and 398 in Tennessee during the 2023 annual average. Mississippi recorded 143, while Alabama recorded 344. Oklahoma recorded 395.
The larger listed counts were in Texas, with 2,930 establishments, and Louisiana, with 1,070. Arkansas recorded 148. These numbers are directly comparable within the supplied series because they use the same source, industry code, ownership scope and annual-average period.
The Texas and Louisiana counts provide a useful reminder that establishment counts are geographic indicators, not forecasts of openings or closures. No trend can be inferred from this single annual-average period. A manager using the figures for market context should keep the reference year visible and avoid presenting them as a live license register.
Source for every South Central figure: BLS Employment and Wages Online Annual Averages, 2023.
Mountain
The Mountain states recorded a smaller overall range than the largest eastern and southern states, although the figures still differ substantially. BLS recorded 565 private NAICS 722410 establishments in Montana, 399 in Idaho and 211 in Wyoming for the 2023 annual average.
Colorado recorded 876 establishments, Utah recorded 216, Nevada recorded 439 and Arizona recorded 661. New Mexico recorded 118. As with the other regions, these are BLS counts of private, UI-covered establishments in Drinking places (alcoholic beverages), measured as a 2023 annual average.
The Mountain data can help frame a state-level comparison for operators, suppliers or researchers, but it does not measure the number of seats, beverage volume, license type or sales. In particular, the presence of a venue in the NAICS category should not be treated as proof that it holds a specific state or local license.
Source for every Mountain figure: BLS Employment and Wages Online Annual Averages, 2023.
Pacific
The Pacific figures include five states. BLS recorded 964 private NAICS 722410 establishments in Washington and 1,073 in Oregon for the 2023 annual average. California recorded 2,932, while Alaska recorded 141 and Hawaii recorded 206.
California was the largest listed Pacific count in this dataset. Oregon and Washington were also above one thousand establishments, while Alaska and Hawaii had lower reported counts. Because the measure is an annual average, each number represents the average of quarterly establishment counts rather than a point-in-time inspection of businesses open on one date.
For bar-management planning, the Pacific figures are most useful as a consistent baseline for comparing the covered establishment base across states. They should be paired with local licensing information when the question is legal eligibility, and with separate market or financial data when the question concerns demand, pricing or operating performance.
Source for every Pacific figure: BLS Employment and Wages Online Annual Averages, 2023.