North Dakota Small Business Sales Statistics

Updated October 13, 2026

North Dakota had 78,219 small businesses in 2022, which is 98.8% of all businesses in the state, and they employed 197,212 people, or 57.6% of the state's employees. BizBuySell's published tables do not include a metro area centered in North Dakota, so this page has no sale-price figures.

78,219Small businesses, 2022
197,212Small business employees, 2022
57.6%Share of state employees, 2022
3,199Establishments opened, Mar 2023 to Mar 2024

North Dakota small business context

North Dakota had 78,219 small businesses in 2022, which is 98.8% of all businesses in the state.

MeasureFigureData year
Small businesses78,219 (98.8% of all businesses)2022
Small businesses without employees59,1062022
Employers with 1 to 19 employees16,6032022
Employers with 20 to 499 employees2,5102022
Small business employees197,212 (57.6% of state employees)2022
Establishments opened, all businesses3,199March 2023 to March 2024
Establishments closed, all businesses2,787March 2023 to March 2024
Openings by small businesses2,940March 2023 to March 2024
Closings by small businesses2,522March 2023 to March 2024
Net job change, all businesses+6,025March 2023 to March 2024
Net job change, small businesses+6,358March 2023 to March 2024
Female-owned businesses26,770 (42.4%)2022
Veteran-owned businesses4,755 (7.6%)2022

Source: SBA Office of Advocacy, North Dakota 2025 Small Business Profile. Business counts and owner demographics are Census data. Opening, closing, and job figures are Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Small businesses are firms with fewer than 500 employees.

About this data and its limits

  • BizBuySell's published geography tables list 66 metro areas plus New Jersey and none is centered in North Dakota, so this page has no sale-price or days-on-market figures. All figures here come from the SBA Office of Advocacy.
  • The tables use different periods: SBA business counts are 2022, and SBA job and openings figures run March 2023 to March 2024. Each period is labeled where it appears.
  • Counts of openings and closings include temporary closures and reopenings, according to the SBA Office of Advocacy.

To see what drives these numbers for your own business, read our valuation guides or browse industries.

Frequently asked questions

How many small businesses are there in North Dakota?

The SBA Office of Advocacy counted 78,219 small businesses in North Dakota in 2022, which is 98.8% of all businesses in the state. Of these, 19,113 had employees.

How many people work for small businesses in North Dakota?

Small businesses in North Dakota employed 197,212 people in 2022, which is 57.6% of the state's employees, according to the SBA Office of Advocacy.

How many businesses opened and closed in North Dakota?

Between March 2023 and March 2024, 3,199 establishments opened and 2,787 closed in North Dakota. Small businesses accounted for 2,940 of the openings and 2,522 of the closings.

Sources

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This page is informational. It is not an appraisal, an offer, or a prediction of what any business will sell for. Figures come from the sources listed and may change when those sources are updated.

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