Where America's horse-stable businesses are: the top states
The U.S. has about 4,791 horse-stable & equine-support businesses (2023 Census). California leads with 517 — but the tell is Kentucky, tied for 7th at 148 despite its small size: horse country.
There are roughly 4,791 horse-stable and equine-support establishments in the U.S. (NAICS 115210, 2023 Census County Business Patterns). California leads with 517, then Florida 433 and Texas 337. New York follows with 261, then Washington 166 and Pennsylvania 160. The tell is the tie for seventh: Colorado and Kentucky both at 148 — Kentucky punching well above its population, exactly what you'd expect from the country's horse-country heartland.
Why it matters for insurance: stables carry serious general-liability exposure (riding injuries, boarding, animal-related claims) plus care-custody-and-control considerations. See how GL profitability varies by state in our General Liability Loss Ratios by State study.
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Full state breakdown
Every state with a reported count, ranked — U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 County Business Patterns.
| Rank | State | businesses | paid employees |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 517 | 1,989 |
| 2 | Florida | 433 | 1,493 |
| 3 | Texas | 337 | 1,941 |
| 4 | New York | 261 | 1,119 |
| 5 | Washington | 166 | 570 |
| 6 | Pennsylvania | 160 | 870 |
| 7 | Colorado | 148 | 539 |
| 8 | Kentucky | 148 | 998 |
| 9 | Wisconsin | 141 | 2,205 |
| 10 | Minnesota | 137 | 1,555 |
| 11 | North Carolina | 132 | 434 |
| 12 | Virginia | 132 | 383 |
| 13 | Ohio | 131 | 600 |
| 14 | Illinois | 125 | 371 |
| 15 | Indiana | 119 | 493 |
| 16 | Massachusetts | 119 | 487 |
| 17 | Oregon | 117 | 292 |
| 18 | Michigan | 108 | 727 |
| 19 | Missouri | 91 | 500 |
| 20 | Georgia | 87 | 289 |
| 21 | New Jersey | 85 | 340 |
| 22 | Arizona | 83 | 249 |
| 23 | Iowa | 83 | 689 |
| 24 | Maryland | 76 | 304 |
| 25 | Idaho | 65 | 226 |
| 26 | Montana | 65 | 183 |
| 27 | South Carolina | 63 | 299 |
| 28 | Connecticut | 55 | 245 |
| 29 | Tennessee | 53 | 434 |
| 30 | Utah | 53 | 133 |
| 31 | Kansas | 49 | 280 |
| 32 | Oklahoma | 45 | 105 |
| 33 | Nebraska | 41 | 283 |
| 34 | Louisiana | 36 | 118 |
| 35 | Arkansas | 35 | 383 |
| 36 | Alabama | 34 | 111 |
| 37 | Nevada | 32 | 104 |
| 38 | New Hampshire | 31 | 105 |
| 39 | New Mexico | 31 | 99 |
| 40 | South Dakota | 24 | 84 |
| 41 | Maine | 23 | 71 |
| 42 | Wyoming | 23 | 35 |
| 43 | Vermont | 18 | 115 |
| 44 | Delaware | 17 | 64 |
| 45 | Mississippi | 17 | 311 |
| 46 | West Virginia | 11 | 44 |
| 47 | Rhode Island | 10 | 18 |
| 48 | Hawaii | 9 | 9 |
| 49 | North Dakota | 8 | 26 |
| 50 | Alaska | 6 | 37 |
Paid employees = total employment reported for the week of March 12, U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 County Business Patterns. "—" marks state cells the Census suppressed for disclosure.
Frequently asked questions
Methodology
Counts are establishments classified under NAICS 115210 (Support Activities for Animal Production, the horse-stable pillar) in the U.S. Census Bureau's 2023 County Business Patterns, the most recent CBP release. An establishment is a single physical location, so a business operating in several states is counted once per location; figures count establishments, not employees or animals. State rows exclude cells the Census suppressed for disclosure.
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