Report: Florida leads nation in new business creation

Florida led the nation in new business formations in 2025, according to a new report from Registered Agents Inc., which provides business formation and registered agent services.

Last year, 698,000 businesses launched in the Sunshine State, the report says.

California came in No. 2 in the country, with 465,101 businesses formed in 2025, followed by Texas with 457,373; Delaware with 327,103; and New York with 267,390. (Delaware, even with its small size, has several pro-business tax laws and other regulations that lead to new businesses.) 

Nationally, there was an 8% year-over-year increase in new businesses formed, according to the report, which shows nearly 5.92 million businesses were formed in 2025 across the United States. That was over 460,000 more than in 2024. 

“Post-election-year tailwinds may have increased business filings through economic optimism and regulatory clarity,” the report says. 

Wyoming saw the greatest year-over-year uptick in new business formation, with a 35% increase over 2024. In that state, which has an estimated population of 585,484, there were 227,723 new business formations last year, the report says, which equates to about one for every 2.57 residents.

Data for the business formation report comes from state business filings.