Ohio Business by the Numbers: 2026 Company Breakdown
Ohio has 1,487,393 business records in Factur’s directory — the 13th-most of any U.S. state, or 2.3% of the national total. Columbus leads its cities with 8.3% of the state’s records, Industrial & mechanical is the largest sector at 27.1%, and Ohio ranks 6th for large employers (500+ employees).
Data as of July 2026. The figures come from Factur’s U.S. business directory, spanning 33 Ohio cities and 10 industry sectors. They count records, not unique companies: one company can have more than one record (see the methodology). Every number links to the browsable list behind it. Journalists and researchers are welcome to cite these figures with a link back to this page.
Key findings
- Ohio ranks 13th nationally with 1,487,393 business records — 2.3% of all 64,799,929 U.S. records in the directory.
- An above-average share of large employers. Ohio is 6th for records of companies with 500+ employees (3,511), with 23.6 per 10,000 records against 14.0 nationally (2nd of 52 states).
- Ohio has more healthcare & life science and food & beverage than the U.S. mix:Healthcare & Life Science is 10.3% of the state’s records against 7.4% nationally (1.4×); Food & Beverage is 2.0% of the state’s records against 1.4% nationally (1.4×).
- Columbus is the state’s largest business hub, with 8.3% of all Ohio records.
- Business is concentrated in a few metros: Columbus, Cincinnati and Cleveland together hold 23.9% of the state’s records.
How Ohio ranks nationally
Ohio and its closest neighbours by total business records. Select a state to open its own study.
Top Ohio cities by number of business records
These 10 cities account for 37.6% of all records in Ohio. Select any city to browse its full company list.
Ohio businesses by industry
Every record is classified by its primary industry using NAICS/SIC codes; the shares are of all Ohio records. Select a sector to see those Ohio companies.
What sets Ohio apart
Sectors that make up a bigger share of Ohio’s records than of the U.S. as a whole. A ratio of 2.0× means the sector is twice as common here as nationally. Select a sector to browse it.
Ohio businesses by size
Most records in every state are small businesses. In Ohio, 2.08% of records with a known size have 51 or more employees, against 1.77% nationally. 867 records belong to companies with $1 billion or more in revenue.
| Employees | Records | Ohio | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-50 | 1,433,295 | 97.92% | 98.23% |
| 51-200 | 21,235 | 1.45% | 1.37% |
| 201-1000 | 7,323 | 0.50% | 0.33% |
| 1001-5000 | 1,152 | 0.08% | 0.05% |
| 5001+ | 669 | 0.05% | 0.02% |
What the numbers show
Ohio’s 1,487,393 records place it 13th nationally, 2.3% of the U.S. total, and 6th for large employers. That large-employer rank is well above its rank by records, so its business base is weighted toward bigger companies. Activity clusters in its largest metros — Columbus, Cincinnati and Cleveland alone account for 23.9% of the state’s records — and the state leans toward healthcare & life science and food & beverage compared with the rest of the country. For buyers and sellers, that means the deepest pools of suppliers sit in a handful of cities and sectors; the charts above link straight into each so you can shortlist by capability and region.
Frequently asked questions
How many businesses are in Ohio?
Factur’s directory has 1,487,393 business records for Ohio, the 13th-most of any U.S. state. That counts records rather than unique companies: a company can have more than one record, so the number of distinct businesses is lower.
How many large companies are in Ohio?
3,511 Ohio records belong to companies with 500 or more employees, 6th among U.S. states, or 23.6 per 10,000 records against 14.0 nationally. Large companies often have several records (one per department or location), so this overstates the number of distinct large employers.
Which Ohio city has the most businesses?
Columbus has the most, with 8.3% of the state’s records.
What is the largest industry in Ohio?
Industrial & mechanical is the largest sector, at 27.1% of Ohio records. Compared with the U.S. mix, Ohio has proportionally more healthcare & life science and food & beverage.
Where does this data come from?
From Factur’s U.S. business directory as of July 2026, classified by city and by primary industry using NAICS/SIC codes. Every figure on this page links to the list behind it.
Cite this data
Free to use with attribution — please credit Factur and link back to this page.
Factur. (2026). Ohio Business by the Numbers: 2026 Company Breakdown. data.facturmfg.com. https://data.facturmfg.com/insights/ohio<a href="https://data.facturmfg.com/insights/ohio">Ohio Business by the Numbers: 2026 Company Breakdown</a> — data by FacturMethodology
Figures count records in Factur’s U.S. business directory as of July 2026, classified by city and primary industry using NAICS/SIC codes. Records cover manufacturers, suppliers and businesses of all sizes. They are not a count of unique companies: one company can have several records (for example one per department or location), and some records are duplicates. That affects large companies most, so treat raw totals as an upper bound and rely on the ranks, shares and comparisons, which it affects much less. These are directory totals, not official census figures. Percentages are computed against the Ohio directory total; size shares use records with a known employee count. Data compiled by Factur, a sales and marketing firm for B2B manufacturers.
Looking for a specific industry in Ohio? Browse the Ohio directory → or contact us for a custom data pull.