NAICS 51

Information Industry: 2026 Market Survival & Risk Analysis

Publishing, broadcasting, telecommunications, data processing

Information: 294,668 Establishments Nationwide

294,668
Total Establishments
2,848,943
Total Employment
$111,315
Average Annual Wage
43.6
Average Entry Risk Score

What Drives Information Risk

The Information sector (NAICS 51) covers publishing, broadcasting, telecom, and data processing. At $111,315 average wage, it ranks among the highest-paid industries we track. With only 294,668 establishments nationally, it is also the smallest by firm count. Entry risk averages 43.6, higher than seven of the ten sectors we cover. Talent costs and market concentration drive that number: California, Washington, and Nevada top the risk charts, while North Dakota and Arkansas sit at the bottom. States with lower cost of living and less tech-sector saturation tend to score better on entry conditions.

Information vs. All-Industry Average

How this sector compares to the average across all ten tracked industries.

Avg Entry Risk
43.6 This sector
43.1 All sectors
Avg Annual Wage
$111,315 This sector
$73,293 All sectors
Total Employment
2.8M This sector
9.6M Avg per sector

State Leaderboards for Information

Lowest Entry Risk

Best overall market conditions

  1. North Dakota 28.8
  2. Arkansas 30.0
  3. Alaska 31.5
  4. Pennsylvania 31.8
  5. Alabama 32.1

Highest Entry Risk

Most competitive markets

  1. California 56.6
  2. Nevada 56.3
  3. Washington 55.7
  4. Hawaii 55.2
  5. Connecticut 54.5

Best for Firm Retention

Highest 5-year firm survival rates

  1. North Dakota 100%
  2. Vermont 98.04%
  3. Alaska 96.08%
  4. West Virginia 94.12%
  5. Iowa 92.16%

Highest Growth Momentum

Fastest new firm formation

  1. Delaware 100
  2. California 69.43
  3. Nevada 65.08
  4. Idaho 61.62
  5. District of Columbia 59.6

Top Metro Markets for Information

Best and worst metro areas out of 294 with information data.

Most Favorable Metros

Lowest Metro Market Score

  1. Battle Creek, MI 9.4
  2. Goldsboro, NC 10.2
  3. Sheboygan, WI 12.3
  4. El Centro, CA 12.3
  5. Decatur, IL 14.3

Most Challenging Metros

Highest Metro Market Score

  1. San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA 84.0
  2. Durham-Chapel Hill, NC 80.0
  3. Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA 78.0
  4. Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX 77.2
  5. Trenton-Princeton, NJ 75.7

Entry Risk by State

Geographic distribution of market entry risk for information. Click any state for detailed analysis.

Entry Risk by State Alaska — 31.5 · #3 Alabama — 32.1 · #5 Arkansas — 30.0 · #2 Arizona — 49.2 · #41 California — 56.6 · #51 Colorado — 46.7 · #31 Connecticut — 54.5 · #47 District of Columbia — 51.0 · #43 Delaware — 48.0 · #36 Florida — 46.5 · #30 Georgia — 48.9 · #39 Hawaii — 55.2 · #48 Iowa — 38.3 · #15 Idaho — 43.8 · #24 Illinois — 48.5 · #38 Indiana — 40.2 · #19 Kansas — 37.6 · #12 Kentucky — 32.6 · #6 Louisiana — 51.7 · #44 Massachusetts — 40.2 · #17 Maryland — 48.9 · #40 Maine — 44.1 · #25 Michigan — 47.2 · #32 Minnesota — 42.6 · #22 Missouri — 36.8 · #10 Mississippi — 43.1 · #23 Montana — 33.2 · #7 North Carolina — 45.3 · #28 North Dakota — 28.8 · #1 Nebraska — 37.8 · #13 New Hampshire — 47.8 · #35 New Jersey — 52.0 · #46 New Mexico — 47.7 · #34 Nevada — 56.3 · #50 New York — 50.5 · #42 Ohio — 44.4 · #26 Oklahoma — 40.2 · #18 Oregon — 52.0 · #45 Pennsylvania — 31.8 · #4 Rhode Island — 39.9 · #16 South Carolina — 46.3 · #29 South Dakota — 33.6 · #8 Tennessee — 48.1 · #37 Texas — 41.5 · #20 Utah — 47.4 · #33 Virginia — 36.2 · #9 Vermont — 45.1 · #27 Washington — 55.7 · #49 Wisconsin — 38.1 · #14 West Virginia — 37.3 · #11 Wyoming — 42.2 · #21
Low Moderate Elevated High

Tap a state to view details

All 51 States Ranked for Information Entry Risk

Complete ranking of all 51 states by Entry Risk Score for information. Lower score indicates better market conditions for new entrants.

Information Entry Risk by State

Rank State Risk Score Classification
#1 North Dakota 28.8 low
#2 Arkansas 30.0 moderate
#3 Alaska 31.5 moderate
#4 Pennsylvania 31.8 moderate
#5 Alabama 32.1 moderate
#6 Kentucky 32.6 moderate
#7 Montana 33.2 moderate
#8 South Dakota 33.6 moderate
#9 Virginia 36.2 moderate
#10 Missouri 36.8 moderate
#11 West Virginia 37.3 moderate
#12 Kansas 37.6 moderate
#13 Nebraska 37.8 moderate
#14 Wisconsin 38.1 moderate
#15 Iowa 38.3 moderate
#16 Rhode Island 39.9 moderate
#17 Massachusetts 40.2 moderate
#18 Oklahoma 40.2 moderate
#19 Indiana 40.2 moderate
#20 Texas 41.5 moderate
#21 Wyoming 42.2 elevated
#22 Minnesota 42.6 elevated
#23 Mississippi 43.1 elevated
#24 Idaho 43.8 elevated
#25 Maine 44.1 elevated
#26 Ohio 44.4 elevated
#27 Vermont 45.1 elevated
#28 North Carolina 45.3 elevated
#29 South Carolina 46.3 elevated
#30 Florida 46.5 elevated
#31 Colorado 46.7 elevated
#32 Michigan 47.2 elevated
#33 Utah 47.4 elevated
#34 New Mexico 47.7 elevated
#35 New Hampshire 47.8 elevated
#36 Delaware 48.0 elevated
#37 Tennessee 48.1 elevated
#38 Illinois 48.5 elevated
#39 Georgia 48.9 elevated
#40 Maryland 48.9 elevated
#41 Arizona 49.2 elevated
#42 New York 50.5 elevated
#43 District of Columbia 51.0 elevated
#44 Louisiana 51.7 elevated
#45 Oregon 52.0 elevated
#46 New Jersey 52.0 elevated
#47 Connecticut 54.5 elevated
#48 Hawaii 55.2 high
#49 Washington 55.7 high
#50 Nevada 56.3 high
#51 California 56.6 high

Information: Frequently Asked Questions

2026 sector data answers to common entry-decision questions.

Which state has the lowest information entry risk in 2026?

North Dakota ranks #1 with an entry risk score of 28.8, 14.8 points below the 43.6 national average for the information sector.

Which state is the most challenging market for new information businesses?

California sits at the bottom of the 51-state ranking with an entry risk score of 56.6. New information firms here face structural headwinds across retention, growth momentum, and wage pressure.

How many information establishments operate in the United States?

294,668 information establishments are tracked across the 51 U.S. state markets, employing 2,848,943 workers at an average annual wage of $111,315.

Which state has the highest 5-year firm retention for information?

North Dakota leads on firm retention with a 100% 5-year survival percentile. New information establishments in this state clear the 5-year mark at higher rates than 100% of all states.

What is the average entry risk score for information across all U.S. states?

The 51-state average entry risk for information is 43.6. Scores range from 28.8 (North Dakota) to 56.6 (California), a spread of 27.8 points. Lower scores indicate more favorable conditions for new businesses.

Not in Information?

Compare entry conditions across other sectors.

NAICS 23 Construction NAICS 62 Healthcare and Social Assistance NAICS 44-45 Retail Trade NAICS 72 Accommodation and Food Services NAICS 54 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services NAICS 52 Finance and Insurance NAICS 53 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing NAICS 56 Administrative and Support Services NAICS 81 Other Services

How We Calculate Entry Risk

Entry Risk Score combines five normalized metrics: firm retention rates, growth momentum, market volatility, establishment density, and wage pressure. All indices are scaled 0-100 for consistency.

Read full methodology →