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FFL Statistics 2026: Licenses by State, Type and Trend

Connor Weldy

By Connor WeldyPublished

Active federal firearms licenses (FFLs) by state and license type, dealers per resident, the ten-year shift between license types, and city counts from our own directory. Every number links to its source note, and the data is free to download.

Updated October 2026

Data as of

Key numbers

127,161

Active federal firearms licenses

ATF, March 2026 report. 1,480 pending applications are not included.

14.9

Dealers and pawnbrokers per 100k residents

Dealers (01) 45,301 plus pawnbrokers (02) 5,843 make 51,144 nationally; 51,085 are in the 50 states + DC, about one per 6,691 residents.

50,044

Collector licenses (03)

39.4% of all active licenses.

+138%

Firearm manufacturers (07) since FY2013

From 9,094 in FY2013 to 21,640 in March 2026. Dealers (01) fell 16.1% over the same span.

127,161

Licenses in March 2026, down from FY2023

ATF counted 132,383 at the end of FY2023. Totals fell in 48 of the 50 states and DC.

77,438

Listings in the FFL Bridge directory

Non-collector licensees in 16,517 cities, built from ATF records and refreshed monthly.

Licenses by type

ATF issues nine license types. Type names follow ATF license records; see the ATF Annual Statistical Update for ATF's descriptions.

Active federal firearms licenses by type, March 2026127,161active licenses

Source: ATF License Type by State, March 2026

Active licenses by type, March 2026, and change since FY2013Source: ATF License Type by State, March 2026; ATF Annual Statistical Update 2024, Exhibits 12 and 13
TypeATF nameLicensesShareFY2013Change
01Dealer in firearms45,30135.6%54,026-16.1%
02Pawnbroker5,8434.6%7,810-25.2%
03Collector of curios and relics50,04439.4%64,449-22.4%
06Manufacturer of ammunition1,6921.3%2,353-28.1%
07Manufacturer of firearms21,64017.0%9,094+138.0%
08Importer of firearms1,6691.3%998+67.2%
09Dealer in destructive devices1410.1%57+147.4%
10Manufacturer of destructive devices5320.4%273+94.9%
11Importer of destructive devices2990.2%184+62.5%
AllTotal127,161100.0%139,244-8.7%

Licenses by state

Dealers and pawnbrokers (Types 01 and 02) per 100k residents, the licenses a buyer usually ships to. The U.S. figure for the 50 states + DC is 14.9.

Dealers and pawnbrokers (Types 01 and 02) per 100k residents, by state, March 2026Alaska: 55.5 per 100kAK55.5Alabama: 19.4 per 100kAL19.4Arkansas: 33.4 per 100kAR33.4Arizona: 16.7 per 100kAZ16.7California: 3.3 per 100kCA3.3Colorado: 18.5 per 100kCO18.5Connecticut: 10.7 per 100kCT10.7District of Columbia: 0.6 per 100kDC0.6Delaware: 10.7 per 100kDE10.7Florida: 11.2 per 100kFL11.2Georgia: 14.2 per 100kGA14.2Hawaii: 6.1 per 100kHI6.1Iowa: 33.8 per 100kIA33.8Idaho: 36.7 per 100kID36.7Illinois: 8.0 per 100kIL8.0Indiana: 17.6 per 100kIN17.6Kansas: 29.3 per 100kKS29.3Kentucky: 23.1 per 100kKY23.1Louisiana: 21.0 per 100kLA21.0Massachusetts: 3.7 per 100kMA3.7Maryland: 8.5 per 100kMD8.5Maine: 27.1 per 100kME27.1Michigan: 17.1 per 100kMI17.1Minnesota: 20.7 per 100kMN20.7Missouri: 28.2 per 100kMO28.2Mississippi: 27.1 per 100kMS27.1Montana: 67.0 per 100kMT67.0North Carolina: 18.1 per 100kNC18.1North Dakota: 53.8 per 100kND53.8Nebraska: 30.9 per 100kNE30.9New Hampshire: 23.1 per 100kNH23.1New Jersey: 2.3 per 100kNJ2.3New Mexico: 21.1 per 100kNM21.1Nevada: 12.8 per 100kNV12.8New York: 7.0 per 100kNY7.0Ohio: 15.7 per 100kOH15.7Oklahoma: 27.5 per 100kOK27.5Oregon: 23.5 per 100kOR23.5Pennsylvania: 17.1 per 100kPA17.1Rhode Island: 6.1 per 100kRI6.1South Carolina: 17.1 per 100kSC17.1South Dakota: 51.0 per 100kSD51.0Tennessee: 17.2 per 100kTN17.2Texas: 16.4 per 100kTX16.4Utah: 19.8 per 100kUT19.8Virginia: 15.5 per 100kVA15.5Vermont: 36.6 per 100kVT36.6Washington: 9.5 per 100kWA9.5Wisconsin: 20.6 per 100kWI20.6West Virginia: 42.5 per 100kWV42.5Wyoming: 85.4 per 100kWY85.4
50 or more30 to 49.920 to 29.910 to 19.9Under 10per 100k residents

Source: ATF License Type by State, March 2026; U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 state population estimates

All 50 states and DC, March 2026 (select a column to sort)Source: ATF License Type by State, March 2026; FFL Bridge calculation: ATF March 2026 counts per Census Vintage 2025 population
Alabama2,01880320553237238.919.45,15226.4%
Alaska6893852412813093.555.51,80318.6%
Arizona3,4261,1291448291,13744.916.75,98924.2%
Arkansas1,80179025132236057.833.42,99217.9%
California12,2911,2496810,22358331.23.329,88383.2%
Colorado2,41599711865755940.218.55,39227.2%
Connecticut1,6363801498521244.410.79,36260.2%
Delaware27810851431726.210.79,38051.4%
District of Columbia25402103.60.6173,41184.0%
Florida7,0242,0795442,5251,44529.911.28,94535.9%
Georgia3,3841,19740996766329.914.27,03828.6%
Hawaii183870791512.86.116,46943.2%
Idaho1,6176608529550779.736.72,72418.2%
Illinois3,933987332,52729430.98.012,47064.3%
Indiana2,5641,1458284942236.817.65,68333.1%
Iowa1,8811,0494445029658.133.82,96323.9%
Kansas1,5978056836930153.629.33,41023.1%
Kentucky1,93782324149732342.023.14,33025.7%
Louisiana1,65582115136627935.821.04,75122.1%
Maine8293513328613058.627.13,68534.5%
Maryland2,459509261,67119839.28.511,71168.0%
Massachusetts3,82926503,23430053.53.726,99784.5%
Michigan3,5841,665661,14057835.417.15,85131.8%
Minnesota2,1431,1416459929836.820.74,83928.0%
Mississippi1,33865914329220545.327.13,68321.8%
Missouri3,6311,5652011,22254057.928.23,55133.7%
Montana1,41469770239329123.567.01,49216.9%
Nebraska1,0365923223415051.330.93,23422.6%
Nevada1,2703596041033738.712.87,83332.3%
New Hampshire1,150322553823481.323.14,32846.8%
New Jersey50622201291295.32.343,01025.5%
New Mexico9034054421420642.521.14,73423.7%
New York3,2151,38671,36936816.17.014,35942.6%
North Carolina4,4111,7163111,34390539.418.15,52430.4%
North Dakota687413171538685.953.81,85922.3%
Ohio4,0671,7211521,25482734.215.76,35430.8%
Oklahoma2,05194418935649149.727.53,63917.4%
Oregon1,8949436352032144.323.54,24827.5%
Pennsylvania5,8232,23812,57978144.617.15,83344.3%
Rhode Island4866533733543.66.116,39076.7%
South Carolina2,18381613769244839.217.15,84531.7%
South Dakota7874492814614284.251.01,96018.6%
Tennessee3,0841,0731861,11860242.217.25,81036.3%
Texas10,4074,2179792,1302,63432.816.46,10320.5%
Utah1,6126297224356245.619.85,04815.1%
Vermont49623601499876.936.62,73230.0%
Virginia3,6761,2311421,68047241.415.56,46845.7%
Washington2,8436491081,63539435.59.510,56957.5%
West Virginia1,23859815227318070.142.52,35522.1%
Wisconsin2,6741,1963590045844.820.64,85233.7%
Wyoming95647231140259162.485.41,17014.6%

Dealer access by state

Wyoming has the most dealers and pawnbrokers per 100k residents (85.4), and the District of Columbia the fewest (0.6). In California there is one for every 29,883 residents.

Highest and lowest dealer and pawnbroker counts per 100k residents, by stateWyoming85.4Montana67.0Alaska55.5North Dakota53.8South Dakota51.0Hawaii6.1Massachusetts3.7California3.3New Jersey2.3District of Columbia0.6U.S. 14.9

Source: ATF License Type by State, March 2026; U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 state population estimates

Highest dealer and pawnbroker counts per 100k residentsSource: FFL Bridge calculation: ATF March 2026 counts per Census Vintage 2025 population
StatePer 100k
Wyoming85.4
Montana67.0
Alaska55.5
North Dakota53.8
South Dakota51.0
Lowest dealer and pawnbroker counts per 100k residentsSource: FFL Bridge calculation: ATF March 2026 counts per Census Vintage 2025 population
StatePer 100k
District of Columbia0.6
New Jersey2.3
California3.3
Massachusetts3.7
Hawaii6.1

Collector-heavy states

Collector licenses (Type 03) are 84.5% of all licenses in Massachusetts and 83.2% in California. They are 14.6% in Wyoming and 15.1% in Utah.

Highest collector share of licensesSource: ATF License Type by State, March 2026
StateType 03 share
Massachusetts84.5%
District of Columbia84.0%
California83.2%
Rhode Island76.7%
Maryland68.0%
Lowest collector share of licensesSource: ATF License Type by State, March 2026
StateType 03 share
Wyoming14.6%
Utah15.1%
Montana16.9%
Oklahoma17.4%
Arkansas17.9%

Change since FY2023

ATF counted 132,383 licenses at the end of FY2023 and 127,161 in the March 2026 report. The total fell in 48 of the 50 states and DC and rose in 3.

Caveat: two different ATF reports

FY2023 counts are end of fiscal year totals from ATF Exhibit 13. The March 2026 count is a monthly snapshot from a different ATF report. Different ATF reports use different dates and may not reconcile exactly, so read these changes as approximate.

States where the total roseSource: FFL Bridge calculation: ATF fiscal year counts (Exhibits 12 and 13) compared with ATF March 2026
StateChange
California+25.2%
District of Columbia+4.2%
Wyoming+3.1%
Largest declinesSource: FFL Bridge calculation: ATF fiscal year counts (Exhibits 12 and 13) compared with ATF March 2026
StateChange
Colorado-20.1%
Hawaii-16.4%
New York-14.0%
Rhode Island-14.0%
Washington-11.9%

Ten-year trend by type

From FY2013 to March 2026, firearm manufacturers (07) went from 9,094 to 21,640, while dealers (01) went from 54,026 to 45,301. The March 2026 point comes from a different ATF report and is drawn hollow, joined by a dashed line.

Federal firearms licenses by type, FY2013 to FY2023, with the March 2026 count from a different ATF report010k20k30k40k50k60k70kFY2013FY2015FY2017FY2019FY2021FY2023Mar 202603 Collectors01 Dealers07 Manufacturers02 Pawnbrokers

Source: ATF Annual Statistical Update 2024, Exhibits 12 and 13; ATF License Type by State, March 2026

Licenses by type, FY2013 to FY2023 (Exhibit 12) and March 2026 (License Type by State)Source: ATF Annual Statistical Update 2024, Exhibits 12 and 13; ATF License Type by State, March 2026
Period010203060708091011Total
FY201354,0267,81064,4492,3539,09499857273184139,244
FY201455,4318,13263,3012,5969,9701,13366287200141,116
FY201556,1818,15260,6522,60310,4981,15266315221139,840
FY201656,7548,07657,3452,48111,0831,10571332217137,464
FY201756,6387,87155,5882,25911,9461,11078357234136,081
FY201855,8917,63954,1362,11912,5641,12798378239134,191
FY201953,9247,34152,4461,91013,0441,109129391252130,546
FY202052,7997,14152,8651,79714,0541,127128425269130,605
FY202152,9936,98153,4752,11116,7301,632141462284134,809
FY202252,1736,66652,6082,12318,5171,809141475299134,811
FY202350,3096,41750,8052,08620,0031,851147476289132,383
March 202645,3015,84350,0441,69221,6401,669141532299127,161

The chart draws Collectors, Dealers, Manufacturers, Pawnbrokers; the table lists every type.

City and ZIP view

The FFL Bridge directory lists 77,438 licensees in 16,517 cities. Cities with only one listed dealer: 6,018. These counts include every listed city.

The live directory queries do not count ZIP codes. The Oct 30, 2026 crawl, which covered only cities with 3+ listings, found 10,678 ZIP codes.

Cities with the most directory listingsSource: FFL Bridge public dealer directory, read from the database
CityStateListings
HoustonTX418
PhoenixAZ276
San AntonioTX274
TucsonAZ224
Las VegasNV203
MesaAZ200
Fort WorthTX174
JacksonvilleFL166
Colorado SpringsCO158
OrlandoFL144

Florida spotlight

ATF lists 7,024 active licenses in Florida, including 2,079 dealers and 544 pawnbrokers, or 11.2 dealers and pawnbrokers per 100k residents. The FFL Bridge directory has 4,594 Florida listings in 442 cities, led by Jacksonville (166), Orlando (144) and Miami (123). Browse all Florida dealers.

Transfer fees: a published sample

Sample of published dealer fees, not an average

We read 17 dealer pages in 8 states on Oct 30, 2026. Their published standard firearm transfer fees run from $25 to $100, and the middle value in this sample is $45. Fees change and many dealers add state or background check charges, so check the dealer's own page.

Published standard firearm transfer fees, checked Oct 30, 2026Source: Sample of published dealer transfer fee pages
DealerStateStandard feeFee text as published
FYN ArmamentAZ$40A transfer fee is $40.00 for the serialized item and $20.00 for any additional items
Practical Tactical & PrepAZ$50FFL transfer fee is $50.00 per serialized item or free with an $80.00 in-store purchase
Burbank LAFSCA$100Handguns $100 transfer fee + $37.19 DROS; Long Guns / Receivers $100 transfer fee + $37.19 DROS
CGG FirearmsCA$50$50 for Handguns ... $50 for Long Guns, $47.19 DOJ Fees
Crosshair Gun StoreCA$50$75 for Any Long Gun, $50 for Handguns or Receivers, $37.19 CA DROS
Guns Direct (Burbank)CA$100$100 for handgun plus $37.19 DROS
Jay's ArmoryFL$35$35 per firearm
Orlando FFLFL$25The fee for incoming transfers is $25 per serial number. This includes the mandatory FDLE background check.
Shoot Center Cape CoralFL$35TRANSFER - IN PRICING - Firearm - $35
Tampa Tactical SupplyFL$40$40 (includes the $5 background check) for the first firearm. $20 for each additional firearm
Armed in MichiganMI$35SINGLE FIREARM TRANSFER $35 per firearm +$35 per additional firearm
Hampel's Gun Co.MI$60Our transfer fee is $60 per gun
High CaliberMI$25$25 per serialized item - handguns, long guns or receivers
Just Another Gun ShopOH$25FFL Transfer Pricing $25 Firearm transfers; $5 for each additional serial #
Allegheny ArmsPA$45Internet / Inbound Transfers $45 per firearm (+$5 PICS fee)
Sportsman's FinestTX$65$65 per firearm ... with a License to Carry (LTC). $75 per firearm ... without a License to Carry
NOVA ArmoryVA$45Regular Firearm: $45 (each)

Methodology and sources

  • ATF license counts: "Report of Active Firearms Licenses - License Type by State Statistics", print date March 10, 2026. Official URL https://www.atf.gov/media/28721/download. atf.gov blocks automated access, so we used the Internet Archive copy (snapshot 20261013211557) of that same file.
  • Historical counts: ATF "Firearms Commerce in the United States, Annual Statistical Update 2024", Exhibits 12 and 13, https://www.atf.gov/media/22706/download (archive snapshot 20261023141938).
  • Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 state estimates, NST-EST2025-ALLDATA.csv. Per 100k figures use the 50 states + DC (341,784,857). Territories are excluded from per capita figures. ATF's total also includes 125 licenses in Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, so the 50 states + DC hold 127,036.
  • Directory counts: the FFL Bridge public dealer directory, built from ATF records and refreshed monthly, read from the database when the page is built or revalidated (snapshot fallback dated Oct 30, 2026). It lists non-collector licensees, so it should be close to ATF's non-collector count (77,117), not the total. Directory listings and checkout eligibility are separate.
  • Scripts: scripts/research/build-ffl-stats.ts (npm run research:ffl-stats) parses the source files with src/lib/research/ffl-stats.ts. Tests check its output against the reference scripts in data/research/ffl-statistics/reference-scripts/.
  • Caveats: Different ATF reports use different dates and may not reconcile exactly.

Source notes

  1. ATF License Type by State, March 2026

    Data as of: Print date March 10, 2026

    Official fileInternet Archive copy (snapshot 20261013211557)

  2. ATF Annual Statistical Update 2024, Exhibits 12 and 13

    Data as of: End of each fiscal year, FY2013 to FY2023

    Official fileInternet Archive copy (snapshot 20261023141938)

  3. U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 state population estimates

    Data as of: Estimates for July 1, 2025

    NST-EST2025-ALLDATA.csv

  4. FFL Bridge calculation: ATF March 2026 counts per Census Vintage 2025 population

    Data as of: ATF print date March 10, 2026; population July 1, 2025

    ATF fileCensus file

  5. FFL Bridge calculation: ATF fiscal year counts (Exhibits 12 and 13) compared with ATF March 2026

    Data as of: End of FY2013 and FY2023; print date March 10, 2026

    ATF Annual Statistical Update 2024ATF License Type by State

  6. FFL Bridge public dealer directory, read from the database

    Data as of: Refreshed monthly from ATF records; counts cached for up to one day

    FFL dealer directory

  7. FFL Bridge directory crawl snapshot, cities with 3+ listings only

    Data as of: Crawled Oct 30, 2026

    FFL dealer directory

  8. Sample of published dealer transfer fee pages

    Data as of: Checked Oct 30, 2026

    Each dealer page is linked in the table

Download and cite

Download state CSVDownload type trend CSV

License: CC BY 4.0, credit: Connor Weldy, FFL Bridge. ATF and Census source files are U.S. government works.

Cite this page

Source: FFL Bridge analysis of ATF and U.S. Census data, https://www.fflbridge.com/research/ffl-statistics

Embed the dealer access map

<iframe src="https://www.fflbridge.com/embed/ffl-dealer-access-map" width="100%" height="480" loading="lazy" title="FFL dealers per 100k residents by state"></iframe><p>Source: <a href="https://www.fflbridge.com/research/ffl-statistics">FFL Bridge FFL statistics</a> (ATF, U.S. Census)</p>

FAQ

How many federal firearms licenses are active in the United States?

The ATF License Type by State report printed March 10, 2026 lists 127,161 active federal firearms licenses. Another 1,480 pending applications are not included in that total.

How many FFL dealers are there per person?

Dealers (Type 01) and pawnbrokers (Type 02) in the 50 states and DC number 51,085, or 14.9 per 100,000 residents. That is about one for every 6,691 people.

Which states have the most FFL dealers per person?

Wyoming has the most dealers and pawnbrokers per 100,000 residents at 85.4, followed by Montana at 67.0 and Alaska at 55.5. The District of Columbia has the fewest at 0.6.

What share of federal firearms licenses are collector licenses?

Collectors of curios and relics (Type 03) hold 50,044 licenses, or 39.4% of all active licenses in the March 2026 report.

Has the number of FFLs gone up or down since FY2023?

ATF counted 132,383 licenses at the end of FY2023 and 127,161 in the March 2026 report. Totals fell in 48 of the 50 states and DC. The two counts come from different ATF reports and may not reconcile exactly.

Changelog

Updates to this page
MonthChange
October 2026First publication: ATF License Type by State (print date March 10, 2026), ATF Annual Statistical Update 2024, Census Vintage 2025, the FFL Bridge directory and a transfer fee sample checked Oct 30, 2026.