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B2B prospecting in the USA. Fifty registers, not one.
The United States has no national company register. Companies are formed under state law and recorded by each state's Secretary of State. That makes the US the market where contact databases are strongest and where registers are hardest to use directly.
What Atlas holds for the US
Source: the Atlas database, updated automatically.
1. Where the records live
- Secretary of State business registries: each state keeps its own register of corporations and LLCs, with entity number, status, registered agent and formation date. Search interfaces and bulk access differ by state.
- SEC EDGAR: filings of public companies and many funds, free and with an API. Useful for larger companies, not for small ones.
- Industry codes: NAICS.
Delaware is a special case: many companies are incorporated there but operate elsewhere. Look for the state where the company is registered to do business, not only where it was formed.
2. Remove inactive companies
State registers mark companies as active, inactive, dissolved or forfeited. A company that has stopped filing annual reports often shows as not in good standing. Filter on status.
3. Find the contact
US small businesses are more often online than small businesses in Europe: in our June 2026 measurement, 27.1 % of US companies had no website, against 83 % across 92 countries. See the study. The company website and public profiles are usually the best source for the person in charge.
4. The rules for outreach
CAN-SPAM does not require prior consent for commercial email, but it requires accurate headers, a non-deceptive subject line, a physical postal address and a working opt-out that you honour. Calls are governed by the TCPA and state rules. Some states have their own privacy laws. This is a general overview, not legal advice.
Where Atlas fits in the US
In the US, large contact databases are at their strongest, and Atlas's coverage varies by state. Check the live figures above and the coverage page before you decide. Atlas is strongest where registers are open and many companies have little online presence, such as the Nordics.