Employer firm births in United States

Employer firm births in the United States was 508,777 in 2023, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. That is down 2.4% from 2022.

2023, count508,777

Change on 2022-2.4%

Series high541,3172006

Series low379,1452010

Employer firm births in United States, 1978 to 2023

count. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics by firm age: employer firms of age zero, all covered industries, nation, states and counties from 1978. Retrieved 2026-10-22, published 2025-09-25.

All 46 values

Period	count
2023	508,777
2022	521,312
2021	485,256
2020	455,725
2019	453,027
2018	442,078
2017	439,859
2016	442,414
2015	421,155
2014	411,948
2013	405,350
2012	408,546
2011	395,680
2010	379,145
2009	395,235
2008	471,285
2007	509,517
2006	541,317
2005	518,727
2004	505,056
2003	467,532
2002	455,162
2001	436,993
2000	446,204
1999	451,218
1998	477,206
1997	494,483
1996	493,289
1995	495,030
1994	475,989
1993	461,135
1992	438,701
1991	450,750
1990	493,080
1989	502,558
1988	507,091
1987	513,574
1986	517,516
1985	512,439
1984	529,584
1983	456,610
1982	418,627
1981	430,100
1980	439,667
1979	473,471
1978	488,103

Rankings

US states by employer firm births 51 places

Definition

New employer firms: firms of age zero in March of the year, meaning that every establishment of the firm had its first employees during the previous twelve months. United States: Census Bureau Business Dynamics Statistics, which calls these firms startups.

A firm counts only when it has employees, so a business without staff is not a birth, and a new branch, merger or change of ownership of an existing firm is not a birth either. Not the same as business_applications (requests for an employer number) or enterprise_births (European business demography). The year is the twelve months to March: 2023 compares March 2022 with March 2023.

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How to cite

U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics by firm age: employer firms of age zero, all covered industries, nation, states and counties from 1978. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_fa.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-22.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Census Bureau. (2025). Business Dynamics Statistics by firm age: employer firms of age zero, all covered industries, nation, states and counties from 1978 (Employer firm births, United States, 1978 to 2023) [Data set]. Retrieved October 22, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_fa.csv

MLA 9

Business Dynamics Statistics by firm age: employer firms of age zero, all covered industries, nation, states and counties from 1978, Employer firm births, United States, 1978 to 2023. U.S. Census Bureau, 25 Sept. 2025, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_fa.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/en/employer-firm-births/united-states. Accessed 22 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2025. Business Dynamics Statistics by firm age: employer firms of age zero, all covered industries, nation, states and counties from 1978. Employer firm births, United States, 1978 to 2023. Dataset. Accessed October 22, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_fa.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/en/employer-firm-births/united-states.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2025) Business Dynamics Statistics by firm age: employer firms of age zero, all covered industries, nation, states and counties from 1978, Employer firm births, United States, 1978 to 2023 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_fa.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/en/employer-firm-births/united-states (Accessed: 22 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{census_employer_firm_births_united_2023,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Business Dynamics Statistics by firm age: employer firms of age zero, all covered industries, nation, states and counties from 1978: Employer firm births, United States, 1978 to 2023}},
  year = {2025},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_fa.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-22},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/en/employer-firm-births/united-states. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics by firm age: employer firms of age zero, all covered industries, nation, states and counties from 1978. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023\_fa.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-22.},
}

RIS

TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - Business Dynamics Statistics by firm age: employer firms of age zero, all covered industries, nation, states and counties from 1978: Employer firm births, United States, 1978 to 2023
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/09/25
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_fa.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/en/employer-firm-births/united-states
Y2  - 2026/10/22
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/en/employer-firm-births/united-states.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics by firm age: employer firms of age zero, all covered industries, nation, states and counties from 1978. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_fa.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-22.
ER  -

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Questions

What is the employer firm births in United States?

Employer firm births in the United States was 508,777 in 2023, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. That is down 2.4% from 2022.

Where does this figure come from?

U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics by firm age: employer firms of age zero, all covered industries, nation, states and counties from 1978. Retrieved by Invokely on 2026-10-22.

What was the highest employer firm births in United States?

541,317 in 2006, the highest value since 1978 in this series.

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