# Employer firms in Illinois

Employer firms in Illinois was 222,365 in 2023. Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

- Indicator id: `employer_firms`
- Place id: `us-state-17`
- Unit: count
- Definition: Number of firms in the private nonfarm sectors covered by the US Census Bureau Business Dynamics Statistics. Establishments under common ownership form one firm.
- Note: Excludes nonemployer businesses and other activities outside the BDS scope. A firm operating in several states or counties is counted in each area, so geographic counts cannot be added to reproduce the national total. This differs from the INE DIRCE active-company count, which includes businesses without employees. Past values can be revised.
- Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties (https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st.csv)
- Retrieved: 2026-10-10
- License: Public domain (US federal government work, citation requested)
- Citation: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
- Web page: https://invokely.ai/en/employer-firms/illinois
- CSV: https://invokely.ai/download/employer-firms/illinois.csv
- API: https://invokely.ai/api/v1/series?indicator=employer_firms&place=us-state-17

| Period | count |
|---|---:|
| 2023 | 222,365 |
| 2022 | 222,586 |
| 2021 | 218,884 |
| 2020 | 218,378 |
| 2019 | 220,416 |
| 2018 | 220,582 |
| 2017 | 220,926 |
| 2016 | 221,163 |
| 2015 | 219,596 |
| 2014 | 218,155 |
| 2013 | 218,219 |
| 2012 | 218,472 |
| 2011 | 217,505 |
| 2010 | 217,948 |
| 2009 | 220,842 |
| 2008 | 226,207 |
| 2007 | 228,534 |
| 2006 | 227,899 |
| 2005 | 224,878 |
| 2004 | 222,620 |
| 2003 | 219,808 |
| 2002 | 218,472 |
| 2001 | 219,947 |
| 2000 | 220,860 |
| 1999 | 220,530 |
| 1998 | 219,962 |
| 1997 | 216,941 |
| 1996 | 215,647 |
| 1995 | 214,368 |
| 1994 | 210,255 |
| 1993 | 206,745 |
| 1992 | 202,880 |
| 1991 | 202,501 |
| 1990 | 202,697 |
| 1989 | 198,788 |
| 1988 | 195,535 |
| 1987 | 191,935 |
| 1986 | 190,045 |
| 1985 | 187,361 |
| 1984 | 186,381 |
| 1983 | 183,223 |
| 1982 | 180,203 |
| 1981 | 182,492 |
| 1980 | 182,852 |
| 1979 | 182,534 |
| 1978 | 179,188 |