Data / Employer firms / Watauga County

Employer firms in Watauga County

Employer firms in Watauga County was 1,469 in 2023, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. That is up 1.2% from 2022. That is the 33rd highest of 100 counties in 2023.

2023, count1,469
Change on 2022+1.2%
Rank33rd of 100Counties in North Carolina ranked
Series high1,4692023
Series low6341978

Next release: Sunday, 26 September 2027, estimated by Invokely from past publication dates (low confidence), not announced by the publisher. Release calendar

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Employer firms in Watauga County, 1978 to 2023

6008001,0001,2001,4001,60019781985199219992006201320231978: 634 count1979: 687 count1980: 688 count1981: 700 count1982: 712 count1983: 741 count1984: 812 count1985: 862 count1986: 902 count1987: 911 count1988: 984 count1989: 1,007 count1990: 1,035 count1991: 1,034 count1992: 1,042 count1993: 1,065 count1994: 1,101 count1995: 1,126 count1996: 1,180 count1997: 1,232 count1998: 1,287 count1999: 1,298 count2000: 1,345 count2001: 1,368 count2002: 1,343 count2003: 1,358 count2004: 1,368 count2005: 1,373 count2006: 1,408 count2007: 1,449 count2008: 1,443 count2009: 1,366 count2010: 1,343 count2011: 1,322 count2012: 1,310 count2013: 1,316 count2014: 1,300 count2015: 1,289 count2016: 1,326 count2017: 1,347 count2018: 1,383 count2019: 1,394 count2020: 1,415 count2021: 1,426 count2022: 1,452 count2023: 1,469 count5007501,0001,2501,50019781994201020231978: 634 count1979: 687 count1980: 688 count1981: 700 count1982: 712 count1983: 741 count1984: 812 count1985: 862 count1986: 902 count1987: 911 count1988: 984 count1989: 1,007 count1990: 1,035 count1991: 1,034 count1992: 1,042 count1993: 1,065 count1994: 1,101 count1995: 1,126 count1996: 1,180 count1997: 1,232 count1998: 1,287 count1999: 1,298 count2000: 1,345 count2001: 1,368 count2002: 1,343 count2003: 1,358 count2004: 1,368 count2005: 1,373 count2006: 1,408 count2007: 1,449 count2008: 1,443 count2009: 1,366 count2010: 1,343 count2011: 1,322 count2012: 1,310 count2013: 1,316 count2014: 1,300 count2015: 1,289 count2016: 1,326 count2017: 1,347 count2018: 1,383 count2019: 1,394 count2020: 1,415 count2021: 1,426 count2022: 1,452 count2023: 1,469 count
count. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-11, published 2025-09-25.
All 46 values
Periodcount
20231,469
20221,452
20211,426
20201,415
20191,394
20181,383
20171,347
20161,326
20151,289
20141,300
20131,316
20121,310
20111,322
20101,343
20091,366
20081,443
20071,449
20061,408
20051,373
20041,368
20031,358
20021,343
20011,368
20001,345
19991,298
19981,287
19971,232
19961,180
19951,126
19941,101
19931,065
19921,042
19911,034
19901,035
19891,007
1988984
1987911
1986902
1985862
1984812
1983741
1982712
1981700
1980688
1979687
1978634

Compared with North Carolina and United States

Place2023
Watauga County1,469
North Carolina175,992
United States5,593,727

Watauga County compared with nearby places

Alamance County: 2,880 countAlexander County: 509 countAlleghany County: 222 countAnson County: 332 countAshe County: 479 countAvery County: 432 countBeaufort County: 934 countBertie County: 243 countBladen County: 456 countBrunswick County: 2,393 countBuncombe County: 7,580 countBurke County: 1,284 countCabarrus County: 4,081 countCaldwell County: 1,180 countCamden County: 106 countCarteret County: 1,820 countCaswell County: 211 countCatawba County: 3,535 countChatham County: 1,344 countCherokee County: 561 countChowan County: 301 countClay County: 220 countCleveland County: 1,633 countColumbus County: 789 countCraven County: 1,780 countCumberland County: 4,361 countCurrituck County: 594 countDare County: 1,589 countDavidson County: 2,431 countDavie County: 756 countDuplin County: 698 countDurham County: 6,287 countEdgecombe County: 572 countForsyth County: 6,886 countFranklin County: 1,009 countGaston County: 3,555 countGates County: 106 countGraham County: 140 countGranville County: 792 countGreene County: 242 countGuilford County: 10,846 countHalifax County: 711 countHarnett County: 1,559 countHaywood County: 1,239 countHenderson County: 2,510 countHertford County: 346 countHoke County: 423 countHyde County: 128 countIredell County: 4,279 countJackson County: 940 countJohnston County: 3,321 countJones County: 110 countLee County: 1,214 countLenoir County: 1,001 countLincoln County: 1,686 countMcDowell County: 704 countMacon County: 1,062 countMadison County: 342 countMartin County: 373 countMecklenburg County: 25,664 countMitchell County: 299 countMontgomery County: 421 countMoore County: 2,042 countNash County: 1,708 countNew Hanover County: 6,818 countNorthampton County: 201 countOnslow County: 2,371 countOrange County: 2,887 countPamlico County: 220 countPasquotank County: 769 countPender County: 1,188 countPerquimans County: 157 countPerson County: 607 countPitt County: 3,044 countPolk County: 444 countRandolph County: 2,228 countRichmond County: 687 countRobeson County: 1,360 countRockingham County: 1,346 countRowan County: 2,373 countRutherford County: 1,077 countSampson County: 832 countScotland County: 492 countStanly County: 1,189 countStokes County: 558 countSurry County: 1,348 countSwain County: 317 countTransylvania County: 852 countTyrrell County: 67 countUnion County: 4,645 countVance County: 743 countWake County: 24,400 countWarren County: 265 countWashington County: 203 countWatauga County: 1,469 countWayne County: 1,761 countWilkes County: 959 countWilson County: 1,455 countYadkin County: 547 countYancey County: 319 count
  • Under 300
  • 300 to 600
  • 600 to 900
  • 900 to 1,500
  • 1,500 to 2,700
  • 2,700 and over
Employer firms, 2023, count. Watauga County is outlined. Same source and period for every area shown. Source: U.S. Census Bureau. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Rankings

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.

Excludes nonemployer businesses. Differs from active_companies, the INE DIRCE count, which includes businesses without employees.

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How to cite

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_cty.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-11.

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: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties (Employer firms, Watauga County, 1978 to 2023) [Data set]. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv

MLA 9

Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties, Employer firms, Watauga County, 1978 to 2023. U.S. Census Bureau, 25 Sept. 2025, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/en/employer-firms/watauga-county-north-carolina. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2025. Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. Employer firms, Watauga County, 1978 to 2023. Dataset. Accessed October 11, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/en/employer-firms/watauga-county-north-carolina.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2025) Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties, Employer firms, Watauga County, 1978 to 2023 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/en/employer-firms/watauga-county-north-carolina (Accessed: 11 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_employer_firms_watauga_county_2023,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties: Employer firms, Watauga County, 1978 to 2023}},
  year = {2025},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-11},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/en/employer-firms/watauga-county-north-carolina. Publisher attribution: 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\_cty.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-11.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties: Employer firms, Watauga County, 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_st_cty.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/en/employer-firms/watauga-county-north-carolina
Y2  - 2026/10/11
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/en/employer-firms/watauga-county-north-carolina.
N1  - Publisher attribution: 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_cty.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
ER  -
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Questions

What is the employer firms in Watauga County?

Employer firms in Watauga County was 1,469 in 2023, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. That is up 1.2% from 2022. That is the 33rd highest of 100 counties in 2023.

Where does this figure come from?

U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. Retrieved by Invokely on 2026-10-11.

What was the highest employer firms in Watauga County?

1,469 in 2023, the highest value since 1978 in this series.

Related statistics for Watauga County

All statistics for Watauga County | Watauga County in figures