Counties in Georgia by business establishments (QCEW)

Fulton County had the highest business establishments (QCEW) of 159 counties in 2016, at 46,755. Taliaferro County had the lowest, at 32. The median was 464 and the figure for Georgia was 298,477. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest46,755Fulton County
Median464159 counties
Georgia298,477History

Map of counties, 2016

Appling County: 452 countAtkinson County: 124 countBacon County: 269 countBaker County: 59 countBaldwin County: 901 countBanks County: 292 countBarrow County: 1,211 countBartow County: 2,257 countBen Hill County: 368 countBerrien County: 284 countBibb County: 4,523 countBleckley County: 204 countBrantley County: 237 countBrooks County: 296 countBryan County: 723 countBulloch County: 1,573 countBurke County: 392 countButts County: 424 countCalhoun County: 120 countCamden County: 943 countCandler County: 252 countCarroll County: 2,257 countCatoosa County: 1,003 countCharlton County: 172 countChatham County: 8,654 countChattahoochee County: 130 countChattooga County: 345 countCherokee County: 5,939 countClarke County: 3,329 countClay County: 68 countClayton County: 4,442 countClinch County: 179 countCobb County: 23,746 countCoffee County: 961 countColquitt County: 1,070 countColumbia County: 2,545 countCook County: 387 countCoweta County: 2,640 countCrawford County: 144 countCrisp County: 609 countDade County: 258 countDawson County: 687 countDecatur County: 692 countDeKalb County: 19,615 countDodge County: 367 countDooly County: 220 countDougherty County: 2,538 countDouglas County: 2,846 countEarly County: 297 countEchols County: 54 countEffingham County: 786 countElbert County: 512 countEmanuel County: 464 countEvans County: 267 countFannin County: 649 countFayette County: 3,803 countFloyd County: 2,118 countForsyth County: 6,287 countFranklin County: 481 countFulton County: 46,755 countGilmer County: 617 countGlascock County: 40 countGlynn County: 2,885 countGordon County: 1,074 countGrady County: 496 countGreene County: 494 countGwinnett County: 26,824 countHabersham County: 918 countHall County: 4,662 countHancock County: 85 countHaralson County: 505 countHarris County: 498 countHart County: 447 countHeard County: 161 countHenry County: 4,087 countHouston County: 2,865 countIrwin County: 154 countJackson County: 1,460 countJasper County: 189 countJeff Davis County: 270 countJefferson County: 379 countJenkins County: 137 countJohnson County: 144 countJones County: 383 countLamar County: 274 countLanier County: 130 countLaurens County: 1,120 countLee County: 491 countLiberty County: 949 countLincoln County: 160 countLong County: 72 countLowndes County: 2,949 countLumpkin County: 569 countMcDuffie County: 451 countMcIntosh County: 218 countMacon County: 232 countMadison County: 404 countMarion County: 106 countMeriwether County: 379 countMiller County: 184 countMitchell County: 469 countMonroe County: 547 countMontgomery County: 150 countMorgan County: 551 countMurray County: 464 countMuscogee County: 4,936 countNewton County: 1,674 countOconee County: 1,110 countOglethorpe County: 226 countPaulding County: 2,132 countPeach County: 542 countPickens County: 777 countPierce County: 380 countPike County: 278 countPolk County: 680 countPulaski County: 222 countPutnam County: 499 countQuitman County: 43 countRabun County: 512 countRandolph County: 184 countRichmond County: 4,763 countRockdale County: 2,144 countSchley County: 67 countScreven County: 275 countSeminole County: 230 countSpalding County: 1,341 countStephens County: 604 countStewart County: 94 countSumter County: 730 countTalbot County: 96 countTaliaferro County: 32 countTattnall County: 373 countTaylor County: 164 countTelfair County: 232 countTerrell County: 217 countThomas County: 1,496 countTift County: 1,190 countToombs County: 762 countTowns County: 332 countTreutlen County: 109 countTroup County: 1,609 countTurner County: 193 countTwiggs County: 101 countUnion County: 629 countUpson County: 490 countWalker County: 788 countWalton County: 1,843 countWare County: 978 countWarren County: 94 countWashington County: 410 countWayne County: 604 countWebster County: 43 countWheeler County: 87 countWhite County: 710 countWhitfield County: 2,409 countWilcox County: 112 countWilkes County: 261 countWilkinson County: 171 countWorth County: 337 count
  • Under 200
  • 200 to 300
  • 300 to 500
  • 500 to 700
  • 700 to 2,100
  • 2,100 and over
count, 2016. Source: BLS, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2016

Fulton County: 46,755 countFulton County46,755Gwinnett County: 26,824 countGwinnett County26,824Cobb County: 23,746 countCobb County23,746DeKalb County: 19,615 countDeKalb County19,615Chatham County: 8,654 countChatham County8,654Forsyth County: 6,287 countForsyth County6,287Cherokee County: 5,939 countCherokee County5,939Muscogee County: 4,936 countMuscogee County4,936Richmond County: 4,763 countRichmond County4,763Hall County: 4,662 countHall County4,662Bibb County: 4,523 countBibb County4,523Clayton County: 4,442 countClayton County4,442Henry County: 4,087 countHenry County4,087Fayette County: 3,803 countFayette County3,803Clarke County: 3,329 countClarke County3,329Lowndes County: 2,949 countLowndes County2,949Glynn County: 2,885 countGlynn County2,885Houston County: 2,865 countHouston County2,865Douglas County: 2,846 countDouglas County2,846Coweta County: 2,640 countCoweta County2,640Columbia County: 2,545 countColumbia County2,545Dougherty County: 2,538 countDougherty County2,538Whitfield County: 2,409 countWhitfield County2,409Bartow County: 2,257 countBartow County2,257Carroll County: 2,257 countCarroll County2,257Rockdale County: 2,144 countRockdale County2,144Paulding County: 2,132 countPaulding County2,132Floyd County: 2,118 countFloyd County2,118Walton County: 1,843 countWalton County1,843Newton County: 1,674 countNewton County1,674Troup County: 1,609 countTroup County1,609Bulloch County: 1,573 countBulloch County1,573Thomas County: 1,496 countThomas County1,496Jackson County: 1,460 countJackson County1,460Spalding County: 1,341 countSpalding County1,341Barrow County: 1,211 countBarrow County1,211Tift County: 1,190 countTift County1,190Laurens County: 1,120 countLaurens County1,120Oconee County: 1,110 countOconee County1,110Gordon County: 1,074 countGordon County1,074Fulton County: 46,755 countFulton County46,755Gwinnett County: 26,824 countGwinnett County26,824Cobb County: 23,746 countCobb County23,746DeKalb County: 19,615 countDeKalb County19,615Chatham County: 8,654 countChatham County8,654Forsyth County: 6,287 countForsyth County6,287Cherokee County: 5,939 countCherokee County5,939Muscogee County: 4,936 countMuscogee County4,936Richmond County: 4,763 countRichmond County4,763Hall County: 4,662 countHall County4,662Bibb County: 4,523 countBibb County4,523Clayton County: 4,442 countClayton County4,442Henry County: 4,087 countHenry County4,087Fayette County: 3,803 countFayette County3,803Clarke County: 3,329 countClarke County3,329Lowndes County: 2,949 countLowndes County2,949Glynn County: 2,885 countGlynn County2,885Houston County: 2,865 countHouston County2,865Douglas County: 2,846 countDouglas County2,846Coweta County: 2,640 countCoweta County2,640Columbia County: 2,545 countColumbia County2,545Dougherty County: 2,538 countDougherty County2,538Whitfield County: 2,409 countWhitfield County2,409Bartow County: 2,257 countBartow County2,257Carroll County: 2,257 countCarroll County2,257Rockdale County: 2,144 countRockdale County2,144Paulding County: 2,132 countPaulding County2,132Floyd County: 2,118 countFloyd County2,118Walton County: 1,843 countWalton County1,843Newton County: 1,674 countNewton County1,674Troup County: 1,609 countTroup County1,609Bulloch County: 1,573 countBulloch County1,573Thomas County: 1,496 countThomas County1,496Jackson County: 1,460 countJackson County1,460Spalding County: 1,341 countSpalding County1,341Barrow County: 1,211 countBarrow County1,211Tift County: 1,190 countTift County1,190Laurens County: 1,120 countLaurens County1,120Oconee County: 1,110 countOconee County1,110Gordon County: 1,074 countGordon County1,074
count. Source: BLS, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2016
count
Change on 2015
1Fulton County46,755+3%
2Gwinnett County26,824+3.3%
3Cobb County23,746+3.2%
4DeKalb County19,615+2.8%
5Chatham County8,654+3.3%
6Forsyth County6,287+3.2%
7Cherokee County5,939+2.1%
8Muscogee County4,936+2.2%
9Richmond County4,763+0.6%
10Hall County4,662+2.6%
11Bibb County4,523+0.4%
12Clayton County4,442+1.5%
13Henry County4,087+3.4%
14Fayette County3,803+3.7%
15Clarke County3,329+1.4%
16Lowndes County2,949+1.3%
17Glynn County2,885+2.6%
18Houston County2,865+2.4%
19Douglas County2,846+1.8%
20Coweta County2,640+5.4%
21Columbia County2,545+3.3%
22Dougherty County2,5380%
23Whitfield County2,409-0.5%
24Bartow County2,257+3.1%
24Carroll County2,257+2.8%
26Rockdale County2,144+3.1%
27Paulding County2,132+4.1%
28Floyd County2,118+0.5%
29Walton County1,843+4.4%
30Newton County1,674+5%
31Troup County1,609+1.5%
32Bulloch County1,573+1.7%
33Thomas County1,496+4.9%
34Jackson County1,460+3.8%
35Spalding County1,341+6.3%
36Barrow County1,211+2.7%
37Tift County1,190+0.9%
38Laurens County1,120+1.1%
39Oconee County1,110+5.2%
40Gordon County1,074+1.6%
41Colquitt County1,070+1.6%
42Catoosa County1,003+1.1%
43Ware County978+1.7%
44Coffee County961+1.4%
45Liberty County949+1.3%
46Camden County943+1.6%
47Habersham County918+2.5%
48Baldwin County901+1.5%
49Walker County788+2.5%
50Effingham County786+1.6%
51Pickens County777+3.1%
52Toombs County762+0.7%
53Sumter County730+1.4%
54Bryan County723+2%
55White County710+3.2%
56Decatur County692+0.3%
57Dawson County687+5.7%
58Polk County680+1.5%
59Fannin County649+3.7%
60Union County629+2.4%
61Gilmer County617+2.2%
62Crisp County609+2%
63Stephens County604+2.2%
63Wayne County604-1.1%
65Lumpkin County569+3.8%
66Morgan County551+2.2%
67Monroe County547+3.4%
68Peach County542+0.9%
69Elbert County512+1.4%
69Rabun County512+2.2%
71Haralson County505+3.3%
72Putnam County499+1%
73Harris County498+5.5%
74Grady County496+2.9%
75Greene County494-0.6%
76Lee County491+2.9%
77Upson County490+1.2%
78Franklin County481+3%
79Mitchell County469-0.4%
80Emanuel County464-4.9%
80Murray County464+0.4%
82Appling County452+3.7%
83McDuffie County451-2.4%
84Hart County447+1.8%
85Butts County424+2.7%
86Washington County4100%
87Madison County404+0.2%
88Burke County392+7.7%
89Cook County387+4.6%
90Jones County383+2.1%
91Pierce County380+1.3%
92Jefferson County379+3.6%
92Meriwether County379+1.3%
94Tattnall County373+1.1%
95Ben Hill County368+1.7%
96Dodge County367+0.8%
97Chattooga County345+4.2%
98Worth County337-0.3%
99Towns County332+0.9%
100Early County297-0.7%
101Brooks County296+2.4%
102Banks County292+2.8%
103Berrien County284-1%
104Pike County278+2.2%
105Screven County275+2.2%
106Lamar County274+4.2%
107Jeff Davis County270+2.7%
108Bacon County269+0.7%
109Evans County267+0.4%
110Wilkes County261+2%
111Dade County258+1.2%
112Candler County252+1.2%
113Brantley County237+3.9%
114Macon County232-3.7%
114Telfair County232+1.3%
116Seminole County230+2.2%
117Oglethorpe County226+2.3%
118Pulaski County222+3.7%
119Dooly County220+3.3%
120McIntosh County218+0.9%
121Terrell County217+2.8%
122Bleckley County204+3%
123Turner County193+3.8%
124Jasper County189+2.2%
125Miller County184-0.5%
125Randolph County184+1.1%
127Clinch County1790%
128Charlton County172+0.6%
129Wilkinson County171-2.8%
130Taylor County1640%
131Heard County161+1.3%
132Lincoln County160+2.6%
133Irwin County154+1.3%
134Montgomery County150+0.7%
135Crawford County144-2%
135Johnson County144+2.1%
137Jenkins County137+2.2%
138Chattahoochee County130-0.8%
138Lanier County130-1.5%
140Atkinson County124+0.8%
141Calhoun County120-3.2%
142Wilcox County112-1.8%
143Treutlen County109+1.9%
144Marion County106+2.9%
145Twiggs County101+2%
146Talbot County96+3.2%
147Stewart County94+1.1%
147Warren County94+2.2%
149Wheeler County87+3.6%
150Hancock County85-1.2%
151Long County72-2.7%
152Clay County68+13.3%
153Schley County670%
154Baker County59+5.4%
155Echols County540%
156Quitman County43+7.5%
156Webster County430%
158Glascock County40+2.6%
159Taliaferro County320%

Other periods

About this ranking

Average number of establishments with jobs covered by unemployment insurance during the year, all industries, private and government, from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. An establishment is a single place of business, such as a factory, store or office; a company with several locations has several.

Counts places of business, not firms: for firms use employer_firms. Changes in how large employers report their locations can move the count without any change in activity.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the counties are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

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. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2026). Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties (Counties in Georgia by business establishments (QCEW), 2016) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv

MLA 9

Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties, Counties in Georgia by business establishments (QCEW), 2016. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/georgia-counties?period=2016. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2026. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Counties in Georgia by business establishments (QCEW), 2016. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/georgia-counties?period=2016.

Harvard

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2026) Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties, Counties in Georgia by business establishments (QCEW), 2016 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/georgia-counties?period=2016 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_georgia_by_2016,
  author = {{U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics}},
  title = {{Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties: Counties in Georgia by business establishments (QCEW), 2016}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/georgia-counties?period=2016. Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
TI  - Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties: Counties in Georgia by business establishments (QCEW), 2016
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/georgia-counties?period=2016
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/georgia-counties?period=2016.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  - 
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Questions

Which county has the highest business establishments (QCEW)?

Fulton County, with 46,755 in 2016, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest business establishments (QCEW)?

Taliaferro County, with 32 in 2016.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Business establishments (QCEW): other rankings

Counties in Georgia: more rankings