Data / Rankings / Business establishments (QCEW) / Counties in Illinois

Counties in Illinois by business establishments (QCEW)

Cook County had the highest business establishments (QCEW) of 102 counties in 2014, at 157,650. Pope County had the lowest, at 63. The median was 683 and the figure for Illinois was 413,479. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest157,650Cook County
Lowest63Pope County
Median683102 counties
Illinois413,479History

Map of counties, 2014

Adams County: 1,922 countAlexander County: 126 countBond County: 346 countBoone County: 979 countBrown County: 151 countBureau County: 924 countCalhoun County: 119 countCarroll County: 489 countCass County: 340 countChampaign County: 4,465 countChristian County: 830 countClark County: 375 countClay County: 405 countClinton County: 933 countColes County: 1,243 countCook County: 157,650 countCrawford County: 484 countCumberland County: 217 countDeKalb County: 2,228 countDe Witt County: 453 countDouglas County: 665 countDuPage County: 38,940 countEdgar County: 435 countEdwards County: 166 countEffingham County: 1,262 countFayette County: 560 countFord County: 417 countFranklin County: 870 countFulton County: 776 countGallatin County: 154 countGreene County: 305 countGrundy County: 1,271 countHamilton County: 233 countHancock County: 475 countHardin County: 74 countHenderson County: 148 countHenry County: 1,158 countIroquois County: 877 countJackson County: 1,391 countJasper County: 254 countJefferson County: 1,017 countJersey County: 460 countJo Daviess County: 824 countJohnson County: 208 countKane County: 14,005 countKankakee County: 2,602 countKendall County: 2,375 countKnox County: 1,189 countLake County: 23,151 countLaSalle County: 2,908 countLawrence County: 316 countLee County: 797 countLivingston County: 946 countLogan County: 670 countMcDonough County: 695 countMcHenry County: 9,041 countMcLean County: 3,933 countMacon County: 2,507 countMacoupin County: 1,061 countMadison County: 6,205 countMarion County: 978 countMarshall County: 299 countMason County: 354 countMassac County: 242 countMenard County: 270 countMercer County: 330 countMonroe County: 837 countMontgomery County: 779 countMorgan County: 871 countMoultrie County: 385 countOgle County: 1,212 countPeoria County: 4,807 countPerry County: 414 countPiatt County: 391 countPike County: 497 countPope County: 63 countPulaski County: 131 countPutnam County: 186 countRandolph County: 730 countRichland County: 471 countRock Island County: 3,466 countSt. Clair County: 5,702 countSaline County: 612 countSangamon County: 5,434 countSchuyler County: 176 countScott County: 112 countShelby County: 515 countStark County: 156 countStephenson County: 1,188 countTazewell County: 2,883 countUnion County: 391 countVermilion County: 1,636 countWabash County: 315 countWarren County: 413 countWashington County: 440 countWayne County: 443 countWhite County: 419 countWhiteside County: 1,367 countWill County: 16,282 countWilliamson County: 1,613 countWinnebago County: 6,947 countWoodford County: 852 count
  • Under 1,000
  • 1,000 to 3,000
  • 3,000 and over
count, 2014. 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, 2014

Cook County: 157,650 countCook County157,650DuPage County: 38,940 countDuPage County38,940Lake County: 23,151 countLake County23,151Will County: 16,282 countWill County16,282Kane County: 14,005 countKane County14,005McHenry County: 9,041 countMcHenry County9,041Winnebago County: 6,947 countWinnebago County6,947Madison County: 6,205 countMadison County6,205St. Clair County: 5,702 countSt. Clair County5,702Sangamon County: 5,434 countSangamon County5,434Peoria County: 4,807 countPeoria County4,807Champaign County: 4,465 countChampaign County4,465McLean County: 3,933 countMcLean County3,933Rock Island County: 3,466 countRock Island County3,466LaSalle County: 2,908 countLaSalle County2,908Tazewell County: 2,883 countTazewell County2,883Kankakee County: 2,602 countKankakee County2,602Macon County: 2,507 countMacon County2,507Kendall County: 2,375 countKendall County2,375DeKalb County: 2,228 countDeKalb County2,228Adams County: 1,922 countAdams County1,922Vermilion County: 1,636 countVermilion County1,636Williamson County: 1,613 countWilliamson County1,613Jackson County: 1,391 countJackson County1,391Whiteside County: 1,367 countWhiteside County1,367Grundy County: 1,271 countGrundy County1,271Effingham County: 1,262 countEffingham County1,262Coles County: 1,243 countColes County1,243Ogle County: 1,212 countOgle County1,212Knox County: 1,189 countKnox County1,189Stephenson County: 1,188 countStephenson County1,188Henry County: 1,158 countHenry County1,158Macoupin County: 1,061 countMacoupin County1,061Jefferson County: 1,017 countJefferson County1,017Boone County: 979 countBoone County979Marion County: 978 countMarion County978Livingston County: 946 countLivingston County946Clinton County: 933 countClinton County933Bureau County: 924 countBureau County924Iroquois County: 877 countIroquois County877Cook County: 157,650 countCook County157,650DuPage County: 38,940 countDuPage County38,940Lake County: 23,151 countLake County23,151Will County: 16,282 countWill County16,282Kane County: 14,005 countKane County14,005McHenry County: 9,041 countMcHenry County9,041Winnebago County: 6,947 countWinnebago County6,947Madison County: 6,205 countMadison County6,205St. Clair County: 5,702 countSt. Clair County5,702Sangamon County: 5,434 countSangamon County5,434Peoria County: 4,807 countPeoria County4,807Champaign County: 4,465 countChampaign County4,465McLean County: 3,933 countMcLean County3,933Rock Island County: 3,466 countRock Island County3,466LaSalle County: 2,908 countLaSalle County2,908Tazewell County: 2,883 countTazewell County2,883Kankakee County: 2,602 countKankakee County2,602Macon County: 2,507 countMacon County2,507Kendall County: 2,375 countKendall County2,375DeKalb County: 2,228 countDeKalb County2,228Adams County: 1,922 countAdams County1,922Vermilion County: 1,636 countVermilion County1,636Williamson County: 1,613 countWilliamson County1,613Jackson County: 1,391 countJackson County1,391Whiteside County: 1,367 countWhiteside County1,367Grundy County: 1,271 countGrundy County1,271Effingham County: 1,262 countEffingham County1,262Coles County: 1,243 countColes County1,243Ogle County: 1,212 countOgle County1,212Knox County: 1,189 countKnox County1,189Stephenson County: 1,188 countStephenson County1,188Henry County: 1,158 countHenry County1,158Macoupin County: 1,061 countMacoupin County1,061Jefferson County: 1,017 countJefferson County1,017Boone County: 979 countBoone County979Marion County: 978 countMarion County978Livingston County: 946 countLivingston County946Clinton County: 933 countClinton County933Bureau County: 924 countBureau County924Iroquois County: 877 countIroquois County877
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

RankCounties2014
count		Change on 2013
1Cook County157,650+3.4%
2DuPage County38,940+2.9%
3Lake County23,151+2.8%
4Will County16,282+4.1%
5Kane County14,005+3%
6McHenry County9,041+3.1%
7Winnebago County6,947+1.4%
8Madison County6,205+2.2%
9St. Clair County5,702+0.3%
10Sangamon County5,434+1.8%
11Peoria County4,807+2%
12Champaign County4,465+2.4%
13McLean County3,933+1.9%
14Rock Island County3,466+0.7%
15LaSalle County2,908+1.6%
16Tazewell County2,883+1.7%
17Kankakee County2,602+2.2%
18Macon County2,507+1.1%
19Kendall County2,375+4.5%
20DeKalb County2,228+1.7%
21Adams County1,922+1.4%
22Vermilion County1,636+0.9%
23Williamson County1,613+1.7%
24Jackson County1,391+0.5%
25Whiteside County1,367+1%
26Grundy County1,271+1.4%
27Effingham County1,262+2.4%
28Coles County1,243+1.3%
29Ogle County1,212+3.3%
30Knox County1,189+1.5%
31Stephenson County1,188+1.1%
32Henry County1,158+1.7%
33Macoupin County1,061+1.6%
34Jefferson County1,017+1.1%
35Boone County979+1.6%
36Marion County978+1%
37Livingston County946+0.5%
38Clinton County933+1.7%
39Bureau County924+0.8%
40Iroquois County877+2%
41Morgan County871-0.1%
42Franklin County870+1.4%
43Woodford County852+3.6%
44Monroe County837+1.5%
45Christian County830+0.4%
46Jo Daviess County824+0.9%
47Lee County797+0.3%
48Montgomery County779+0.9%
49Fulton County776+0.3%
50Randolph County730+1.5%
51McDonough County6950%
52Logan County670+1.7%
53Douglas County665+1.7%
54Saline County612-0.6%
55Fayette County560+2.4%
56Shelby County515+2.2%
57Pike County497+1%
58Carroll County489+1%
59Crawford County484+0.8%
60Hancock County475+0.2%
61Richland County471+1.3%
62Jersey County460+0.9%
63De Witt County453+3%
64Wayne County443+2.1%
65Washington County440+3%
66Edgar County435+1.6%
67White County419+1%
68Ford County417-0.5%
69Perry County414+0.2%
70Warren County413+1%
71Clay County405+2.8%
72Piatt County391+2.6%
72Union County391+2.4%
74Moultrie County385+4.9%
75Clark County375+1.9%
76Mason County354-0.3%
77Bond County346+0.9%
78Cass County340+0.6%
79Mercer County330+2.2%
80Lawrence County3160%
81Wabash County315+1.6%
82Greene County305-0.7%
83Marshall County299+0.7%
84Menard County270+2.7%
85Jasper County2540%
86Massac County242-2.4%
87Hamilton County233+4%
88Cumberland County217+1.9%
89Johnson County208-1.4%
90Putnam County186+3.9%
91Schuyler County176+0.6%
92Edwards County166-1.8%
93Stark County156+2.6%
94Gallatin County154+2.7%
95Brown County151+1.3%
96Henderson County148+1.4%
97Pulaski County131+1.6%
98Alexander County126-6%
99Calhoun County119+1.7%
100Scott County112+1.8%
101Hardin County74+5.7%
102Pope County63+3.3%

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/2014/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 Illinois by business establishments (QCEW), 2014) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2014/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 Illinois by business establishments (QCEW), 2014. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2014/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/illinois-counties?period=2014. 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 Illinois by business establishments (QCEW), 2014. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2014/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/illinois-counties?period=2014.

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 Illinois by business establishments (QCEW), 2014 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2014/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/illinois-counties?period=2014 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_illinois_by_2014,
  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 Illinois by business establishments (QCEW), 2014}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2014/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/illinois-counties?period=2014. 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/2014/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 Illinois by business establishments (QCEW), 2014
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2014/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/illinois-counties?period=2014
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/illinois-counties?period=2014.
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/2014/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Rank Counties in Illinois by business establishments (QCEW) using official data, and cite the source.
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Questions

Which county has the highest business establishments (QCEW)?

Cook County, with 157,650 in 2014, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest business establishments (QCEW)?

Pope County, with 63 in 2014.

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 Illinois: more rankings