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 2024, at 137,804. Pope County had the lowest, at 48. The median was 577 and the figure for Illinois was 396,712. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest137,804Cook County
Lowest48Pope County
Median577102 counties
Illinois396,712History

Map of counties, 2024

Adams County: 1,747 countAlexander County: 96 countBond County: 320 countBoone County: 880 countBrown County: 132 countBureau County: 771 countCalhoun County: 92 countCarroll County: 405 countCass County: 266 countChampaign County: 4,160 countChristian County: 706 countClark County: 337 countClay County: 314 countClinton County: 940 countColes County: 1,032 countCook County: 137,804 countCrawford County: 424 countCumberland County: 188 countDeKalb County: 1,988 countDe Witt County: 346 countDouglas County: 603 countDuPage County: 33,915 countEdgar County: 351 countEdwards County: 147 countEffingham County: 1,237 countFayette County: 460 countFord County: 367 countFranklin County: 705 countFulton County: 655 countGallatin County: 125 countGreene County: 246 countGrundy County: 1,204 countHamilton County: 210 countHancock County: 412 countHardin County: 57 countHenderson County: 143 countHenry County: 1,020 countIroquois County: 675 countJackson County: 1,137 countJasper County: 240 countJefferson County: 858 countJersey County: 389 countJo Daviess County: 742 countJohnson County: 196 countKane County: 12,855 countKankakee County: 2,200 countKendall County: 2,463 countKnox County: 980 countLake County: 19,967 countLaSalle County: 2,450 countLawrence County: 258 countLee County: 692 countLivingston County: 865 countLogan County: 558 countMcDonough County: 550 countMcHenry County: 7,928 countMcLean County: 3,357 countMacon County: 1,981 countMacoupin County: 887 countMadison County: 5,398 countMarion County: 796 countMarshall County: 257 countMason County: 298 countMassac County: 198 countMenard County: 229 countMercer County: 306 countMonroe County: 827 countMontgomery County: 697 countMorgan County: 714 countMoultrie County: 342 countOgle County: 1,030 countPeoria County: 3,972 countPerry County: 328 countPiatt County: 382 countPike County: 411 countPope County: 48 countPulaski County: 105 countPutnam County: 165 countRandolph County: 596 countRichland County: 392 countRock Island County: 2,880 countSt. Clair County: 4,856 countSaline County: 503 countSangamon County: 4,970 countSchuyler County: 163 countScott County: 101 countShelby County: 468 countStark County: 148 countStephenson County: 1,019 countTazewell County: 2,560 countUnion County: 329 countVermilion County: 1,313 countWabash County: 276 countWarren County: 378 countWashington County: 401 countWayne County: 379 countWhite County: 343 countWhiteside County: 1,185 countWill County: 15,924 countWilliamson County: 1,404 countWinnebago County: 5,870 countWoodford County: 803 count
  • Under 1,000
  • 1,000 to 2,000
  • 2,000 and over
count, 2024. 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, 2024

Cook County: 137,804 countCook County137,804DuPage County: 33,915 countDuPage County33,915Lake County: 19,967 countLake County19,967Will County: 15,924 countWill County15,924Kane County: 12,855 countKane County12,855McHenry County: 7,928 countMcHenry County7,928Winnebago County: 5,870 countWinnebago County5,870Madison County: 5,398 countMadison County5,398Sangamon County: 4,970 countSangamon County4,970St. Clair County: 4,856 countSt. Clair County4,856Champaign County: 4,160 countChampaign County4,160Peoria County: 3,972 countPeoria County3,972McLean County: 3,357 countMcLean County3,357Rock Island County: 2,880 countRock Island County2,880Tazewell County: 2,560 countTazewell County2,560Kendall County: 2,463 countKendall County2,463LaSalle County: 2,450 countLaSalle County2,450Kankakee County: 2,200 countKankakee County2,200DeKalb County: 1,988 countDeKalb County1,988Macon County: 1,981 countMacon County1,981Adams County: 1,747 countAdams County1,747Williamson County: 1,404 countWilliamson County1,404Vermilion County: 1,313 countVermilion County1,313Effingham County: 1,237 countEffingham County1,237Grundy County: 1,204 countGrundy County1,204Whiteside County: 1,185 countWhiteside County1,185Jackson County: 1,137 countJackson County1,137Coles County: 1,032 countColes County1,032Ogle County: 1,030 countOgle County1,030Henry County: 1,020 countHenry County1,020Stephenson County: 1,019 countStephenson County1,019Knox County: 980 countKnox County980Clinton County: 940 countClinton County940Macoupin County: 887 countMacoupin County887Boone County: 880 countBoone County880Livingston County: 865 countLivingston County865Jefferson County: 858 countJefferson County858Monroe County: 827 countMonroe County827Woodford County: 803 countWoodford County803Marion County: 796 countMarion County796Cook County: 137,804 countCook County137,804DuPage County: 33,915 countDuPage County33,915Lake County: 19,967 countLake County19,967Will County: 15,924 countWill County15,924Kane County: 12,855 countKane County12,855McHenry County: 7,928 countMcHenry County7,928Winnebago County: 5,870 countWinnebago County5,870Madison County: 5,398 countMadison County5,398Sangamon County: 4,970 countSangamon County4,970St. Clair County: 4,856 countSt. Clair County4,856Champaign County: 4,160 countChampaign County4,160Peoria County: 3,972 countPeoria County3,972McLean County: 3,357 countMcLean County3,357Rock Island County: 2,880 countRock Island County2,880Tazewell County: 2,560 countTazewell County2,560Kendall County: 2,463 countKendall County2,463LaSalle County: 2,450 countLaSalle County2,450Kankakee County: 2,200 countKankakee County2,200DeKalb County: 1,988 countDeKalb County1,988Macon County: 1,981 countMacon County1,981Adams County: 1,747 countAdams County1,747Williamson County: 1,404 countWilliamson County1,404Vermilion County: 1,313 countVermilion County1,313Effingham County: 1,237 countEffingham County1,237Grundy County: 1,204 countGrundy County1,204Whiteside County: 1,185 countWhiteside County1,185Jackson County: 1,137 countJackson County1,137Coles County: 1,032 countColes County1,032Ogle County: 1,030 countOgle County1,030Henry County: 1,020 countHenry County1,020Stephenson County: 1,019 countStephenson County1,019Knox County: 980 countKnox County980Clinton County: 940 countClinton County940Macoupin County: 887 countMacoupin County887Boone County: 880 countBoone County880Livingston County: 865 countLivingston County865Jefferson County: 858 countJefferson County858Monroe County: 827 countMonroe County827Woodford County: 803 countWoodford County803Marion County: 796 countMarion County796
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

RankCounties2024
count		Change on 2023
1Cook County137,804-1.2%
2DuPage County33,915-1.6%
3Lake County19,967-1%
4Will County15,924-0.3%
5Kane County12,855-0.2%
6McHenry County7,928+0.3%
7Winnebago County5,870-1%
8Madison County5,398+0.6%
9Sangamon County4,970+0.9%
10St. Clair County4,856-0.9%
11Champaign County4,160-0.3%
12Peoria County3,972-0.9%
13McLean County3,357+0.7%
14Rock Island County2,880-1.4%
15Tazewell County2,560-0.4%
16Kendall County2,463+1.7%
17LaSalle County2,450-1.1%
18Kankakee County2,200-1.3%
19DeKalb County1,988+0.1%
20Macon County1,981-0.2%
21Adams County1,747-0.4%
22Williamson County1,404+1.3%
23Vermilion County1,313-0.3%
24Effingham County1,237+0.7%
25Grundy County1,204+0.8%
26Whiteside County1,185-0.3%
27Jackson County1,137+0.5%
28Coles County1,032-0.1%
29Ogle County1,030-0.7%
30Henry County1,020-0.2%
31Stephenson County1,019-0.3%
32Knox County980-0.6%
33Clinton County940+1.5%
34Macoupin County887-0.3%
35Boone County880+0.7%
36Livingston County865+0.7%
37Jefferson County858+0.5%
38Monroe County827-0.7%
39Woodford County803+2%
40Marion County796-2%
41Bureau County771-1%
42Jo Daviess County742-0.5%
43Morgan County714+0.3%
44Christian County706-2.4%
45Franklin County705-1%
46Montgomery County697-1.3%
47Lee County692-0.9%
48Iroquois County675-3.2%
49Fulton County655-0.8%
50Douglas County603-0.8%
51Randolph County596-2.1%
52Logan County558+1.6%
53McDonough County550-1.6%
54Saline County503+0.8%
55Shelby County468-1.5%
56Fayette County460-0.6%
57Crawford County424+1%
58Hancock County412-1%
59Pike County411+0.5%
60Carroll County405-0.7%
61Washington County401-0.7%
62Richland County392-2%
63Jersey County389-2.3%
64Piatt County382+0.8%
65Wayne County379-2.3%
66Warren County3780%
67Ford County367+1.7%
68Edgar County351+0.3%
69De Witt County346-2.8%
70White County3430%
71Moultrie County342+3.3%
72Clark County337+3.7%
73Union County329+0.9%
74Perry County328+2.5%
75Bond County320+3.9%
76Clay County314+1.6%
77Mercer County306-1.3%
78Mason County298-1.7%
79Wabash County276+1.8%
80Cass County266-1.1%
81Lawrence County258+1.6%
82Marshall County257+1.2%
83Greene County246+2.1%
84Jasper County240+1.7%
85Menard County229+5.5%
86Hamilton County210+2.4%
87Massac County198-2%
88Johnson County196+3.2%
89Cumberland County188+2.2%
90Putnam County165-1.8%
91Schuyler County163-5.2%
92Stark County148+5%
93Edwards County147-1.3%
94Henderson County1430%
95Brown County1320%
96Gallatin County125-0.8%
97Pulaski County105-0.9%
98Scott County101+3.1%
99Alexander County96+4.3%
100Calhoun County92-1.1%
101Hardin County57-5%
102Pope County48+4.3%

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/2024/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), 2024) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2024/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), 2024. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2024/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/illinois-counties?period=2024. 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), 2024. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2024/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/illinois-counties?period=2024.

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), 2024 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2024/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/illinois-counties?period=2024 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_illinois_by_2024,
  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), 2024}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2024/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/illinois-counties?period=2024. 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/2024/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), 2024
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2024/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/illinois-counties?period=2024
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/illinois-counties?period=2024.
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/2024/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 137,804 in 2024, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest business establishments (QCEW)?

Pope County, with 48 in 2024.

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