Counties in Louisiana by business establishments (QCEW)

East Baton Rouge Parish had the highest business establishments (QCEW) of 64 counties in 2021, at 17,615. St. Helena Parish had the lowest, at 131. The median was 790 and the figure for Louisiana was 143,084. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Median79064 counties
Louisiana143,084History

Map of counties, 2021

Acadia Parish: 1,372 countAllen Parish: 451 countAscension Parish: 3,400 countAssumption Parish: 308 countAvoyelles Parish: 884 countBeauregard Parish: 791 countBienville Parish: 313 countBossier Parish: 3,217 countCaddo Parish: 7,594 countCalcasieu Parish: 5,680 countCaldwell Parish: 219 countCameron Parish: 174 countCatahoula Parish: 256 countClaiborne Parish: 288 countConcordia Parish: 461 countDe Soto Parish: 584 countEast Baton Rouge Parish: 17,615 countEast Carroll Parish: 180 countEast Feliciana Parish: 363 countEvangeline Parish: 633 countFranklin Parish: 451 countGrant Parish: 266 countIberia Parish: 1,893 countIberville Parish: 794 countJackson Parish: 293 countJefferson Parish: 15,017 countJefferson Davis Parish: 789 countLafayette Parish: 10,760 countLafourche Parish: 2,102 countLaSalle Parish: 439 countLincoln Parish: 1,377 countLivingston Parish: 2,658 countMadison Parish: 270 countMorehouse Parish: 553 countNatchitoches Parish: 975 countOrleans Parish: 15,178 countOuachita Parish: 5,034 countPlaquemines Parish: 787 countPointe Coupee Parish: 499 countRapides Parish: 3,843 countRed River Parish: 190 countRichland Parish: 538 countSabine Parish: 584 countSt. Bernard Parish: 918 countSt. Charles Parish: 1,341 countSt. Helena Parish: 131 countSt. James Parish: 443 countSt. John the Baptist Parish: 984 countSt. Landry Parish: 1,991 countSt. Martin Parish: 1,041 countSt. Mary Parish: 1,436 countSt. Tammany Parish: 9,518 countTangipahoa Parish: 3,308 countTensas Parish: 132 countTerrebonne Parish: 3,312 countUnion Parish: 430 countVermilion Parish: 1,242 countVernon Parish: 964 countWashington Parish: 816 countWebster Parish: 952 countWest Baton Rouge Parish: 769 countWest Carroll Parish: 213 countWest Feliciana Parish: 279 countWinn Parish: 329 count
  • Under 300
  • 300 to 500
  • 500 to 800
  • 800 to 1,200
  • 1,200 to 3,300
  • 3,300 and over
count, 2021. 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, 2021

East Baton Rouge Parish: 17,615 countEast Baton Rouge Parish17,615Orleans Parish: 15,178 countOrleans Parish15,178Jefferson Parish: 15,017 countJefferson Parish15,017Lafayette Parish: 10,760 countLafayette Parish10,760St. Tammany Parish: 9,518 countSt. Tammany Parish9,518Caddo Parish: 7,594 countCaddo Parish7,594Calcasieu Parish: 5,680 countCalcasieu Parish5,680Ouachita Parish: 5,034 countOuachita Parish5,034Rapides Parish: 3,843 countRapides Parish3,843Ascension Parish: 3,400 countAscension Parish3,400Terrebonne Parish: 3,312 countTerrebonne Parish3,312Tangipahoa Parish: 3,308 countTangipahoa Parish3,308Bossier Parish: 3,217 countBossier Parish3,217Livingston Parish: 2,658 countLivingston Parish2,658Lafourche Parish: 2,102 countLafourche Parish2,102St. Landry Parish: 1,991 countSt. Landry Parish1,991Iberia Parish: 1,893 countIberia Parish1,893St. Mary Parish: 1,436 countSt. Mary Parish1,436Lincoln Parish: 1,377 countLincoln Parish1,377Acadia Parish: 1,372 countAcadia Parish1,372St. Charles Parish: 1,341 countSt. Charles Parish1,341Vermilion Parish: 1,242 countVermilion Parish1,242St. Martin Parish: 1,041 countSt. Martin Parish1,041St. John the Baptist Parish: 984 countSt. John the Baptist Parish984Natchitoches Parish: 975 countNatchitoches Parish975Vernon Parish: 964 countVernon Parish964Webster Parish: 952 countWebster Parish952St. Bernard Parish: 918 countSt. Bernard Parish918Avoyelles Parish: 884 countAvoyelles Parish884Washington Parish: 816 countWashington Parish816Iberville Parish: 794 countIberville Parish794Beauregard Parish: 791 countBeauregard Parish791Jefferson Davis Parish: 789 countJefferson Davis Parish789Plaquemines Parish: 787 countPlaquemines Parish787West Baton Rouge Parish: 769 countWest Baton Rouge Parish769Evangeline Parish: 633 countEvangeline Parish633De Soto Parish: 584 countDe Soto Parish584Sabine Parish: 584 countSabine Parish584Morehouse Parish: 553 countMorehouse Parish553Richland Parish: 538 countRichland Parish538East Baton Rouge Parish: 17,615 countEast Baton Rouge Parish17,615Orleans Parish: 15,178 countOrleans Parish15,178Jefferson Parish: 15,017 countJefferson Parish15,017Lafayette Parish: 10,760 countLafayette Parish10,760St. Tammany Parish: 9,518 countSt. Tammany Parish9,518Caddo Parish: 7,594 countCaddo Parish7,594Calcasieu Parish: 5,680 countCalcasieu Parish5,680Ouachita Parish: 5,034 countOuachita Parish5,034Rapides Parish: 3,843 countRapides Parish3,843Ascension Parish: 3,400 countAscension Parish3,400Terrebonne Parish: 3,312 countTerrebonne Parish3,312Tangipahoa Parish: 3,308 countTangipahoa Parish3,308Bossier Parish: 3,217 countBossier Parish3,217Livingston Parish: 2,658 countLivingston Parish2,658Lafourche Parish: 2,102 countLafourche Parish2,102St. Landry Parish: 1,991 countSt. Landry Parish1,991Iberia Parish: 1,893 countIberia Parish1,893St. Mary Parish: 1,436 countSt. Mary Parish1,436Lincoln Parish: 1,377 countLincoln Parish1,377Acadia Parish: 1,372 countAcadia Parish1,372St. Charles Parish: 1,341 countSt. Charles Parish1,341Vermilion Parish: 1,242 countVermilion Parish1,242St. Martin Parish: 1,041 countSt. Martin Parish1,041St. John the Baptist Parish: 984 countSt. John the Baptist Parish984Natchitoches Parish: 975 countNatchitoches Parish975Vernon Parish: 964 countVernon Parish964Webster Parish: 952 countWebster Parish952St. Bernard Parish: 918 countSt. Bernard Parish918Avoyelles Parish: 884 countAvoyelles Parish884Washington Parish: 816 countWashington Parish816Iberville Parish: 794 countIberville Parish794Beauregard Parish: 791 countBeauregard Parish791Jefferson Davis Parish: 789 countJefferson Davis Parish789Plaquemines Parish: 787 countPlaquemines Parish787West Baton Rouge Parish: 769 countWest Baton Rouge Parish769Evangeline Parish: 633 countEvangeline Parish633De Soto Parish: 584 countDe Soto Parish584Sabine Parish: 584 countSabine Parish584Morehouse Parish: 553 countMorehouse Parish553Richland Parish: 538 countRichland Parish538
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

RankCounties2021
count
Change on 2020
1East Baton Rouge Parish17,615+4.5%
2Orleans Parish15,178+7%
3Jefferson Parish15,017+2.8%
4Lafayette Parish10,760+4%
5St. Tammany Parish9,518+5.1%
6Caddo Parish7,594+2.4%
7Calcasieu Parish5,680+2.2%
8Ouachita Parish5,034+2.6%
9Rapides Parish3,843+2.4%
10Ascension Parish3,400+6.4%
11Terrebonne Parish3,312+1%
12Tangipahoa Parish3,308+4.6%
13Bossier Parish3,217+3.9%
14Livingston Parish2,658+6%
15Lafourche Parish2,102+1.9%
16St. Landry Parish1,991+2.2%
17Iberia Parish1,893+1.2%
18St. Mary Parish1,436+0.3%
19Lincoln Parish1,377+4.1%
20Acadia Parish1,372+1.9%
21St. Charles Parish1,341+4.5%
22Vermilion Parish1,242+2.7%
23St. Martin Parish1,041+2.4%
24St. John the Baptist Parish984+2.8%
25Natchitoches Parish975+0.4%
26Vernon Parish964+2.3%
27Webster Parish952+1.4%
28St. Bernard Parish918+3.1%
29Avoyelles Parish884+0.8%
30Washington Parish816+1.5%
31Iberville Parish794+1.4%
32Beauregard Parish791+3.1%
33Jefferson Davis Parish789+2.5%
34Plaquemines Parish787+1.7%
35West Baton Rouge Parish769+2.7%
36Evangeline Parish633-0.6%
37De Soto Parish584+3.5%
37Sabine Parish584+0.9%
39Morehouse Parish553+1.3%
40Richland Parish538+0.4%
41Pointe Coupee Parish499+1%
42Concordia Parish461+2.2%
43Allen Parish451+2.7%
43Franklin Parish451+1.6%
45St. James Parish443+3.5%
46LaSalle Parish439-2.2%
47Union Parish430+2.9%
48East Feliciana Parish363+1.4%
49Winn Parish329-1.2%
50Bienville Parish313+2.3%
51Assumption Parish308+0.7%
52Jackson Parish293+2.1%
53Claiborne Parish288-0.3%
54West Feliciana Parish279+0.4%
55Madison Parish270-1.1%
56Grant Parish266+8.6%
57Catahoula Parish256+2%
58Caldwell Parish219+1.4%
59West Carroll Parish213-2.7%
60Red River Parish190+1.6%
61East Carroll Parish180+0.6%
62Cameron Parish174+1.2%
63Tensas Parish132-1.5%
64St. Helena Parish131-3%

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/2021/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 Louisiana by business establishments (QCEW), 2021) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2021/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 Louisiana by business establishments (QCEW), 2021. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2021/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/louisiana-counties?period=2021. 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 Louisiana by business establishments (QCEW), 2021. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2021/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/louisiana-counties?period=2021.

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 Louisiana by business establishments (QCEW), 2021 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2021/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/louisiana-counties?period=2021 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_louisiana_by_2021,
  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 Louisiana by business establishments (QCEW), 2021}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2021/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/louisiana-counties?period=2021. 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/2021/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 Louisiana by business establishments (QCEW), 2021
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2021/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/louisiana-counties?period=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/louisiana-counties?period=2021.
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/2021/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  - 
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Questions

Which county has the highest business establishments (QCEW)?

East Baton Rouge Parish, with 17,615 in 2021, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest business establishments (QCEW)?

St. Helena Parish, with 131 in 2021.

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 Louisiana: more rankings