Counties in Minnesota by business establishments (QCEW), 2025

Hennepin County had the highest business establishments (QCEW) of 87 counties in 2025, at 43,883. Mahnomen County had the lowest, at 121. The median was 701 and the figure for Minnesota was 212,524. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest43,883Hennepin County
Median70187 counties
Minnesota212,524History

Map of counties, 2025

Aitkin County: 477 countAnoka County: 8,780 countBecker County: 1,125 countBeltrami County: 1,320 countBenton County: 1,058 countBig Stone County: 223 countBlue Earth County: 2,143 countBrown County: 897 countCarlton County: 792 countCarver County: 2,855 countCass County: 955 countChippewa County: 414 countChisago County: 1,384 countClay County: 1,484 countClearwater County: 236 countCook County: 328 countCottonwood County: 435 countCrow Wing County: 2,346 countDakota County: 11,892 countDodge County: 512 countDouglas County: 1,478 countFaribault County: 484 countFillmore County: 798 countFreeborn County: 826 countGoodhue County: 1,365 countGrant County: 258 countHennepin County: 43,883 countHouston County: 478 countHubbard County: 674 countIsanti County: 975 countItasca County: 1,343 countJackson County: 362 countKanabec County: 367 countKandiyohi County: 1,438 countKittson County: 202 countKoochiching County: 420 countLac qui Parle County: 242 countLake County: 381 countLake of the Woods County: 180 countLe Sueur County: 778 countLincoln County: 225 countLyon County: 855 countMcLeod County: 1,047 countMahnomen County: 121 countMarshall County: 356 countMartin County: 712 countMeeker County: 701 countMille Lacs County: 800 countMorrison County: 1,114 countMower County: 892 countMurray County: 326 countNicollet County: 848 countNobles County: 642 countNorman County: 262 countOlmsted County: 4,036 countOtter Tail County: 1,882 countPennington County: 416 countPine County: 733 countPipestone County: 384 countPolk County: 1,038 countPope County: 379 countRamsey County: 15,186 countRed Lake County: 125 countRedwood County: 580 countRenville County: 592 countRice County: 1,764 countRock County: 325 countRoseau County: 472 countSt. Louis County: 5,529 countScott County: 3,984 countSherburne County: 2,512 countSibley County: 400 countStearns County: 4,672 countSteele County: 1,148 countStevens County: 393 countSwift County: 370 countTodd County: 628 countTraverse County: 151 countWabasha County: 603 countWadena County: 443 countWaseca County: 530 countWashington County: 7,032 countWatonwan County: 333 countWilkin County: 208 countWinona County: 1,258 countWright County: 4,014 countYellow Medicine County: 380 count
  • Under 300
  • 300 to 400
  • 400 to 700
  • 700 to 1,000
  • 1,000 to 1,800
  • 1,800 and over
count, 2025. 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, 2025

Hennepin County: 43,883 countHennepin County43,883Ramsey County: 15,186 countRamsey County15,186Dakota County: 11,892 countDakota County11,892Anoka County: 8,780 countAnoka County8,780Washington County: 7,032 countWashington County7,032St. Louis County: 5,529 countSt. Louis County5,529Stearns County: 4,672 countStearns County4,672Olmsted County: 4,036 countOlmsted County4,036Wright County: 4,014 countWright County4,014Scott County: 3,984 countScott County3,984Carver County: 2,855 countCarver County2,855Sherburne County: 2,512 countSherburne County2,512Crow Wing County: 2,346 countCrow Wing County2,346Blue Earth County: 2,143 countBlue Earth County2,143Otter Tail County: 1,882 countOtter Tail County1,882Rice County: 1,764 countRice County1,764Clay County: 1,484 countClay County1,484Douglas County: 1,478 countDouglas County1,478Kandiyohi County: 1,438 countKandiyohi County1,438Chisago County: 1,384 countChisago County1,384Goodhue County: 1,365 countGoodhue County1,365Itasca County: 1,343 countItasca County1,343Beltrami County: 1,320 countBeltrami County1,320Winona County: 1,258 countWinona County1,258Steele County: 1,148 countSteele County1,148Becker County: 1,125 countBecker County1,125Morrison County: 1,114 countMorrison County1,114Benton County: 1,058 countBenton County1,058McLeod County: 1,047 countMcLeod County1,047Polk County: 1,038 countPolk County1,038Isanti County: 975 countIsanti County975Cass County: 955 countCass County955Brown County: 897 countBrown County897Mower County: 892 countMower County892Lyon County: 855 countLyon County855Nicollet County: 848 countNicollet County848Freeborn County: 826 countFreeborn County826Mille Lacs County: 800 countMille Lacs County800Fillmore County: 798 countFillmore County798Carlton County: 792 countCarlton County792Hennepin County: 43,883 countHennepin County43,883Ramsey County: 15,186 countRamsey County15,186Dakota County: 11,892 countDakota County11,892Anoka County: 8,780 countAnoka County8,780Washington County: 7,032 countWashington County7,032St. Louis County: 5,529 countSt. Louis County5,529Stearns County: 4,672 countStearns County4,672Olmsted County: 4,036 countOlmsted County4,036Wright County: 4,014 countWright County4,014Scott County: 3,984 countScott County3,984Carver County: 2,855 countCarver County2,855Sherburne County: 2,512 countSherburne County2,512Crow Wing County: 2,346 countCrow Wing County2,346Blue Earth County: 2,143 countBlue Earth County2,143Otter Tail County: 1,882 countOtter Tail County1,882Rice County: 1,764 countRice County1,764Clay County: 1,484 countClay County1,484Douglas County: 1,478 countDouglas County1,478Kandiyohi County: 1,438 countKandiyohi County1,438Chisago County: 1,384 countChisago County1,384Goodhue County: 1,365 countGoodhue County1,365Itasca County: 1,343 countItasca County1,343Beltrami County: 1,320 countBeltrami County1,320Winona County: 1,258 countWinona County1,258Steele County: 1,148 countSteele County1,148Becker County: 1,125 countBecker County1,125Morrison County: 1,114 countMorrison County1,114Benton County: 1,058 countBenton County1,058McLeod County: 1,047 countMcLeod County1,047Polk County: 1,038 countPolk County1,038Isanti County: 975 countIsanti County975Cass County: 955 countCass County955Brown County: 897 countBrown County897Mower County: 892 countMower County892Lyon County: 855 countLyon County855Nicollet County: 848 countNicollet County848Freeborn County: 826 countFreeborn County826Mille Lacs County: 800 countMille Lacs County800Fillmore County: 798 countFillmore County798Carlton County: 792 countCarlton County792
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

RankCounties2025
count
Change on 2024
1Hennepin County43,883-2%
2Ramsey County15,186-1.8%
3Dakota County11,892-0.5%
4Anoka County8,780-0.8%
5Washington County7,032+0.3%
6St. Louis County5,529-2.1%
7Stearns County4,672-1.3%
8Olmsted County4,036-0.6%
9Wright County4,014+0.8%
10Scott County3,984-0.3%
11Carver County2,855-0.7%
12Sherburne County2,512+0.9%
13Crow Wing County2,346-1.3%
14Blue Earth County2,143-0.3%
15Otter Tail County1,882-1.4%
16Rice County1,764-1.2%
17Clay County1,484-2.4%
18Douglas County1,478-1.4%
19Kandiyohi County1,438-3.1%
20Chisago County1,384-1.2%
21Goodhue County1,365-1.7%
22Itasca County1,343-0.7%
23Beltrami County1,320-0.5%
24Winona County1,258+0.2%
25Steele County1,148+1.6%
26Becker County1,125-1.3%
27Morrison County1,114-0.7%
28Benton County1,058-0.5%
29McLeod County1,047-0.2%
30Polk County1,038+0.9%
31Isanti County975+0.8%
32Cass County955-1%
33Brown County897-0.6%
34Mower County892-0.9%
35Lyon County855-0.5%
36Nicollet County848-0.1%
37Freeborn County826-0.7%
38Mille Lacs County800+0.5%
39Fillmore County798-0.5%
40Carlton County792-2.9%
41Le Sueur County778-1.5%
42Pine County7330%
43Martin County712+1%
44Meeker County701-1%
45Hubbard County674-1.5%
46Nobles County642+0.6%
47Todd County628-0.9%
48Wabasha County603-0.8%
49Renville County592-0.3%
50Redwood County580-2%
51Waseca County530-4%
52Dodge County512+2%
53Faribault County484-1.6%
54Houston County478+1.5%
55Aitkin County477+0.2%
56Roseau County472-0.4%
57Wadena County443-1.8%
58Cottonwood County435-2.7%
59Koochiching County420-1.9%
60Pennington County416-0.5%
61Chippewa County414-2.6%
62Sibley County400-1.2%
63Stevens County393+0.8%
64Pipestone County384-3.8%
65Lake County381+0.8%
66Yellow Medicine County380-2.1%
67Pope County379-0.5%
68Swift County370+1.1%
69Kanabec County367+0.8%
70Jackson County362-1.1%
71Marshall County356+2.3%
72Watonwan County333-2.9%
73Cook County328-1.5%
74Murray County326-4.4%
75Rock County325-0.9%
76Norman County262+1.2%
77Grant County258-1.1%
78Lac qui Parle County242-1.6%
79Clearwater County236+2.2%
80Lincoln County225-0.4%
81Big Stone County223+0.9%
82Wilkin County2080%
83Kittson County202+2%
84Lake of the Woods County180-2.7%
85Traverse County151-1.9%
86Red Lake County125-0.8%
87Mahnomen County121-0.8%

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/2025/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 Minnesota by business establishments (QCEW), 2025) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/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 Minnesota by business establishments (QCEW), 2025. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/minnesota-counties. 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 Minnesota by business establishments (QCEW), 2025. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/minnesota-counties.

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 Minnesota by business establishments (QCEW), 2025 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/minnesota-counties (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_minnesota_by_2025,
  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 Minnesota by business establishments (QCEW), 2025}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/minnesota-counties. 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/2025/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 Minnesota by business establishments (QCEW), 2025
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/minnesota-counties
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/minnesota-counties.
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/2025/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  - 
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Questions

Which county has the highest business establishments (QCEW)?

Hennepin County, with 43,883 in 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest business establishments (QCEW)?

Mahnomen County, with 121 in 2025.

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 Minnesota: more rankings