Counties in Minnesota by business establishments (QCEW)

Hennepin County had the highest business establishments (QCEW) of 87 counties in 2015, at 37,219. Mahnomen County had the lowest, at 115. The median was 591 and the figure for Minnesota was 160,615. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest37,219Hennepin County
Median59187 counties
Minnesota160,615History

Map of counties, 2015

Aitkin County: 426 countAnoka County: 6,695 countBecker County: 1,014 countBeltrami County: 1,158 countBenton County: 935 countBig Stone County: 203 countBlue Earth County: 1,933 countBrown County: 800 countCarlton County: 722 countCarver County: 2,223 countCass County: 817 countChippewa County: 415 countChisago County: 1,059 countClay County: 1,312 countClearwater County: 212 countCook County: 289 countCottonwood County: 389 countCrow Wing County: 2,026 countDakota County: 9,410 countDodge County: 436 countDouglas County: 1,314 countFaribault County: 438 countFillmore County: 633 countFreeborn County: 781 countGoodhue County: 1,287 countGrant County: 245 countHennepin County: 37,219 countHouston County: 421 countHubbard County: 580 countIsanti County: 744 countItasca County: 1,147 countJackson County: 340 countKanabec County: 294 countKandiyohi County: 1,313 countKittson County: 185 countKoochiching County: 412 countLac qui Parle County: 227 countLake County: 306 countLake of the Woods County: 167 countLe Sueur County: 698 countLincoln County: 223 countLyon County: 813 countMcLeod County: 926 countMahnomen County: 115 countMarshall County: 303 countMartin County: 659 countMeeker County: 573 countMille Lacs County: 680 countMorrison County: 917 countMower County: 839 countMurray County: 328 countNicollet County: 678 countNobles County: 615 countNorman County: 236 countOlmsted County: 3,279 countOtter Tail County: 1,691 countPennington County: 417 countPine County: 591 countPipestone County: 338 countPolk County: 952 countPope County: 337 countRamsey County: 12,856 countRed Lake County: 123 countRedwood County: 527 countRenville County: 562 countRice County: 1,458 countRock County: 298 countRoseau County: 436 countSt. Louis County: 5,145 countScott County: 2,883 countSherburne County: 1,827 countSibley County: 374 countStearns County: 4,134 countSteele County: 914 countStevens County: 344 countSwift County: 326 countTodd County: 540 countTraverse County: 142 countWabasha County: 586 countWadena County: 418 countWaseca County: 484 countWashington County: 5,230 countWatonwan County: 309 countWilkin County: 207 countWinona County: 1,137 countWright County: 2,965 countYellow Medicine County: 337 count
  • Under 300
  • 300 to 400
  • 400 to 600
  • 600 to 900
  • 900 to 1,600
  • 1,600 and over
count, 2015. 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, 2015

Hennepin County: 37,219 countHennepin County37,219Ramsey County: 12,856 countRamsey County12,856Dakota County: 9,410 countDakota County9,410Anoka County: 6,695 countAnoka County6,695Washington County: 5,230 countWashington County5,230St. Louis County: 5,145 countSt. Louis County5,145Stearns County: 4,134 countStearns County4,134Olmsted County: 3,279 countOlmsted County3,279Wright County: 2,965 countWright County2,965Scott County: 2,883 countScott County2,883Carver County: 2,223 countCarver County2,223Crow Wing County: 2,026 countCrow Wing County2,026Blue Earth County: 1,933 countBlue Earth County1,933Sherburne County: 1,827 countSherburne County1,827Otter Tail County: 1,691 countOtter Tail County1,691Rice County: 1,458 countRice County1,458Douglas County: 1,314 countDouglas County1,314Kandiyohi County: 1,313 countKandiyohi County1,313Clay County: 1,312 countClay County1,312Goodhue County: 1,287 countGoodhue County1,287Beltrami County: 1,158 countBeltrami County1,158Itasca County: 1,147 countItasca County1,147Winona County: 1,137 countWinona County1,137Chisago County: 1,059 countChisago County1,059Becker County: 1,014 countBecker County1,014Polk County: 952 countPolk County952Benton County: 935 countBenton County935McLeod County: 926 countMcLeod County926Morrison County: 917 countMorrison County917Steele County: 914 countSteele County914Mower County: 839 countMower County839Cass County: 817 countCass County817Lyon County: 813 countLyon County813Brown County: 800 countBrown County800Freeborn County: 781 countFreeborn County781Isanti County: 744 countIsanti County744Carlton County: 722 countCarlton County722Le Sueur County: 698 countLe Sueur County698Mille Lacs County: 680 countMille Lacs County680Nicollet County: 678 countNicollet County678Hennepin County: 37,219 countHennepin County37,219Ramsey County: 12,856 countRamsey County12,856Dakota County: 9,410 countDakota County9,410Anoka County: 6,695 countAnoka County6,695Washington County: 5,230 countWashington County5,230St. Louis County: 5,145 countSt. Louis County5,145Stearns County: 4,134 countStearns County4,134Olmsted County: 3,279 countOlmsted County3,279Wright County: 2,965 countWright County2,965Scott County: 2,883 countScott County2,883Carver County: 2,223 countCarver County2,223Crow Wing County: 2,026 countCrow Wing County2,026Blue Earth County: 1,933 countBlue Earth County1,933Sherburne County: 1,827 countSherburne County1,827Otter Tail County: 1,691 countOtter Tail County1,691Rice County: 1,458 countRice County1,458Douglas County: 1,314 countDouglas County1,314Kandiyohi County: 1,313 countKandiyohi County1,313Clay County: 1,312 countClay County1,312Goodhue County: 1,287 countGoodhue County1,287Beltrami County: 1,158 countBeltrami County1,158Itasca County: 1,147 countItasca County1,147Winona County: 1,137 countWinona County1,137Chisago County: 1,059 countChisago County1,059Becker County: 1,014 countBecker County1,014Polk County: 952 countPolk County952Benton County: 935 countBenton County935McLeod County: 926 countMcLeod County926Morrison County: 917 countMorrison County917Steele County: 914 countSteele County914Mower County: 839 countMower County839Cass County: 817 countCass County817Lyon County: 813 countLyon County813Brown County: 800 countBrown County800Freeborn County: 781 countFreeborn County781Isanti County: 744 countIsanti County744Carlton County: 722 countCarlton County722Le Sueur County: 698 countLe Sueur County698Mille Lacs County: 680 countMille Lacs County680Nicollet County: 678 countNicollet County678
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

RankCounties2015
count
Change on 2014
1Hennepin County37,219-6%
2Ramsey County12,856-3.1%
3Dakota County9,410-2.2%
4Anoka County6,695-3.3%
5Washington County5,230-1.4%
6St. Louis County5,145-1.9%
7Stearns County4,134-2.8%
8Olmsted County3,279-2.7%
9Wright County2,965-1.8%
10Scott County2,883-4.1%
11Carver County2,223-2.2%
12Crow Wing County2,026-2.8%
13Blue Earth County1,933-0.7%
14Sherburne County1,827-1.7%
15Otter Tail County1,691-3.4%
16Rice County1,458-2.2%
17Douglas County1,314-2%
18Kandiyohi County1,313-2.6%
19Clay County1,3120%
20Goodhue County1,287-3.4%
21Beltrami County1,158-2.9%
22Itasca County1,147-3.1%
23Winona County1,137-2.5%
24Chisago County1,059-5.7%
25Becker County1,014-2%
26Polk County952-1.3%
27Benton County9350%
28McLeod County926-5.9%
29Morrison County917-3.1%
30Steele County914-2.2%
31Mower County839-2.4%
32Cass County817-1.4%
33Lyon County813-1.9%
34Brown County800-0.9%
35Freeborn County781-3.5%
36Isanti County744-2.6%
37Carlton County722-3.2%
38Le Sueur County698-0.7%
39Mille Lacs County680-1.9%
40Nicollet County678+0.1%
41Martin County659-2.7%
42Fillmore County633-1.6%
43Nobles County615-1.4%
44Pine County591-3.9%
45Wabasha County586-3.5%
46Hubbard County580-1.9%
47Meeker County573-2.6%
48Renville County562-2.3%
49Todd County540-3.4%
50Redwood County527-3.8%
51Waseca County484-3.6%
52Faribault County438-3.1%
53Dodge County436-1.8%
53Roseau County436-0.2%
55Aitkin County426-2.7%
56Houston County421-1.6%
57Wadena County418-2.3%
58Pennington County417-1.4%
59Chippewa County415-3.3%
60Koochiching County412-1.2%
61Cottonwood County389-1.3%
62Sibley County374-2.3%
63Stevens County344-3.4%
64Jackson County340-4%
65Pipestone County338-2%
66Pope County337-1.7%
66Yellow Medicine County337-2%
68Murray County328-1.8%
69Swift County326-0.3%
70Watonwan County309-1%
71Lake County306-2.2%
72Marshall County303-1.9%
73Rock County298-1.7%
74Kanabec County294-0.3%
75Cook County289-3.3%
76Grant County245-2%
77Norman County236-2.1%
78Lac qui Parle County227+2.3%
79Lincoln County223-0.4%
80Clearwater County212-2.3%
81Wilkin County207-1.9%
82Big Stone County203-1.9%
83Kittson County185-0.5%
84Lake of the Woods County167-4%
85Traverse County142-1.4%
86Red Lake County123-2.4%
87Mahnomen County115+0.9%

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/2015/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), 2015) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2015/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), 2015. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2015/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/minnesota-counties?period=2015. 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), 2015. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2015/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/minnesota-counties?period=2015.

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), 2015 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2015/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/minnesota-counties?period=2015 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_minnesota_by_2015,
  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), 2015}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2015/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/minnesota-counties?period=2015. 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/2015/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), 2015
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2015/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/minnesota-counties?period=2015
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/minnesota-counties?period=2015.
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/2015/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 37,219 in 2015, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest business establishments (QCEW)?

Mahnomen County, with 115 in 2015.

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