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

Counties in Minnesota by business establishments (QCEW)

Hennepin County had the highest business establishments (QCEW) of 87 counties in 2018, at 40,361. Mahnomen County had the lowest, at 116. The median was 634 and the figure for Minnesota was 175,640. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest40,361Hennepin County
Lowest116Mahnomen County
Median63487 counties
Minnesota175,640History

Map of counties, 2018

Aitkin County: 449 countAnoka County: 7,526 countBecker County: 1,027 countBeltrami County: 1,228 countBenton County: 975 countBig Stone County: 203 countBlue Earth County: 2,053 countBrown County: 824 countCarlton County: 737 countCarver County: 2,511 countCass County: 899 countChippewa County: 437 countChisago County: 1,168 countClay County: 1,401 countClearwater County: 227 countCook County: 309 countCottonwood County: 399 countCrow Wing County: 2,172 countDakota County: 10,299 countDodge County: 459 countDouglas County: 1,420 countFaribault County: 461 countFillmore County: 678 countFreeborn County: 818 countGoodhue County: 1,350 countGrant County: 263 countHennepin County: 40,361 countHouston County: 445 countHubbard County: 619 countIsanti County: 815 countItasca County: 1,231 countJackson County: 343 countKanabec County: 323 countKandiyohi County: 1,404 countKittson County: 186 countKoochiching County: 424 countLac qui Parle County: 229 countLake County: 325 countLake of the Woods County: 169 countLe Sueur County: 732 countLincoln County: 227 countLyon County: 822 countMcLeod County: 954 countMahnomen County: 116 countMarshall County: 314 countMartin County: 686 countMeeker County: 616 countMille Lacs County: 711 countMorrison County: 973 countMower County: 844 countMurray County: 329 countNicollet County: 759 countNobles County: 634 countNorman County: 246 countOlmsted County: 3,609 countOtter Tail County: 1,794 countPennington County: 423 countPine County: 644 countPipestone County: 368 countPolk County: 989 countPope County: 350 countRamsey County: 13,858 countRed Lake County: 126 countRedwood County: 570 countRenville County: 592 countRice County: 1,601 countRock County: 305 countRoseau County: 466 countSt. Louis County: 5,376 countScott County: 3,313 countSherburne County: 2,062 countSibley County: 403 countStearns County: 4,383 countSteele County: 994 countStevens County: 348 countSwift County: 337 countTodd County: 577 countTraverse County: 148 countWabasha County: 580 countWadena County: 418 countWaseca County: 517 countWashington County: 5,814 countWatonwan County: 323 countWilkin County: 213 countWinona County: 1,187 countWright County: 3,308 countYellow Medicine County: 358 count
  • Under 300
  • 300 to 400
  • 400 to 600
  • 600 to 1,000
  • 1,000 to 1,700
  • 1,700 and over
count, 2018. 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, 2018

Hennepin County: 40,361 countHennepin County40,361Ramsey County: 13,858 countRamsey County13,858Dakota County: 10,299 countDakota County10,299Anoka County: 7,526 countAnoka County7,526Washington County: 5,814 countWashington County5,814St. Louis County: 5,376 countSt. Louis County5,376Stearns County: 4,383 countStearns County4,383Olmsted County: 3,609 countOlmsted County3,609Scott County: 3,313 countScott County3,313Wright County: 3,308 countWright County3,308Carver County: 2,511 countCarver County2,511Crow Wing County: 2,172 countCrow Wing County2,172Sherburne County: 2,062 countSherburne County2,062Blue Earth County: 2,053 countBlue Earth County2,053Otter Tail County: 1,794 countOtter Tail County1,794Rice County: 1,601 countRice County1,601Douglas County: 1,420 countDouglas County1,420Kandiyohi County: 1,404 countKandiyohi County1,404Clay County: 1,401 countClay County1,401Goodhue County: 1,350 countGoodhue County1,350Itasca County: 1,231 countItasca County1,231Beltrami County: 1,228 countBeltrami County1,228Winona County: 1,187 countWinona County1,187Chisago County: 1,168 countChisago County1,168Becker County: 1,027 countBecker County1,027Steele County: 994 countSteele County994Polk County: 989 countPolk County989Benton County: 975 countBenton County975Morrison County: 973 countMorrison County973McLeod County: 954 countMcLeod County954Cass County: 899 countCass County899Mower County: 844 countMower County844Brown County: 824 countBrown County824Lyon County: 822 countLyon County822Freeborn County: 818 countFreeborn County818Isanti County: 815 countIsanti County815Nicollet County: 759 countNicollet County759Carlton County: 737 countCarlton County737Le Sueur County: 732 countLe Sueur County732Mille Lacs County: 711 countMille Lacs County711Hennepin County: 40,361 countHennepin County40,361Ramsey County: 13,858 countRamsey County13,858Dakota County: 10,299 countDakota County10,299Anoka County: 7,526 countAnoka County7,526Washington County: 5,814 countWashington County5,814St. Louis County: 5,376 countSt. Louis County5,376Stearns County: 4,383 countStearns County4,383Olmsted County: 3,609 countOlmsted County3,609Scott County: 3,313 countScott County3,313Wright County: 3,308 countWright County3,308Carver County: 2,511 countCarver County2,511Crow Wing County: 2,172 countCrow Wing County2,172Sherburne County: 2,062 countSherburne County2,062Blue Earth County: 2,053 countBlue Earth County2,053Otter Tail County: 1,794 countOtter Tail County1,794Rice County: 1,601 countRice County1,601Douglas County: 1,420 countDouglas County1,420Kandiyohi County: 1,404 countKandiyohi County1,404Clay County: 1,401 countClay County1,401Goodhue County: 1,350 countGoodhue County1,350Itasca County: 1,231 countItasca County1,231Beltrami County: 1,228 countBeltrami County1,228Winona County: 1,187 countWinona County1,187Chisago County: 1,168 countChisago County1,168Becker County: 1,027 countBecker County1,027Steele County: 994 countSteele County994Polk County: 989 countPolk County989Benton County: 975 countBenton County975Morrison County: 973 countMorrison County973McLeod County: 954 countMcLeod County954Cass County: 899 countCass County899Mower County: 844 countMower County844Brown County: 824 countBrown County824Lyon County: 822 countLyon County822Freeborn County: 818 countFreeborn County818Isanti County: 815 countIsanti County815Nicollet County: 759 countNicollet County759Carlton County: 737 countCarlton County737Le Sueur County: 732 countLe Sueur County732Mille Lacs County: 711 countMille Lacs County711
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

RankCounties2018
count		Change on 2017
1Hennepin County40,361+4.7%
2Ramsey County13,858+4.5%
3Dakota County10,299+4.1%
4Anoka County7,526+5.6%
5Washington County5,814+5.7%
6St. Louis County5,376+2.1%
7Stearns County4,383+1.7%
8Olmsted County3,609+5.5%
9Scott County3,313+6.6%
10Wright County3,308+5.8%
11Carver County2,511+4.7%
12Crow Wing County2,172+2.8%
13Sherburne County2,062+6.6%
14Blue Earth County2,053+2.2%
15Otter Tail County1,794+2.4%
16Rice County1,601+3.4%
17Douglas County1,420+3.3%
18Kandiyohi County1,404+2.9%
19Clay County1,401+4%
20Goodhue County1,350+3.1%
21Itasca County1,231+3%
22Beltrami County1,228+2.8%
23Winona County1,187+2.7%
24Chisago County1,168+4.7%
25Becker County1,027+2.6%
26Steele County994+3.2%
27Polk County989+2.6%
28Benton County975+3.5%
29Morrison County973+4%
30McLeod County954+4.7%
31Cass County899+5.4%
32Mower County844+1%
33Brown County824+1.5%
34Lyon County822+1.4%
35Freeborn County818+2.8%
36Isanti County815+4.1%
37Nicollet County759+3.7%
38Carlton County737+2.1%
39Le Sueur County732+1.8%
40Mille Lacs County711+3.5%
41Martin County686+3%
42Fillmore County678+5.9%
43Pine County644+2.1%
44Nobles County634+3.3%
45Hubbard County619+2.5%
46Meeker County616+3.9%
47Renville County592+2.2%
48Wabasha County580+2.3%
49Todd County577+3.8%
50Redwood County570+4%
51Waseca County517+2.2%
52Roseau County466+2.4%
53Faribault County461+3.6%
54Dodge County459+3.6%
55Aitkin County449+2.7%
56Houston County445+2.3%
57Chippewa County437+1.6%
58Koochiching County424+2.7%
59Pennington County423+2.4%
60Wadena County418+2.7%
61Sibley County403+2.8%
62Cottonwood County399+3.1%
63Pipestone County368+3.7%
64Yellow Medicine County358+2.3%
65Pope County350+2.9%
66Stevens County348+3%
67Jackson County343+2.4%
68Swift County337+1.5%
69Murray County329+1.9%
70Lake County325+2.8%
71Kanabec County323+3.9%
71Watonwan County323+2.2%
73Marshall County314+3.6%
74Cook County309+3.7%
75Rock County305+2.7%
76Grant County263+1.5%
77Norman County246+3.8%
78Lac qui Parle County229+0.9%
79Clearwater County227+2.3%
79Lincoln County227+2.3%
81Wilkin County213+3.4%
82Big Stone County203-1.5%
83Kittson County1860%
84Lake of the Woods County169+2.4%
85Traverse County148+3.5%
86Red Lake County126+1.6%
87Mahnomen County116+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/2018/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), 2018) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2018/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), 2018. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2018/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/minnesota-counties?period=2018. 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), 2018. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2018/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/minnesota-counties?period=2018.

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), 2018 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2018/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/minnesota-counties?period=2018 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_minnesota_by_2018,
  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), 2018}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2018/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/minnesota-counties?period=2018. 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/2018/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), 2018
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2018/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/minnesota-counties?period=2018
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/minnesota-counties?period=2018.
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/2018/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 40,361 in 2018, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest business establishments (QCEW)?

Mahnomen County, with 116 in 2018.

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