Counties in Minnesota by business establishments (QCEW)

Hennepin County had the highest business establishments (QCEW) of 87 counties in 2019, at 40,467. Mahnomen County had the lowest, at 116. The median was 625 and the figure for Minnesota was 178,313. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest40,467Hennepin County
Median62587 counties
Minnesota178,313History

Map of counties, 2019

Aitkin County: 450 countAnoka County: 7,697 countBecker County: 1,031 countBeltrami County: 1,242 countBenton County: 995 countBig Stone County: 207 countBlue Earth County: 2,070 countBrown County: 820 countCarlton County: 750 countCarver County: 2,549 countCass County: 893 countChippewa County: 430 countChisago County: 1,203 countClay County: 1,386 countClearwater County: 230 countCook County: 313 countCottonwood County: 400 countCrow Wing County: 2,166 countDakota County: 10,560 countDodge County: 461 countDouglas County: 1,408 countFaribault County: 461 countFillmore County: 693 countFreeborn County: 815 countGoodhue County: 1,336 countGrant County: 262 countHennepin County: 40,467 countHouston County: 434 countHubbard County: 625 countIsanti County: 825 countItasca County: 1,240 countJackson County: 343 countKanabec County: 334 countKandiyohi County: 1,399 countKittson County: 186 countKoochiching County: 415 countLac qui Parle County: 231 countLake County: 331 countLake of the Woods County: 170 countLe Sueur County: 727 countLincoln County: 221 countLyon County: 803 countMcLeod County: 971 countMahnomen County: 116 countMarshall County: 324 countMartin County: 680 countMeeker County: 621 countMille Lacs County: 715 countMorrison County: 983 countMower County: 849 countMurray County: 324 countNicollet County: 752 countNobles County: 625 countNorman County: 242 countOlmsted County: 3,718 countOtter Tail County: 1,793 countPennington County: 409 countPine County: 665 countPipestone County: 370 countPolk County: 998 countPope County: 358 countRamsey County: 14,028 countRed Lake County: 124 countRedwood County: 573 countRenville County: 581 countRice County: 1,602 countRock County: 304 countRoseau County: 457 countSt. Louis County: 5,341 countScott County: 3,411 countSherburne County: 2,134 countSibley County: 414 countStearns County: 4,357 countSteele County: 1,014 countStevens County: 349 countSwift County: 334 countTodd County: 591 countTraverse County: 152 countWabasha County: 568 countWadena County: 429 countWaseca County: 527 countWashington County: 5,984 countWatonwan County: 325 countWilkin County: 209 countWinona County: 1,171 countWright County: 3,384 countYellow Medicine County: 364 count
  • Under 300
  • 300 to 400
  • 400 to 600
  • 600 to 1,000
  • 1,000 to 1,700
  • 1,700 and over
count, 2019. 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, 2019

Hennepin County: 40,467 countHennepin County40,467Ramsey County: 14,028 countRamsey County14,028Dakota County: 10,560 countDakota County10,560Anoka County: 7,697 countAnoka County7,697Washington County: 5,984 countWashington County5,984St. Louis County: 5,341 countSt. Louis County5,341Stearns County: 4,357 countStearns County4,357Olmsted County: 3,718 countOlmsted County3,718Scott County: 3,411 countScott County3,411Wright County: 3,384 countWright County3,384Carver County: 2,549 countCarver County2,549Crow Wing County: 2,166 countCrow Wing County2,166Sherburne County: 2,134 countSherburne County2,134Blue Earth County: 2,070 countBlue Earth County2,070Otter Tail County: 1,793 countOtter Tail County1,793Rice County: 1,602 countRice County1,602Douglas County: 1,408 countDouglas County1,408Kandiyohi County: 1,399 countKandiyohi County1,399Clay County: 1,386 countClay County1,386Goodhue County: 1,336 countGoodhue County1,336Beltrami County: 1,242 countBeltrami County1,242Itasca County: 1,240 countItasca County1,240Chisago County: 1,203 countChisago County1,203Winona County: 1,171 countWinona County1,171Becker County: 1,031 countBecker County1,031Steele County: 1,014 countSteele County1,014Polk County: 998 countPolk County998Benton County: 995 countBenton County995Morrison County: 983 countMorrison County983McLeod County: 971 countMcLeod County971Cass County: 893 countCass County893Mower County: 849 countMower County849Isanti County: 825 countIsanti County825Brown County: 820 countBrown County820Freeborn County: 815 countFreeborn County815Lyon County: 803 countLyon County803Nicollet County: 752 countNicollet County752Carlton County: 750 countCarlton County750Le Sueur County: 727 countLe Sueur County727Mille Lacs County: 715 countMille Lacs County715Hennepin County: 40,467 countHennepin County40,467Ramsey County: 14,028 countRamsey County14,028Dakota County: 10,560 countDakota County10,560Anoka County: 7,697 countAnoka County7,697Washington County: 5,984 countWashington County5,984St. Louis County: 5,341 countSt. Louis County5,341Stearns County: 4,357 countStearns County4,357Olmsted County: 3,718 countOlmsted County3,718Scott County: 3,411 countScott County3,411Wright County: 3,384 countWright County3,384Carver County: 2,549 countCarver County2,549Crow Wing County: 2,166 countCrow Wing County2,166Sherburne County: 2,134 countSherburne County2,134Blue Earth County: 2,070 countBlue Earth County2,070Otter Tail County: 1,793 countOtter Tail County1,793Rice County: 1,602 countRice County1,602Douglas County: 1,408 countDouglas County1,408Kandiyohi County: 1,399 countKandiyohi County1,399Clay County: 1,386 countClay County1,386Goodhue County: 1,336 countGoodhue County1,336Beltrami County: 1,242 countBeltrami County1,242Itasca County: 1,240 countItasca County1,240Chisago County: 1,203 countChisago County1,203Winona County: 1,171 countWinona County1,171Becker County: 1,031 countBecker County1,031Steele County: 1,014 countSteele County1,014Polk County: 998 countPolk County998Benton County: 995 countBenton County995Morrison County: 983 countMorrison County983McLeod County: 971 countMcLeod County971Cass County: 893 countCass County893Mower County: 849 countMower County849Isanti County: 825 countIsanti County825Brown County: 820 countBrown County820Freeborn County: 815 countFreeborn County815Lyon County: 803 countLyon County803Nicollet County: 752 countNicollet County752Carlton County: 750 countCarlton County750Le Sueur County: 727 countLe Sueur County727Mille Lacs County: 715 countMille Lacs County715
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

RankCounties2019
count
Change on 2018
1Hennepin County40,467+0.3%
2Ramsey County14,028+1.2%
3Dakota County10,560+2.5%
4Anoka County7,697+2.3%
5Washington County5,984+2.9%
6St. Louis County5,341-0.7%
7Stearns County4,357-0.6%
8Olmsted County3,718+3%
9Scott County3,411+3%
10Wright County3,384+2.3%
11Carver County2,549+1.5%
12Crow Wing County2,166-0.3%
13Sherburne County2,134+3.5%
14Blue Earth County2,070+0.8%
15Otter Tail County1,793-0.1%
16Rice County1,602+0.1%
17Douglas County1,408-0.8%
18Kandiyohi County1,399-0.4%
19Clay County1,386-1.1%
20Goodhue County1,336-1%
21Beltrami County1,242+1.1%
22Itasca County1,240+0.7%
23Chisago County1,203+3%
24Winona County1,171-1.3%
25Becker County1,031+0.4%
26Steele County1,014+2%
27Polk County998+0.9%
28Benton County995+2.1%
29Morrison County983+1%
30McLeod County971+1.8%
31Cass County893-0.7%
32Mower County849+0.6%
33Isanti County825+1.2%
34Brown County820-0.5%
35Freeborn County815-0.4%
36Lyon County803-2.3%
37Nicollet County752-0.9%
38Carlton County750+1.8%
39Le Sueur County727-0.7%
40Mille Lacs County715+0.6%
41Fillmore County693+2.2%
42Martin County680-0.9%
43Pine County665+3.3%
44Hubbard County625+1%
44Nobles County625-1.4%
46Meeker County621+0.8%
47Todd County591+2.4%
48Renville County581-1.9%
49Redwood County573+0.5%
50Wabasha County568-2.1%
51Waseca County527+1.9%
52Dodge County461+0.4%
52Faribault County4610%
54Roseau County457-1.9%
55Aitkin County450+0.2%
56Houston County434-2.5%
57Chippewa County430-1.6%
58Wadena County429+2.6%
59Koochiching County415-2.1%
60Sibley County414+2.7%
61Pennington County409-3.3%
62Cottonwood County400+0.3%
63Pipestone County370+0.5%
64Yellow Medicine County364+1.7%
65Pope County358+2.3%
66Stevens County349+0.3%
67Jackson County3430%
68Kanabec County334+3.4%
68Swift County334-0.9%
70Lake County331+1.8%
71Watonwan County325+0.6%
72Marshall County324+3.2%
72Murray County324-1.5%
74Cook County313+1.3%
75Rock County304-0.3%
76Grant County262-0.4%
77Norman County242-1.6%
78Lac qui Parle County231+0.9%
79Clearwater County230+1.3%
80Lincoln County221-2.6%
81Wilkin County209-1.9%
82Big Stone County207+2%
83Kittson County1860%
84Lake of the Woods County170+0.6%
85Traverse County152+2.7%
86Red Lake County124-1.6%
87Mahnomen County1160%

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/2019/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), 2019) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2019/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), 2019. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2019/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/minnesota-counties?period=2019. 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), 2019. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2019/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/minnesota-counties?period=2019.

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), 2019 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2019/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/minnesota-counties?period=2019 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_minnesota_by_2019,
  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), 2019}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2019/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/minnesota-counties?period=2019. 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/2019/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), 2019
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2019/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/minnesota-counties?period=2019
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/minnesota-counties?period=2019.
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/2019/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 40,467 in 2019, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest business establishments (QCEW)?

Mahnomen County, with 116 in 2019.

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