Counties in Minnesota by business establishments (QCEW)

Hennepin County had the highest business establishments (QCEW) of 87 counties in 2020, at 41,270. Mahnomen County had the lowest, at 114. The median was 629 and the figure for Minnesota was 181,960. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest41,270Hennepin County
Median62987 counties
Minnesota181,960History

Map of counties, 2020

Aitkin County: 464 countAnoka County: 7,893 countBecker County: 1,048 countBeltrami County: 1,252 countBenton County: 1,019 countBig Stone County: 207 countBlue Earth County: 2,075 countBrown County: 838 countCarlton County: 752 countCarver County: 2,571 countCass County: 891 countChippewa County: 424 countChisago County: 1,224 countClay County: 1,404 countClearwater County: 225 countCook County: 315 countCottonwood County: 423 countCrow Wing County: 2,194 countDakota County: 10,784 countDodge County: 456 countDouglas County: 1,417 countFaribault County: 467 countFillmore County: 709 countFreeborn County: 823 countGoodhue County: 1,328 countGrant County: 260 countHennepin County: 41,270 countHouston County: 436 countHubbard County: 629 countIsanti County: 861 countItasca County: 1,261 countJackson County: 353 countKanabec County: 337 countKandiyohi County: 1,414 countKittson County: 185 countKoochiching County: 414 countLac qui Parle County: 227 countLake County: 335 countLake of the Woods County: 174 countLe Sueur County: 741 countLincoln County: 216 countLyon County: 806 countMcLeod County: 978 countMahnomen County: 114 countMarshall County: 328 countMartin County: 686 countMeeker County: 621 countMille Lacs County: 718 countMorrison County: 1,012 countMower County: 866 countMurray County: 321 countNicollet County: 756 countNobles County: 621 countNorman County: 245 countOlmsted County: 3,816 countOtter Tail County: 1,832 countPennington County: 415 countPine County: 678 countPipestone County: 372 countPolk County: 1,007 countPope County: 370 countRamsey County: 14,202 countRed Lake County: 128 countRedwood County: 571 countRenville County: 578 countRice County: 1,638 countRock County: 312 countRoseau County: 454 countSt. Louis County: 5,391 countScott County: 3,518 countSherburne County: 2,205 countSibley County: 408 countStearns County: 4,387 countSteele County: 1,055 countStevens County: 356 countSwift County: 338 countTodd County: 607 countTraverse County: 152 countWabasha County: 571 countWadena County: 430 countWaseca County: 540 countWashington County: 6,184 countWatonwan County: 333 countWilkin County: 204 countWinona County: 1,188 countWright County: 3,485 countYellow Medicine County: 362 count
  • Under 300
  • 300 to 400
  • 400 to 600
  • 600 to 1,000
  • 1,000 to 1,800
  • 1,800 and over
count, 2020. 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, 2020

Hennepin County: 41,270 countHennepin County41,270Ramsey County: 14,202 countRamsey County14,202Dakota County: 10,784 countDakota County10,784Anoka County: 7,893 countAnoka County7,893Washington County: 6,184 countWashington County6,184St. Louis County: 5,391 countSt. Louis County5,391Stearns County: 4,387 countStearns County4,387Olmsted County: 3,816 countOlmsted County3,816Scott County: 3,518 countScott County3,518Wright County: 3,485 countWright County3,485Carver County: 2,571 countCarver County2,571Sherburne County: 2,205 countSherburne County2,205Crow Wing County: 2,194 countCrow Wing County2,194Blue Earth County: 2,075 countBlue Earth County2,075Otter Tail County: 1,832 countOtter Tail County1,832Rice County: 1,638 countRice County1,638Douglas County: 1,417 countDouglas County1,417Kandiyohi County: 1,414 countKandiyohi County1,414Clay County: 1,404 countClay County1,404Goodhue County: 1,328 countGoodhue County1,328Itasca County: 1,261 countItasca County1,261Beltrami County: 1,252 countBeltrami County1,252Chisago County: 1,224 countChisago County1,224Winona County: 1,188 countWinona County1,188Steele County: 1,055 countSteele County1,055Becker County: 1,048 countBecker County1,048Benton County: 1,019 countBenton County1,019Morrison County: 1,012 countMorrison County1,012Polk County: 1,007 countPolk County1,007McLeod County: 978 countMcLeod County978Cass County: 891 countCass County891Mower County: 866 countMower County866Isanti County: 861 countIsanti County861Brown County: 838 countBrown County838Freeborn County: 823 countFreeborn County823Lyon County: 806 countLyon County806Nicollet County: 756 countNicollet County756Carlton County: 752 countCarlton County752Le Sueur County: 741 countLe Sueur County741Mille Lacs County: 718 countMille Lacs County718Hennepin County: 41,270 countHennepin County41,270Ramsey County: 14,202 countRamsey County14,202Dakota County: 10,784 countDakota County10,784Anoka County: 7,893 countAnoka County7,893Washington County: 6,184 countWashington County6,184St. Louis County: 5,391 countSt. Louis County5,391Stearns County: 4,387 countStearns County4,387Olmsted County: 3,816 countOlmsted County3,816Scott County: 3,518 countScott County3,518Wright County: 3,485 countWright County3,485Carver County: 2,571 countCarver County2,571Sherburne County: 2,205 countSherburne County2,205Crow Wing County: 2,194 countCrow Wing County2,194Blue Earth County: 2,075 countBlue Earth County2,075Otter Tail County: 1,832 countOtter Tail County1,832Rice County: 1,638 countRice County1,638Douglas County: 1,417 countDouglas County1,417Kandiyohi County: 1,414 countKandiyohi County1,414Clay County: 1,404 countClay County1,404Goodhue County: 1,328 countGoodhue County1,328Itasca County: 1,261 countItasca County1,261Beltrami County: 1,252 countBeltrami County1,252Chisago County: 1,224 countChisago County1,224Winona County: 1,188 countWinona County1,188Steele County: 1,055 countSteele County1,055Becker County: 1,048 countBecker County1,048Benton County: 1,019 countBenton County1,019Morrison County: 1,012 countMorrison County1,012Polk County: 1,007 countPolk County1,007McLeod County: 978 countMcLeod County978Cass County: 891 countCass County891Mower County: 866 countMower County866Isanti County: 861 countIsanti County861Brown County: 838 countBrown County838Freeborn County: 823 countFreeborn County823Lyon County: 806 countLyon County806Nicollet County: 756 countNicollet County756Carlton County: 752 countCarlton County752Le Sueur County: 741 countLe Sueur County741Mille Lacs County: 718 countMille Lacs County718
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

RankCounties2020
count
Change on 2019
1Hennepin County41,270+2%
2Ramsey County14,202+1.2%
3Dakota County10,784+2.1%
4Anoka County7,893+2.5%
5Washington County6,184+3.3%
6St. Louis County5,391+0.9%
7Stearns County4,387+0.7%
8Olmsted County3,816+2.6%
9Scott County3,518+3.1%
10Wright County3,485+3%
11Carver County2,571+0.9%
12Sherburne County2,205+3.3%
13Crow Wing County2,194+1.3%
14Blue Earth County2,075+0.2%
15Otter Tail County1,832+2.2%
16Rice County1,638+2.2%
17Douglas County1,417+0.6%
18Kandiyohi County1,414+1.1%
19Clay County1,404+1.3%
20Goodhue County1,328-0.6%
21Itasca County1,261+1.7%
22Beltrami County1,252+0.8%
23Chisago County1,224+1.7%
24Winona County1,188+1.5%
25Steele County1,055+4%
26Becker County1,048+1.6%
27Benton County1,019+2.4%
28Morrison County1,012+3%
29Polk County1,007+0.9%
30McLeod County978+0.7%
31Cass County891-0.2%
32Mower County866+2%
33Isanti County861+4.4%
34Brown County838+2.2%
35Freeborn County823+1%
36Lyon County806+0.4%
37Nicollet County756+0.5%
38Carlton County752+0.3%
39Le Sueur County741+1.9%
40Mille Lacs County718+0.4%
41Fillmore County709+2.3%
42Martin County686+0.9%
43Pine County678+2%
44Hubbard County629+0.6%
45Meeker County6210%
45Nobles County621-0.6%
47Todd County607+2.7%
48Renville County578-0.5%
49Redwood County571-0.3%
49Wabasha County571+0.5%
51Waseca County540+2.5%
52Faribault County467+1.3%
53Aitkin County464+3.1%
54Dodge County456-1.1%
55Roseau County454-0.7%
56Houston County436+0.5%
57Wadena County430+0.2%
58Chippewa County424-1.4%
59Cottonwood County423+5.8%
60Pennington County415+1.5%
61Koochiching County414-0.2%
62Sibley County408-1.4%
63Pipestone County372+0.5%
64Pope County370+3.4%
65Yellow Medicine County362-0.5%
66Stevens County356+2%
67Jackson County353+2.9%
68Swift County338+1.2%
69Kanabec County337+0.9%
70Lake County335+1.2%
71Watonwan County333+2.5%
72Marshall County328+1.2%
73Murray County321-0.9%
74Cook County315+0.6%
75Rock County312+2.6%
76Grant County260-0.8%
77Norman County245+1.2%
78Lac qui Parle County227-1.7%
79Clearwater County225-2.2%
80Lincoln County216-2.3%
81Big Stone County2070%
82Wilkin County204-2.4%
83Kittson County185-0.5%
84Lake of the Woods County174+2.4%
85Traverse County1520%
86Red Lake County128+3.2%
87Mahnomen County114-1.7%

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/2020/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), 2020) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2020/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), 2020. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2020/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/minnesota-counties?period=2020. 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), 2020. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2020/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/minnesota-counties?period=2020.

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), 2020 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2020/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/minnesota-counties?period=2020 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_minnesota_by_2020,
  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), 2020}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2020/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/minnesota-counties?period=2020. 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/2020/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), 2020
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2020/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/minnesota-counties?period=2020
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/minnesota-counties?period=2020.
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/2020/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 41,270 in 2020, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest business establishments (QCEW)?

Mahnomen County, with 114 in 2020.

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