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 2021, at 41,759. Mahnomen County had the lowest, at 113. The median was 626 and the figure for Minnesota was 185,787. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest41,759Hennepin County
Lowest113Mahnomen County
Median62687 counties
Minnesota185,787History

Map of counties, 2021

Aitkin County: 468 countAnoka County: 8,035 countBecker County: 1,070 countBeltrami County: 1,260 countBenton County: 1,017 countBig Stone County: 206 countBlue Earth County: 2,066 countBrown County: 860 countCarlton County: 759 countCarver County: 2,626 countCass County: 910 countChippewa County: 418 countChisago County: 1,271 countClay County: 1,415 countClearwater County: 226 countCook County: 317 countCottonwood County: 429 countCrow Wing County: 2,228 countDakota County: 10,886 countDodge County: 457 countDouglas County: 1,421 countFaribault County: 475 countFillmore County: 733 countFreeborn County: 816 countGoodhue County: 1,304 countGrant County: 252 countHennepin County: 41,759 countHouston County: 435 countHubbard County: 626 countIsanti County: 878 countItasca County: 1,265 countJackson County: 349 countKanabec County: 336 countKandiyohi County: 1,419 countKittson County: 188 countKoochiching County: 417 countLac qui Parle County: 233 countLake County: 340 countLake of the Woods County: 174 countLe Sueur County: 746 countLincoln County: 218 countLyon County: 818 countMcLeod County: 975 countMahnomen County: 113 countMarshall County: 333 countMartin County: 680 countMeeker County: 619 countMille Lacs County: 724 countMorrison County: 1,037 countMower County: 866 countMurray County: 317 countNicollet County: 770 countNobles County: 613 countNorman County: 244 countOlmsted County: 3,810 countOtter Tail County: 1,845 countPennington County: 407 countPine County: 675 countPipestone County: 365 countPolk County: 1,000 countPope County: 363 countRamsey County: 14,385 countRed Lake County: 125 countRedwood County: 570 countRenville County: 578 countRice County: 1,668 countRock County: 313 countRoseau County: 451 countSt. Louis County: 5,359 countScott County: 3,626 countSherburne County: 2,261 countSibley County: 405 countStearns County: 4,417 countSteele County: 1,069 countStevens County: 357 countSwift County: 341 countTodd County: 604 countTraverse County: 151 countWabasha County: 573 countWadena County: 442 countWaseca County: 538 countWashington County: 6,296 countWatonwan County: 333 countWilkin County: 202 countWinona County: 1,191 countWright County: 3,554 countYellow Medicine County: 364 count
  • Under 300
  • 300 to 400
  • 400 to 600
  • 600 to 1,000
  • 1,000 to 1,800
  • 1,800 and over
count, 2021. 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, 2021

Hennepin County: 41,759 countHennepin County41,759Ramsey County: 14,385 countRamsey County14,385Dakota County: 10,886 countDakota County10,886Anoka County: 8,035 countAnoka County8,035Washington County: 6,296 countWashington County6,296St. Louis County: 5,359 countSt. Louis County5,359Stearns County: 4,417 countStearns County4,417Olmsted County: 3,810 countOlmsted County3,810Scott County: 3,626 countScott County3,626Wright County: 3,554 countWright County3,554Carver County: 2,626 countCarver County2,626Sherburne County: 2,261 countSherburne County2,261Crow Wing County: 2,228 countCrow Wing County2,228Blue Earth County: 2,066 countBlue Earth County2,066Otter Tail County: 1,845 countOtter Tail County1,845Rice County: 1,668 countRice County1,668Douglas County: 1,421 countDouglas County1,421Kandiyohi County: 1,419 countKandiyohi County1,419Clay County: 1,415 countClay County1,415Goodhue County: 1,304 countGoodhue County1,304Chisago County: 1,271 countChisago County1,271Itasca County: 1,265 countItasca County1,265Beltrami County: 1,260 countBeltrami County1,260Winona County: 1,191 countWinona County1,191Becker County: 1,070 countBecker County1,070Steele County: 1,069 countSteele County1,069Morrison County: 1,037 countMorrison County1,037Benton County: 1,017 countBenton County1,017Polk County: 1,000 countPolk County1,000McLeod County: 975 countMcLeod County975Cass County: 910 countCass County910Isanti County: 878 countIsanti County878Mower County: 866 countMower County866Brown County: 860 countBrown County860Lyon County: 818 countLyon County818Freeborn County: 816 countFreeborn County816Nicollet County: 770 countNicollet County770Carlton County: 759 countCarlton County759Le Sueur County: 746 countLe Sueur County746Fillmore County: 733 countFillmore County733Hennepin County: 41,759 countHennepin County41,759Ramsey County: 14,385 countRamsey County14,385Dakota County: 10,886 countDakota County10,886Anoka County: 8,035 countAnoka County8,035Washington County: 6,296 countWashington County6,296St. Louis County: 5,359 countSt. Louis County5,359Stearns County: 4,417 countStearns County4,417Olmsted County: 3,810 countOlmsted County3,810Scott County: 3,626 countScott County3,626Wright County: 3,554 countWright County3,554Carver County: 2,626 countCarver County2,626Sherburne County: 2,261 countSherburne County2,261Crow Wing County: 2,228 countCrow Wing County2,228Blue Earth County: 2,066 countBlue Earth County2,066Otter Tail County: 1,845 countOtter Tail County1,845Rice County: 1,668 countRice County1,668Douglas County: 1,421 countDouglas County1,421Kandiyohi County: 1,419 countKandiyohi County1,419Clay County: 1,415 countClay County1,415Goodhue County: 1,304 countGoodhue County1,304Chisago County: 1,271 countChisago County1,271Itasca County: 1,265 countItasca County1,265Beltrami County: 1,260 countBeltrami County1,260Winona County: 1,191 countWinona County1,191Becker County: 1,070 countBecker County1,070Steele County: 1,069 countSteele County1,069Morrison County: 1,037 countMorrison County1,037Benton County: 1,017 countBenton County1,017Polk County: 1,000 countPolk County1,000McLeod County: 975 countMcLeod County975Cass County: 910 countCass County910Isanti County: 878 countIsanti County878Mower County: 866 countMower County866Brown County: 860 countBrown County860Lyon County: 818 countLyon County818Freeborn County: 816 countFreeborn County816Nicollet County: 770 countNicollet County770Carlton County: 759 countCarlton County759Le Sueur County: 746 countLe Sueur County746Fillmore County: 733 countFillmore County733
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

RankCounties2021
count		Change on 2020
1Hennepin County41,759+1.2%
2Ramsey County14,385+1.3%
3Dakota County10,886+0.9%
4Anoka County8,035+1.8%
5Washington County6,296+1.8%
6St. Louis County5,359-0.6%
7Stearns County4,417+0.7%
8Olmsted County3,810-0.2%
9Scott County3,626+3.1%
10Wright County3,554+2%
11Carver County2,626+2.1%
12Sherburne County2,261+2.5%
13Crow Wing County2,228+1.5%
14Blue Earth County2,066-0.4%
15Otter Tail County1,845+0.7%
16Rice County1,668+1.8%
17Douglas County1,421+0.3%
18Kandiyohi County1,419+0.4%
19Clay County1,415+0.8%
20Goodhue County1,304-1.8%
21Chisago County1,271+3.8%
22Itasca County1,265+0.3%
23Beltrami County1,260+0.6%
24Winona County1,191+0.3%
25Becker County1,070+2.1%
26Steele County1,069+1.3%
27Morrison County1,037+2.5%
28Benton County1,017-0.2%
29Polk County1,000-0.7%
30McLeod County975-0.3%
31Cass County910+2.1%
32Isanti County878+2%
33Mower County8660%
34Brown County860+2.6%
35Lyon County818+1.5%
36Freeborn County816-0.9%
37Nicollet County770+1.9%
38Carlton County759+0.9%
39Le Sueur County746+0.7%
40Fillmore County733+3.4%
41Mille Lacs County724+0.8%
42Martin County680-0.9%
43Pine County675-0.4%
44Hubbard County626-0.5%
45Meeker County619-0.3%
46Nobles County613-1.3%
47Todd County604-0.5%
48Renville County5780%
49Wabasha County573+0.4%
50Redwood County570-0.2%
51Waseca County538-0.4%
52Faribault County475+1.7%
53Aitkin County468+0.9%
54Dodge County457+0.2%
55Roseau County451-0.7%
56Wadena County442+2.8%
57Houston County435-0.2%
58Cottonwood County429+1.4%
59Chippewa County418-1.4%
60Koochiching County417+0.7%
61Pennington County407-1.9%
62Sibley County405-0.7%
63Pipestone County365-1.9%
64Yellow Medicine County364+0.6%
65Pope County363-1.9%
66Stevens County357+0.3%
67Jackson County349-1.1%
68Swift County341+0.9%
69Lake County340+1.5%
70Kanabec County336-0.3%
71Marshall County333+1.5%
71Watonwan County3330%
73Cook County317+0.6%
73Murray County317-1.2%
75Rock County313+0.3%
76Grant County252-3.1%
77Norman County244-0.4%
78Lac qui Parle County233+2.6%
79Clearwater County226+0.4%
80Lincoln County218+0.9%
81Big Stone County206-0.5%
82Wilkin County202-1%
83Kittson County188+1.6%
84Lake of the Woods County1740%
85Traverse County151-0.7%
86Red Lake County125-2.3%
87Mahnomen County113-0.9%

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/2021/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), 2021) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2021/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), 2021. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2021/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/minnesota-counties?period=2021. 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), 2021. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2021/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/minnesota-counties?period=2021.

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), 2021 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2021/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/minnesota-counties?period=2021 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_minnesota_by_2021,
  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), 2021}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2021/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/minnesota-counties?period=2021. 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/2021/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), 2021
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2021/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/minnesota-counties?period=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/minnesota-counties?period=2021.
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/2021/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Rank Counties in Minnesota by business establishments (QCEW) using official data, and cite the source.
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Questions

Which county has the highest business establishments (QCEW)?

Hennepin County, with 41,759 in 2021, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest business establishments (QCEW)?

Mahnomen County, with 113 in 2021.

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