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 2022, at 43,750. Mahnomen County had the lowest, at 117. The median was 658 and the figure for Minnesota was 199,953. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest43,750Hennepin County
Lowest117Mahnomen County
Median65887 counties
Minnesota199,953History

Map of counties, 2022

Aitkin County: 474 countAnoka County: 8,444 countBecker County: 1,119 countBeltrami County: 1,301 countBenton County: 1,045 countBig Stone County: 212 countBlue Earth County: 2,111 countBrown County: 888 countCarlton County: 781 countCarver County: 2,784 countCass County: 957 countChippewa County: 424 countChisago County: 1,334 countClay County: 1,483 countClearwater County: 235 countCook County: 331 countCottonwood County: 440 countCrow Wing County: 2,332 countDakota County: 11,465 countDodge County: 483 countDouglas County: 1,463 countFaribault County: 495 countFillmore County: 767 countFreeborn County: 831 countGoodhue County: 1,345 countGrant County: 262 countHennepin County: 43,750 countHouston County: 450 countHubbard County: 658 countIsanti County: 934 countItasca County: 1,292 countJackson County: 354 countKanabec County: 346 countKandiyohi County: 1,447 countKittson County: 192 countKoochiching County: 421 countLac qui Parle County: 240 countLake County: 355 countLake of the Woods County: 180 countLe Sueur County: 772 countLincoln County: 222 countLyon County: 845 countMcLeod County: 1,008 countMahnomen County: 117 countMarshall County: 341 countMartin County: 695 countMeeker County: 648 countMille Lacs County: 755 countMorrison County: 1,081 countMower County: 881 countMurray County: 328 countNicollet County: 820 countNobles County: 634 countNorman County: 254 countOlmsted County: 3,967 countOtter Tail County: 1,884 countPennington County: 418 countPine County: 707 countPipestone County: 377 countPolk County: 1,023 countPope County: 374 countRamsey County: 15,073 countRed Lake County: 128 countRedwood County: 579 countRenville County: 588 countRice County: 1,737 countRock County: 325 countRoseau County: 463 countSt. Louis County: 5,491 countScott County: 3,840 countSherburne County: 2,396 countSibley County: 417 countStearns County: 4,594 countSteele County: 1,101 countStevens County: 379 countSwift County: 353 countTodd County: 622 countTraverse County: 157 countWabasha County: 586 countWadena County: 456 countWaseca County: 558 countWashington County: 6,652 countWatonwan County: 336 countWilkin County: 204 countWinona County: 1,225 countWright County: 3,747 countYellow Medicine County: 374 count
  • Under 300
  • 300 to 400
  • 400 to 700
  • 700 to 1,000
  • 1,000 to 1,800
  • 1,800 and over
count, 2022. 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, 2022

Hennepin County: 43,750 countHennepin County43,750Ramsey County: 15,073 countRamsey County15,073Dakota County: 11,465 countDakota County11,465Anoka County: 8,444 countAnoka County8,444Washington County: 6,652 countWashington County6,652St. Louis County: 5,491 countSt. Louis County5,491Stearns County: 4,594 countStearns County4,594Olmsted County: 3,967 countOlmsted County3,967Scott County: 3,840 countScott County3,840Wright County: 3,747 countWright County3,747Carver County: 2,784 countCarver County2,784Sherburne County: 2,396 countSherburne County2,396Crow Wing County: 2,332 countCrow Wing County2,332Blue Earth County: 2,111 countBlue Earth County2,111Otter Tail County: 1,884 countOtter Tail County1,884Rice County: 1,737 countRice County1,737Clay County: 1,483 countClay County1,483Douglas County: 1,463 countDouglas County1,463Kandiyohi County: 1,447 countKandiyohi County1,447Goodhue County: 1,345 countGoodhue County1,345Chisago County: 1,334 countChisago County1,334Beltrami County: 1,301 countBeltrami County1,301Itasca County: 1,292 countItasca County1,292Winona County: 1,225 countWinona County1,225Becker County: 1,119 countBecker County1,119Steele County: 1,101 countSteele County1,101Morrison County: 1,081 countMorrison County1,081Benton County: 1,045 countBenton County1,045Polk County: 1,023 countPolk County1,023McLeod County: 1,008 countMcLeod County1,008Cass County: 957 countCass County957Isanti County: 934 countIsanti County934Brown County: 888 countBrown County888Mower County: 881 countMower County881Lyon County: 845 countLyon County845Freeborn County: 831 countFreeborn County831Nicollet County: 820 countNicollet County820Carlton County: 781 countCarlton County781Le Sueur County: 772 countLe Sueur County772Fillmore County: 767 countFillmore County767Hennepin County: 43,750 countHennepin County43,750Ramsey County: 15,073 countRamsey County15,073Dakota County: 11,465 countDakota County11,465Anoka County: 8,444 countAnoka County8,444Washington County: 6,652 countWashington County6,652St. Louis County: 5,491 countSt. Louis County5,491Stearns County: 4,594 countStearns County4,594Olmsted County: 3,967 countOlmsted County3,967Scott County: 3,840 countScott County3,840Wright County: 3,747 countWright County3,747Carver County: 2,784 countCarver County2,784Sherburne County: 2,396 countSherburne County2,396Crow Wing County: 2,332 countCrow Wing County2,332Blue Earth County: 2,111 countBlue Earth County2,111Otter Tail County: 1,884 countOtter Tail County1,884Rice County: 1,737 countRice County1,737Clay County: 1,483 countClay County1,483Douglas County: 1,463 countDouglas County1,463Kandiyohi County: 1,447 countKandiyohi County1,447Goodhue County: 1,345 countGoodhue County1,345Chisago County: 1,334 countChisago County1,334Beltrami County: 1,301 countBeltrami County1,301Itasca County: 1,292 countItasca County1,292Winona County: 1,225 countWinona County1,225Becker County: 1,119 countBecker County1,119Steele County: 1,101 countSteele County1,101Morrison County: 1,081 countMorrison County1,081Benton County: 1,045 countBenton County1,045Polk County: 1,023 countPolk County1,023McLeod County: 1,008 countMcLeod County1,008Cass County: 957 countCass County957Isanti County: 934 countIsanti County934Brown County: 888 countBrown County888Mower County: 881 countMower County881Lyon County: 845 countLyon County845Freeborn County: 831 countFreeborn County831Nicollet County: 820 countNicollet County820Carlton County: 781 countCarlton County781Le Sueur County: 772 countLe Sueur County772Fillmore County: 767 countFillmore County767
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

RankCounties2022
count		Change on 2021
1Hennepin County43,750+4.8%
2Ramsey County15,073+4.8%
3Dakota County11,465+5.3%
4Anoka County8,444+5.1%
5Washington County6,652+5.7%
6St. Louis County5,491+2.5%
7Stearns County4,594+4%
8Olmsted County3,967+4.1%
9Scott County3,840+5.9%
10Wright County3,747+5.4%
11Carver County2,784+6%
12Sherburne County2,396+6%
13Crow Wing County2,332+4.7%
14Blue Earth County2,111+2.2%
15Otter Tail County1,884+2.1%
16Rice County1,737+4.1%
17Clay County1,483+4.8%
18Douglas County1,463+3%
19Kandiyohi County1,447+2%
20Goodhue County1,345+3.1%
21Chisago County1,334+5%
22Beltrami County1,301+3.3%
23Itasca County1,292+2.1%
24Winona County1,225+2.9%
25Becker County1,119+4.6%
26Steele County1,101+3%
27Morrison County1,081+4.2%
28Benton County1,045+2.8%
29Polk County1,023+2.3%
30McLeod County1,008+3.4%
31Cass County957+5.2%
32Isanti County934+6.4%
33Brown County888+3.3%
34Mower County881+1.7%
35Lyon County845+3.3%
36Freeborn County831+1.8%
37Nicollet County820+6.5%
38Carlton County781+2.9%
39Le Sueur County772+3.5%
40Fillmore County767+4.6%
41Mille Lacs County755+4.3%
42Pine County707+4.7%
43Martin County695+2.2%
44Hubbard County658+5.1%
45Meeker County648+4.7%
46Nobles County634+3.4%
47Todd County622+3%
48Renville County588+1.7%
49Wabasha County586+2.3%
50Redwood County579+1.6%
51Waseca County558+3.7%
52Faribault County495+4.2%
53Dodge County483+5.7%
54Aitkin County474+1.3%
55Roseau County463+2.7%
56Wadena County456+3.2%
57Houston County450+3.4%
58Cottonwood County440+2.6%
59Chippewa County424+1.4%
60Koochiching County421+1%
61Pennington County418+2.7%
62Sibley County417+3%
63Stevens County379+6.2%
64Pipestone County377+3.3%
65Pope County374+3%
65Yellow Medicine County374+2.7%
67Lake County355+4.4%
68Jackson County354+1.4%
69Swift County353+3.5%
70Kanabec County346+3%
71Marshall County341+2.4%
72Watonwan County336+0.9%
73Cook County331+4.4%
74Murray County328+3.5%
75Rock County325+3.8%
76Grant County262+4%
77Norman County254+4.1%
78Lac qui Parle County240+3%
79Clearwater County235+4%
80Lincoln County222+1.8%
81Big Stone County212+2.9%
82Wilkin County204+1%
83Kittson County192+2.1%
84Lake of the Woods County180+3.4%
85Traverse County157+4%
86Red Lake County128+2.4%
87Mahnomen County117+3.5%

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/2022/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), 2022) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2022/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), 2022. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2022/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/minnesota-counties?period=2022. 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), 2022. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2022/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/minnesota-counties?period=2022.

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), 2022 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2022/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/minnesota-counties?period=2022 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_minnesota_by_2022,
  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), 2022}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2022/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/minnesota-counties?period=2022. 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/2022/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), 2022
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2022/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/minnesota-counties?period=2022
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/minnesota-counties?period=2022.
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/2022/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 43,750 in 2022, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest business establishments (QCEW)?

Mahnomen County, with 117 in 2022.

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