Counties in Minnesota by business establishments (QCEW)

Hennepin County had the highest business establishments (QCEW) of 87 counties in 2023, at 44,535. Mahnomen County had the lowest, at 120. The median was 674 and the figure for Minnesota was 208,347. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest44,535Hennepin County
Median67487 counties
Minnesota208,347History

Map of counties, 2023

Aitkin County: 477 countAnoka County: 8,698 countBecker County: 1,133 countBeltrami County: 1,310 countBenton County: 1,059 countBig Stone County: 214 countBlue Earth County: 2,134 countBrown County: 894 countCarlton County: 801 countCarver County: 2,855 countCass County: 968 countChippewa County: 424 countChisago County: 1,371 countClay County: 1,505 countClearwater County: 234 countCook County: 340 countCottonwood County: 447 countCrow Wing County: 2,342 countDakota County: 11,744 countDodge County: 495 countDouglas County: 1,477 countFaribault County: 488 countFillmore County: 784 countFreeborn County: 830 countGoodhue County: 1,365 countGrant County: 260 countHennepin County: 44,535 countHouston County: 459 countHubbard County: 666 countIsanti County: 961 countItasca County: 1,311 countJackson County: 369 countKanabec County: 350 countKandiyohi County: 1,471 countKittson County: 194 countKoochiching County: 426 countLac qui Parle County: 244 countLake County: 372 countLake of the Woods County: 184 countLe Sueur County: 790 countLincoln County: 226 countLyon County: 851 countMcLeod County: 1,023 countMahnomen County: 120 countMarshall County: 345 countMartin County: 701 countMeeker County: 674 countMille Lacs County: 789 countMorrison County: 1,100 countMower County: 889 countMurray County: 335 countNicollet County: 847 countNobles County: 636 countNorman County: 254 countOlmsted County: 4,042 countOtter Tail County: 1,893 countPennington County: 417 countPine County: 724 countPipestone County: 388 countPolk County: 1,023 countPope County: 380 countRamsey County: 15,418 countRed Lake County: 127 countRedwood County: 586 countRenville County: 594 countRice County: 1,770 countRock County: 326 countRoseau County: 474 countSt. Louis County: 5,578 countScott County: 3,931 countSherburne County: 2,446 countSibley County: 417 countStearns County: 4,675 countSteele County: 1,137 countStevens County: 382 countSwift County: 362 countTodd County: 632 countTraverse County: 154 countWabasha County: 597 countWadena County: 453 countWaseca County: 554 countWashington County: 6,849 countWatonwan County: 334 countWilkin County: 205 countWinona County: 1,236 countWright County: 3,870 countYellow Medicine County: 382 count
  • Under 300
  • 300 to 400
  • 400 to 700
  • 700 to 1,000
  • 1,000 to 1,900
  • 1,900 and over
count, 2023. 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, 2023

Hennepin County: 44,535 countHennepin County44,535Ramsey County: 15,418 countRamsey County15,418Dakota County: 11,744 countDakota County11,744Anoka County: 8,698 countAnoka County8,698Washington County: 6,849 countWashington County6,849St. Louis County: 5,578 countSt. Louis County5,578Stearns County: 4,675 countStearns County4,675Olmsted County: 4,042 countOlmsted County4,042Scott County: 3,931 countScott County3,931Wright County: 3,870 countWright County3,870Carver County: 2,855 countCarver County2,855Sherburne County: 2,446 countSherburne County2,446Crow Wing County: 2,342 countCrow Wing County2,342Blue Earth County: 2,134 countBlue Earth County2,134Otter Tail County: 1,893 countOtter Tail County1,893Rice County: 1,770 countRice County1,770Clay County: 1,505 countClay County1,505Douglas County: 1,477 countDouglas County1,477Kandiyohi County: 1,471 countKandiyohi County1,471Chisago County: 1,371 countChisago County1,371Goodhue County: 1,365 countGoodhue County1,365Itasca County: 1,311 countItasca County1,311Beltrami County: 1,310 countBeltrami County1,310Winona County: 1,236 countWinona County1,236Steele County: 1,137 countSteele County1,137Becker County: 1,133 countBecker County1,133Morrison County: 1,100 countMorrison County1,100Benton County: 1,059 countBenton County1,059McLeod County: 1,023 countMcLeod County1,023Polk County: 1,023 countPolk County1,023Cass County: 968 countCass County968Isanti County: 961 countIsanti County961Brown County: 894 countBrown County894Mower County: 889 countMower County889Lyon County: 851 countLyon County851Nicollet County: 847 countNicollet County847Freeborn County: 830 countFreeborn County830Carlton County: 801 countCarlton County801Le Sueur County: 790 countLe Sueur County790Mille Lacs County: 789 countMille Lacs County789Hennepin County: 44,535 countHennepin County44,535Ramsey County: 15,418 countRamsey County15,418Dakota County: 11,744 countDakota County11,744Anoka County: 8,698 countAnoka County8,698Washington County: 6,849 countWashington County6,849St. Louis County: 5,578 countSt. Louis County5,578Stearns County: 4,675 countStearns County4,675Olmsted County: 4,042 countOlmsted County4,042Scott County: 3,931 countScott County3,931Wright County: 3,870 countWright County3,870Carver County: 2,855 countCarver County2,855Sherburne County: 2,446 countSherburne County2,446Crow Wing County: 2,342 countCrow Wing County2,342Blue Earth County: 2,134 countBlue Earth County2,134Otter Tail County: 1,893 countOtter Tail County1,893Rice County: 1,770 countRice County1,770Clay County: 1,505 countClay County1,505Douglas County: 1,477 countDouglas County1,477Kandiyohi County: 1,471 countKandiyohi County1,471Chisago County: 1,371 countChisago County1,371Goodhue County: 1,365 countGoodhue County1,365Itasca County: 1,311 countItasca County1,311Beltrami County: 1,310 countBeltrami County1,310Winona County: 1,236 countWinona County1,236Steele County: 1,137 countSteele County1,137Becker County: 1,133 countBecker County1,133Morrison County: 1,100 countMorrison County1,100Benton County: 1,059 countBenton County1,059McLeod County: 1,023 countMcLeod County1,023Polk County: 1,023 countPolk County1,023Cass County: 968 countCass County968Isanti County: 961 countIsanti County961Brown County: 894 countBrown County894Mower County: 889 countMower County889Lyon County: 851 countLyon County851Nicollet County: 847 countNicollet County847Freeborn County: 830 countFreeborn County830Carlton County: 801 countCarlton County801Le Sueur County: 790 countLe Sueur County790Mille Lacs County: 789 countMille Lacs County789
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

RankCounties2023
count
Change on 2022
1Hennepin County44,535+1.8%
2Ramsey County15,418+2.3%
3Dakota County11,744+2.4%
4Anoka County8,698+3%
5Washington County6,849+3%
6St. Louis County5,578+1.6%
7Stearns County4,675+1.8%
8Olmsted County4,042+1.9%
9Scott County3,931+2.4%
10Wright County3,870+3.3%
11Carver County2,855+2.6%
12Sherburne County2,446+2.1%
13Crow Wing County2,342+0.4%
14Blue Earth County2,134+1.1%
15Otter Tail County1,893+0.5%
16Rice County1,770+1.9%
17Clay County1,505+1.5%
18Douglas County1,477+1%
19Kandiyohi County1,471+1.7%
20Chisago County1,371+2.8%
21Goodhue County1,365+1.5%
22Itasca County1,311+1.5%
23Beltrami County1,310+0.7%
24Winona County1,236+0.9%
25Steele County1,137+3.3%
26Becker County1,133+1.3%
27Morrison County1,100+1.8%
28Benton County1,059+1.3%
29McLeod County1,023+1.5%
29Polk County1,0230%
31Cass County968+1.1%
32Isanti County961+2.9%
33Brown County894+0.7%
34Mower County889+0.9%
35Lyon County851+0.7%
36Nicollet County847+3.3%
37Freeborn County830-0.1%
38Carlton County801+2.6%
39Le Sueur County790+2.3%
40Mille Lacs County789+4.5%
41Fillmore County784+2.2%
42Pine County724+2.4%
43Martin County701+0.9%
44Meeker County674+4%
45Hubbard County666+1.2%
46Nobles County636+0.3%
47Todd County632+1.6%
48Wabasha County597+1.9%
49Renville County594+1%
50Redwood County586+1.2%
51Waseca County554-0.7%
52Dodge County495+2.5%
53Faribault County488-1.4%
54Aitkin County477+0.6%
55Roseau County474+2.4%
56Houston County459+2%
57Wadena County453-0.7%
58Cottonwood County447+1.6%
59Koochiching County426+1.2%
60Chippewa County4240%
61Pennington County417-0.2%
61Sibley County4170%
63Pipestone County388+2.9%
64Stevens County382+0.8%
64Yellow Medicine County382+2.1%
66Pope County380+1.6%
67Lake County372+4.8%
68Jackson County369+4.2%
69Swift County362+2.5%
70Kanabec County350+1.2%
71Marshall County345+1.2%
72Cook County340+2.7%
73Murray County335+2.1%
74Watonwan County334-0.6%
75Rock County326+0.3%
76Grant County260-0.8%
77Norman County2540%
78Lac qui Parle County244+1.7%
79Clearwater County234-0.4%
80Lincoln County226+1.8%
81Big Stone County214+0.9%
82Wilkin County205+0.5%
83Kittson County194+1%
84Lake of the Woods County184+2.2%
85Traverse County154-1.9%
86Red Lake County127-0.8%
87Mahnomen County120+2.6%

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/2023/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), 2023) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2023/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), 2023. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2023/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/minnesota-counties?period=2023. 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), 2023. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2023/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/minnesota-counties?period=2023.

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), 2023 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2023/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/minnesota-counties?period=2023 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_minnesota_by_2023,
  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), 2023}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2023/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/minnesota-counties?period=2023. 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/2023/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), 2023
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2023/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/minnesota-counties?period=2023
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/minnesota-counties?period=2023.
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/2023/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 44,535 in 2023, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest business establishments (QCEW)?

Mahnomen County, with 120 in 2023.

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