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 2024, at 44,785. Mahnomen County had the lowest, at 122. The median was 705 and the figure for Minnesota was 212,736. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest44,785Hennepin County
Lowest122Mahnomen County
Median70587 counties
Minnesota212,736History

Map of counties, 2024

Aitkin County: 476 countAnoka County: 8,852 countBecker County: 1,140 countBeltrami County: 1,326 countBenton County: 1,063 countBig Stone County: 221 countBlue Earth County: 2,150 countBrown County: 902 countCarlton County: 816 countCarver County: 2,874 countCass County: 965 countChippewa County: 425 countChisago County: 1,401 countClay County: 1,520 countClearwater County: 231 countCook County: 333 countCottonwood County: 447 countCrow Wing County: 2,376 countDakota County: 11,950 countDodge County: 502 countDouglas County: 1,499 countFaribault County: 492 countFillmore County: 802 countFreeborn County: 832 countGoodhue County: 1,388 countGrant County: 261 countHennepin County: 44,785 countHouston County: 471 countHubbard County: 684 countIsanti County: 967 countItasca County: 1,352 countJackson County: 366 countKanabec County: 364 countKandiyohi County: 1,484 countKittson County: 198 countKoochiching County: 428 countLac qui Parle County: 246 countLake County: 378 countLake of the Woods County: 185 countLe Sueur County: 790 countLincoln County: 226 countLyon County: 859 countMcLeod County: 1,049 countMahnomen County: 122 countMarshall County: 348 countMartin County: 705 countMeeker County: 708 countMille Lacs County: 796 countMorrison County: 1,122 countMower County: 900 countMurray County: 341 countNicollet County: 849 countNobles County: 638 countNorman County: 259 countOlmsted County: 4,061 countOtter Tail County: 1,908 countPennington County: 418 countPine County: 733 countPipestone County: 399 countPolk County: 1,029 countPope County: 381 countRamsey County: 15,457 countRed Lake County: 126 countRedwood County: 592 countRenville County: 594 countRice County: 1,786 countRock County: 328 countRoseau County: 474 countSt. Louis County: 5,646 countScott County: 3,996 countSherburne County: 2,490 countSibley County: 405 countStearns County: 4,733 countSteele County: 1,130 countStevens County: 390 countSwift County: 366 countTodd County: 634 countTraverse County: 154 countWabasha County: 608 countWadena County: 451 countWaseca County: 552 countWashington County: 7,011 countWatonwan County: 343 countWilkin County: 208 countWinona County: 1,256 countWright County: 3,984 countYellow Medicine County: 388 count
  • Under 300
  • 300 to 400
  • 400 to 700
  • 700 to 1,000
  • 1,000 to 1,900
  • 1,900 and over
count, 2024. 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, 2024

Hennepin County: 44,785 countHennepin County44,785Ramsey County: 15,457 countRamsey County15,457Dakota County: 11,950 countDakota County11,950Anoka County: 8,852 countAnoka County8,852Washington County: 7,011 countWashington County7,011St. Louis County: 5,646 countSt. Louis County5,646Stearns County: 4,733 countStearns County4,733Olmsted County: 4,061 countOlmsted County4,061Scott County: 3,996 countScott County3,996Wright County: 3,984 countWright County3,984Carver County: 2,874 countCarver County2,874Sherburne County: 2,490 countSherburne County2,490Crow Wing County: 2,376 countCrow Wing County2,376Blue Earth County: 2,150 countBlue Earth County2,150Otter Tail County: 1,908 countOtter Tail County1,908Rice County: 1,786 countRice County1,786Clay County: 1,520 countClay County1,520Douglas County: 1,499 countDouglas County1,499Kandiyohi County: 1,484 countKandiyohi County1,484Chisago County: 1,401 countChisago County1,401Goodhue County: 1,388 countGoodhue County1,388Itasca County: 1,352 countItasca County1,352Beltrami County: 1,326 countBeltrami County1,326Winona County: 1,256 countWinona County1,256Becker County: 1,140 countBecker County1,140Steele County: 1,130 countSteele County1,130Morrison County: 1,122 countMorrison County1,122Benton County: 1,063 countBenton County1,063McLeod County: 1,049 countMcLeod County1,049Polk County: 1,029 countPolk County1,029Isanti County: 967 countIsanti County967Cass County: 965 countCass County965Brown County: 902 countBrown County902Mower County: 900 countMower County900Lyon County: 859 countLyon County859Nicollet County: 849 countNicollet County849Freeborn County: 832 countFreeborn County832Carlton County: 816 countCarlton County816Fillmore County: 802 countFillmore County802Mille Lacs County: 796 countMille Lacs County796Hennepin County: 44,785 countHennepin County44,785Ramsey County: 15,457 countRamsey County15,457Dakota County: 11,950 countDakota County11,950Anoka County: 8,852 countAnoka County8,852Washington County: 7,011 countWashington County7,011St. Louis County: 5,646 countSt. Louis County5,646Stearns County: 4,733 countStearns County4,733Olmsted County: 4,061 countOlmsted County4,061Scott County: 3,996 countScott County3,996Wright County: 3,984 countWright County3,984Carver County: 2,874 countCarver County2,874Sherburne County: 2,490 countSherburne County2,490Crow Wing County: 2,376 countCrow Wing County2,376Blue Earth County: 2,150 countBlue Earth County2,150Otter Tail County: 1,908 countOtter Tail County1,908Rice County: 1,786 countRice County1,786Clay County: 1,520 countClay County1,520Douglas County: 1,499 countDouglas County1,499Kandiyohi County: 1,484 countKandiyohi County1,484Chisago County: 1,401 countChisago County1,401Goodhue County: 1,388 countGoodhue County1,388Itasca County: 1,352 countItasca County1,352Beltrami County: 1,326 countBeltrami County1,326Winona County: 1,256 countWinona County1,256Becker County: 1,140 countBecker County1,140Steele County: 1,130 countSteele County1,130Morrison County: 1,122 countMorrison County1,122Benton County: 1,063 countBenton County1,063McLeod County: 1,049 countMcLeod County1,049Polk County: 1,029 countPolk County1,029Isanti County: 967 countIsanti County967Cass County: 965 countCass County965Brown County: 902 countBrown County902Mower County: 900 countMower County900Lyon County: 859 countLyon County859Nicollet County: 849 countNicollet County849Freeborn County: 832 countFreeborn County832Carlton County: 816 countCarlton County816Fillmore County: 802 countFillmore County802Mille Lacs County: 796 countMille Lacs County796
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

RankCounties2024
count		Change on 2023
1Hennepin County44,785+0.6%
2Ramsey County15,457+0.3%
3Dakota County11,950+1.8%
4Anoka County8,852+1.8%
5Washington County7,011+2.4%
6St. Louis County5,646+1.2%
7Stearns County4,733+1.2%
8Olmsted County4,061+0.5%
9Scott County3,996+1.7%
10Wright County3,984+2.9%
11Carver County2,874+0.7%
12Sherburne County2,490+1.8%
13Crow Wing County2,376+1.5%
14Blue Earth County2,150+0.7%
15Otter Tail County1,908+0.8%
16Rice County1,786+0.9%
17Clay County1,520+1%
18Douglas County1,499+1.5%
19Kandiyohi County1,484+0.9%
20Chisago County1,401+2.2%
21Goodhue County1,388+1.7%
22Itasca County1,352+3.1%
23Beltrami County1,326+1.2%
24Winona County1,256+1.6%
25Becker County1,140+0.6%
26Steele County1,130-0.6%
27Morrison County1,122+2%
28Benton County1,063+0.4%
29McLeod County1,049+2.5%
30Polk County1,029+0.6%
31Isanti County967+0.6%
32Cass County965-0.3%
33Brown County902+0.9%
34Mower County900+1.2%
35Lyon County859+0.9%
36Nicollet County849+0.2%
37Freeborn County832+0.2%
38Carlton County816+1.9%
39Fillmore County802+2.3%
40Mille Lacs County796+0.9%
41Le Sueur County7900%
42Pine County733+1.2%
43Meeker County708+5%
44Martin County705+0.6%
45Hubbard County684+2.7%
46Nobles County638+0.3%
47Todd County634+0.3%
48Wabasha County608+1.8%
49Renville County5940%
50Redwood County592+1%
51Waseca County552-0.4%
52Dodge County502+1.4%
53Faribault County492+0.8%
54Aitkin County476-0.2%
55Roseau County4740%
56Houston County471+2.6%
57Wadena County451-0.4%
58Cottonwood County4470%
59Koochiching County428+0.5%
60Chippewa County425+0.2%
61Pennington County418+0.2%
62Sibley County405-2.9%
63Pipestone County399+2.8%
64Stevens County390+2.1%
65Yellow Medicine County388+1.6%
66Pope County381+0.3%
67Lake County378+1.6%
68Jackson County366-0.8%
68Swift County366+1.1%
70Kanabec County364+4%
71Marshall County348+0.9%
72Watonwan County343+2.7%
73Murray County341+1.8%
74Cook County333-2.1%
75Rock County328+0.6%
76Grant County261+0.4%
77Norman County259+2%
78Lac qui Parle County246+0.8%
79Clearwater County231-1.3%
80Lincoln County2260%
81Big Stone County221+3.3%
82Wilkin County208+1.5%
83Kittson County198+2.1%
84Lake of the Woods County185+0.5%
85Traverse County1540%
86Red Lake County126-0.8%
87Mahnomen County122+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/2024/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), 2024) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2024/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), 2024. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2024/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/minnesota-counties?period=2024. 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), 2024. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2024/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/minnesota-counties?period=2024.

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), 2024 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2024/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/minnesota-counties?period=2024 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_minnesota_by_2024,
  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), 2024}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2024/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/minnesota-counties?period=2024. 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/2024/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), 2024
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2024/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/minnesota-counties?period=2024
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/minnesota-counties?period=2024.
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/2024/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 44,785 in 2024, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest business establishments (QCEW)?

Mahnomen County, with 122 in 2024.

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