Counties in Missouri by business establishments (QCEW)

St. Louis County had the highest business establishments (QCEW) of 115 counties in 2014, at 33,952. Worth County had the lowest, at 75. The median was 505 and the figure for Missouri was 184,766. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest33,952St. Louis County
Lowest75Worth County
Median505115 counties
Missouri184,766History

Map of counties, 2014

Adair County: 707 countAndrew County: 328 countAtchison County: 236 countAudrain County: 658 countBarry County: 830 countBarton County: 330 countBates County: 432 countBenton County: 515 countBollinger County: 312 countBoone County: 4,692 countBuchanan County: 2,547 countButler County: 1,549 countCaldwell County: 211 countCallaway County: 841 countCamden County: 1,601 countCape Girardeau County: 2,617 countCarroll County: 315 countCarter County: 207 countCass County: 2,014 countCedar County: 350 countChariton County: 280 countChristian County: 1,730 countClark County: 171 countClay County: 5,218 countClinton County: 450 countCole County: 2,358 countCooper County: 446 countCrawford County: 693 countDade County: 175 countDallas County: 281 countDaviess County: 200 countDeKalb County: 268 countDent County: 551 countDouglas County: 184 countDunklin County: 1,641 countFranklin County: 2,792 countGasconade County: 476 countGentry County: 247 countGreene County: 8,183 countGrundy County: 303 countHarrison County: 299 countHenry County: 661 countHickory County: 171 countHolt County: 183 countHoward County: 236 countHowell County: 1,194 countIron County: 468 countJackson County: 19,828 countJasper County: 3,267 countJefferson County: 4,160 countJohnson County: 1,084 countKnox County: 122 countLaclede County: 819 countLafayette County: 863 countLawrence County: 817 countLewis County: 234 countLincoln County: 944 countLinn County: 387 countLivingston County: 473 countMcDonald County: 405 countMacon County: 427 countMadison County: 388 countMaries County: 157 countMarion County: 963 countMercer County: 104 countMiller County: 597 countMississippi County: 505 countMoniteau County: 373 countMonroe County: 258 countMontgomery County: 319 countMorgan County: 518 countNew Madrid County: 696 countNewton County: 1,247 countNodaway County: 556 countOregon County: 255 countOsage County: 295 countOzark County: 209 countPemiscot County: 795 countPerry County: 540 countPettis County: 1,205 countPhelps County: 1,202 countPike County: 485 countPlatte County: 2,502 countPolk County: 629 countPulaski County: 812 countPutnam County: 132 countRalls County: 222 countRandolph County: 636 countRay County: 411 countReynolds County: 335 countRipley County: 481 countSt. Charles County: 8,611 countSt. Clair County: 206 countSte. Genevieve County: 461 countSt. Francois County: 1,760 countSt. Louis County: 33,952 countSaline County: 621 countSchuyler County: 93 countScotland County: 150 countScott County: 1,384 countShannon County: 210 countShelby County: 210 countStoddard County: 1,035 countStone County: 722 countSullivan County: 172 countTaney County: 1,897 countTexas County: 599 countVernon County: 622 countWarren County: 613 countWashington County: 882 countWayne County: 505 countWebster County: 668 countWorth County: 75 countWright County: 467 countSt. Louis city: 10,998 count
  • Under 200
  • 200 to 300
  • 300 to 500
  • 500 to 700
  • 700 to 1,600
  • 1,600 and over
count, 2014. 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, 2014

St. Louis County: 33,952 countSt. Louis County33,952Jackson County: 19,828 countJackson County19,828St. Louis city: 10,998 countSt. Louis city10,998St. Charles County: 8,611 countSt. Charles County8,611Greene County: 8,183 countGreene County8,183Clay County: 5,218 countClay County5,218Boone County: 4,692 countBoone County4,692Jefferson County: 4,160 countJefferson County4,160Jasper County: 3,267 countJasper County3,267Franklin County: 2,792 countFranklin County2,792Cape Girardeau County: 2,617 countCape Girardeau County2,617Buchanan County: 2,547 countBuchanan County2,547Platte County: 2,502 countPlatte County2,502Cole County: 2,358 countCole County2,358Cass County: 2,014 countCass County2,014Taney County: 1,897 countTaney County1,897St. Francois County: 1,760 countSt. Francois County1,760Christian County: 1,730 countChristian County1,730Dunklin County: 1,641 countDunklin County1,641Camden County: 1,601 countCamden County1,601Butler County: 1,549 countButler County1,549Scott County: 1,384 countScott County1,384Newton County: 1,247 countNewton County1,247Pettis County: 1,205 countPettis County1,205Phelps County: 1,202 countPhelps County1,202Howell County: 1,194 countHowell County1,194Johnson County: 1,084 countJohnson County1,084Stoddard County: 1,035 countStoddard County1,035Marion County: 963 countMarion County963Lincoln County: 944 countLincoln County944Washington County: 882 countWashington County882Lafayette County: 863 countLafayette County863Callaway County: 841 countCallaway County841Barry County: 830 countBarry County830Laclede County: 819 countLaclede County819Lawrence County: 817 countLawrence County817Pulaski County: 812 countPulaski County812Pemiscot County: 795 countPemiscot County795Stone County: 722 countStone County722Adair County: 707 countAdair County707St. Louis County: 33,952 countSt. Louis County33,952Jackson County: 19,828 countJackson County19,828St. Louis city: 10,998 countSt. Louis city10,998St. Charles County: 8,611 countSt. Charles County8,611Greene County: 8,183 countGreene County8,183Clay County: 5,218 countClay County5,218Boone County: 4,692 countBoone County4,692Jefferson County: 4,160 countJefferson County4,160Jasper County: 3,267 countJasper County3,267Franklin County: 2,792 countFranklin County2,792Cape Girardeau County: 2,617 countCape Girardeau County2,617Buchanan County: 2,547 countBuchanan County2,547Platte County: 2,502 countPlatte County2,502Cole County: 2,358 countCole County2,358Cass County: 2,014 countCass County2,014Taney County: 1,897 countTaney County1,897St. Francois County: 1,760 countSt. Francois County1,760Christian County: 1,730 countChristian County1,730Dunklin County: 1,641 countDunklin County1,641Camden County: 1,601 countCamden County1,601Butler County: 1,549 countButler County1,549Scott County: 1,384 countScott County1,384Newton County: 1,247 countNewton County1,247Pettis County: 1,205 countPettis County1,205Phelps County: 1,202 countPhelps County1,202Howell County: 1,194 countHowell County1,194Johnson County: 1,084 countJohnson County1,084Stoddard County: 1,035 countStoddard County1,035Marion County: 963 countMarion County963Lincoln County: 944 countLincoln County944Washington County: 882 countWashington County882Lafayette County: 863 countLafayette County863Callaway County: 841 countCallaway County841Barry County: 830 countBarry County830Laclede County: 819 countLaclede County819Lawrence County: 817 countLawrence County817Pulaski County: 812 countPulaski County812Pemiscot County: 795 countPemiscot County795Stone County: 722 countStone County722Adair County: 707 countAdair County707
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

RankCounties2014
count
Change on 2013
1St. Louis County33,952+3.2%
2Jackson County19,828+3.5%
3St. Louis city10,998+10.5%
4St. Charles County8,611+1.9%
5Greene County8,183+1%
6Clay County5,218+0.8%
7Boone County4,692+1.6%
8Jefferson County4,160+1%
9Jasper County3,267+0.9%
10Franklin County2,792-0.4%
11Cape Girardeau County2,617+1.2%
12Buchanan County2,547-0.7%
13Platte County2,502+1.8%
14Cole County2,358-0.8%
15Cass County2,014+0.1%
16Taney County1,897+0.6%
17St. Francois County1,760+1.7%
18Christian County1,730+2.7%
19Dunklin County1,641+3.1%
20Camden County1,601+0.6%
21Butler County1,549+1%
22Scott County1,384+1.5%
23Newton County1,247-0.6%
24Pettis County1,205+2.6%
25Phelps County1,202+0.8%
26Howell County1,194-1.2%
27Johnson County1,084+1.9%
28Stoddard County1,035-0.2%
29Marion County963-1.2%
30Lincoln County944-1.3%
31Washington County882-2.8%
32Lafayette County863+1.4%
33Callaway County841-1.8%
34Barry County830+1.2%
35Laclede County819-1.7%
36Lawrence County817-0.2%
37Pulaski County812-2.3%
38Pemiscot County795+0.1%
39Stone County722-3%
40Adair County707-3.3%
41New Madrid County696+0.1%
42Crawford County693-2.3%
43Webster County668+3.1%
44Henry County661-0.6%
45Audrain County658+1.4%
46Randolph County636-1.2%
47Polk County629-1.3%
48Vernon County622+3.8%
49Saline County621+0.5%
50Warren County613+0.7%
51Texas County599+1.7%
52Miller County597-1.2%
53Nodaway County556-2.6%
54Dent County551+1.5%
55Perry County5400%
56Morgan County518-0.2%
57Benton County515+2.2%
58Mississippi County505-3.3%
58Wayne County505-0.2%
60Pike County485+0.8%
61Ripley County481+1.5%
62Gasconade County476-1.7%
63Livingston County473+0.4%
64Iron County468-1.5%
65Wright County467-1.5%
66Ste. Genevieve County461+0.4%
67Clinton County450-1.3%
68Cooper County446-2.2%
69Bates County4320%
70Macon County427+1.4%
71Ray County411+2.5%
72McDonald County405+0.5%
73Madison County388+1%
74Linn County387+0.5%
75Moniteau County373+3%
76Cedar County350-1.7%
77Reynolds County335-2.9%
78Barton County330+2.2%
79Andrew County328-1.5%
80Montgomery County319-0.9%
81Carroll County315+1.6%
82Bollinger County312-2.2%
83Grundy County303-2.6%
84Harrison County299+1%
85Osage County295+4.2%
86Dallas County281+3.7%
87Chariton County280+1.1%
88DeKalb County2680%
89Monroe County258+2.4%
90Oregon County255-3.8%
91Gentry County247-2%
92Atchison County236-0.8%
92Howard County236+0.4%
94Lewis County234+0.9%
95Ralls County222-3.1%
96Caldwell County211-3.2%
97Shannon County210+5%
97Shelby County210+3.4%
99Ozark County209-1.9%
100Carter County207-1%
101St. Clair County206+1%
102Daviess County200-6.1%
103Douglas County184-3.2%
104Holt County183-1.1%
105Dade County175+1.2%
106Sullivan County172-4.4%
107Clark County1710%
107Hickory County171-1.7%
109Maries County157-3.1%
110Scotland County150+4.9%
111Putnam County132-2.2%
112Knox County122-2.4%
113Mercer County104+5.1%
114Schuyler County93-5.1%
115Worth County75-3.8%

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/2014/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 Missouri by business establishments (QCEW), 2014) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2014/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 Missouri by business establishments (QCEW), 2014. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2014/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/missouri-counties?period=2014. 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 Missouri by business establishments (QCEW), 2014. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2014/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/missouri-counties?period=2014.

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 Missouri by business establishments (QCEW), 2014 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2014/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/missouri-counties?period=2014 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_missouri_by_2014,
  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 Missouri by business establishments (QCEW), 2014}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2014/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/missouri-counties?period=2014. 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/2014/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 Missouri by business establishments (QCEW), 2014
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2014/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/missouri-counties?period=2014
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/missouri-counties?period=2014.
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/2014/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  - 
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Questions

Which county has the highest business establishments (QCEW)?

St. Louis County, with 33,952 in 2014, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest business establishments (QCEW)?

Worth County, with 75 in 2014.

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 Missouri: more rankings