Counties in Missouri by business establishments (QCEW)

St. Louis County had the highest business establishments (QCEW) of 115 counties in 2015, at 35,487. Worth County had the lowest, at 71. The median was 508 and the figure for Missouri was 191,647. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest35,487St. Louis County
Lowest71Worth County
Median508115 counties
Missouri191,647History

Map of counties, 2015

Adair County: 700 countAndrew County: 325 countAtchison County: 231 countAudrain County: 656 countBarry County: 860 countBarton County: 322 countBates County: 442 countBenton County: 522 countBollinger County: 302 countBoone County: 4,848 countBuchanan County: 2,558 countButler County: 1,564 countCaldwell County: 216 countCallaway County: 853 countCamden County: 1,630 countCape Girardeau County: 2,642 countCarroll County: 320 countCarter County: 210 countCass County: 2,058 countCedar County: 356 countChariton County: 285 countChristian County: 1,806 countClark County: 172 countClay County: 5,397 countClinton County: 458 countCole County: 2,378 countCooper County: 453 countCrawford County: 691 countDade County: 177 countDallas County: 288 countDaviess County: 201 countDeKalb County: 258 countDent County: 557 countDouglas County: 198 countDunklin County: 1,646 countFranklin County: 2,857 countGasconade County: 476 countGentry County: 240 countGreene County: 8,439 countGrundy County: 307 countHarrison County: 302 countHenry County: 665 countHickory County: 178 countHolt County: 186 countHoward County: 250 countHowell County: 1,224 countIron County: 476 countJackson County: 20,739 countJasper County: 3,331 countJefferson County: 4,191 countJohnson County: 1,100 countKnox County: 124 countLaclede County: 826 countLafayette County: 862 countLawrence County: 857 countLewis County: 243 countLincoln County: 972 countLinn County: 385 countLivingston County: 483 countMcDonald County: 407 countMacon County: 423 countMadison County: 393 countMaries County: 157 countMarion County: 960 countMercer County: 99 countMiller County: 592 countMississippi County: 508 countMoniteau County: 369 countMonroe County: 264 countMontgomery County: 325 countMorgan County: 533 countNew Madrid County: 689 countNewton County: 1,247 countNodaway County: 564 countOregon County: 262 countOsage County: 299 countOzark County: 217 countPemiscot County: 780 countPerry County: 549 countPettis County: 1,211 countPhelps County: 1,216 countPike County: 487 countPlatte County: 2,609 countPolk County: 651 countPulaski County: 837 countPutnam County: 131 countRalls County: 223 countRandolph County: 648 countRay County: 422 countReynolds County: 337 countRipley County: 504 countSt. Charles County: 8,892 countSt. Clair County: 208 countSte. Genevieve County: 469 countSt. Francois County: 1,787 countSt. Louis County: 35,487 countSaline County: 621 countSchuyler County: 93 countScotland County: 150 countScott County: 1,415 countShannon County: 226 countShelby County: 214 countStoddard County: 1,038 countStone County: 740 countSullivan County: 167 countTaney County: 1,929 countTexas County: 628 countVernon County: 641 countWarren County: 632 countWashington County: 849 countWayne County: 508 countWebster County: 692 countWorth County: 71 countWright County: 491 countSt. Louis city: 12,406 count
  • Under 200
  • 200 to 300
  • 300 to 500
  • 500 to 700
  • 700 to 1,600
  • 1,600 and over
count, 2015. 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, 2015

St. Louis County: 35,487 countSt. Louis County35,487Jackson County: 20,739 countJackson County20,739St. Louis city: 12,406 countSt. Louis city12,406St. Charles County: 8,892 countSt. Charles County8,892Greene County: 8,439 countGreene County8,439Clay County: 5,397 countClay County5,397Boone County: 4,848 countBoone County4,848Jefferson County: 4,191 countJefferson County4,191Jasper County: 3,331 countJasper County3,331Franklin County: 2,857 countFranklin County2,857Cape Girardeau County: 2,642 countCape Girardeau County2,642Platte County: 2,609 countPlatte County2,609Buchanan County: 2,558 countBuchanan County2,558Cole County: 2,378 countCole County2,378Cass County: 2,058 countCass County2,058Taney County: 1,929 countTaney County1,929Christian County: 1,806 countChristian County1,806St. Francois County: 1,787 countSt. Francois County1,787Dunklin County: 1,646 countDunklin County1,646Camden County: 1,630 countCamden County1,630Butler County: 1,564 countButler County1,564Scott County: 1,415 countScott County1,415Newton County: 1,247 countNewton County1,247Howell County: 1,224 countHowell County1,224Phelps County: 1,216 countPhelps County1,216Pettis County: 1,211 countPettis County1,211Johnson County: 1,100 countJohnson County1,100Stoddard County: 1,038 countStoddard County1,038Lincoln County: 972 countLincoln County972Marion County: 960 countMarion County960Lafayette County: 862 countLafayette County862Barry County: 860 countBarry County860Lawrence County: 857 countLawrence County857Callaway County: 853 countCallaway County853Washington County: 849 countWashington County849Pulaski County: 837 countPulaski County837Laclede County: 826 countLaclede County826Pemiscot County: 780 countPemiscot County780Stone County: 740 countStone County740Adair County: 700 countAdair County700St. Louis County: 35,487 countSt. Louis County35,487Jackson County: 20,739 countJackson County20,739St. Louis city: 12,406 countSt. Louis city12,406St. Charles County: 8,892 countSt. Charles County8,892Greene County: 8,439 countGreene County8,439Clay County: 5,397 countClay County5,397Boone County: 4,848 countBoone County4,848Jefferson County: 4,191 countJefferson County4,191Jasper County: 3,331 countJasper County3,331Franklin County: 2,857 countFranklin County2,857Cape Girardeau County: 2,642 countCape Girardeau County2,642Platte County: 2,609 countPlatte County2,609Buchanan County: 2,558 countBuchanan County2,558Cole County: 2,378 countCole County2,378Cass County: 2,058 countCass County2,058Taney County: 1,929 countTaney County1,929Christian County: 1,806 countChristian County1,806St. Francois County: 1,787 countSt. Francois County1,787Dunklin County: 1,646 countDunklin County1,646Camden County: 1,630 countCamden County1,630Butler County: 1,564 countButler County1,564Scott County: 1,415 countScott County1,415Newton County: 1,247 countNewton County1,247Howell County: 1,224 countHowell County1,224Phelps County: 1,216 countPhelps County1,216Pettis County: 1,211 countPettis County1,211Johnson County: 1,100 countJohnson County1,100Stoddard County: 1,038 countStoddard County1,038Lincoln County: 972 countLincoln County972Marion County: 960 countMarion County960Lafayette County: 862 countLafayette County862Barry County: 860 countBarry County860Lawrence County: 857 countLawrence County857Callaway County: 853 countCallaway County853Washington County: 849 countWashington County849Pulaski County: 837 countPulaski County837Laclede County: 826 countLaclede County826Pemiscot County: 780 countPemiscot County780Stone County: 740 countStone County740Adair County: 700 countAdair County700
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

RankCounties2015
count
Change on 2014
1St. Louis County35,487+4.5%
2Jackson County20,739+4.6%
3St. Louis city12,406+12.8%
4St. Charles County8,892+3.3%
5Greene County8,439+3.1%
6Clay County5,397+3.4%
7Boone County4,848+3.3%
8Jefferson County4,191+0.7%
9Jasper County3,331+2%
10Franklin County2,857+2.3%
11Cape Girardeau County2,642+1%
12Platte County2,609+4.3%
13Buchanan County2,558+0.4%
14Cole County2,378+0.8%
15Cass County2,058+2.2%
16Taney County1,929+1.7%
17Christian County1,806+4.4%
18St. Francois County1,787+1.5%
19Dunklin County1,646+0.3%
20Camden County1,630+1.8%
21Butler County1,564+1%
22Scott County1,415+2.2%
23Newton County1,2470%
24Howell County1,224+2.5%
25Phelps County1,216+1.2%
26Pettis County1,211+0.5%
27Johnson County1,100+1.5%
28Stoddard County1,038+0.3%
29Lincoln County972+3%
30Marion County960-0.3%
31Lafayette County862-0.1%
32Barry County860+3.6%
33Lawrence County857+4.9%
34Callaway County853+1.4%
35Washington County849-3.7%
36Pulaski County837+3.1%
37Laclede County826+0.9%
38Pemiscot County780-1.9%
39Stone County740+2.5%
40Adair County700-1%
41Webster County692+3.6%
42Crawford County691-0.3%
43New Madrid County689-1%
44Henry County665+0.6%
45Audrain County656-0.3%
46Polk County651+3.5%
47Randolph County648+1.9%
48Vernon County641+3.1%
49Warren County632+3.1%
50Texas County628+4.8%
51Saline County6210%
52Miller County592-0.8%
53Nodaway County564+1.4%
54Dent County557+1.1%
55Perry County549+1.7%
56Morgan County533+2.9%
57Benton County522+1.4%
58Mississippi County508+0.6%
58Wayne County508+0.6%
60Ripley County504+4.8%
61Wright County491+5.1%
62Pike County487+0.4%
63Livingston County483+2.1%
64Gasconade County4760%
64Iron County476+1.7%
66Ste. Genevieve County469+1.7%
67Clinton County458+1.8%
68Cooper County453+1.6%
69Bates County442+2.3%
70Macon County423-0.9%
71Ray County422+2.7%
72McDonald County407+0.5%
73Madison County393+1.3%
74Linn County385-0.5%
75Moniteau County369-1.1%
76Cedar County356+1.7%
77Reynolds County337+0.6%
78Andrew County325-0.9%
78Montgomery County325+1.9%
80Barton County322-2.4%
81Carroll County320+1.6%
82Grundy County307+1.3%
83Bollinger County302-3.2%
83Harrison County302+1%
85Osage County299+1.4%
86Dallas County288+2.5%
87Chariton County285+1.8%
88Monroe County264+2.3%
89Oregon County262+2.7%
90DeKalb County258-3.7%
91Howard County250+5.9%
92Lewis County243+3.8%
93Gentry County240-2.8%
94Atchison County231-2.1%
95Shannon County226+7.6%
96Ralls County223+0.5%
97Ozark County217+3.8%
98Caldwell County216+2.4%
99Shelby County214+1.9%
100Carter County210+1.4%
101St. Clair County208+1%
102Daviess County201+0.5%
103Douglas County198+7.6%
104Holt County186+1.6%
105Hickory County178+4.1%
106Dade County177+1.1%
107Clark County172+0.6%
108Sullivan County167-2.9%
109Maries County1570%
110Scotland County1500%
111Putnam County131-0.8%
112Knox County124+1.6%
113Mercer County99-4.8%
114Schuyler County930%
115Worth County71-5.3%

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/2015/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), 2015) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2015/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), 2015. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2015/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/missouri-counties?period=2015. 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), 2015. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2015/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/missouri-counties?period=2015.

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), 2015 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2015/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/missouri-counties?period=2015 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_missouri_by_2015,
  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), 2015}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2015/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/missouri-counties?period=2015. 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/2015/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), 2015
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2015/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/missouri-counties?period=2015
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/missouri-counties?period=2015.
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/2015/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 35,487 in 2015, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest business establishments (QCEW)?

Worth County, with 71 in 2015.

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