Counties in Missouri by business establishments (QCEW)

St. Louis County had the highest business establishments (QCEW) of 115 counties in 2024, at 45,255. Worth County had the lowest, at 68. The median was 576 and the figure for Missouri was 243,130. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest45,255St. Louis County
Lowest68Worth County
Median576115 counties
Missouri243,130History

Map of counties, 2024

Adair County: 748 countAndrew County: 494 countAtchison County: 220 countAudrain County: 622 countBarry County: 955 countBarton County: 338 countBates County: 466 countBenton County: 556 countBollinger County: 246 countBoone County: 5,144 countBuchanan County: 2,623 countButler County: 1,544 countCaldwell County: 238 countCallaway County: 936 countCamden County: 1,712 countCape Girardeau County: 2,822 countCarroll County: 319 countCarter County: 252 countCass County: 2,542 countCedar County: 396 countChariton County: 266 countChristian County: 2,368 countClark County: 176 countClay County: 6,664 countClinton County: 485 countCole County: 2,500 countCooper County: 491 countCrawford County: 672 countDade County: 181 countDallas County: 430 countDaviess County: 294 countDeKalb County: 279 countDent County: 564 countDouglas County: 279 countDunklin County: 1,678 countFranklin County: 3,016 countGasconade County: 530 countGentry County: 231 countGreene County: 10,892 countGrundy County: 288 countHarrison County: 278 countHenry County: 706 countHickory County: 203 countHolt County: 181 countHoward County: 232 countHowell County: 1,383 countIron County: 598 countJackson County: 25,091 countJasper County: 3,502 countJefferson County: 4,597 countJohnson County: 1,270 countKnox County: 110 countLaclede County: 873 countLafayette County: 942 countLawrence County: 957 countLewis County: 246 countLincoln County: 1,204 countLinn County: 394 countLivingston County: 470 countMcDonald County: 458 countMacon County: 435 countMadison County: 344 countMaries County: 180 countMarion County: 981 countMercer County: 122 countMiller County: 759 countMississippi County: 402 countMoniteau County: 363 countMonroe County: 260 countMontgomery County: 332 countMorgan County: 632 countNew Madrid County: 897 countNewton County: 1,508 countNodaway County: 624 countOregon County: 264 countOsage County: 274 countOzark County: 252 countPemiscot County: 914 countPerry County: 580 countPettis County: 1,325 countPhelps County: 1,299 countPike County: 504 countPlatte County: 3,086 countPolk County: 790 countPulaski County: 869 countPutnam County: 142 countRalls County: 271 countRandolph County: 659 countRay County: 460 countReynolds County: 273 countRipley County: 681 countSt. Charles County: 10,945 countSt. Clair County: 239 countSte. Genevieve County: 498 countSt. Francois County: 1,862 countSt. Louis County: 45,255 countSaline County: 648 countSchuyler County: 96 countScotland County: 155 countScott County: 1,306 countShannon County: 238 countShelby County: 200 countStoddard County: 866 countStone County: 851 countSullivan County: 154 countTaney County: 2,133 countTexas County: 610 countVernon County: 724 countWarren County: 760 countWashington County: 754 countWayne County: 388 countWebster County: 875 countWorth County: 68 countWright County: 576 countSt. Louis city: 15,318 count
  • Under 200
  • 200 to 400
  • 400 to 600
  • 600 to 900
  • 900 to 1,700
  • 1,700 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

St. Louis County: 45,255 countSt. Louis County45,255Jackson County: 25,091 countJackson County25,091St. Louis city: 15,318 countSt. Louis city15,318St. Charles County: 10,945 countSt. Charles County10,945Greene County: 10,892 countGreene County10,892Clay County: 6,664 countClay County6,664Boone County: 5,144 countBoone County5,144Jefferson County: 4,597 countJefferson County4,597Jasper County: 3,502 countJasper County3,502Platte County: 3,086 countPlatte County3,086Franklin County: 3,016 countFranklin County3,016Cape Girardeau County: 2,822 countCape Girardeau County2,822Buchanan County: 2,623 countBuchanan County2,623Cass County: 2,542 countCass County2,542Cole County: 2,500 countCole County2,500Christian County: 2,368 countChristian County2,368Taney County: 2,133 countTaney County2,133St. Francois County: 1,862 countSt. Francois County1,862Camden County: 1,712 countCamden County1,712Dunklin County: 1,678 countDunklin County1,678Butler County: 1,544 countButler County1,544Newton County: 1,508 countNewton County1,508Howell County: 1,383 countHowell County1,383Pettis County: 1,325 countPettis County1,325Scott County: 1,306 countScott County1,306Phelps County: 1,299 countPhelps County1,299Johnson County: 1,270 countJohnson County1,270Lincoln County: 1,204 countLincoln County1,204Marion County: 981 countMarion County981Lawrence County: 957 countLawrence County957Barry County: 955 countBarry County955Lafayette County: 942 countLafayette County942Callaway County: 936 countCallaway County936Pemiscot County: 914 countPemiscot County914New Madrid County: 897 countNew Madrid County897Webster County: 875 countWebster County875Laclede County: 873 countLaclede County873Pulaski County: 869 countPulaski County869Stoddard County: 866 countStoddard County866Stone County: 851 countStone County851St. Louis County: 45,255 countSt. Louis County45,255Jackson County: 25,091 countJackson County25,091St. Louis city: 15,318 countSt. Louis city15,318St. Charles County: 10,945 countSt. Charles County10,945Greene County: 10,892 countGreene County10,892Clay County: 6,664 countClay County6,664Boone County: 5,144 countBoone County5,144Jefferson County: 4,597 countJefferson County4,597Jasper County: 3,502 countJasper County3,502Platte County: 3,086 countPlatte County3,086Franklin County: 3,016 countFranklin County3,016Cape Girardeau County: 2,822 countCape Girardeau County2,822Buchanan County: 2,623 countBuchanan County2,623Cass County: 2,542 countCass County2,542Cole County: 2,500 countCole County2,500Christian County: 2,368 countChristian County2,368Taney County: 2,133 countTaney County2,133St. Francois County: 1,862 countSt. Francois County1,862Camden County: 1,712 countCamden County1,712Dunklin County: 1,678 countDunklin County1,678Butler County: 1,544 countButler County1,544Newton County: 1,508 countNewton County1,508Howell County: 1,383 countHowell County1,383Pettis County: 1,325 countPettis County1,325Scott County: 1,306 countScott County1,306Phelps County: 1,299 countPhelps County1,299Johnson County: 1,270 countJohnson County1,270Lincoln County: 1,204 countLincoln County1,204Marion County: 981 countMarion County981Lawrence County: 957 countLawrence County957Barry County: 955 countBarry County955Lafayette County: 942 countLafayette County942Callaway County: 936 countCallaway County936Pemiscot County: 914 countPemiscot County914New Madrid County: 897 countNew Madrid County897Webster County: 875 countWebster County875Laclede County: 873 countLaclede County873Pulaski County: 869 countPulaski County869Stoddard County: 866 countStoddard County866Stone County: 851 countStone County851
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
1St. Louis County45,255-1.6%
2Jackson County25,091-1.3%
3St. Louis city15,318-4.8%
4St. Charles County10,945-0.8%
5Greene County10,892+1.8%
6Clay County6,664-0.6%
7Boone County5,144-1.6%
8Jefferson County4,597-2.1%
9Jasper County3,502-1.8%
10Platte County3,086-1.9%
11Franklin County3,016-3.8%
12Cape Girardeau County2,822-3.2%
13Buchanan County2,623-2%
14Cass County2,5420%
15Cole County2,500-0.9%
16Christian County2,368+2.1%
17Taney County2,133-0.1%
18St. Francois County1,862+0.1%
19Camden County1,712-2.9%
20Dunklin County1,678-1.2%
21Butler County1,544-3%
22Newton County1,508-4.5%
23Howell County1,383-1.3%
24Pettis County1,325-3.6%
25Scott County1,306-5.8%
26Phelps County1,299-1.1%
27Johnson County1,270-1.2%
28Lincoln County1,204+2%
29Marion County981-0.7%
30Lawrence County957-1.7%
31Barry County955+0.5%
32Lafayette County942-1.7%
33Callaway County936+1.1%
34Pemiscot County914-7%
35New Madrid County897-3.3%
36Webster County875+0.7%
37Laclede County873+0.2%
38Pulaski County869-3.3%
39Stoddard County866-3.5%
40Stone County851-0.6%
41Polk County7900%
42Warren County760+0.7%
43Miller County759+1.5%
44Washington County754+0.1%
45Adair County748+3.6%
46Vernon County724-1.4%
47Henry County706+1%
48Ripley County681-12.6%
49Crawford County672-2.9%
50Randolph County659-2.5%
51Saline County648-1.5%
52Morgan County632+1.8%
53Nodaway County624-0.2%
54Audrain County622+1.3%
55Texas County610-1%
56Iron County598-6.1%
57Perry County580-3.7%
58Wright County576+2.7%
59Dent County564-3.6%
60Benton County556-6.6%
61Gasconade County530+0.4%
62Pike County504+1%
63Ste. Genevieve County498-2%
64Andrew County494-8.3%
65Cooper County491-0.6%
66Clinton County4850%
67Livingston County470-1.7%
68Bates County4660%
69Ray County460-1.3%
70McDonald County458+1.1%
71Macon County435+1.9%
72Dallas County430-2.5%
73Mississippi County402-4.3%
74Cedar County3960%
75Linn County394-1.5%
76Wayne County388-9.8%
77Moniteau County3630%
78Madison County344+0.6%
79Barton County338+0.3%
80Montgomery County3320%
81Carroll County319+0.6%
82Daviess County294+4.6%
83Grundy County288+1.1%
84DeKalb County279+2.6%
84Douglas County279+3.3%
86Harrison County278-1.4%
87Osage County274-7.1%
88Reynolds County273-3.2%
89Ralls County271+1.1%
90Chariton County266-4%
91Oregon County264-0.4%
92Monroe County260+2%
93Carter County252-1.9%
93Ozark County252+1.2%
95Bollinger County246-1.6%
95Lewis County246+0.8%
97St. Clair County239+3.9%
98Caldwell County238+3.5%
98Shannon County238-0.4%
100Howard County232-0.4%
101Gentry County231-0.9%
102Atchison County220-4.3%
103Hickory County203-2.9%
104Shelby County200-1%
105Dade County181-2.7%
105Holt County1810%
107Maries County180+2.9%
108Clark County176+1.1%
109Scotland County155+0.6%
110Sullivan County154-1.9%
111Putnam County142+6%
112Mercer County122+10.9%
113Knox County110-6%
114Schuyler County96-4%
115Worth County68-4.2%

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 Missouri 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 Missouri 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/missouri-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 Missouri 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/missouri-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 Missouri 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/missouri-counties?period=2024 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_missouri_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 Missouri 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/missouri-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 Missouri 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/missouri-counties?period=2024
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/missouri-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  - 
Embed this chart

Paste this code into a web page or a blog post. The chart shows the latest figures as they are published, with the source and a link back to this page.

Sites that read oEmbed links, such as WordPress, can show the chart when you paste the link to this page.

Use this data in your AI agent

Invokely serves this figure to AI assistants through MCP and to code through a REST API, with the source and citation attached. Ask your assistant:

Rank Counties in Missouri by business establishments (QCEW) using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"establishments_qcew","level":"province","within":"Missouri","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=establishments_qcew&level=province&within=Missouri&limit=10

Connect Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor in one step. The trial answers 25 calls a day without an account.

Questions

Which county has the highest business establishments (QCEW)?

St. Louis County, with 45,255 in 2024, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest business establishments (QCEW)?

Worth County, with 68 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 Missouri: more rankings