Counties in New Hampshire by business establishments (QCEW)

Hillsborough County had the highest business establishments (QCEW) of 10 counties in 2021, at 12,567. Coos County had the lowest, at 1,010. The median was 2,657 and the figure for New Hampshire was 58,684. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest12,567Hillsborough County
Lowest1,010Coos County
Median2,65710 counties
New Hampshire58,684History

Map of counties, 2021

Belknap County: 2,178 countCarroll County: 2,062 countCheshire County: 2,224 countCoos County: 1,010 countGrafton County: 3,404 countHillsborough County: 12,567 countMerrimack County: 5,387 countRockingham County: 11,542 countStrafford County: 3,090 countSullivan County: 1,125 count
  • Under 1,900
  • 1,900 to 2,200
  • 2,200 to 3,200
  • 3,200 to 6,600
  • 6,600 and over
count, 2021. 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.

All counties, 2021

Hillsborough County: 12,567 countHillsborough County12,567Rockingham County: 11,542 countRockingham County11,542Merrimack County: 5,387 countMerrimack County5,387Grafton County: 3,404 countGrafton County3,404Strafford County: 3,090 countStrafford County3,090Cheshire County: 2,224 countCheshire County2,224Belknap County: 2,178 countBelknap County2,178Carroll County: 2,062 countCarroll County2,062Sullivan County: 1,125 countSullivan County1,125Coos County: 1,010 countCoos County1,010Hillsborough County: 12,567 countHillsborough County12,567Rockingham County: 11,542 countRockingham County11,542Merrimack County: 5,387 countMerrimack County5,387Grafton County: 3,404 countGrafton County3,404Strafford County: 3,090 countStrafford County3,090Cheshire County: 2,224 countCheshire County2,224Belknap County: 2,178 countBelknap County2,178Carroll County: 2,062 countCarroll County2,062Sullivan County: 1,125 countSullivan County1,125Coos County: 1,010 countCoos County1,010
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

RankCounties2021
count
Change on 2020
1Hillsborough County12,567+1.6%
2Rockingham County11,542+2.2%
3Merrimack County5,387+2.5%
4Grafton County3,404+1.6%
5Strafford County3,090+2.9%
6Cheshire County2,224+2.3%
7Belknap County2,178+2.9%
8Carroll County2,062+2.4%
9Sullivan County1,125+1.3%
10Coos County1,010+2.4%

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/2021/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 New Hampshire by business establishments (QCEW), 2021) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2021/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 New Hampshire by business establishments (QCEW), 2021. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2021/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/new-hampshire-counties?period=2021. 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 New Hampshire by business establishments (QCEW), 2021. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2021/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/new-hampshire-counties?period=2021.

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 New Hampshire by business establishments (QCEW), 2021 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2021/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/new-hampshire-counties?period=2021 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_new_hampshire_2021,
  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 New Hampshire by business establishments (QCEW), 2021}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2021/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/new-hampshire-counties?period=2021. 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/2021/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 New Hampshire by business establishments (QCEW), 2021
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2021/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/new-hampshire-counties?period=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/new-hampshire-counties?period=2021.
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/2021/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  - 
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Questions

Which county has the highest business establishments (QCEW)?

Hillsborough County, with 12,567 in 2021, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest business establishments (QCEW)?

Coos County, with 1,010 in 2021.

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 New Hampshire: more rankings