Counties in Ohio by business establishments (QCEW)

Cuyahoga County had the highest business establishments (QCEW) of 88 counties in 2021, at 37,749. Vinton County had the lowest, at 215. The median was 1,237 and the figure for Ohio was 315,104. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest37,749Cuyahoga County
Lowest215Vinton County
Median1,23788 counties
Ohio315,104History

Map of counties, 2021

Adams County: 674 countAllen County: 2,529 countAshland County: 1,181 countAshtabula County: 2,156 countAthens County: 1,304 countAuglaize County: 1,081 countBelmont County: 1,645 countBrown County: 691 countButler County: 8,319 countCarroll County: 541 countChampaign County: 701 countClark County: 2,550 countClermont County: 4,343 countClinton County: 898 countColumbiana County: 2,198 countCoshocton County: 708 countCrawford County: 923 countCuyahoga County: 37,749 countDarke County: 1,241 countDefiance County: 886 countDelaware County: 6,240 countErie County: 2,004 countFairfield County: 3,221 countFayette County: 631 countFranklin County: 36,466 countFulton County: 1,101 countGallia County: 730 countGeauga County: 3,030 countGreene County: 3,854 countGuernsey County: 957 countHamilton County: 25,599 countHancock County: 1,863 countHardin County: 527 countHarrison County: 342 countHenry County: 673 countHighland County: 794 countHocking County: 577 countHolmes County: 1,483 countHuron County: 1,344 countJackson County: 720 countJefferson County: 1,387 countKnox County: 1,230 countLake County: 6,496 countLawrence County: 986 countLicking County: 3,653 countLogan County: 970 countLorain County: 6,478 countLucas County: 10,533 countMadison County: 919 countMahoning County: 6,007 countMarion County: 1,232 countMedina County: 4,771 countMeigs County: 367 countMercer County: 1,166 countMiami County: 2,416 countMonroe County: 374 countMontgomery County: 12,525 countMorgan County: 218 countMorrow County: 525 countMuskingum County: 1,903 countNoble County: 278 countOttawa County: 1,174 countPaulding County: 411 countPerry County: 587 countPickaway County: 1,016 countPike County: 548 countPortage County: 3,505 countPreble County: 776 countPutnam County: 839 countRichland County: 2,815 countRoss County: 1,450 countSandusky County: 1,456 countScioto County: 1,432 countSeneca County: 1,172 countShelby County: 1,068 countStark County: 8,925 countSummit County: 15,095 countTrumbull County: 4,304 countTuscarawas County: 2,347 countUnion County: 1,450 countVan Wert County: 642 countVinton County: 215 countWarren County: 5,745 countWashington County: 1,619 countWayne County: 2,822 countWilliams County: 898 countWood County: 3,186 countWyandot County: 557 count
  • Under 600
  • 600 to 900
  • 900 to 1,200
  • 1,200 to 2,200
  • 2,200 to 4,300
  • 4,300 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.

Top 40 counties, 2021

Cuyahoga County: 37,749 countCuyahoga County37,749Franklin County: 36,466 countFranklin County36,466Hamilton County: 25,599 countHamilton County25,599Summit County: 15,095 countSummit County15,095Montgomery County: 12,525 countMontgomery County12,525Lucas County: 10,533 countLucas County10,533Stark County: 8,925 countStark County8,925Butler County: 8,319 countButler County8,319Lake County: 6,496 countLake County6,496Lorain County: 6,478 countLorain County6,478Delaware County: 6,240 countDelaware County6,240Mahoning County: 6,007 countMahoning County6,007Warren County: 5,745 countWarren County5,745Medina County: 4,771 countMedina County4,771Clermont County: 4,343 countClermont County4,343Trumbull County: 4,304 countTrumbull County4,304Greene County: 3,854 countGreene County3,854Licking County: 3,653 countLicking County3,653Portage County: 3,505 countPortage County3,505Fairfield County: 3,221 countFairfield County3,221Wood County: 3,186 countWood County3,186Geauga County: 3,030 countGeauga County3,030Wayne County: 2,822 countWayne County2,822Richland County: 2,815 countRichland County2,815Clark County: 2,550 countClark County2,550Allen County: 2,529 countAllen County2,529Miami County: 2,416 countMiami County2,416Tuscarawas County: 2,347 countTuscarawas County2,347Columbiana County: 2,198 countColumbiana County2,198Ashtabula County: 2,156 countAshtabula County2,156Erie County: 2,004 countErie County2,004Muskingum County: 1,903 countMuskingum County1,903Hancock County: 1,863 countHancock County1,863Belmont County: 1,645 countBelmont County1,645Washington County: 1,619 countWashington County1,619Holmes County: 1,483 countHolmes County1,483Sandusky County: 1,456 countSandusky County1,456Ross County: 1,450 countRoss County1,450Union County: 1,450 countUnion County1,450Scioto County: 1,432 countScioto County1,432Cuyahoga County: 37,749 countCuyahoga County37,749Franklin County: 36,466 countFranklin County36,466Hamilton County: 25,599 countHamilton County25,599Summit County: 15,095 countSummit County15,095Montgomery County: 12,525 countMontgomery County12,525Lucas County: 10,533 countLucas County10,533Stark County: 8,925 countStark County8,925Butler County: 8,319 countButler County8,319Lake County: 6,496 countLake County6,496Lorain County: 6,478 countLorain County6,478Delaware County: 6,240 countDelaware County6,240Mahoning County: 6,007 countMahoning County6,007Warren County: 5,745 countWarren County5,745Medina County: 4,771 countMedina County4,771Clermont County: 4,343 countClermont County4,343Trumbull County: 4,304 countTrumbull County4,304Greene County: 3,854 countGreene County3,854Licking County: 3,653 countLicking County3,653Portage County: 3,505 countPortage County3,505Fairfield County: 3,221 countFairfield County3,221Wood County: 3,186 countWood County3,186Geauga County: 3,030 countGeauga County3,030Wayne County: 2,822 countWayne County2,822Richland County: 2,815 countRichland County2,815Clark County: 2,550 countClark County2,550Allen County: 2,529 countAllen County2,529Miami County: 2,416 countMiami County2,416Tuscarawas County: 2,347 countTuscarawas County2,347Columbiana County: 2,198 countColumbiana County2,198Ashtabula County: 2,156 countAshtabula County2,156Erie County: 2,004 countErie County2,004Muskingum County: 1,903 countMuskingum County1,903Hancock County: 1,863 countHancock County1,863Belmont County: 1,645 countBelmont County1,645Washington County: 1,619 countWashington County1,619Holmes County: 1,483 countHolmes County1,483Sandusky County: 1,456 countSandusky County1,456Ross County: 1,450 countRoss County1,450Union County: 1,450 countUnion County1,450Scioto County: 1,432 countScioto County1,432
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
1Cuyahoga County37,749+3.1%
2Franklin County36,466+5.2%
3Hamilton County25,599+3.2%
4Summit County15,095+2.9%
5Montgomery County12,525+2.1%
6Lucas County10,533+3.3%
7Stark County8,925+2.8%
8Butler County8,319+2.7%
9Lake County6,496+2.2%
10Lorain County6,478+2.5%
11Delaware County6,240+5.9%
12Mahoning County6,007+1.8%
13Warren County5,745+5.9%
14Medina County4,771+2.8%
15Clermont County4,343+3.5%
16Trumbull County4,304+1.5%
17Greene County3,854+2.2%
18Licking County3,653+3%
19Portage County3,505+3.5%
20Fairfield County3,221+3.2%
21Wood County3,186+2.9%
22Geauga County3,030+1.8%
23Wayne County2,822+3.2%
24Richland County2,815+0.7%
25Clark County2,550+1.6%
26Allen County2,529+0.2%
27Miami County2,416+2.5%
28Tuscarawas County2,347+2%
29Columbiana County2,198+2.2%
30Ashtabula County2,156+1.4%
31Erie County2,004+1.1%
32Muskingum County1,903+0.4%
33Hancock County1,863+2.3%
34Belmont County1,645+0.5%
35Washington County1,619+0.8%
36Holmes County1,483+1.2%
37Sandusky County1,456+4.4%
38Ross County1,450+0.8%
38Union County1,450+4.9%
40Scioto County1,432+1.4%
41Jefferson County1,387-0.1%
42Huron County1,344+1.6%
43Athens County1,304+3.6%
44Darke County1,241+0.3%
45Marion County1,232+0.7%
46Knox County1,230+1.3%
47Ashland County1,181+1%
48Ottawa County1,174+1.9%
49Seneca County1,172+1.7%
50Mercer County1,166+2.2%
51Fulton County1,101+1.1%
52Auglaize County1,081+1.4%
53Shelby County1,068+1.4%
54Pickaway County1,016+3.1%
55Lawrence County986+2.1%
56Logan County970+2.8%
57Guernsey County957-0.7%
58Crawford County923+0.7%
59Madison County919+4.3%
60Clinton County898+2.4%
60Williams County898+1.5%
62Defiance County886+2.9%
63Putnam County839+2.2%
64Highland County794+2.7%
65Preble County776+1.8%
66Gallia County730+3.4%
67Jackson County720-2.2%
68Coshocton County708+0.7%
69Champaign County701+0.9%
70Brown County691+1.8%
71Adams County674+5.1%
72Henry County673+1.4%
73Van Wert County642+1.9%
74Fayette County631-0.3%
75Perry County587+3.2%
76Hocking County577+2.3%
77Wyandot County557+1.3%
78Pike County5480%
79Carroll County541+0.4%
80Hardin County527+0.8%
81Morrow County525+5%
82Paulding County411+3.5%
83Monroe County374-0.5%
84Meigs County3670%
85Harrison County3420%
86Noble County278+0.7%
87Morgan County218+0.5%
88Vinton County215-1.8%

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/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 Ohio 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 Ohio 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/ohio-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 Ohio 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/ohio-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 Ohio 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/ohio-counties?period=2021 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_ohio_by_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 Ohio 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/ohio-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 Ohio 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/ohio-counties?period=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/ohio-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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Rank Counties in Ohio by business establishments (QCEW) using official data, and cite the source.
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Questions

Which county has the highest business establishments (QCEW)?

Cuyahoga County, with 37,749 in 2021, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest business establishments (QCEW)?

Vinton County, with 215 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 Ohio: more rankings