Counties in Oklahoma by business establishments (QCEW)

Oklahoma County had the highest business establishments (QCEW) of 77 counties in 2016, at 27,537. Harmon County had the lowest, at 76. The median was 596 and the figure for Oklahoma was 109,138. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest27,537Oklahoma County
Median59677 counties
Oklahoma109,138History

Map of counties, 2016

Adair County: 279 countAlfalfa County: 168 countAtoka County: 314 countBeaver County: 178 countBeckham County: 859 countBlaine County: 330 countBryan County: 890 countCaddo County: 596 countCanadian County: 2,973 countCarter County: 1,756 countCherokee County: 766 countChoctaw County: 343 countCimarron County: 96 countCleveland County: 5,582 countCoal County: 113 countComanche County: 2,395 countCotton County: 107 countCraig County: 417 countCreek County: 1,452 countCuster County: 990 countDelaware County: 794 countDewey County: 192 countEllis County: 145 countGarfield County: 1,761 countGarvin County: 769 countGrady County: 1,142 countGrant County: 170 countGreer County: 116 countHarmon County: 76 countHarper County: 148 countHaskell County: 254 countHughes County: 274 countJackson County: 644 countJefferson County: 142 countJohnston County: 228 countKay County: 1,250 countKingfisher County: 528 countKiowa County: 237 countLatimer County: 194 countLe Flore County: 920 countLincoln County: 609 countLogan County: 747 countLove County: 219 countMcClain County: 1,009 countMcCurtain County: 719 countMcIntosh County: 406 countMajor County: 265 countMarshall County: 259 countMayes County: 877 countMurray County: 368 countMuskogee County: 1,546 countNoble County: 254 countNowata County: 175 countOkfuskee County: 192 countOklahoma County: 27,537 countOkmulgee County: 760 countOsage County: 598 countOttawa County: 697 countPawnee County: 287 countPayne County: 1,999 countPittsburg County: 1,030 countPontotoc County: 1,108 countPottawatomie County: 1,396 countPushmataha County: 244 countRoger Mills County: 117 countRogers County: 1,876 countSeminole County: 529 countSequoyah County: 665 countStephens County: 1,136 countTexas County: 607 countTillman County: 192 countTulsa County: 22,020 countWagoner County: 767 countWashington County: 1,300 countWashita County: 258 countWoods County: 331 countWoodward County: 844 count
  • Under 200
  • 200 to 300
  • 300 to 600
  • 600 to 800
  • 800 to 1,300
  • 1,300 and over
count, 2016. 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, 2016

Oklahoma County: 27,537 countOklahoma County27,537Tulsa County: 22,020 countTulsa County22,020Cleveland County: 5,582 countCleveland County5,582Canadian County: 2,973 countCanadian County2,973Comanche County: 2,395 countComanche County2,395Payne County: 1,999 countPayne County1,999Rogers County: 1,876 countRogers County1,876Garfield County: 1,761 countGarfield County1,761Carter County: 1,756 countCarter County1,756Muskogee County: 1,546 countMuskogee County1,546Creek County: 1,452 countCreek County1,452Pottawatomie County: 1,396 countPottawatomie County1,396Washington County: 1,300 countWashington County1,300Kay County: 1,250 countKay County1,250Grady County: 1,142 countGrady County1,142Stephens County: 1,136 countStephens County1,136Pontotoc County: 1,108 countPontotoc County1,108Pittsburg County: 1,030 countPittsburg County1,030McClain County: 1,009 countMcClain County1,009Custer County: 990 countCuster County990Le Flore County: 920 countLe Flore County920Bryan County: 890 countBryan County890Mayes County: 877 countMayes County877Beckham County: 859 countBeckham County859Woodward County: 844 countWoodward County844Delaware County: 794 countDelaware County794Garvin County: 769 countGarvin County769Wagoner County: 767 countWagoner County767Cherokee County: 766 countCherokee County766Okmulgee County: 760 countOkmulgee County760Logan County: 747 countLogan County747McCurtain County: 719 countMcCurtain County719Ottawa County: 697 countOttawa County697Sequoyah County: 665 countSequoyah County665Jackson County: 644 countJackson County644Lincoln County: 609 countLincoln County609Texas County: 607 countTexas County607Osage County: 598 countOsage County598Caddo County: 596 countCaddo County596Seminole County: 529 countSeminole County529Oklahoma County: 27,537 countOklahoma County27,537Tulsa County: 22,020 countTulsa County22,020Cleveland County: 5,582 countCleveland County5,582Canadian County: 2,973 countCanadian County2,973Comanche County: 2,395 countComanche County2,395Payne County: 1,999 countPayne County1,999Rogers County: 1,876 countRogers County1,876Garfield County: 1,761 countGarfield County1,761Carter County: 1,756 countCarter County1,756Muskogee County: 1,546 countMuskogee County1,546Creek County: 1,452 countCreek County1,452Pottawatomie County: 1,396 countPottawatomie County1,396Washington County: 1,300 countWashington County1,300Kay County: 1,250 countKay County1,250Grady County: 1,142 countGrady County1,142Stephens County: 1,136 countStephens County1,136Pontotoc County: 1,108 countPontotoc County1,108Pittsburg County: 1,030 countPittsburg County1,030McClain County: 1,009 countMcClain County1,009Custer County: 990 countCuster County990Le Flore County: 920 countLe Flore County920Bryan County: 890 countBryan County890Mayes County: 877 countMayes County877Beckham County: 859 countBeckham County859Woodward County: 844 countWoodward County844Delaware County: 794 countDelaware County794Garvin County: 769 countGarvin County769Wagoner County: 767 countWagoner County767Cherokee County: 766 countCherokee County766Okmulgee County: 760 countOkmulgee County760Logan County: 747 countLogan County747McCurtain County: 719 countMcCurtain County719Ottawa County: 697 countOttawa County697Sequoyah County: 665 countSequoyah County665Jackson County: 644 countJackson County644Lincoln County: 609 countLincoln County609Texas County: 607 countTexas County607Osage County: 598 countOsage County598Caddo County: 596 countCaddo County596Seminole County: 529 countSeminole County529
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

RankCounties2016
count
Change on 2015
1Oklahoma County27,537+1.8%
2Tulsa County22,020+0.8%
3Cleveland County5,582+2.9%
4Canadian County2,973+3.6%
5Comanche County2,395-0.4%
6Payne County1,999+1.5%
7Rogers County1,876+1.3%
8Garfield County1,761-0.7%
9Carter County1,756+0.9%
10Muskogee County1,546-1%
11Creek County1,452-1.8%
12Pottawatomie County1,396+2%
13Washington County1,300-2.3%
14Kay County1,250+0.5%
15Grady County1,142+1.2%
16Stephens County1,136-1.8%
17Pontotoc County1,108+3.1%
18Pittsburg County1,030+0.6%
19McClain County1,009+3.3%
20Custer County990-1.5%
21Le Flore County920-2%
22Bryan County890+1.3%
23Mayes County8770%
24Beckham County859-4.9%
25Woodward County844-2.3%
26Delaware County794+0.8%
27Garvin County769-3.1%
28Wagoner County767-1.8%
29Cherokee County766+1.3%
30Okmulgee County760+1.9%
31Logan County747-0.4%
32McCurtain County719+3.8%
33Ottawa County697+1%
34Sequoyah County665+3.1%
35Jackson County644-2.3%
36Lincoln County609-1.1%
37Texas County607+1%
38Osage County598+0.7%
39Caddo County596+3.5%
40Seminole County529-0.9%
41Kingfisher County528+1%
42Craig County417+0.7%
43McIntosh County406-1.2%
44Murray County368+8.6%
45Choctaw County3430%
46Woods County331-2.9%
47Blaine County330+1.2%
48Atoka County314+0.3%
49Pawnee County287-1%
50Adair County279+2.2%
51Hughes County274+1.9%
52Major County265-0.7%
53Marshall County259-4.1%
54Washita County258-2.3%
55Haskell County254-2.3%
55Noble County254+2.8%
57Pushmataha County244+3%
58Kiowa County237+0.4%
59Johnston County228+1.3%
60Love County219-2.2%
61Latimer County194-3%
62Dewey County192+1.6%
62Okfuskee County1920%
62Tillman County192+2.1%
65Beaver County178-1.1%
66Nowata County175-0.6%
67Grant County170+4.9%
68Alfalfa County168+3.7%
69Harper County148-0.7%
70Ellis County145+1.4%
71Jefferson County142-4.1%
72Roger Mills County117+0.9%
73Greer County116-0.9%
74Coal County113+0.9%
75Cotton County1070%
76Cimarron County96-2%
77Harmon County76-1.3%

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/2016/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 Oklahoma by business establishments (QCEW), 2016) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/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 Oklahoma by business establishments (QCEW), 2016. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/oklahoma-counties?period=2016. 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 Oklahoma by business establishments (QCEW), 2016. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/oklahoma-counties?period=2016.

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 Oklahoma by business establishments (QCEW), 2016 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/oklahoma-counties?period=2016 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_oklahoma_by_2016,
  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 Oklahoma by business establishments (QCEW), 2016}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/oklahoma-counties?period=2016. 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/2016/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 Oklahoma by business establishments (QCEW), 2016
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2016/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/oklahoma-counties?period=2016
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/oklahoma-counties?period=2016.
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/2016/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  - 
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Rank Counties in Oklahoma by business establishments (QCEW) using official data, and cite the source.
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Questions

Which county has the highest business establishments (QCEW)?

Oklahoma County, with 27,537 in 2016, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest business establishments (QCEW)?

Harmon County, with 76 in 2016.

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 Oklahoma: more rankings