Counties in Oklahoma by business establishments (QCEW)

Oklahoma County had the highest business establishments (QCEW) of 77 counties in 2017, at 28,003. Harmon County had the lowest, at 73. The median was 583 and the figure for Oklahoma was 110,316. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest28,003Oklahoma County
Median58377 counties
Oklahoma110,316History

Map of counties, 2017

Adair County: 276 countAlfalfa County: 166 countAtoka County: 322 countBeaver County: 176 countBeckham County: 826 countBlaine County: 318 countBryan County: 926 countCaddo County: 600 countCanadian County: 3,051 countCarter County: 1,750 countCherokee County: 774 countChoctaw County: 350 countCimarron County: 96 countCleveland County: 5,769 countCoal County: 108 countComanche County: 2,381 countCotton County: 106 countCraig County: 422 countCreek County: 1,486 countCuster County: 981 countDelaware County: 819 countDewey County: 188 countEllis County: 144 countGarfield County: 1,750 countGarvin County: 777 countGrady County: 1,158 countGrant County: 172 countGreer County: 116 countHarmon County: 73 countHarper County: 145 countHaskell County: 250 countHughes County: 276 countJackson County: 641 countJefferson County: 135 countJohnston County: 231 countKay County: 1,231 countKingfisher County: 564 countKiowa County: 235 countLatimer County: 195 countLe Flore County: 924 countLincoln County: 633 countLogan County: 767 countLove County: 213 countMcClain County: 1,049 countMcCurtain County: 709 countMcIntosh County: 400 countMajor County: 264 countMarshall County: 257 countMayes County: 880 countMurray County: 372 countMuskogee County: 1,555 countNoble County: 259 countNowata County: 173 countOkfuskee County: 198 countOklahoma County: 28,003 countOkmulgee County: 765 countOsage County: 594 countOttawa County: 712 countPawnee County: 295 countPayne County: 2,013 countPittsburg County: 1,042 countPontotoc County: 1,127 countPottawatomie County: 1,416 countPushmataha County: 258 countRoger Mills County: 118 countRogers County: 1,923 countSeminole County: 522 countSequoyah County: 682 countStephens County: 1,134 countTexas County: 583 countTillman County: 191 countTulsa County: 22,395 countWagoner County: 776 countWashington County: 1,280 countWashita County: 259 countWoods County: 333 countWoodward County: 840 count
  • Under 200
  • 200 to 300
  • 300 to 600
  • 600 to 800
  • 800 to 1,200
  • 1,200 and over
count, 2017. 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, 2017

Oklahoma County: 28,003 countOklahoma County28,003Tulsa County: 22,395 countTulsa County22,395Cleveland County: 5,769 countCleveland County5,769Canadian County: 3,051 countCanadian County3,051Comanche County: 2,381 countComanche County2,381Payne County: 2,013 countPayne County2,013Rogers County: 1,923 countRogers County1,923Carter County: 1,750 countCarter County1,750Garfield County: 1,750 countGarfield County1,750Muskogee County: 1,555 countMuskogee County1,555Creek County: 1,486 countCreek County1,486Pottawatomie County: 1,416 countPottawatomie County1,416Washington County: 1,280 countWashington County1,280Kay County: 1,231 countKay County1,231Grady County: 1,158 countGrady County1,158Stephens County: 1,134 countStephens County1,134Pontotoc County: 1,127 countPontotoc County1,127McClain County: 1,049 countMcClain County1,049Pittsburg County: 1,042 countPittsburg County1,042Custer County: 981 countCuster County981Bryan County: 926 countBryan County926Le Flore County: 924 countLe Flore County924Mayes County: 880 countMayes County880Woodward County: 840 countWoodward County840Beckham County: 826 countBeckham County826Delaware County: 819 countDelaware County819Garvin County: 777 countGarvin County777Wagoner County: 776 countWagoner County776Cherokee County: 774 countCherokee County774Logan County: 767 countLogan County767Okmulgee County: 765 countOkmulgee County765Ottawa County: 712 countOttawa County712McCurtain County: 709 countMcCurtain County709Sequoyah County: 682 countSequoyah County682Jackson County: 641 countJackson County641Lincoln County: 633 countLincoln County633Caddo County: 600 countCaddo County600Osage County: 594 countOsage County594Texas County: 583 countTexas County583Kingfisher County: 564 countKingfisher County564Oklahoma County: 28,003 countOklahoma County28,003Tulsa County: 22,395 countTulsa County22,395Cleveland County: 5,769 countCleveland County5,769Canadian County: 3,051 countCanadian County3,051Comanche County: 2,381 countComanche County2,381Payne County: 2,013 countPayne County2,013Rogers County: 1,923 countRogers County1,923Carter County: 1,750 countCarter County1,750Garfield County: 1,750 countGarfield County1,750Muskogee County: 1,555 countMuskogee County1,555Creek County: 1,486 countCreek County1,486Pottawatomie County: 1,416 countPottawatomie County1,416Washington County: 1,280 countWashington County1,280Kay County: 1,231 countKay County1,231Grady County: 1,158 countGrady County1,158Stephens County: 1,134 countStephens County1,134Pontotoc County: 1,127 countPontotoc County1,127McClain County: 1,049 countMcClain County1,049Pittsburg County: 1,042 countPittsburg County1,042Custer County: 981 countCuster County981Bryan County: 926 countBryan County926Le Flore County: 924 countLe Flore County924Mayes County: 880 countMayes County880Woodward County: 840 countWoodward County840Beckham County: 826 countBeckham County826Delaware County: 819 countDelaware County819Garvin County: 777 countGarvin County777Wagoner County: 776 countWagoner County776Cherokee County: 774 countCherokee County774Logan County: 767 countLogan County767Okmulgee County: 765 countOkmulgee County765Ottawa County: 712 countOttawa County712McCurtain County: 709 countMcCurtain County709Sequoyah County: 682 countSequoyah County682Jackson County: 641 countJackson County641Lincoln County: 633 countLincoln County633Caddo County: 600 countCaddo County600Osage County: 594 countOsage County594Texas County: 583 countTexas County583Kingfisher County: 564 countKingfisher County564
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

RankCounties2017
count
Change on 2016
1Oklahoma County28,003+1.7%
2Tulsa County22,395+1.7%
3Cleveland County5,769+3.4%
4Canadian County3,051+2.6%
5Comanche County2,381-0.6%
6Payne County2,013+0.7%
7Rogers County1,923+2.5%
8Carter County1,750-0.3%
8Garfield County1,750-0.6%
10Muskogee County1,555+0.6%
11Creek County1,486+2.3%
12Pottawatomie County1,416+1.4%
13Washington County1,280-1.5%
14Kay County1,231-1.5%
15Grady County1,158+1.4%
16Stephens County1,134-0.2%
17Pontotoc County1,127+1.7%
18McClain County1,049+4%
19Pittsburg County1,042+1.2%
20Custer County981-0.9%
21Bryan County926+4%
22Le Flore County924+0.4%
23Mayes County880+0.3%
24Woodward County840-0.5%
25Beckham County826-3.8%
26Delaware County819+3.1%
27Garvin County777+1%
28Wagoner County776+1.2%
29Cherokee County774+1%
30Logan County767+2.7%
31Okmulgee County765+0.7%
32Ottawa County712+2.2%
33McCurtain County709-1.4%
34Sequoyah County682+2.6%
35Jackson County641-0.5%
36Lincoln County633+3.9%
37Caddo County600+0.7%
38Osage County594-0.7%
39Texas County583-4%
40Kingfisher County564+6.8%
41Seminole County522-1.3%
42Craig County422+1.2%
43McIntosh County400-1.5%
44Murray County372+1.1%
45Choctaw County350+2%
46Woods County333+0.6%
47Atoka County322+2.5%
48Blaine County318-3.6%
49Pawnee County295+2.8%
50Adair County276-1.1%
50Hughes County276+0.7%
52Major County264-0.4%
53Noble County259+2%
53Washita County259+0.4%
55Pushmataha County258+5.7%
56Marshall County257-0.8%
57Haskell County250-1.6%
58Kiowa County235-0.8%
59Johnston County231+1.3%
60Love County213-2.7%
61Okfuskee County198+3.1%
62Latimer County195+0.5%
63Tillman County191-0.5%
64Dewey County188-2.1%
65Beaver County176-1.1%
66Nowata County173-1.1%
67Grant County172+1.2%
68Alfalfa County166-1.2%
69Harper County145-2%
70Ellis County144-0.7%
71Jefferson County135-4.9%
72Roger Mills County118+0.9%
73Greer County1160%
74Coal County108-4.4%
75Cotton County106-0.9%
76Cimarron County960%
77Harmon County73-3.9%

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/2017/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), 2017) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2017/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), 2017. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2017/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/oklahoma-counties?period=2017. 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), 2017. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2017/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/oklahoma-counties?period=2017.

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), 2017 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2017/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/oklahoma-counties?period=2017 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_oklahoma_by_2017,
  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), 2017}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2017/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/oklahoma-counties?period=2017. 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/2017/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), 2017
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2017/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/oklahoma-counties?period=2017
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/oklahoma-counties?period=2017.
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/2017/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 28,003 in 2017, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest business establishments (QCEW)?

Harmon County, with 73 in 2017.

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