Data / Rankings / Business establishments (QCEW) / Counties in Pennsylvania

Counties in Pennsylvania by business establishments (QCEW)

Allegheny County had the highest business establishments (QCEW) of 67 counties in 2016, at 35,423. Cameron County had the lowest, at 146. The median was 2,010 and the figure for Pennsylvania was 352,589. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest35,423Allegheny County
Lowest146Cameron County
Median2,01067 counties
Pennsylvania352,589History

Map of counties, 2016

Adams County: 2,156 countAllegheny County: 35,423 countArmstrong County: 1,526 countBeaver County: 3,660 countBedford County: 1,198 countBerks County: 8,921 countBlair County: 3,362 countBradford County: 1,651 countBucks County: 19,759 countButler County: 5,000 countCambria County: 3,553 countCameron County: 146 countCarbon County: 1,248 countCentre County: 3,572 countChester County: 15,353 countClarion County: 1,086 countClearfield County: 2,154 countClinton County: 902 countColumbia County: 1,544 countCrawford County: 2,222 countCumberland County: 6,393 countDauphin County: 7,478 countDelaware County: 13,911 countElk County: 946 countErie County: 6,997 countFayette County: 2,840 countForest County: 169 countFranklin County: 3,275 countFulton County: 315 countGreene County: 850 countHuntingdon County: 946 countIndiana County: 2,010 countJefferson County: 1,229 countJuniata County: 526 countLackawanna County: 5,744 countLancaster County: 13,264 countLawrence County: 2,009 countLebanon County: 2,803 countLehigh County: 8,668 countLuzerne County: 7,447 countLycoming County: 3,172 countMcKean County: 1,183 countMercer County: 2,930 countMifflin County: 1,037 countMonroe County: 3,588 countMontgomery County: 27,362 countMontour County: 462 countNorthampton County: 6,716 countNorthumberland County: 1,898 countPerry County: 887 countPhiladelphia County: 34,577 countPike County: 1,028 countPotter County: 457 countSchuylkill County: 3,129 countSnyder County: 965 countSomerset County: 1,891 countSullivan County: 197 countSusquehanna County: 1,051 countTioga County: 1,104 countUnion County: 990 countVenango County: 1,265 countWarren County: 1,119 countWashington County: 5,477 countWayne County: 1,449 countWestmoreland County: 9,231 countWyoming County: 740 countYork County: 9,037 count
  • Under 900
  • 900 to 1,200
  • 1,200 to 2,000
  • 2,000 to 3,600
  • 3,600 to 7,500
  • 7,500 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

Allegheny County: 35,423 countAllegheny County35,423Philadelphia County: 34,577 countPhiladelphia County34,577Montgomery County: 27,362 countMontgomery County27,362Bucks County: 19,759 countBucks County19,759Chester County: 15,353 countChester County15,353Delaware County: 13,911 countDelaware County13,911Lancaster County: 13,264 countLancaster County13,264Westmoreland County: 9,231 countWestmoreland County9,231York County: 9,037 countYork County9,037Berks County: 8,921 countBerks County8,921Lehigh County: 8,668 countLehigh County8,668Dauphin County: 7,478 countDauphin County7,478Luzerne County: 7,447 countLuzerne County7,447Erie County: 6,997 countErie County6,997Northampton County: 6,716 countNorthampton County6,716Cumberland County: 6,393 countCumberland County6,393Lackawanna County: 5,744 countLackawanna County5,744Washington County: 5,477 countWashington County5,477Butler County: 5,000 countButler County5,000Beaver County: 3,660 countBeaver County3,660Monroe County: 3,588 countMonroe County3,588Centre County: 3,572 countCentre County3,572Cambria County: 3,553 countCambria County3,553Blair County: 3,362 countBlair County3,362Franklin County: 3,275 countFranklin County3,275Lycoming County: 3,172 countLycoming County3,172Schuylkill County: 3,129 countSchuylkill County3,129Mercer County: 2,930 countMercer County2,930Fayette County: 2,840 countFayette County2,840Lebanon County: 2,803 countLebanon County2,803Crawford County: 2,222 countCrawford County2,222Adams County: 2,156 countAdams County2,156Clearfield County: 2,154 countClearfield County2,154Indiana County: 2,010 countIndiana County2,010Lawrence County: 2,009 countLawrence County2,009Northumberland County: 1,898 countNorthumberland County1,898Somerset County: 1,891 countSomerset County1,891Bradford County: 1,651 countBradford County1,651Columbia County: 1,544 countColumbia County1,544Armstrong County: 1,526 countArmstrong County1,526Allegheny County: 35,423 countAllegheny County35,423Philadelphia County: 34,577 countPhiladelphia County34,577Montgomery County: 27,362 countMontgomery County27,362Bucks County: 19,759 countBucks County19,759Chester County: 15,353 countChester County15,353Delaware County: 13,911 countDelaware County13,911Lancaster County: 13,264 countLancaster County13,264Westmoreland County: 9,231 countWestmoreland County9,231York County: 9,037 countYork County9,037Berks County: 8,921 countBerks County8,921Lehigh County: 8,668 countLehigh County8,668Dauphin County: 7,478 countDauphin County7,478Luzerne County: 7,447 countLuzerne County7,447Erie County: 6,997 countErie County6,997Northampton County: 6,716 countNorthampton County6,716Cumberland County: 6,393 countCumberland County6,393Lackawanna County: 5,744 countLackawanna County5,744Washington County: 5,477 countWashington County5,477Butler County: 5,000 countButler County5,000Beaver County: 3,660 countBeaver County3,660Monroe County: 3,588 countMonroe County3,588Centre County: 3,572 countCentre County3,572Cambria County: 3,553 countCambria County3,553Blair County: 3,362 countBlair County3,362Franklin County: 3,275 countFranklin County3,275Lycoming County: 3,172 countLycoming County3,172Schuylkill County: 3,129 countSchuylkill County3,129Mercer County: 2,930 countMercer County2,930Fayette County: 2,840 countFayette County2,840Lebanon County: 2,803 countLebanon County2,803Crawford County: 2,222 countCrawford County2,222Adams County: 2,156 countAdams County2,156Clearfield County: 2,154 countClearfield County2,154Indiana County: 2,010 countIndiana County2,010Lawrence County: 2,009 countLawrence County2,009Northumberland County: 1,898 countNorthumberland County1,898Somerset County: 1,891 countSomerset County1,891Bradford County: 1,651 countBradford County1,651Columbia County: 1,544 countColumbia County1,544Armstrong County: 1,526 countArmstrong County1,526
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
1Allegheny County35,423+0.5%
2Philadelphia County34,577+0.3%
3Montgomery County27,362+0.6%
4Bucks County19,759+0.9%
5Chester County15,353+0.9%
6Delaware County13,911+0.8%
7Lancaster County13,264+1.5%
8Westmoreland County9,231-0.2%
9York County9,037+0.8%
10Berks County8,921+0.9%
11Lehigh County8,668+1.9%
12Dauphin County7,478+1.4%
13Luzerne County7,447-0.3%
14Erie County6,997-1.1%
15Northampton County6,716+1.3%
16Cumberland County6,393+2%
17Lackawanna County5,744-0.7%
18Washington County5,477+1%
19Butler County5,000+0.5%
20Beaver County3,660-0.7%
21Monroe County3,588+0.4%
22Centre County3,572+2.4%
23Cambria County3,553-0.2%
24Blair County3,362-0.7%
25Franklin County3,275+0.3%
26Lycoming County3,172-1%
27Schuylkill County3,129-1.2%
28Mercer County2,930-0.1%
29Fayette County2,840-1.1%
30Lebanon County2,803+1%
31Crawford County2,222-0.2%
32Adams County2,156+1.7%
33Clearfield County2,154+0.5%
34Indiana County2,010-2%
35Lawrence County2,009-2.2%
36Northumberland County1,898+0.9%
37Somerset County1,891-0.4%
38Bradford County1,651-0.1%
39Columbia County1,544+0.3%
40Armstrong County1,526-0.7%
41Wayne County1,449+1.3%
42Venango County1,265-1.7%
43Carbon County1,248+0.3%
44Jefferson County1,229-0.6%
45Bedford County1,198+1.1%
46McKean County1,183-1.7%
47Warren County1,119-1.5%
48Tioga County1,104+1.2%
49Clarion County1,0860%
50Susquehanna County1,051-1.4%
51Mifflin County1,037-2.3%
52Pike County1,028+0.4%
53Union County9900%
54Snyder County965-0.3%
55Elk County946+0.9%
55Huntingdon County946-1.1%
57Clinton County902+0.3%
58Perry County887+1.5%
59Greene County850+0.8%
60Wyoming County740-0.9%
61Juniata County526+1.3%
62Montour County462+1.1%
63Potter County457-0.9%
64Fulton County315+1.6%
65Sullivan County197-1%
66Forest County169-2.9%
67Cameron County146-1.4%

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/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 Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania 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/pennsylvania-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 Pennsylvania 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/pennsylvania-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 Pennsylvania 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/pennsylvania-counties?period=2016 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_pennsylvania_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 Pennsylvania 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/pennsylvania-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 Pennsylvania 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/pennsylvania-counties?period=2016
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/pennsylvania-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 Pennsylvania by business establishments (QCEW) using official data, and cite the source.
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Questions

Which county has the highest business establishments (QCEW)?

Allegheny County, with 35,423 in 2016, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest business establishments (QCEW)?

Cameron County, with 146 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 Pennsylvania: more rankings