Counties in Pennsylvania by business establishments (QCEW)

Allegheny County had the highest business establishments (QCEW) of 67 counties in 2018, at 35,367. Cameron County had the lowest, at 148. The median was 1,989 and the figure for Pennsylvania was 355,798. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest35,367Allegheny County
Median1,98967 counties
Pennsylvania355,798History

Map of counties, 2018

Adams County: 2,178 countAllegheny County: 35,367 countArmstrong County: 1,496 countBeaver County: 3,658 countBedford County: 1,219 countBerks County: 8,883 countBlair County: 3,370 countBradford County: 1,607 countBucks County: 19,917 countButler County: 5,045 countCambria County: 3,480 countCameron County: 148 countCarbon County: 1,260 countCentre County: 3,595 countChester County: 15,529 countClarion County: 1,081 countClearfield County: 2,149 countClinton County: 912 countColumbia County: 1,565 countCrawford County: 2,197 countCumberland County: 6,521 countDauphin County: 7,475 countDelaware County: 14,085 countElk County: 971 countErie County: 6,897 countFayette County: 2,846 countForest County: 167 countFranklin County: 3,299 countFulton County: 321 countGreene County: 807 countHuntingdon County: 975 countIndiana County: 1,965 countJefferson County: 1,219 countJuniata County: 541 countLackawanna County: 5,604 countLancaster County: 13,591 countLawrence County: 1,989 countLebanon County: 2,818 countLehigh County: 8,757 countLuzerne County: 7,378 countLycoming County: 3,147 countMcKean County: 1,167 countMercer County: 2,926 countMifflin County: 1,044 countMonroe County: 3,541 countMontgomery County: 27,540 countMontour County: 455 countNorthampton County: 6,749 countNorthumberland County: 1,872 countPerry County: 897 countPhiladelphia County: 34,408 countPike County: 1,049 countPotter County: 457 countSchuylkill County: 3,041 countSnyder County: 966 countSomerset County: 1,883 countSullivan County: 204 countSusquehanna County: 991 countTioga County: 1,079 countUnion County: 1,010 countVenango County: 1,253 countWarren County: 1,069 countWashington County: 5,495 countWayne County: 1,420 countWestmoreland County: 9,230 countWyoming County: 715 countYork County: 9,154 count
  • Under 1,000
  • 1,000 to 1,200
  • 1,200 to 2,000
  • 2,000 to 3,500
  • 3,500 to 7,500
  • 7,500 and over
count, 2018. 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, 2018

Allegheny County: 35,367 countAllegheny County35,367Philadelphia County: 34,408 countPhiladelphia County34,408Montgomery County: 27,540 countMontgomery County27,540Bucks County: 19,917 countBucks County19,917Chester County: 15,529 countChester County15,529Delaware County: 14,085 countDelaware County14,085Lancaster County: 13,591 countLancaster County13,591Westmoreland County: 9,230 countWestmoreland County9,230York County: 9,154 countYork County9,154Berks County: 8,883 countBerks County8,883Lehigh County: 8,757 countLehigh County8,757Dauphin County: 7,475 countDauphin County7,475Luzerne County: 7,378 countLuzerne County7,378Erie County: 6,897 countErie County6,897Northampton County: 6,749 countNorthampton County6,749Cumberland County: 6,521 countCumberland County6,521Lackawanna County: 5,604 countLackawanna County5,604Washington County: 5,495 countWashington County5,495Butler County: 5,045 countButler County5,045Beaver County: 3,658 countBeaver County3,658Centre County: 3,595 countCentre County3,595Monroe County: 3,541 countMonroe County3,541Cambria County: 3,480 countCambria County3,480Blair County: 3,370 countBlair County3,370Franklin County: 3,299 countFranklin County3,299Lycoming County: 3,147 countLycoming County3,147Schuylkill County: 3,041 countSchuylkill County3,041Mercer County: 2,926 countMercer County2,926Fayette County: 2,846 countFayette County2,846Lebanon County: 2,818 countLebanon County2,818Crawford County: 2,197 countCrawford County2,197Adams County: 2,178 countAdams County2,178Clearfield County: 2,149 countClearfield County2,149Lawrence County: 1,989 countLawrence County1,989Indiana County: 1,965 countIndiana County1,965Somerset County: 1,883 countSomerset County1,883Northumberland County: 1,872 countNorthumberland County1,872Bradford County: 1,607 countBradford County1,607Columbia County: 1,565 countColumbia County1,565Armstrong County: 1,496 countArmstrong County1,496Allegheny County: 35,367 countAllegheny County35,367Philadelphia County: 34,408 countPhiladelphia County34,408Montgomery County: 27,540 countMontgomery County27,540Bucks County: 19,917 countBucks County19,917Chester County: 15,529 countChester County15,529Delaware County: 14,085 countDelaware County14,085Lancaster County: 13,591 countLancaster County13,591Westmoreland County: 9,230 countWestmoreland County9,230York County: 9,154 countYork County9,154Berks County: 8,883 countBerks County8,883Lehigh County: 8,757 countLehigh County8,757Dauphin County: 7,475 countDauphin County7,475Luzerne County: 7,378 countLuzerne County7,378Erie County: 6,897 countErie County6,897Northampton County: 6,749 countNorthampton County6,749Cumberland County: 6,521 countCumberland County6,521Lackawanna County: 5,604 countLackawanna County5,604Washington County: 5,495 countWashington County5,495Butler County: 5,045 countButler County5,045Beaver County: 3,658 countBeaver County3,658Centre County: 3,595 countCentre County3,595Monroe County: 3,541 countMonroe County3,541Cambria County: 3,480 countCambria County3,480Blair County: 3,370 countBlair County3,370Franklin County: 3,299 countFranklin County3,299Lycoming County: 3,147 countLycoming County3,147Schuylkill County: 3,041 countSchuylkill County3,041Mercer County: 2,926 countMercer County2,926Fayette County: 2,846 countFayette County2,846Lebanon County: 2,818 countLebanon County2,818Crawford County: 2,197 countCrawford County2,197Adams County: 2,178 countAdams County2,178Clearfield County: 2,149 countClearfield County2,149Lawrence County: 1,989 countLawrence County1,989Indiana County: 1,965 countIndiana County1,965Somerset County: 1,883 countSomerset County1,883Northumberland County: 1,872 countNorthumberland County1,872Bradford County: 1,607 countBradford County1,607Columbia County: 1,565 countColumbia County1,565Armstrong County: 1,496 countArmstrong County1,496
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

RankCounties2018
count
Change on 2017
1Allegheny County35,367+0.2%
2Philadelphia County34,408-0.6%
3Montgomery County27,540+0.3%
4Bucks County19,917+0.6%
5Chester County15,529+1.1%
6Delaware County14,085+0.5%
7Lancaster County13,591+1.3%
8Westmoreland County9,230-0.2%
9York County9,154+0.4%
10Berks County8,883-0.4%
11Lehigh County8,757-0.1%
12Dauphin County7,475-0.5%
13Luzerne County7,378-0.4%
14Erie County6,897-0.7%
15Northampton County6,749+0.5%
16Cumberland County6,521+1.1%
17Lackawanna County5,604-1.1%
18Washington County5,495+0.7%
19Butler County5,045+0.4%
20Beaver County3,658-0%
21Centre County3,595+0.7%
22Monroe County3,541-0.6%
23Cambria County3,480-0.9%
24Blair County3,370+0.2%
25Franklin County3,299+0.2%
26Lycoming County3,147-0.2%
27Schuylkill County3,041-1.2%
28Mercer County2,926-0.5%
29Fayette County2,846+0.2%
30Lebanon County2,818+0.8%
31Crawford County2,197-0.7%
32Adams County2,178+0.1%
33Clearfield County2,1490%
34Lawrence County1,989-0.3%
35Indiana County1,965-0.4%
36Somerset County1,883-0.2%
37Northumberland County1,872-0.6%
38Bradford County1,607-2.1%
39Columbia County1,565+1.2%
40Armstrong County1,496-0.8%
41Wayne County1,420-1.6%
42Carbon County1,260+1%
43Venango County1,253-0.2%
44Bedford County1,219-0.5%
44Jefferson County1,219-0.2%
46McKean County1,167-0.9%
47Clarion County1,081-0.6%
48Tioga County1,079-2.1%
49Warren County1,069-2.1%
50Pike County1,049-0.1%
51Mifflin County1,0440%
52Union County1,010+1.3%
53Susquehanna County991-3%
54Huntingdon County975+1.6%
55Elk County971+1.7%
56Snyder County966-0.4%
57Clinton County912+0.3%
58Perry County897+0.7%
59Greene County807-1.3%
60Wyoming County715-1.8%
61Juniata County541+0.9%
62Potter County457-1.1%
63Montour County455+1.1%
64Fulton County321-0.9%
65Sullivan County204+1%
66Forest County167-2.3%
67Cameron County148-0.7%

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/2018/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), 2018) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2018/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), 2018. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2018/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/pennsylvania-counties?period=2018. 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), 2018. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2018/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/pennsylvania-counties?period=2018.

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), 2018 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2018/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/pennsylvania-counties?period=2018 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_pennsylvania_by_2018,
  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), 2018}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2018/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/pennsylvania-counties?period=2018. 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/2018/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), 2018
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2018/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/pennsylvania-counties?period=2018
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/pennsylvania-counties?period=2018.
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/2018/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  - 
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Questions

Which county has the highest business establishments (QCEW)?

Allegheny County, with 35,367 in 2018, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest business establishments (QCEW)?

Cameron County, with 148 in 2018.

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