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 2021, at 36,076. Forest County had the lowest, at 152. The median was 2,002 and the figure for Pennsylvania was 369,368. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest36,076Allegheny County
Lowest152Forest County
Median2,00267 counties
Pennsylvania369,368History

Map of counties, 2021

Adams County: 2,148 countAllegheny County: 36,076 countArmstrong County: 1,471 countBeaver County: 3,662 countBedford County: 1,197 countBerks County: 8,779 countBlair County: 3,474 countBradford County: 1,577 countBucks County: 20,430 countButler County: 5,143 countCambria County: 3,332 countCameron County: 156 countCarbon County: 1,270 countCentre County: 3,619 countChester County: 15,908 countClarion County: 1,081 countClearfield County: 2,103 countClinton County: 909 countColumbia County: 1,564 countCrawford County: 2,138 countCumberland County: 6,741 countDauphin County: 7,511 countDelaware County: 14,155 countElk County: 976 countErie County: 6,800 countFayette County: 2,794 countForest County: 152 countFranklin County: 3,367 countFulton County: 314 countGreene County: 795 countHuntingdon County: 998 countIndiana County: 1,952 countJefferson County: 1,194 countJuniata County: 551 countLackawanna County: 5,513 countLancaster County: 14,042 countLawrence County: 2,002 countLebanon County: 2,858 countLehigh County: 8,828 countLuzerne County: 7,408 countLycoming County: 3,092 countMcKean County: 1,112 countMercer County: 2,883 countMifflin County: 1,070 countMonroe County: 3,568 countMontgomery County: 28,139 countMontour County: 485 countNorthampton County: 6,856 countNorthumberland County: 1,856 countPerry County: 896 countPhiladelphia County: 34,513 countPike County: 1,094 countPotter County: 462 countSchuylkill County: 3,022 countSnyder County: 970 countSomerset County: 1,834 countSullivan County: 195 countSusquehanna County: 970 countTioga County: 1,029 countUnion County: 1,010 countVenango County: 1,243 countWarren County: 993 countWashington County: 5,542 countWayne County: 1,388 countWestmoreland County: 9,122 countWyoming County: 704 countYork County: 9,204 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, 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

Allegheny County: 36,076 countAllegheny County36,076Philadelphia County: 34,513 countPhiladelphia County34,513Montgomery County: 28,139 countMontgomery County28,139Bucks County: 20,430 countBucks County20,430Chester County: 15,908 countChester County15,908Delaware County: 14,155 countDelaware County14,155Lancaster County: 14,042 countLancaster County14,042York County: 9,204 countYork County9,204Westmoreland County: 9,122 countWestmoreland County9,122Lehigh County: 8,828 countLehigh County8,828Berks County: 8,779 countBerks County8,779Dauphin County: 7,511 countDauphin County7,511Luzerne County: 7,408 countLuzerne County7,408Northampton County: 6,856 countNorthampton County6,856Erie County: 6,800 countErie County6,800Cumberland County: 6,741 countCumberland County6,741Washington County: 5,542 countWashington County5,542Lackawanna County: 5,513 countLackawanna County5,513Butler County: 5,143 countButler County5,143Beaver County: 3,662 countBeaver County3,662Centre County: 3,619 countCentre County3,619Monroe County: 3,568 countMonroe County3,568Blair County: 3,474 countBlair County3,474Franklin County: 3,367 countFranklin County3,367Cambria County: 3,332 countCambria County3,332Lycoming County: 3,092 countLycoming County3,092Schuylkill County: 3,022 countSchuylkill County3,022Mercer County: 2,883 countMercer County2,883Lebanon County: 2,858 countLebanon County2,858Fayette County: 2,794 countFayette County2,794Adams County: 2,148 countAdams County2,148Crawford County: 2,138 countCrawford County2,138Clearfield County: 2,103 countClearfield County2,103Lawrence County: 2,002 countLawrence County2,002Indiana County: 1,952 countIndiana County1,952Northumberland County: 1,856 countNorthumberland County1,856Somerset County: 1,834 countSomerset County1,834Bradford County: 1,577 countBradford County1,577Columbia County: 1,564 countColumbia County1,564Armstrong County: 1,471 countArmstrong County1,471Allegheny County: 36,076 countAllegheny County36,076Philadelphia County: 34,513 countPhiladelphia County34,513Montgomery County: 28,139 countMontgomery County28,139Bucks County: 20,430 countBucks County20,430Chester County: 15,908 countChester County15,908Delaware County: 14,155 countDelaware County14,155Lancaster County: 14,042 countLancaster County14,042York County: 9,204 countYork County9,204Westmoreland County: 9,122 countWestmoreland County9,122Lehigh County: 8,828 countLehigh County8,828Berks County: 8,779 countBerks County8,779Dauphin County: 7,511 countDauphin County7,511Luzerne County: 7,408 countLuzerne County7,408Northampton County: 6,856 countNorthampton County6,856Erie County: 6,800 countErie County6,800Cumberland County: 6,741 countCumberland County6,741Washington County: 5,542 countWashington County5,542Lackawanna County: 5,513 countLackawanna County5,513Butler County: 5,143 countButler County5,143Beaver County: 3,662 countBeaver County3,662Centre County: 3,619 countCentre County3,619Monroe County: 3,568 countMonroe County3,568Blair County: 3,474 countBlair County3,474Franklin County: 3,367 countFranklin County3,367Cambria County: 3,332 countCambria County3,332Lycoming County: 3,092 countLycoming County3,092Schuylkill County: 3,022 countSchuylkill County3,022Mercer County: 2,883 countMercer County2,883Lebanon County: 2,858 countLebanon County2,858Fayette County: 2,794 countFayette County2,794Adams County: 2,148 countAdams County2,148Crawford County: 2,138 countCrawford County2,138Clearfield County: 2,103 countClearfield County2,103Lawrence County: 2,002 countLawrence County2,002Indiana County: 1,952 countIndiana County1,952Northumberland County: 1,856 countNorthumberland County1,856Somerset County: 1,834 countSomerset County1,834Bradford County: 1,577 countBradford County1,577Columbia County: 1,564 countColumbia County1,564Armstrong County: 1,471 countArmstrong County1,471
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
1Allegheny County36,076+0.5%
2Philadelphia County34,513-0.6%
3Montgomery County28,139+0.8%
4Bucks County20,430+0.8%
5Chester County15,908+0.7%
6Delaware County14,155+0.5%
7Lancaster County14,042+1.8%
8York County9,204+0.4%
9Westmoreland County9,122-0.4%
10Lehigh County8,828+1%
11Berks County8,779-0.7%
12Dauphin County7,511+0.6%
13Luzerne County7,408-0.1%
14Northampton County6,856+0.5%
15Erie County6,800-0.4%
16Cumberland County6,741+1.7%
17Washington County5,542+0.2%
18Lackawanna County5,513-1%
19Butler County5,143+0.6%
20Beaver County3,662-0.4%
21Centre County3,619-0.7%
22Monroe County3,568+0.8%
23Blair County3,474+1.3%
24Franklin County3,367+1.1%
25Cambria County3,332-0.8%
26Lycoming County3,092-0.9%
27Schuylkill County3,022-0.2%
28Mercer County2,883-0.7%
29Lebanon County2,858+0.2%
30Fayette County2,794-1.2%
31Adams County2,148-0.7%
32Crawford County2,138-1.1%
33Clearfield County2,103-0.1%
34Lawrence County2,002+0.8%
35Indiana County1,952-1%
36Northumberland County1,856+0.5%
37Somerset County1,834-0.6%
38Bradford County1,577+0.1%
39Columbia County1,564-0.1%
40Armstrong County1,471-0.4%
41Wayne County1,388+0.4%
42Carbon County1,270+0.8%
43Venango County1,243+1.1%
44Bedford County1,197+0.9%
45Jefferson County1,194-0.3%
46McKean County1,112-1.8%
47Pike County1,094+3.7%
48Clarion County1,081+2%
49Mifflin County1,070+0.8%
50Tioga County1,029-0.9%
51Union County1,010-0.2%
52Huntingdon County998+0.2%
53Warren County993-2%
54Elk County976-0.2%
55Snyder County970-1%
55Susquehanna County9700%
57Clinton County9090%
58Perry County896+1%
59Greene County795-0.7%
60Wyoming County704-1%
61Juniata County551+1.8%
62Montour County485+0.2%
63Potter County462+2.4%
64Fulton County314-0.3%
65Sullivan County195-1.5%
66Cameron County156+2.6%
67Forest County152-3.2%

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 Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania 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/pennsylvania-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 Pennsylvania 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/pennsylvania-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 Pennsylvania 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/pennsylvania-counties?period=2021 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_pennsylvania_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 Pennsylvania 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/pennsylvania-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 Pennsylvania 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/pennsylvania-counties?period=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/pennsylvania-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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Questions

Which county has the highest business establishments (QCEW)?

Allegheny County, with 36,076 in 2021, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest business establishments (QCEW)?

Forest County, with 152 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 Pennsylvania: more rankings