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 2023, at 36,336. Forest County had the lowest, at 146. The median was 2,006 and the figure for Pennsylvania was 385,940. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest36,336Allegheny County
Lowest146Forest County
Median2,00667 counties
Pennsylvania385,940History

Map of counties, 2023

Adams County: 2,228 countAllegheny County: 36,336 countArmstrong County: 1,464 countBeaver County: 3,607 countBedford County: 1,209 countBerks County: 8,920 countBlair County: 3,460 countBradford County: 1,549 countBucks County: 21,006 countButler County: 5,298 countCambria County: 3,327 countCameron County: 158 countCarbon County: 1,294 countCentre County: 3,631 countChester County: 16,398 countClarion County: 1,084 countClearfield County: 2,074 countClinton County: 919 countColumbia County: 1,574 countCrawford County: 2,145 countCumberland County: 6,938 countDauphin County: 7,606 countDelaware County: 14,366 countElk County: 965 countErie County: 6,732 countFayette County: 2,787 countForest County: 146 countFranklin County: 3,422 countFulton County: 319 countGreene County: 822 countHuntingdon County: 1,013 countIndiana County: 1,941 countJefferson County: 1,195 countJuniata County: 573 countLackawanna County: 5,534 countLancaster County: 14,480 countLawrence County: 2,006 countLebanon County: 2,928 countLehigh County: 8,914 countLuzerne County: 7,461 countLycoming County: 3,052 countMcKean County: 1,077 countMercer County: 2,829 countMifflin County: 1,077 countMonroe County: 3,645 countMontgomery County: 28,731 countMontour County: 483 countNorthampton County: 6,991 countNorthumberland County: 1,816 countPerry County: 901 countPhiladelphia County: 34,109 countPike County: 1,134 countPotter County: 467 countSchuylkill County: 3,002 countSnyder County: 1,000 countSomerset County: 1,857 countSullivan County: 186 countSusquehanna County: 1,001 countTioga County: 997 countUnion County: 1,026 countVenango County: 1,237 countWarren County: 921 countWashington County: 5,687 countWayne County: 1,434 countWestmoreland County: 9,158 countWyoming County: 707 countYork County: 9,397 count
  • Under 900
  • 900 to 1,200
  • 1,200 to 2,000
  • 2,000 to 3,500
  • 3,500 to 7,600
  • 7,600 and over
count, 2023. 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, 2023

Allegheny County: 36,336 countAllegheny County36,336Philadelphia County: 34,109 countPhiladelphia County34,109Montgomery County: 28,731 countMontgomery County28,731Bucks County: 21,006 countBucks County21,006Chester County: 16,398 countChester County16,398Lancaster County: 14,480 countLancaster County14,480Delaware County: 14,366 countDelaware County14,366York County: 9,397 countYork County9,397Westmoreland County: 9,158 countWestmoreland County9,158Berks County: 8,920 countBerks County8,920Lehigh County: 8,914 countLehigh County8,914Dauphin County: 7,606 countDauphin County7,606Luzerne County: 7,461 countLuzerne County7,461Northampton County: 6,991 countNorthampton County6,991Cumberland County: 6,938 countCumberland County6,938Erie County: 6,732 countErie County6,732Washington County: 5,687 countWashington County5,687Lackawanna County: 5,534 countLackawanna County5,534Butler County: 5,298 countButler County5,298Monroe County: 3,645 countMonroe County3,645Centre County: 3,631 countCentre County3,631Beaver County: 3,607 countBeaver County3,607Blair County: 3,460 countBlair County3,460Franklin County: 3,422 countFranklin County3,422Cambria County: 3,327 countCambria County3,327Lycoming County: 3,052 countLycoming County3,052Schuylkill County: 3,002 countSchuylkill County3,002Lebanon County: 2,928 countLebanon County2,928Mercer County: 2,829 countMercer County2,829Fayette County: 2,787 countFayette County2,787Adams County: 2,228 countAdams County2,228Crawford County: 2,145 countCrawford County2,145Clearfield County: 2,074 countClearfield County2,074Lawrence County: 2,006 countLawrence County2,006Indiana County: 1,941 countIndiana County1,941Somerset County: 1,857 countSomerset County1,857Northumberland County: 1,816 countNorthumberland County1,816Columbia County: 1,574 countColumbia County1,574Bradford County: 1,549 countBradford County1,549Armstrong County: 1,464 countArmstrong County1,464Allegheny County: 36,336 countAllegheny County36,336Philadelphia County: 34,109 countPhiladelphia County34,109Montgomery County: 28,731 countMontgomery County28,731Bucks County: 21,006 countBucks County21,006Chester County: 16,398 countChester County16,398Lancaster County: 14,480 countLancaster County14,480Delaware County: 14,366 countDelaware County14,366York County: 9,397 countYork County9,397Westmoreland County: 9,158 countWestmoreland County9,158Berks County: 8,920 countBerks County8,920Lehigh County: 8,914 countLehigh County8,914Dauphin County: 7,606 countDauphin County7,606Luzerne County: 7,461 countLuzerne County7,461Northampton County: 6,991 countNorthampton County6,991Cumberland County: 6,938 countCumberland County6,938Erie County: 6,732 countErie County6,732Washington County: 5,687 countWashington County5,687Lackawanna County: 5,534 countLackawanna County5,534Butler County: 5,298 countButler County5,298Monroe County: 3,645 countMonroe County3,645Centre County: 3,631 countCentre County3,631Beaver County: 3,607 countBeaver County3,607Blair County: 3,460 countBlair County3,460Franklin County: 3,422 countFranklin County3,422Cambria County: 3,327 countCambria County3,327Lycoming County: 3,052 countLycoming County3,052Schuylkill County: 3,002 countSchuylkill County3,002Lebanon County: 2,928 countLebanon County2,928Mercer County: 2,829 countMercer County2,829Fayette County: 2,787 countFayette County2,787Adams County: 2,228 countAdams County2,228Crawford County: 2,145 countCrawford County2,145Clearfield County: 2,074 countClearfield County2,074Lawrence County: 2,006 countLawrence County2,006Indiana County: 1,941 countIndiana County1,941Somerset County: 1,857 countSomerset County1,857Northumberland County: 1,816 countNorthumberland County1,816Columbia County: 1,574 countColumbia County1,574Bradford County: 1,549 countBradford County1,549Armstrong County: 1,464 countArmstrong County1,464
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

RankCounties2023
count		Change on 2022
1Allegheny County36,336-0.3%
2Philadelphia County34,109-2.1%
3Montgomery County28,731-0.2%
4Bucks County21,006+0.2%
5Chester County16,398+0.9%
6Lancaster County14,480+0.6%
7Delaware County14,366-0%
8York County9,397+0.1%
9Westmoreland County9,158-0.3%
10Berks County8,920-0%
11Lehigh County8,914-0.7%
12Dauphin County7,606-0.1%
13Luzerne County7,461-0.3%
14Northampton County6,991-0.1%
15Cumberland County6,938+0.2%
16Erie County6,732-2%
17Washington County5,687+0.3%
18Lackawanna County5,534-0.5%
19Butler County5,298+1.3%
20Monroe County3,645+0.3%
21Centre County3,631-0.2%
22Beaver County3,607-2.4%
23Blair County3,460-1.4%
24Franklin County3,422+0.9%
25Cambria County3,327-1.2%
26Lycoming County3,052-1.3%
27Schuylkill County3,002-1.3%
28Lebanon County2,928+0.7%
29Mercer County2,829-1%
30Fayette County2,787-1.4%
31Adams County2,228+2.4%
32Crawford County2,145-0.1%
33Clearfield County2,074-2.1%
34Lawrence County2,006-1.5%
35Indiana County1,941-2.4%
36Somerset County1,857+1.2%
37Northumberland County1,816-1.6%
38Columbia County1,574+0.1%
39Bradford County1,549-1.5%
40Armstrong County1,464-2.1%
41Wayne County1,434-0.3%
42Carbon County1,2940%
43Venango County1,237-2.3%
44Bedford County1,209-0.8%
45Jefferson County1,195-1.6%
46Pike County1,134+1.3%
47Clarion County1,084-0.3%
48McKean County1,077-2.8%
48Mifflin County1,077-0.5%
50Union County1,026-1%
51Huntingdon County1,013+0.3%
52Susquehanna County1,001+0.8%
53Snyder County1,000+1.5%
54Tioga County997-2.3%
55Elk County965-2.9%
56Warren County921-6%
57Clinton County919+0.4%
58Perry County901-1%
59Greene County822+0.9%
60Wyoming County707-0.7%
61Juniata County573+1.8%
62Montour County483-2.4%
63Potter County4670%
64Fulton County319+1.3%
65Sullivan County186-3.1%
66Cameron County1580%
67Forest County146-3.9%

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/2023/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), 2023) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2023/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), 2023. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2023/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/pennsylvania-counties?period=2023. 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), 2023. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2023/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/pennsylvania-counties?period=2023.

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), 2023 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2023/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/pennsylvania-counties?period=2023 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_pennsylvania_by_2023,
  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), 2023}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2023/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/pennsylvania-counties?period=2023. 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/2023/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), 2023
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2023/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/pennsylvania-counties?period=2023
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/pennsylvania-counties?period=2023.
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/2023/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 36,336 in 2023, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest business establishments (QCEW)?

Forest County, with 146 in 2023.

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