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

Counties in Tennessee by business establishments (QCEW)

Davidson County had the highest business establishments (QCEW) of 95 counties in 2016, at 21,337. Van Buren County had the lowest, at 54. The median was 523 and the figure for Tennessee was 153,158. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest21,337Davidson County
Lowest54Van Buren County
Median52395 counties
Tennessee153,158History

Map of counties, 2016

Anderson County: 1,630 countBedford County: 811 countBenton County: 303 countBledsoe County: 141 countBlount County: 2,351 countBradley County: 1,880 countCampbell County: 618 countCannon County: 207 countCarroll County: 458 countCarter County: 685 countCheatham County: 617 countChester County: 264 countClaiborne County: 483 countClay County: 134 countCocke County: 486 countCoffee County: 1,292 countCrockett County: 263 countCumberland County: 1,107 countDavidson County: 21,337 countDecatur County: 222 countDeKalb County: 308 countDickson County: 990 countDyer County: 815 countFayette County: 592 countFentress County: 274 countFranklin County: 765 countGibson County: 961 countGiles County: 597 countGrainger County: 267 countGreene County: 1,144 countGrundy County: 171 countHamblen County: 1,318 countHamilton County: 9,255 countHancock County: 65 countHardeman County: 373 countHardin County: 523 countHawkins County: 651 countHaywood County: 329 countHenderson County: 499 countHenry County: 724 countHickman County: 298 countHouston County: 115 countHumphreys County: 335 countJackson County: 120 countJefferson County: 721 countJohnson County: 259 countKnox County: 11,839 countLake County: 117 countLauderdale County: 347 countLawrence County: 727 countLewis County: 218 countLincoln County: 600 countLoudon County: 965 countMcMinn County: 882 countMcNairy County: 439 countMacon County: 333 countMadison County: 2,426 countMarion County: 467 countMarshall County: 531 countMaury County: 1,819 countMeigs County: 126 countMonroe County: 709 countMontgomery County: 2,921 countMoore County: 75 countMorgan County: 176 countObion County: 681 countOverton County: 326 countPerry County: 125 countPickett County: 106 countPolk County: 244 countPutnam County: 1,860 countRhea County: 473 countRoane County: 749 countRobertson County: 1,119 countRutherford County: 5,277 countScott County: 334 countSequatchie County: 214 countSevier County: 2,669 countShelby County: 20,028 countSmith County: 320 countStewart County: 181 countSullivan County: 3,374 countSumner County: 3,471 countTipton County: 752 countTrousdale County: 134 countUnicoi County: 258 countUnion County: 225 countVan Buren County: 54 countWarren County: 802 countWashington County: 2,866 countWayne County: 225 countWeakley County: 550 countWhite County: 434 countWilliamson County: 8,219 countWilson County: 2,649 count
  • Under 200
  • 200 to 300
  • 300 to 500
  • 500 to 800
  • 800 to 1,800
  • 1,800 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

Davidson County: 21,337 countDavidson County21,337Shelby County: 20,028 countShelby County20,028Knox County: 11,839 countKnox County11,839Hamilton County: 9,255 countHamilton County9,255Williamson County: 8,219 countWilliamson County8,219Rutherford County: 5,277 countRutherford County5,277Sumner County: 3,471 countSumner County3,471Sullivan County: 3,374 countSullivan County3,374Montgomery County: 2,921 countMontgomery County2,921Washington County: 2,866 countWashington County2,866Sevier County: 2,669 countSevier County2,669Wilson County: 2,649 countWilson County2,649Madison County: 2,426 countMadison County2,426Blount County: 2,351 countBlount County2,351Bradley County: 1,880 countBradley County1,880Putnam County: 1,860 countPutnam County1,860Maury County: 1,819 countMaury County1,819Anderson County: 1,630 countAnderson County1,630Hamblen County: 1,318 countHamblen County1,318Coffee County: 1,292 countCoffee County1,292Greene County: 1,144 countGreene County1,144Robertson County: 1,119 countRobertson County1,119Cumberland County: 1,107 countCumberland County1,107Dickson County: 990 countDickson County990Loudon County: 965 countLoudon County965Gibson County: 961 countGibson County961McMinn County: 882 countMcMinn County882Dyer County: 815 countDyer County815Bedford County: 811 countBedford County811Warren County: 802 countWarren County802Franklin County: 765 countFranklin County765Tipton County: 752 countTipton County752Roane County: 749 countRoane County749Lawrence County: 727 countLawrence County727Henry County: 724 countHenry County724Jefferson County: 721 countJefferson County721Monroe County: 709 countMonroe County709Carter County: 685 countCarter County685Obion County: 681 countObion County681Hawkins County: 651 countHawkins County651Davidson County: 21,337 countDavidson County21,337Shelby County: 20,028 countShelby County20,028Knox County: 11,839 countKnox County11,839Hamilton County: 9,255 countHamilton County9,255Williamson County: 8,219 countWilliamson County8,219Rutherford County: 5,277 countRutherford County5,277Sumner County: 3,471 countSumner County3,471Sullivan County: 3,374 countSullivan County3,374Montgomery County: 2,921 countMontgomery County2,921Washington County: 2,866 countWashington County2,866Sevier County: 2,669 countSevier County2,669Wilson County: 2,649 countWilson County2,649Madison County: 2,426 countMadison County2,426Blount County: 2,351 countBlount County2,351Bradley County: 1,880 countBradley County1,880Putnam County: 1,860 countPutnam County1,860Maury County: 1,819 countMaury County1,819Anderson County: 1,630 countAnderson County1,630Hamblen County: 1,318 countHamblen County1,318Coffee County: 1,292 countCoffee County1,292Greene County: 1,144 countGreene County1,144Robertson County: 1,119 countRobertson County1,119Cumberland County: 1,107 countCumberland County1,107Dickson County: 990 countDickson County990Loudon County: 965 countLoudon County965Gibson County: 961 countGibson County961McMinn County: 882 countMcMinn County882Dyer County: 815 countDyer County815Bedford County: 811 countBedford County811Warren County: 802 countWarren County802Franklin County: 765 countFranklin County765Tipton County: 752 countTipton County752Roane County: 749 countRoane County749Lawrence County: 727 countLawrence County727Henry County: 724 countHenry County724Jefferson County: 721 countJefferson County721Monroe County: 709 countMonroe County709Carter County: 685 countCarter County685Obion County: 681 countObion County681Hawkins County: 651 countHawkins County651
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
1Davidson County21,337+3.9%
2Shelby County20,028+1%
3Knox County11,839+2.4%
4Hamilton County9,255+1.5%
5Williamson County8,219+6.9%
6Rutherford County5,277+4.4%
7Sumner County3,471+4.2%
8Sullivan County3,374+2.3%
9Montgomery County2,921+2.4%
10Washington County2,866+1.5%
11Sevier County2,669+2.6%
12Wilson County2,649+4%
13Madison County2,426+0.1%
14Blount County2,351+3.5%
15Bradley County1,880+1.3%
16Putnam County1,860+2.1%
17Maury County1,819+2.7%
18Anderson County1,630-0.3%
19Hamblen County1,318+1.2%
20Coffee County1,292+1.9%
21Greene County1,144+2.8%
22Robertson County1,119+2.4%
23Cumberland County1,107+2.2%
24Dickson County990+4.3%
25Loudon County965+3.4%
26Gibson County961+0.3%
27McMinn County882+1.3%
28Dyer County815+1%
29Bedford County811-0.1%
30Warren County802+0.9%
31Franklin County765+3.9%
32Tipton County752-1.1%
33Roane County749+1.5%
34Lawrence County727+0.3%
35Henry County724-1.6%
36Jefferson County721+4%
37Monroe County709-0.8%
38Carter County685-1.3%
39Obion County681+1%
40Hawkins County651+1.1%
41Campbell County618+3.3%
42Cheatham County617+1.5%
43Lincoln County600+1.2%
44Giles County597+1.7%
45Fayette County592+3.7%
46Weakley County550+1.1%
47Marshall County531+0.2%
48Hardin County523-1.3%
49Henderson County499-0.4%
50Cocke County486+2.7%
51Claiborne County483+2.8%
52Rhea County473-1.7%
53Marion County4670%
54Carroll County4580%
55McNairy County439+1.4%
56White County434+2.8%
57Hardeman County373-0.3%
58Lauderdale County347-0.9%
59Humphreys County3350%
60Scott County334+0.6%
61Macon County333+1.5%
62Haywood County329-0.3%
63Overton County326+5.8%
64Smith County320+0.6%
65DeKalb County308+4.8%
66Benton County303+1%
67Hickman County298+6.4%
68Fentress County274-2.5%
69Grainger County267+4.7%
70Chester County264+4.8%
71Crockett County263+1.2%
72Johnson County259+2.4%
73Unicoi County258+2.8%
74Polk County244+1.2%
75Union County225+4.7%
75Wayne County225+4.7%
77Decatur County222+1.8%
78Lewis County2180%
79Sequatchie County214+1.9%
80Cannon County207+6.7%
81Stewart County181-1.1%
82Morgan County176-1.7%
83Grundy County171-2.3%
84Bledsoe County141-6%
85Clay County134-2.2%
85Trousdale County134-1.5%
87Meigs County126+0.8%
88Perry County125+3.3%
89Jackson County1200%
90Lake County117+2.6%
91Houston County115+1.8%
92Pickett County1060%
93Moore County75+1.4%
94Hancock County65+1.6%
95Van Buren County540%

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 Tennessee 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 Tennessee 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/tennessee-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 Tennessee 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/tennessee-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 Tennessee 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/tennessee-counties?period=2016 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_tennessee_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 Tennessee 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/tennessee-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 Tennessee 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/tennessee-counties?period=2016
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/tennessee-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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Questions

Which county has the highest business establishments (QCEW)?

Davidson County, with 21,337 in 2016, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest business establishments (QCEW)?

Van Buren County, with 54 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 Tennessee: more rankings