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 2017, at 22,286. Van Buren County had the lowest, at 55. The median was 528 and the figure for Tennessee was 156,905. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest22,286Davidson County
Lowest55Van Buren County
Median52895 counties
Tennessee156,905History

Map of counties, 2017

Anderson County: 1,653 countBedford County: 823 countBenton County: 312 countBledsoe County: 133 countBlount County: 2,410 countBradley County: 1,857 countCampbell County: 627 countCannon County: 210 countCarroll County: 457 countCarter County: 692 countCheatham County: 658 countChester County: 267 countClaiborne County: 485 countClay County: 132 countCocke County: 500 countCoffee County: 1,290 countCrockett County: 273 countCumberland County: 1,103 countDavidson County: 22,286 countDecatur County: 215 countDeKalb County: 332 countDickson County: 1,010 countDyer County: 829 countFayette County: 599 countFentress County: 282 countFranklin County: 788 countGibson County: 954 countGiles County: 607 countGrainger County: 275 countGreene County: 1,165 countGrundy County: 173 countHamblen County: 1,332 countHamilton County: 9,560 countHancock County: 67 countHardeman County: 377 countHardin County: 528 countHawkins County: 674 countHaywood County: 332 countHenderson County: 502 countHenry County: 730 countHickman County: 294 countHouston County: 122 countHumphreys County: 340 countJackson County: 129 countJefferson County: 739 countJohnson County: 258 countKnox County: 12,149 countLake County: 114 countLauderdale County: 349 countLawrence County: 738 countLewis County: 219 countLincoln County: 612 countLoudon County: 983 countMcMinn County: 903 countMcNairy County: 450 countMacon County: 341 countMadison County: 2,461 countMarion County: 469 countMarshall County: 532 countMaury County: 1,884 countMeigs County: 122 countMonroe County: 716 countMontgomery County: 3,033 countMoore County: 79 countMorgan County: 192 countObion County: 675 countOverton County: 341 countPerry County: 125 countPickett County: 106 countPolk County: 249 countPutnam County: 1,936 countRhea County: 491 countRoane County: 764 countRobertson County: 1,169 countRutherford County: 5,547 countScott County: 332 countSequatchie County: 219 countSevier County: 2,767 countShelby County: 20,342 countSmith County: 325 countStewart County: 189 countSullivan County: 3,409 countSumner County: 3,615 countTipton County: 746 countTrousdale County: 134 countUnicoi County: 261 countUnion County: 230 countVan Buren County: 55 countWarren County: 809 countWashington County: 2,937 countWayne County: 228 countWeakley County: 558 countWhite County: 443 countWilliamson County: 8,643 countWilson County: 2,783 count
  • Under 200
  • 200 to 300
  • 300 to 500
  • 500 to 800
  • 800 to 1,900
  • 1,900 and over
count, 2017. 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, 2017

Davidson County: 22,286 countDavidson County22,286Shelby County: 20,342 countShelby County20,342Knox County: 12,149 countKnox County12,149Hamilton County: 9,560 countHamilton County9,560Williamson County: 8,643 countWilliamson County8,643Rutherford County: 5,547 countRutherford County5,547Sumner County: 3,615 countSumner County3,615Sullivan County: 3,409 countSullivan County3,409Montgomery County: 3,033 countMontgomery County3,033Washington County: 2,937 countWashington County2,937Wilson County: 2,783 countWilson County2,783Sevier County: 2,767 countSevier County2,767Madison County: 2,461 countMadison County2,461Blount County: 2,410 countBlount County2,410Putnam County: 1,936 countPutnam County1,936Maury County: 1,884 countMaury County1,884Bradley County: 1,857 countBradley County1,857Anderson County: 1,653 countAnderson County1,653Hamblen County: 1,332 countHamblen County1,332Coffee County: 1,290 countCoffee County1,290Robertson County: 1,169 countRobertson County1,169Greene County: 1,165 countGreene County1,165Cumberland County: 1,103 countCumberland County1,103Dickson County: 1,010 countDickson County1,010Loudon County: 983 countLoudon County983Gibson County: 954 countGibson County954McMinn County: 903 countMcMinn County903Dyer County: 829 countDyer County829Bedford County: 823 countBedford County823Warren County: 809 countWarren County809Franklin County: 788 countFranklin County788Roane County: 764 countRoane County764Tipton County: 746 countTipton County746Jefferson County: 739 countJefferson County739Lawrence County: 738 countLawrence County738Henry County: 730 countHenry County730Monroe County: 716 countMonroe County716Carter County: 692 countCarter County692Obion County: 675 countObion County675Hawkins County: 674 countHawkins County674Davidson County: 22,286 countDavidson County22,286Shelby County: 20,342 countShelby County20,342Knox County: 12,149 countKnox County12,149Hamilton County: 9,560 countHamilton County9,560Williamson County: 8,643 countWilliamson County8,643Rutherford County: 5,547 countRutherford County5,547Sumner County: 3,615 countSumner County3,615Sullivan County: 3,409 countSullivan County3,409Montgomery County: 3,033 countMontgomery County3,033Washington County: 2,937 countWashington County2,937Wilson County: 2,783 countWilson County2,783Sevier County: 2,767 countSevier County2,767Madison County: 2,461 countMadison County2,461Blount County: 2,410 countBlount County2,410Putnam County: 1,936 countPutnam County1,936Maury County: 1,884 countMaury County1,884Bradley County: 1,857 countBradley County1,857Anderson County: 1,653 countAnderson County1,653Hamblen County: 1,332 countHamblen County1,332Coffee County: 1,290 countCoffee County1,290Robertson County: 1,169 countRobertson County1,169Greene County: 1,165 countGreene County1,165Cumberland County: 1,103 countCumberland County1,103Dickson County: 1,010 countDickson County1,010Loudon County: 983 countLoudon County983Gibson County: 954 countGibson County954McMinn County: 903 countMcMinn County903Dyer County: 829 countDyer County829Bedford County: 823 countBedford County823Warren County: 809 countWarren County809Franklin County: 788 countFranklin County788Roane County: 764 countRoane County764Tipton County: 746 countTipton County746Jefferson County: 739 countJefferson County739Lawrence County: 738 countLawrence County738Henry County: 730 countHenry County730Monroe County: 716 countMonroe County716Carter County: 692 countCarter County692Obion County: 675 countObion County675Hawkins County: 674 countHawkins County674
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

RankCounties2017
count		Change on 2016
1Davidson County22,286+4.4%
2Shelby County20,342+1.6%
3Knox County12,149+2.6%
4Hamilton County9,560+3.3%
5Williamson County8,643+5.2%
6Rutherford County5,547+5.1%
7Sumner County3,615+4.1%
8Sullivan County3,409+1%
9Montgomery County3,033+3.8%
10Washington County2,937+2.5%
11Wilson County2,783+5.1%
12Sevier County2,767+3.7%
13Madison County2,461+1.4%
14Blount County2,410+2.5%
15Putnam County1,936+4.1%
16Maury County1,884+3.6%
17Bradley County1,857-1.2%
18Anderson County1,653+1.4%
19Hamblen County1,332+1.1%
20Coffee County1,290-0.2%
21Robertson County1,169+4.5%
22Greene County1,165+1.8%
23Cumberland County1,103-0.4%
24Dickson County1,010+2%
25Loudon County983+1.9%
26Gibson County954-0.7%
27McMinn County903+2.4%
28Dyer County829+1.7%
29Bedford County823+1.5%
30Warren County809+0.9%
31Franklin County788+3%
32Roane County764+2%
33Tipton County746-0.8%
34Jefferson County739+2.5%
35Lawrence County738+1.5%
36Henry County730+0.8%
37Monroe County716+1%
38Carter County692+1%
39Obion County675-0.9%
40Hawkins County674+3.5%
41Cheatham County658+6.6%
42Campbell County627+1.5%
43Lincoln County612+2%
44Giles County607+1.7%
45Fayette County599+1.2%
46Weakley County558+1.5%
47Marshall County532+0.2%
48Hardin County528+1%
49Henderson County502+0.6%
50Cocke County500+2.9%
51Rhea County491+3.8%
52Claiborne County485+0.4%
53Marion County469+0.4%
54Carroll County457-0.2%
55McNairy County450+2.5%
56White County443+2.1%
57Hardeman County377+1.1%
58Lauderdale County349+0.6%
59Macon County341+2.4%
59Overton County341+4.6%
61Humphreys County340+1.5%
62DeKalb County332+7.8%
62Haywood County332+0.9%
62Scott County332-0.6%
65Smith County325+1.6%
66Benton County312+3%
67Hickman County294-1.3%
68Fentress County282+2.9%
69Grainger County275+3%
70Crockett County273+3.8%
71Chester County267+1.1%
72Unicoi County261+1.2%
73Johnson County258-0.4%
74Polk County249+2%
75Union County230+2.2%
76Wayne County228+1.3%
77Lewis County219+0.5%
77Sequatchie County219+2.3%
79Decatur County215-3.2%
80Cannon County210+1.4%
81Morgan County192+9.1%
82Stewart County189+4.4%
83Grundy County173+1.2%
84Trousdale County1340%
85Bledsoe County133-5.7%
86Clay County132-1.5%
87Jackson County129+7.5%
88Perry County1250%
89Houston County122+6.1%
89Meigs County122-3.2%
91Lake County114-2.6%
92Pickett County1060%
93Moore County79+5.3%
94Hancock County67+3.1%
95Van Buren County55+1.9%

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/2017/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), 2017) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2017/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), 2017. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2017/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/tennessee-counties?period=2017. 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), 2017. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2017/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/tennessee-counties?period=2017.

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), 2017 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2017/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/tennessee-counties?period=2017 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_tennessee_by_2017,
  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), 2017}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2017/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/tennessee-counties?period=2017. 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/2017/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), 2017
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2017/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/tennessee-counties?period=2017
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/tennessee-counties?period=2017.
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/2017/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 22,286 in 2017, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest business establishments (QCEW)?

Van Buren County, with 55 in 2017.

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