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 2018, at 23,328. Van Buren County had the lowest, at 59. The median was 536 and the figure for Tennessee was 161,696. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest23,328Davidson County
Lowest59Van Buren County
Median53695 counties
Tennessee161,696History

Map of counties, 2018

Anderson County: 1,675 countBedford County: 855 countBenton County: 322 countBledsoe County: 143 countBlount County: 2,458 countBradley County: 1,907 countCampbell County: 652 countCannon County: 213 countCarroll County: 460 countCarter County: 694 countCheatham County: 681 countChester County: 270 countClaiborne County: 509 countClay County: 133 countCocke County: 506 countCoffee County: 1,304 countCrockett County: 273 countCumberland County: 1,153 countDavidson County: 23,328 countDecatur County: 227 countDeKalb County: 353 countDickson County: 1,045 countDyer County: 837 countFayette County: 620 countFentress County: 295 countFranklin County: 809 countGibson County: 965 countGiles County: 620 countGrainger County: 283 countGreene County: 1,205 countGrundy County: 181 countHamblen County: 1,350 countHamilton County: 9,899 countHancock County: 71 countHardeman County: 378 countHardin County: 536 countHawkins County: 709 countHaywood County: 340 countHenderson County: 524 countHenry County: 750 countHickman County: 312 countHouston County: 124 countHumphreys County: 353 countJackson County: 133 countJefferson County: 756 countJohnson County: 263 countKnox County: 12,564 countLake County: 113 countLauderdale County: 362 countLawrence County: 755 countLewis County: 227 countLincoln County: 638 countLoudon County: 1,005 countMcMinn County: 923 countMcNairy County: 448 countMacon County: 357 countMadison County: 2,514 countMarion County: 478 countMarshall County: 540 countMaury County: 1,991 countMeigs County: 124 countMonroe County: 726 countMontgomery County: 3,213 countMoore County: 83 countMorgan County: 203 countObion County: 682 countOverton County: 359 countPerry County: 125 countPickett County: 109 countPolk County: 257 countPutnam County: 1,991 countRhea County: 504 countRoane County: 793 countRobertson County: 1,202 countRutherford County: 5,800 countScott County: 338 countSequatchie County: 227 countSevier County: 2,841 countShelby County: 20,764 countSmith County: 332 countStewart County: 187 countSullivan County: 3,457 countSumner County: 3,807 countTipton County: 748 countTrousdale County: 133 countUnicoi County: 264 countUnion County: 235 countVan Buren County: 59 countWarren County: 824 countWashington County: 3,004 countWayne County: 237 countWeakley County: 586 countWhite County: 457 countWilliamson County: 9,077 countWilson County: 2,953 count
  • Under 200
  • 200 to 300
  • 300 to 500
  • 500 to 800
  • 800 to 1,900
  • 1,900 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

Davidson County: 23,328 countDavidson County23,328Shelby County: 20,764 countShelby County20,764Knox County: 12,564 countKnox County12,564Hamilton County: 9,899 countHamilton County9,899Williamson County: 9,077 countWilliamson County9,077Rutherford County: 5,800 countRutherford County5,800Sumner County: 3,807 countSumner County3,807Sullivan County: 3,457 countSullivan County3,457Montgomery County: 3,213 countMontgomery County3,213Washington County: 3,004 countWashington County3,004Wilson County: 2,953 countWilson County2,953Sevier County: 2,841 countSevier County2,841Madison County: 2,514 countMadison County2,514Blount County: 2,458 countBlount County2,458Maury County: 1,991 countMaury County1,991Putnam County: 1,991 countPutnam County1,991Bradley County: 1,907 countBradley County1,907Anderson County: 1,675 countAnderson County1,675Hamblen County: 1,350 countHamblen County1,350Coffee County: 1,304 countCoffee County1,304Greene County: 1,205 countGreene County1,205Robertson County: 1,202 countRobertson County1,202Cumberland County: 1,153 countCumberland County1,153Dickson County: 1,045 countDickson County1,045Loudon County: 1,005 countLoudon County1,005Gibson County: 965 countGibson County965McMinn County: 923 countMcMinn County923Bedford County: 855 countBedford County855Dyer County: 837 countDyer County837Warren County: 824 countWarren County824Franklin County: 809 countFranklin County809Roane County: 793 countRoane County793Jefferson County: 756 countJefferson County756Lawrence County: 755 countLawrence County755Henry County: 750 countHenry County750Tipton County: 748 countTipton County748Monroe County: 726 countMonroe County726Hawkins County: 709 countHawkins County709Carter County: 694 countCarter County694Obion County: 682 countObion County682Davidson County: 23,328 countDavidson County23,328Shelby County: 20,764 countShelby County20,764Knox County: 12,564 countKnox County12,564Hamilton County: 9,899 countHamilton County9,899Williamson County: 9,077 countWilliamson County9,077Rutherford County: 5,800 countRutherford County5,800Sumner County: 3,807 countSumner County3,807Sullivan County: 3,457 countSullivan County3,457Montgomery County: 3,213 countMontgomery County3,213Washington County: 3,004 countWashington County3,004Wilson County: 2,953 countWilson County2,953Sevier County: 2,841 countSevier County2,841Madison County: 2,514 countMadison County2,514Blount County: 2,458 countBlount County2,458Maury County: 1,991 countMaury County1,991Putnam County: 1,991 countPutnam County1,991Bradley County: 1,907 countBradley County1,907Anderson County: 1,675 countAnderson County1,675Hamblen County: 1,350 countHamblen County1,350Coffee County: 1,304 countCoffee County1,304Greene County: 1,205 countGreene County1,205Robertson County: 1,202 countRobertson County1,202Cumberland County: 1,153 countCumberland County1,153Dickson County: 1,045 countDickson County1,045Loudon County: 1,005 countLoudon County1,005Gibson County: 965 countGibson County965McMinn County: 923 countMcMinn County923Bedford County: 855 countBedford County855Dyer County: 837 countDyer County837Warren County: 824 countWarren County824Franklin County: 809 countFranklin County809Roane County: 793 countRoane County793Jefferson County: 756 countJefferson County756Lawrence County: 755 countLawrence County755Henry County: 750 countHenry County750Tipton County: 748 countTipton County748Monroe County: 726 countMonroe County726Hawkins County: 709 countHawkins County709Carter County: 694 countCarter County694Obion County: 682 countObion County682
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
1Davidson County23,328+4.7%
2Shelby County20,764+2.1%
3Knox County12,564+3.4%
4Hamilton County9,899+3.5%
5Williamson County9,077+5%
6Rutherford County5,800+4.6%
7Sumner County3,807+5.3%
8Sullivan County3,457+1.4%
9Montgomery County3,213+5.9%
10Washington County3,004+2.3%
11Wilson County2,953+6.1%
12Sevier County2,841+2.7%
13Madison County2,514+2.2%
14Blount County2,458+2%
15Maury County1,991+5.7%
15Putnam County1,991+2.8%
17Bradley County1,907+2.7%
18Anderson County1,675+1.3%
19Hamblen County1,350+1.4%
20Coffee County1,304+1.1%
21Greene County1,205+3.4%
22Robertson County1,202+2.8%
23Cumberland County1,153+4.5%
24Dickson County1,045+3.5%
25Loudon County1,005+2.2%
26Gibson County965+1.2%
27McMinn County923+2.2%
28Bedford County855+3.9%
29Dyer County837+1%
30Warren County824+1.9%
31Franklin County809+2.7%
32Roane County793+3.8%
33Jefferson County756+2.3%
34Lawrence County755+2.3%
35Henry County750+2.7%
36Tipton County748+0.3%
37Monroe County726+1.4%
38Hawkins County709+5.2%
39Carter County694+0.3%
40Obion County682+1%
41Cheatham County681+3.5%
42Campbell County652+4%
43Lincoln County638+4.2%
44Fayette County620+3.5%
44Giles County620+2.1%
46Weakley County586+5%
47Marshall County540+1.5%
48Hardin County536+1.5%
49Henderson County524+4.4%
50Claiborne County509+4.9%
51Cocke County506+1.2%
52Rhea County504+2.6%
53Marion County478+1.9%
54Carroll County460+0.7%
55White County457+3.2%
56McNairy County448-0.4%
57Hardeman County378+0.3%
58Lauderdale County362+3.7%
59Overton County359+5.3%
60Macon County357+4.7%
61DeKalb County353+6.3%
61Humphreys County353+3.8%
63Haywood County340+2.4%
64Scott County338+1.8%
65Smith County332+2.2%
66Benton County322+3.2%
67Hickman County312+6.1%
68Fentress County295+4.6%
69Grainger County283+2.9%
70Crockett County2730%
71Chester County270+1.1%
72Unicoi County264+1.1%
73Johnson County263+1.9%
74Polk County257+3.2%
75Wayne County237+3.9%
76Union County235+2.2%
77Decatur County227+5.6%
77Lewis County227+3.7%
77Sequatchie County227+3.7%
80Cannon County213+1.4%
81Morgan County203+5.7%
82Stewart County187-1.1%
83Grundy County181+4.6%
84Bledsoe County143+7.5%
85Clay County133+0.8%
85Jackson County133+3.1%
85Trousdale County133-0.7%
88Perry County1250%
89Houston County124+1.6%
89Meigs County124+1.6%
91Lake County113-0.9%
92Pickett County109+2.8%
93Moore County83+5.1%
94Hancock County71+6%
95Van Buren County59+7.3%

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 Tennessee 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 Tennessee 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/tennessee-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 Tennessee 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/tennessee-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 Tennessee 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/tennessee-counties?period=2018 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_tennessee_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 Tennessee 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/tennessee-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 Tennessee 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/tennessee-counties?period=2018
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/tennessee-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)?

Davidson County, with 23,328 in 2018, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest business establishments (QCEW)?

Van Buren County, with 59 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 Tennessee: more rankings