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 2020, at 25,678. Van Buren County had the lowest, at 67. The median was 559 and the figure for Tennessee was 172,474. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest25,678Davidson County
Lowest67Van Buren County
Median55995 counties
Tennessee172,474History

Map of counties, 2020

Anderson County: 1,717 countBedford County: 904 countBenton County: 320 countBledsoe County: 158 countBlount County: 2,630 countBradley County: 2,008 countCampbell County: 668 countCannon County: 234 countCarroll County: 487 countCarter County: 730 countCheatham County: 734 countChester County: 281 countClaiborne County: 505 countClay County: 147 countCocke County: 521 countCoffee County: 1,339 countCrockett County: 280 countCumberland County: 1,254 countDavidson County: 25,678 countDecatur County: 236 countDeKalb County: 358 countDickson County: 1,148 countDyer County: 837 countFayette County: 660 countFentress County: 315 countFranklin County: 816 countGibson County: 998 countGiles County: 646 countGrainger County: 296 countGreene County: 1,305 countGrundy County: 200 countHamblen County: 1,366 countHamilton County: 10,607 countHancock County: 79 countHardeman County: 394 countHardin County: 559 countHawkins County: 725 countHaywood County: 339 countHenderson County: 535 countHenry County: 751 countHickman County: 336 countHouston County: 119 countHumphreys County: 366 countJackson County: 146 countJefferson County: 803 countJohnson County: 279 countKnox County: 13,442 countLake County: 102 countLauderdale County: 364 countLawrence County: 768 countLewis County: 225 countLincoln County: 652 countLoudon County: 1,104 countMcMinn County: 956 countMcNairy County: 456 countMacon County: 366 countMadison County: 2,558 countMarion County: 482 countMarshall County: 580 countMaury County: 2,203 countMeigs County: 129 countMonroe County: 758 countMontgomery County: 3,484 countMoore County: 87 countMorgan County: 199 countObion County: 696 countOverton County: 387 countPerry County: 127 countPickett County: 120 countPolk County: 271 countPutnam County: 2,090 countRhea County: 502 countRoane County: 828 countRobertson County: 1,282 countRutherford County: 6,360 countScott County: 355 countSequatchie County: 239 countSevier County: 3,011 countShelby County: 21,629 countSmith County: 343 countStewart County: 209 countSullivan County: 3,586 countSumner County: 4,116 countTipton County: 817 countTrousdale County: 133 countUnicoi County: 276 countUnion County: 262 countVan Buren County: 67 countWarren County: 849 countWashington County: 3,159 countWayne County: 252 countWeakley County: 591 countWhite County: 484 countWilliamson County: 10,140 countWilson County: 3,285 count
  • Under 200
  • 200 to 300
  • 300 to 600
  • 600 to 800
  • 800 to 2,000
  • 2,000 and over
count, 2020. 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, 2020

Davidson County: 25,678 countDavidson County25,678Shelby County: 21,629 countShelby County21,629Knox County: 13,442 countKnox County13,442Hamilton County: 10,607 countHamilton County10,607Williamson County: 10,140 countWilliamson County10,140Rutherford County: 6,360 countRutherford County6,360Sumner County: 4,116 countSumner County4,116Sullivan County: 3,586 countSullivan County3,586Montgomery County: 3,484 countMontgomery County3,484Wilson County: 3,285 countWilson County3,285Washington County: 3,159 countWashington County3,159Sevier County: 3,011 countSevier County3,011Blount County: 2,630 countBlount County2,630Madison County: 2,558 countMadison County2,558Maury County: 2,203 countMaury County2,203Putnam County: 2,090 countPutnam County2,090Bradley County: 2,008 countBradley County2,008Anderson County: 1,717 countAnderson County1,717Hamblen County: 1,366 countHamblen County1,366Coffee County: 1,339 countCoffee County1,339Greene County: 1,305 countGreene County1,305Robertson County: 1,282 countRobertson County1,282Cumberland County: 1,254 countCumberland County1,254Dickson County: 1,148 countDickson County1,148Loudon County: 1,104 countLoudon County1,104Gibson County: 998 countGibson County998McMinn County: 956 countMcMinn County956Bedford County: 904 countBedford County904Warren County: 849 countWarren County849Dyer County: 837 countDyer County837Roane County: 828 countRoane County828Tipton County: 817 countTipton County817Franklin County: 816 countFranklin County816Jefferson County: 803 countJefferson County803Lawrence County: 768 countLawrence County768Monroe County: 758 countMonroe County758Henry County: 751 countHenry County751Cheatham County: 734 countCheatham County734Carter County: 730 countCarter County730Hawkins County: 725 countHawkins County725Davidson County: 25,678 countDavidson County25,678Shelby County: 21,629 countShelby County21,629Knox County: 13,442 countKnox County13,442Hamilton County: 10,607 countHamilton County10,607Williamson County: 10,140 countWilliamson County10,140Rutherford County: 6,360 countRutherford County6,360Sumner County: 4,116 countSumner County4,116Sullivan County: 3,586 countSullivan County3,586Montgomery County: 3,484 countMontgomery County3,484Wilson County: 3,285 countWilson County3,285Washington County: 3,159 countWashington County3,159Sevier County: 3,011 countSevier County3,011Blount County: 2,630 countBlount County2,630Madison County: 2,558 countMadison County2,558Maury County: 2,203 countMaury County2,203Putnam County: 2,090 countPutnam County2,090Bradley County: 2,008 countBradley County2,008Anderson County: 1,717 countAnderson County1,717Hamblen County: 1,366 countHamblen County1,366Coffee County: 1,339 countCoffee County1,339Greene County: 1,305 countGreene County1,305Robertson County: 1,282 countRobertson County1,282Cumberland County: 1,254 countCumberland County1,254Dickson County: 1,148 countDickson County1,148Loudon County: 1,104 countLoudon County1,104Gibson County: 998 countGibson County998McMinn County: 956 countMcMinn County956Bedford County: 904 countBedford County904Warren County: 849 countWarren County849Dyer County: 837 countDyer County837Roane County: 828 countRoane County828Tipton County: 817 countTipton County817Franklin County: 816 countFranklin County816Jefferson County: 803 countJefferson County803Lawrence County: 768 countLawrence County768Monroe County: 758 countMonroe County758Henry County: 751 countHenry County751Cheatham County: 734 countCheatham County734Carter County: 730 countCarter County730Hawkins County: 725 countHawkins County725
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

RankCounties2020
count		Change on 2019
1Davidson County25,678+4.8%
2Shelby County21,629+2.6%
3Knox County13,442+3.6%
4Hamilton County10,607+3.6%
5Williamson County10,140+5.7%
6Rutherford County6,360+5.2%
7Sumner County4,116+3.5%
8Sullivan County3,586+1.7%
9Montgomery County3,484+5%
10Wilson County3,285+4.8%
11Washington County3,159+2.9%
12Sevier County3,011+3.1%
13Blount County2,630+2.8%
14Madison County2,558+0.9%
15Maury County2,203+5.3%
16Putnam County2,090+3%
17Bradley County2,008+3%
18Anderson County1,717+1.5%
19Hamblen County1,366+1.4%
20Coffee County1,339+1.7%
21Greene County1,305+5.8%
22Robertson County1,282+6%
23Cumberland County1,254+5.3%
24Dickson County1,148+3.6%
25Loudon County1,104+6.1%
26Gibson County998+1.7%
27McMinn County956+2.5%
28Bedford County904+4.1%
29Warren County849+2.8%
30Dyer County837-0.5%
31Roane County828+1%
32Tipton County817+4.6%
33Franklin County816+1.9%
34Jefferson County803+3.3%
35Lawrence County768+1.9%
36Monroe County758+0.7%
37Henry County751-0.7%
38Cheatham County734+5.8%
39Carter County730+4%
40Hawkins County725+3.6%
41Obion County696+2.1%
42Campbell County668+2.9%
43Fayette County660+4.8%
44Lincoln County652+1.7%
45Giles County646+1.7%
46Weakley County591-0.3%
47Marshall County580+3.8%
48Hardin County559+2%
49Henderson County535-0.7%
50Cocke County521+2.2%
51Claiborne County505+0.4%
52Rhea County502-0.2%
53Carroll County487+3.2%
54White County484+3.6%
55Marion County482-1%
56McNairy County456+1.1%
57Hardeman County394+2.9%
58Overton County387+5.4%
59Humphreys County366+2.5%
59Macon County366+1.4%
61Lauderdale County364-0.5%
62DeKalb County358+2.3%
63Scott County355+2.9%
64Smith County343+3%
65Haywood County339+0.6%
66Hickman County336+4.3%
67Benton County320-0.9%
68Fentress County315+5.7%
69Grainger County296+4.2%
70Chester County281+2.6%
71Crockett County280+2.9%
72Johnson County279+3.7%
73Unicoi County276+4.9%
74Polk County271+0.4%
75Union County262+3.6%
76Wayne County252+5%
77Sequatchie County239+5.3%
78Decatur County236+1.3%
79Cannon County234+6.8%
80Lewis County225+2.7%
81Stewart County209+6.1%
82Grundy County200+4.7%
83Morgan County1990%
84Bledsoe County158+4.6%
85Clay County147+4.3%
86Jackson County146+15%
87Trousdale County133+2.3%
88Meigs County129+4%
89Perry County127-0.8%
90Pickett County120+8.1%
91Houston County119-0.8%
92Lake County102-8.1%
93Moore County87+3.6%
94Hancock County79+11.3%
95Van Buren County67+4.7%

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/2020/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), 2020) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2020/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), 2020. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2020/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/tennessee-counties?period=2020. 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), 2020. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2020/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/tennessee-counties?period=2020.

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), 2020 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2020/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/tennessee-counties?period=2020 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_tennessee_by_2020,
  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), 2020}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2020/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/tennessee-counties?period=2020. 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/2020/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), 2020
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2020/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/tennessee-counties?period=2020
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/tennessee-counties?period=2020.
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/2020/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 25,678 in 2020, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest business establishments (QCEW)?

Van Buren County, with 67 in 2020.

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