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 2021, at 28,150. Van Buren County had the lowest, at 74. The median was 589 and the figure for Tennessee was 185,336. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest28,150Davidson County
Lowest74Van Buren County
Median58995 counties
Tennessee185,336History

Map of counties, 2021

Anderson County: 1,816 countBedford County: 968 countBenton County: 328 countBledsoe County: 162 countBlount County: 2,826 countBradley County: 2,100 countCampbell County: 682 countCannon County: 252 countCarroll County: 500 countCarter County: 778 countCheatham County: 788 countChester County: 296 countClaiborne County: 535 countClay County: 148 countCocke County: 537 countCoffee County: 1,413 countCrockett County: 286 countCumberland County: 1,303 countDavidson County: 28,150 countDecatur County: 250 countDeKalb County: 392 countDickson County: 1,214 countDyer County: 857 countFayette County: 686 countFentress County: 338 countFranklin County: 879 countGibson County: 1,025 countGiles County: 659 countGrainger County: 320 countGreene County: 1,382 countGrundy County: 209 countHamblen County: 1,400 countHamilton County: 11,368 countHancock County: 91 countHardeman County: 397 countHardin County: 589 countHawkins County: 768 countHaywood County: 346 countHenderson County: 555 countHenry County: 755 countHickman County: 353 countHouston County: 125 countHumphreys County: 392 countJackson County: 168 countJefferson County: 856 countJohnson County: 310 countKnox County: 14,467 countLake County: 106 countLauderdale County: 365 countLawrence County: 801 countLewis County: 241 countLincoln County: 688 countLoudon County: 1,192 countMcMinn County: 1,005 countMcNairy County: 484 countMacon County: 362 countMadison County: 2,629 countMarion County: 503 countMarshall County: 627 countMaury County: 2,438 countMeigs County: 138 countMonroe County: 799 countMontgomery County: 3,770 countMoore County: 92 countMorgan County: 210 countObion County: 703 countOverton County: 409 countPerry County: 137 countPickett County: 122 countPolk County: 276 countPutnam County: 2,178 countRhea County: 538 countRoane County: 867 countRobertson County: 1,378 countRutherford County: 6,875 countScott County: 370 countSequatchie County: 256 countSevier County: 3,147 countShelby County: 22,480 countSmith County: 357 countStewart County: 225 countSullivan County: 3,739 countSumner County: 4,487 countTipton County: 861 countTrousdale County: 146 countUnicoi County: 290 countUnion County: 273 countVan Buren County: 74 countWarren County: 887 countWashington County: 3,344 countWayne County: 262 countWeakley County: 607 countWhite County: 512 countWilliamson County: 11,390 countWilson County: 3,630 count
  • Under 200
  • 200 to 400
  • 400 to 600
  • 600 to 900
  • 900 to 2,100
  • 2,100 and over
count, 2021. 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, 2021

Davidson County: 28,150 countDavidson County28,150Shelby County: 22,480 countShelby County22,480Knox County: 14,467 countKnox County14,467Williamson County: 11,390 countWilliamson County11,390Hamilton County: 11,368 countHamilton County11,368Rutherford County: 6,875 countRutherford County6,875Sumner County: 4,487 countSumner County4,487Montgomery County: 3,770 countMontgomery County3,770Sullivan County: 3,739 countSullivan County3,739Wilson County: 3,630 countWilson County3,630Washington County: 3,344 countWashington County3,344Sevier County: 3,147 countSevier County3,147Blount County: 2,826 countBlount County2,826Madison County: 2,629 countMadison County2,629Maury County: 2,438 countMaury County2,438Putnam County: 2,178 countPutnam County2,178Bradley County: 2,100 countBradley County2,100Anderson County: 1,816 countAnderson County1,816Coffee County: 1,413 countCoffee County1,413Hamblen County: 1,400 countHamblen County1,400Greene County: 1,382 countGreene County1,382Robertson County: 1,378 countRobertson County1,378Cumberland County: 1,303 countCumberland County1,303Dickson County: 1,214 countDickson County1,214Loudon County: 1,192 countLoudon County1,192Gibson County: 1,025 countGibson County1,025McMinn County: 1,005 countMcMinn County1,005Bedford County: 968 countBedford County968Warren County: 887 countWarren County887Franklin County: 879 countFranklin County879Roane County: 867 countRoane County867Tipton County: 861 countTipton County861Dyer County: 857 countDyer County857Jefferson County: 856 countJefferson County856Lawrence County: 801 countLawrence County801Monroe County: 799 countMonroe County799Cheatham County: 788 countCheatham County788Carter County: 778 countCarter County778Hawkins County: 768 countHawkins County768Henry County: 755 countHenry County755Davidson County: 28,150 countDavidson County28,150Shelby County: 22,480 countShelby County22,480Knox County: 14,467 countKnox County14,467Williamson County: 11,390 countWilliamson County11,390Hamilton County: 11,368 countHamilton County11,368Rutherford County: 6,875 countRutherford County6,875Sumner County: 4,487 countSumner County4,487Montgomery County: 3,770 countMontgomery County3,770Sullivan County: 3,739 countSullivan County3,739Wilson County: 3,630 countWilson County3,630Washington County: 3,344 countWashington County3,344Sevier County: 3,147 countSevier County3,147Blount County: 2,826 countBlount County2,826Madison County: 2,629 countMadison County2,629Maury County: 2,438 countMaury County2,438Putnam County: 2,178 countPutnam County2,178Bradley County: 2,100 countBradley County2,100Anderson County: 1,816 countAnderson County1,816Coffee County: 1,413 countCoffee County1,413Hamblen County: 1,400 countHamblen County1,400Greene County: 1,382 countGreene County1,382Robertson County: 1,378 countRobertson County1,378Cumberland County: 1,303 countCumberland County1,303Dickson County: 1,214 countDickson County1,214Loudon County: 1,192 countLoudon County1,192Gibson County: 1,025 countGibson County1,025McMinn County: 1,005 countMcMinn County1,005Bedford County: 968 countBedford County968Warren County: 887 countWarren County887Franklin County: 879 countFranklin County879Roane County: 867 countRoane County867Tipton County: 861 countTipton County861Dyer County: 857 countDyer County857Jefferson County: 856 countJefferson County856Lawrence County: 801 countLawrence County801Monroe County: 799 countMonroe County799Cheatham County: 788 countCheatham County788Carter County: 778 countCarter County778Hawkins County: 768 countHawkins County768Henry County: 755 countHenry County755
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

RankCounties2021
count		Change on 2020
1Davidson County28,150+9.6%
2Shelby County22,480+3.9%
3Knox County14,467+7.6%
4Williamson County11,390+12.3%
5Hamilton County11,368+7.2%
6Rutherford County6,875+8.1%
7Sumner County4,487+9%
8Montgomery County3,770+8.2%
9Sullivan County3,739+4.3%
10Wilson County3,630+10.5%
11Washington County3,344+5.9%
12Sevier County3,147+4.5%
13Blount County2,826+7.5%
14Madison County2,629+2.8%
15Maury County2,438+10.7%
16Putnam County2,178+4.2%
17Bradley County2,100+4.6%
18Anderson County1,816+5.8%
19Coffee County1,413+5.5%
20Hamblen County1,400+2.5%
21Greene County1,382+5.9%
22Robertson County1,378+7.5%
23Cumberland County1,303+3.9%
24Dickson County1,214+5.7%
25Loudon County1,192+8%
26Gibson County1,025+2.7%
27McMinn County1,005+5.1%
28Bedford County968+7.1%
29Warren County887+4.5%
30Franklin County879+7.7%
31Roane County867+4.7%
32Tipton County861+5.4%
33Dyer County857+2.4%
34Jefferson County856+6.6%
35Lawrence County801+4.3%
36Monroe County799+5.4%
37Cheatham County788+7.4%
38Carter County778+6.6%
39Hawkins County768+5.9%
40Henry County755+0.5%
41Obion County703+1%
42Lincoln County688+5.5%
43Fayette County686+3.9%
44Campbell County682+2.1%
45Giles County659+2%
46Marshall County627+8.1%
47Weakley County607+2.7%
48Hardin County589+5.4%
49Henderson County555+3.7%
50Rhea County538+7.2%
51Cocke County537+3.1%
52Claiborne County535+5.9%
53White County512+5.8%
54Marion County503+4.4%
55Carroll County500+2.7%
56McNairy County484+6.1%
57Overton County409+5.7%
58Hardeman County397+0.8%
59DeKalb County392+9.5%
59Humphreys County392+7.1%
61Scott County370+4.2%
62Lauderdale County365+0.3%
63Macon County362-1.1%
64Smith County357+4.1%
65Hickman County353+5.1%
66Haywood County346+2.1%
67Fentress County338+7.3%
68Benton County328+2.5%
69Grainger County320+8.1%
70Johnson County310+11.1%
71Chester County296+5.3%
72Unicoi County290+5.1%
73Crockett County286+2.1%
74Polk County276+1.8%
75Union County273+4.2%
76Wayne County262+4%
77Sequatchie County256+7.1%
78Cannon County252+7.7%
79Decatur County250+5.9%
80Lewis County241+7.1%
81Stewart County225+7.7%
82Morgan County210+5.5%
83Grundy County209+4.5%
84Jackson County168+15.1%
85Bledsoe County162+2.5%
86Clay County148+0.7%
87Trousdale County146+9.8%
88Meigs County138+7%
89Perry County137+7.9%
90Houston County125+5%
91Pickett County122+1.7%
92Lake County106+3.9%
93Moore County92+5.7%
94Hancock County91+15.2%
95Van Buren County74+10.4%

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/2021/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), 2021) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2021/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), 2021. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2021/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/tennessee-counties?period=2021. 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), 2021. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2021/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/tennessee-counties?period=2021.

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), 2021 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2021/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/tennessee-counties?period=2021 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_tennessee_by_2021,
  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), 2021}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2021/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/tennessee-counties?period=2021. 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/2021/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), 2021
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2021/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/tennessee-counties?period=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/tennessee-counties?period=2021.
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/2021/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 28,150 in 2021, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest business establishments (QCEW)?

Van Buren County, with 74 in 2021.

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