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 2023, at 33,972. Van Buren County had the lowest, at 79. The median was 645 and the figure for Tennessee was 219,965. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest33,972Davidson County
Lowest79Van Buren County
Median64595 counties
Tennessee219,965History

Map of counties, 2023

Anderson County: 2,064 countBedford County: 1,052 countBenton County: 374 countBledsoe County: 188 countBlount County: 3,283 countBradley County: 2,379 countCampbell County: 745 countCannon County: 284 countCarroll County: 572 countCarter County: 872 countCheatham County: 938 countChester County: 317 countClaiborne County: 591 countClay County: 164 countCocke County: 591 countCoffee County: 1,567 countCrockett County: 306 countCumberland County: 1,510 countDavidson County: 33,972 countDecatur County: 289 countDeKalb County: 452 countDickson County: 1,385 countDyer County: 918 countFayette County: 785 countFentress County: 398 countFranklin County: 1,018 countGibson County: 1,106 countGiles County: 710 countGrainger County: 363 countGreene County: 1,546 countGrundy County: 237 countHamblen County: 1,546 countHamilton County: 13,167 countHancock County: 111 countHardeman County: 395 countHardin County: 645 countHawkins County: 872 countHaywood County: 374 countHenderson County: 596 countHenry County: 826 countHickman County: 385 countHouston County: 148 countHumphreys County: 424 countJackson County: 211 countJefferson County: 979 countJohnson County: 378 countKnox County: 16,785 countLake County: 111 countLauderdale County: 380 countLawrence County: 883 countLewis County: 275 countLincoln County: 784 countLoudon County: 1,392 countMcMinn County: 1,099 countMcNairy County: 542 countMacon County: 408 countMadison County: 2,945 countMarion County: 563 countMarshall County: 725 countMaury County: 2,997 countMeigs County: 160 countMonroe County: 924 countMontgomery County: 4,650 countMoore County: 96 countMorgan County: 240 countObion County: 744 countOverton County: 466 countPerry County: 160 countPickett County: 121 countPolk County: 327 countPutnam County: 2,494 countRhea County: 626 countRoane County: 1,015 countRobertson County: 1,618 countRutherford County: 8,346 countScott County: 407 countSequatchie County: 306 countSevier County: 3,436 countShelby County: 24,375 countSmith County: 403 countStewart County: 268 countSullivan County: 4,089 countSumner County: 5,389 countTipton County: 934 countTrousdale County: 170 countUnicoi County: 333 countUnion County: 292 countVan Buren County: 79 countWarren County: 989 countWashington County: 3,890 countWayne County: 289 countWeakley County: 677 countWhite County: 569 countWilliamson County: 14,110 countWilson County: 4,454 count
  • Under 300
  • 300 to 400
  • 400 to 600
  • 600 to 1,000
  • 1,000 to 2,400
  • 2,400 and over
count, 2023. 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, 2023

Davidson County: 33,972 countDavidson County33,972Shelby County: 24,375 countShelby County24,375Knox County: 16,785 countKnox County16,785Williamson County: 14,110 countWilliamson County14,110Hamilton County: 13,167 countHamilton County13,167Rutherford County: 8,346 countRutherford County8,346Sumner County: 5,389 countSumner County5,389Montgomery County: 4,650 countMontgomery County4,650Wilson County: 4,454 countWilson County4,454Sullivan County: 4,089 countSullivan County4,089Washington County: 3,890 countWashington County3,890Sevier County: 3,436 countSevier County3,436Blount County: 3,283 countBlount County3,283Maury County: 2,997 countMaury County2,997Madison County: 2,945 countMadison County2,945Putnam County: 2,494 countPutnam County2,494Bradley County: 2,379 countBradley County2,379Anderson County: 2,064 countAnderson County2,064Robertson County: 1,618 countRobertson County1,618Coffee County: 1,567 countCoffee County1,567Greene County: 1,546 countGreene County1,546Hamblen County: 1,546 countHamblen County1,546Cumberland County: 1,510 countCumberland County1,510Loudon County: 1,392 countLoudon County1,392Dickson County: 1,385 countDickson County1,385Gibson County: 1,106 countGibson County1,106McMinn County: 1,099 countMcMinn County1,099Bedford County: 1,052 countBedford County1,052Franklin County: 1,018 countFranklin County1,018Roane County: 1,015 countRoane County1,015Warren County: 989 countWarren County989Jefferson County: 979 countJefferson County979Cheatham County: 938 countCheatham County938Tipton County: 934 countTipton County934Monroe County: 924 countMonroe County924Dyer County: 918 countDyer County918Lawrence County: 883 countLawrence County883Carter County: 872 countCarter County872Hawkins County: 872 countHawkins County872Henry County: 826 countHenry County826Davidson County: 33,972 countDavidson County33,972Shelby County: 24,375 countShelby County24,375Knox County: 16,785 countKnox County16,785Williamson County: 14,110 countWilliamson County14,110Hamilton County: 13,167 countHamilton County13,167Rutherford County: 8,346 countRutherford County8,346Sumner County: 5,389 countSumner County5,389Montgomery County: 4,650 countMontgomery County4,650Wilson County: 4,454 countWilson County4,454Sullivan County: 4,089 countSullivan County4,089Washington County: 3,890 countWashington County3,890Sevier County: 3,436 countSevier County3,436Blount County: 3,283 countBlount County3,283Maury County: 2,997 countMaury County2,997Madison County: 2,945 countMadison County2,945Putnam County: 2,494 countPutnam County2,494Bradley County: 2,379 countBradley County2,379Anderson County: 2,064 countAnderson County2,064Robertson County: 1,618 countRobertson County1,618Coffee County: 1,567 countCoffee County1,567Greene County: 1,546 countGreene County1,546Hamblen County: 1,546 countHamblen County1,546Cumberland County: 1,510 countCumberland County1,510Loudon County: 1,392 countLoudon County1,392Dickson County: 1,385 countDickson County1,385Gibson County: 1,106 countGibson County1,106McMinn County: 1,099 countMcMinn County1,099Bedford County: 1,052 countBedford County1,052Franklin County: 1,018 countFranklin County1,018Roane County: 1,015 countRoane County1,015Warren County: 989 countWarren County989Jefferson County: 979 countJefferson County979Cheatham County: 938 countCheatham County938Tipton County: 934 countTipton County934Monroe County: 924 countMonroe County924Dyer County: 918 countDyer County918Lawrence County: 883 countLawrence County883Carter County: 872 countCarter County872Hawkins County: 872 countHawkins County872Henry County: 826 countHenry County826
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

RankCounties2023
count		Change on 2022
1Davidson County33,972+8%
2Shelby County24,375+3.6%
3Knox County16,785+6.9%
4Williamson County14,110+10.2%
5Hamilton County13,167+7.9%
6Rutherford County8,346+9.8%
7Sumner County5,389+9.2%
8Montgomery County4,650+10.6%
9Wilson County4,454+9.8%
10Sullivan County4,089+4.8%
11Washington County3,890+7.6%
12Sevier County3,436+4.2%
13Blount County3,283+7.6%
14Maury County2,997+11.5%
15Madison County2,945+7.1%
16Putnam County2,494+7.4%
17Bradley County2,379+7.4%
18Anderson County2,064+6.2%
19Robertson County1,618+8.2%
20Coffee County1,567+4.8%
21Greene County1,546+6.5%
21Hamblen County1,546+5.3%
23Cumberland County1,510+9.1%
24Loudon County1,392+7.9%
25Dickson County1,385+7.1%
26Gibson County1,106+4.7%
27McMinn County1,099+4.8%
28Bedford County1,052+5.4%
29Franklin County1,018+7%
30Roane County1,015+8.8%
31Warren County989+6.2%
32Jefferson County979+6.8%
33Cheatham County938+8.2%
34Tipton County934+4.1%
35Monroe County924+7.3%
36Dyer County918+3.1%
37Lawrence County883+5%
38Carter County872+6.5%
38Hawkins County872+7.3%
40Henry County826+6.3%
41Fayette County785+8.4%
42Lincoln County784+6.8%
43Campbell County745+6.1%
44Obion County744+3.5%
45Marshall County725+7.9%
46Giles County710+3.6%
47Weakley County677+7%
48Hardin County645+6.6%
49Rhea County626+9.4%
50Henderson County596+4.2%
51Claiborne County591+6.5%
51Cocke County591+6.1%
53Carroll County572+7.5%
54White County569+6%
55Marion County563+8.3%
56McNairy County542+6.5%
57Overton County466+7.4%
58DeKalb County452+10.8%
59Humphreys County424+6%
60Macon County408+6%
61Scott County407+7.4%
62Smith County403+5.8%
63Fentress County398+9.3%
64Hardeman County395+0.3%
65Hickman County385+4.3%
66Lauderdale County380+3.3%
67Johnson County378+6.8%
68Benton County374+9.4%
68Haywood County374+9%
70Grainger County363+4.9%
71Unicoi County333+6.7%
72Polk County327+8.6%
73Chester County317+2.9%
74Crockett County306+8.1%
74Sequatchie County306+10.1%
76Union County292+2.5%
77Decatur County289+6.3%
77Wayne County289+4%
79Cannon County284+6.8%
80Lewis County275+9.1%
81Stewart County268+8.9%
82Morgan County240+1.7%
83Grundy County237+2.2%
84Jackson County211+17.2%
85Bledsoe County188+6.2%
86Trousdale County170+9%
87Clay County164+6.5%
88Meigs County160+6%
88Perry County160+5.3%
90Houston County148+8.8%
91Pickett County121+0.8%
92Hancock County111+6.7%
92Lake County111+2.8%
94Moore County96+6.7%
95Van Buren County79-1.3%

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/2023/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), 2023) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2023/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), 2023. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2023/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/tennessee-counties?period=2023. 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), 2023. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2023/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/tennessee-counties?period=2023.

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), 2023 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2023/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/tennessee-counties?period=2023 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_tennessee_by_2023,
  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), 2023}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2023/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/tennessee-counties?period=2023. 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/2023/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), 2023
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2023/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/tennessee-counties?period=2023
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/tennessee-counties?period=2023.
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/2023/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Rank Counties in Tennessee by business establishments (QCEW) using official data, and cite the source.
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Questions

Which county has the highest business establishments (QCEW)?

Davidson County, with 33,972 in 2023, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest business establishments (QCEW)?

Van Buren County, with 79 in 2023.

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