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 2024, at 34,919. Van Buren County had the lowest, at 83. The median was 640 and the figure for Tennessee was 227,134. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest34,919Davidson County
Lowest83Van Buren County
Median64095 counties
Tennessee227,134History

Map of counties, 2024

Anderson County: 2,081 countBedford County: 1,069 countBenton County: 381 countBledsoe County: 189 countBlount County: 3,423 countBradley County: 2,478 countCampbell County: 748 countCannon County: 299 countCarroll County: 572 countCarter County: 880 countCheatham County: 995 countChester County: 325 countClaiborne County: 601 countClay County: 162 countCocke County: 594 countCoffee County: 1,596 countCrockett County: 301 countCumberland County: 1,576 countDavidson County: 34,919 countDecatur County: 299 countDeKalb County: 467 countDickson County: 1,422 countDyer County: 908 countFayette County: 823 countFentress County: 409 countFranklin County: 1,017 countGibson County: 1,122 countGiles County: 721 countGrainger County: 378 countGreene County: 1,573 countGrundy County: 246 countHamblen County: 1,568 countHamilton County: 13,611 countHancock County: 114 countHardeman County: 398 countHardin County: 640 countHawkins County: 876 countHaywood County: 412 countHenderson County: 614 countHenry County: 834 countHickman County: 397 countHouston County: 148 countHumphreys County: 431 countJackson County: 222 countJefferson County: 1,038 countJohnson County: 378 countKnox County: 17,321 countLake County: 114 countLauderdale County: 377 countLawrence County: 931 countLewis County: 290 countLincoln County: 804 countLoudon County: 1,455 countMcMinn County: 1,098 countMcNairy County: 544 countMacon County: 427 countMadison County: 2,988 countMarion County: 588 countMarshall County: 754 countMaury County: 3,126 countMeigs County: 164 countMonroe County: 958 countMontgomery County: 4,831 countMoore County: 94 countMorgan County: 245 countObion County: 751 countOverton County: 469 countPerry County: 163 countPickett County: 121 countPolk County: 340 countPutnam County: 2,565 countRhea County: 635 countRoane County: 1,053 countRobertson County: 1,676 countRutherford County: 8,776 countScott County: 456 countSequatchie County: 316 countSevier County: 3,560 countShelby County: 24,468 countSmith County: 418 countStewart County: 266 countSullivan County: 4,219 countSumner County: 5,597 countTipton County: 962 countTrousdale County: 177 countUnicoi County: 338 countUnion County: 298 countVan Buren County: 83 countWarren County: 1,011 countWashington County: 3,896 countWayne County: 296 countWeakley County: 674 countWhite County: 595 countWilliamson County: 14,651 countWilson County: 4,714 count
  • Under 300
  • 300 to 400
  • 400 to 600
  • 600 to 1,000
  • 1,000 to 2,500
  • 2,500 and over
count, 2024. 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, 2024

Davidson County: 34,919 countDavidson County34,919Shelby County: 24,468 countShelby County24,468Knox County: 17,321 countKnox County17,321Williamson County: 14,651 countWilliamson County14,651Hamilton County: 13,611 countHamilton County13,611Rutherford County: 8,776 countRutherford County8,776Sumner County: 5,597 countSumner County5,597Montgomery County: 4,831 countMontgomery County4,831Wilson County: 4,714 countWilson County4,714Sullivan County: 4,219 countSullivan County4,219Washington County: 3,896 countWashington County3,896Sevier County: 3,560 countSevier County3,560Blount County: 3,423 countBlount County3,423Maury County: 3,126 countMaury County3,126Madison County: 2,988 countMadison County2,988Putnam County: 2,565 countPutnam County2,565Bradley County: 2,478 countBradley County2,478Anderson County: 2,081 countAnderson County2,081Robertson County: 1,676 countRobertson County1,676Coffee County: 1,596 countCoffee County1,596Cumberland County: 1,576 countCumberland County1,576Greene County: 1,573 countGreene County1,573Hamblen County: 1,568 countHamblen County1,568Loudon County: 1,455 countLoudon County1,455Dickson County: 1,422 countDickson County1,422Gibson County: 1,122 countGibson County1,122McMinn County: 1,098 countMcMinn County1,098Bedford County: 1,069 countBedford County1,069Roane County: 1,053 countRoane County1,053Jefferson County: 1,038 countJefferson County1,038Franklin County: 1,017 countFranklin County1,017Warren County: 1,011 countWarren County1,011Cheatham County: 995 countCheatham County995Tipton County: 962 countTipton County962Monroe County: 958 countMonroe County958Lawrence County: 931 countLawrence County931Dyer County: 908 countDyer County908Carter County: 880 countCarter County880Hawkins County: 876 countHawkins County876Henry County: 834 countHenry County834Davidson County: 34,919 countDavidson County34,919Shelby County: 24,468 countShelby County24,468Knox County: 17,321 countKnox County17,321Williamson County: 14,651 countWilliamson County14,651Hamilton County: 13,611 countHamilton County13,611Rutherford County: 8,776 countRutherford County8,776Sumner County: 5,597 countSumner County5,597Montgomery County: 4,831 countMontgomery County4,831Wilson County: 4,714 countWilson County4,714Sullivan County: 4,219 countSullivan County4,219Washington County: 3,896 countWashington County3,896Sevier County: 3,560 countSevier County3,560Blount County: 3,423 countBlount County3,423Maury County: 3,126 countMaury County3,126Madison County: 2,988 countMadison County2,988Putnam County: 2,565 countPutnam County2,565Bradley County: 2,478 countBradley County2,478Anderson County: 2,081 countAnderson County2,081Robertson County: 1,676 countRobertson County1,676Coffee County: 1,596 countCoffee County1,596Cumberland County: 1,576 countCumberland County1,576Greene County: 1,573 countGreene County1,573Hamblen County: 1,568 countHamblen County1,568Loudon County: 1,455 countLoudon County1,455Dickson County: 1,422 countDickson County1,422Gibson County: 1,122 countGibson County1,122McMinn County: 1,098 countMcMinn County1,098Bedford County: 1,069 countBedford County1,069Roane County: 1,053 countRoane County1,053Jefferson County: 1,038 countJefferson County1,038Franklin County: 1,017 countFranklin County1,017Warren County: 1,011 countWarren County1,011Cheatham County: 995 countCheatham County995Tipton County: 962 countTipton County962Monroe County: 958 countMonroe County958Lawrence County: 931 countLawrence County931Dyer County: 908 countDyer County908Carter County: 880 countCarter County880Hawkins County: 876 countHawkins County876Henry County: 834 countHenry County834
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

RankCounties2024
count		Change on 2023
1Davidson County34,919+2.8%
2Shelby County24,468+0.4%
3Knox County17,321+3.2%
4Williamson County14,651+3.8%
5Hamilton County13,611+3.4%
6Rutherford County8,776+5.2%
7Sumner County5,597+3.9%
8Montgomery County4,831+3.9%
9Wilson County4,714+5.8%
10Sullivan County4,219+3.2%
11Washington County3,896+0.2%
12Sevier County3,560+3.6%
13Blount County3,423+4.3%
14Maury County3,126+4.3%
15Madison County2,988+1.5%
16Putnam County2,565+2.8%
17Bradley County2,478+4.2%
18Anderson County2,081+0.8%
19Robertson County1,676+3.6%
20Coffee County1,596+1.9%
21Cumberland County1,576+4.4%
22Greene County1,573+1.7%
23Hamblen County1,568+1.4%
24Loudon County1,455+4.5%
25Dickson County1,422+2.7%
26Gibson County1,122+1.4%
27McMinn County1,098-0.1%
28Bedford County1,069+1.6%
29Roane County1,053+3.7%
30Jefferson County1,038+6%
31Franklin County1,017-0.1%
32Warren County1,011+2.2%
33Cheatham County995+6.1%
34Tipton County962+3%
35Monroe County958+3.7%
36Lawrence County931+5.4%
37Dyer County908-1.1%
38Carter County880+0.9%
39Hawkins County876+0.5%
40Henry County834+1%
41Fayette County823+4.8%
42Lincoln County804+2.6%
43Marshall County754+4%
44Obion County751+0.9%
45Campbell County748+0.4%
46Giles County721+1.5%
47Weakley County674-0.4%
48Hardin County640-0.8%
49Rhea County635+1.4%
50Henderson County614+3%
51Claiborne County601+1.7%
52White County595+4.6%
53Cocke County594+0.5%
54Marion County588+4.4%
55Carroll County5720%
56McNairy County544+0.4%
57Overton County469+0.6%
58DeKalb County467+3.3%
59Scott County456+12%
60Humphreys County431+1.7%
61Macon County427+4.7%
62Smith County418+3.7%
63Haywood County412+10.2%
64Fentress County409+2.8%
65Hardeman County398+0.8%
66Hickman County397+3.1%
67Benton County381+1.9%
68Grainger County378+4.1%
68Johnson County3780%
70Lauderdale County377-0.8%
71Polk County340+4%
72Unicoi County338+1.5%
73Chester County325+2.5%
74Sequatchie County316+3.3%
75Crockett County301-1.6%
76Cannon County299+5.3%
76Decatur County299+3.5%
78Union County298+2.1%
79Wayne County296+2.4%
80Lewis County290+5.5%
81Stewart County266-0.7%
82Grundy County246+3.8%
83Morgan County245+2.1%
84Jackson County222+5.2%
85Bledsoe County189+0.5%
86Trousdale County177+4.1%
87Meigs County164+2.5%
88Perry County163+1.9%
89Clay County162-1.2%
90Houston County1480%
91Pickett County1210%
92Hancock County114+2.7%
92Lake County114+2.7%
94Moore County94-2.1%
95Van Buren County83+5.1%

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/2024/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), 2024) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2024/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), 2024. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2024/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/tennessee-counties?period=2024. 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), 2024. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2024/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/tennessee-counties?period=2024.

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), 2024 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2024/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/tennessee-counties?period=2024 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_tennessee_by_2024,
  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), 2024}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2024/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/tennessee-counties?period=2024. 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/2024/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), 2024
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2024/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/tennessee-counties?period=2024
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/tennessee-counties?period=2024.
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/2024/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 34,919 in 2024, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest business establishments (QCEW)?

Van Buren County, with 83 in 2024.

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