Counties in Virginia by business establishments (QCEW), 2025

Fairfax County had the highest business establishments (QCEW) of 133 counties in 2025, at 38,754. Highland County had the lowest, at 123. The median was 765 and the figure for Virginia was 319,557. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest38,754Fairfax County
Median765133 counties
Virginia319,557History

Map of counties, 2025

Accomack County: 1,181 countAlbemarle County: 4,181 countAlleghany County: 462 countAmelia County: 411 countAmherst County: 766 countAppomattox County: 516 countArlington County: 9,516 countAugusta County: 2,020 countBath County: 220 countBedford County: 2,310 countBland County: 145 countBotetourt County: 985 countBrunswick County: 474 countBuchanan County: 530 countBuckingham County: 476 countCampbell County: 1,741 countCaroline County: 742 countCarroll County: 654 countCharles City County: 235 countCharlotte County: 445 countChesterfield County: 10,434 countClarke County: 479 countCraig County: 142 countCulpeper County: 1,560 countCumberland County: 247 countDickenson County: 318 countDinwiddie County: 546 countEssex County: 391 countFairfax County: 38,754 countFauquier County: 2,547 countFloyd County: 511 countFluvanna County: 664 countFranklin County: 1,630 countFrederick County: 2,236 countGiles County: 445 countGloucester County: 1,098 countGoochland County: 1,014 countGrayson County: 356 countGreene County: 538 countGreensville County: 231 countHalifax County: 993 countHanover County: 4,252 countHenrico County: 12,753 countHenry County: 1,711 countHighland County: 123 countIsle of Wight County: 927 countJames City County: 2,277 countKing and Queen County: 207 countKing George County: 681 countKing William County: 493 countLancaster County: 556 countLee County: 519 countLoudoun County: 14,972 countLouisa County: 1,069 countLunenburg County: 353 countMadison County: 447 countMathews County: 255 countMecklenburg County: 1,048 countMiddlesex County: 399 countMontgomery County: 2,573 countNelson County: 531 countNew Kent County: 590 countNorthampton County: 590 countNorthumberland County: 382 countNottoway County: 484 countOrange County: 1,031 countPage County: 617 countPatrick County: 478 countPittsylvania County: 1,417 countPowhatan County: 898 countPrince Edward County: 714 countPrince George County: 698 countPrince William County: 10,695 countPulaski County: 874 countRappahannock County: 279 countRichmond County: 298 countRoanoke County: 2,712 countRockbridge County: 582 countRockingham County: 2,076 countRussell County: 566 countScott County: 400 countShenandoah County: 1,160 countSmyth County: 787 countSouthampton County: 340 countSpotsylvania County: 3,640 countStafford County: 3,380 countSurry County: 140 countSussex County: 277 countTazewell County: 998 countWarren County: 1,173 countWashington County: 1,605 countWestmoreland County: 502 countWise County: 786 countWythe County: 916 countYork County: 1,733 countAlexandria city: 6,275 countBristol city: 614 countBuena Vista city: 165 countCharlottesville city: 2,570 countChesapeake city: 7,059 countColonial Heights city: 740 countCovington city: 294 countDanville city: 1,812 countEmporia city: 262 countFairfax city: 1,803 countFalls Church city: 1,064 countFranklin city: 313 countFredericksburg city: 1,743 countGalax city: 400 countHampton city: 3,145 countHarrisonburg city: 1,761 countHopewell city: 538 countLexington city: 316 countLynchburg city: 2,730 countManassas city: 1,588 countManassas Park city: 334 countMartinsville city: 964 countNewport News city: 4,506 countNorfolk city: 6,518 countNorton city: 232 countPetersburg city: 1,016 countPoquoson city: 250 countPortsmouth city: 1,908 countRadford city: 372 countRichmond city: 9,349 countRoanoke city: 3,618 countSalem city: 1,125 countStaunton city: 906 countSuffolk city: 2,275 countVirginia Beach city: 14,164 countWaynesboro city: 765 countWilliamsburg city: 581 countWinchester city: 1,487 count
  • Under 300
  • 300 to 500
  • 500 to 800
  • 800 to 1,200
  • 1,200 to 2,500
  • 2,500 and over
count, 2025. 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, 2025

Fairfax County: 38,754 countFairfax County38,754Loudoun County: 14,972 countLoudoun County14,972Virginia Beach city: 14,164 countVirginia Beach city14,164Henrico County: 12,753 countHenrico County12,753Prince William County: 10,695 countPrince William County10,695Chesterfield County: 10,434 countChesterfield County10,434Arlington County: 9,516 countArlington County9,516Richmond city: 9,349 countRichmond city9,349Chesapeake city: 7,059 countChesapeake city7,059Norfolk city: 6,518 countNorfolk city6,518Alexandria city: 6,275 countAlexandria city6,275Newport News city: 4,506 countNewport News city4,506Hanover County: 4,252 countHanover County4,252Albemarle County: 4,181 countAlbemarle County4,181Spotsylvania County: 3,640 countSpotsylvania County3,640Roanoke city: 3,618 countRoanoke city3,618Stafford County: 3,380 countStafford County3,380Hampton city: 3,145 countHampton city3,145Lynchburg city: 2,730 countLynchburg city2,730Roanoke County: 2,712 countRoanoke County2,712Montgomery County: 2,573 countMontgomery County2,573Charlottesville city: 2,570 countCharlottesville city2,570Fauquier County: 2,547 countFauquier County2,547Bedford County: 2,310 countBedford County2,310James City County: 2,277 countJames City County2,277Suffolk city: 2,275 countSuffolk city2,275Frederick County: 2,236 countFrederick County2,236Rockingham County: 2,076 countRockingham County2,076Augusta County: 2,020 countAugusta County2,020Portsmouth city: 1,908 countPortsmouth city1,908Danville city: 1,812 countDanville city1,812Fairfax city: 1,803 countFairfax city1,803Harrisonburg city: 1,761 countHarrisonburg city1,761Fredericksburg city: 1,743 countFredericksburg city1,743Campbell County: 1,741 countCampbell County1,741York County: 1,733 countYork County1,733Henry County: 1,711 countHenry County1,711Franklin County: 1,630 countFranklin County1,630Washington County: 1,605 countWashington County1,605Manassas city: 1,588 countManassas city1,588Fairfax County: 38,754 countFairfax County38,754Loudoun County: 14,972 countLoudoun County14,972Virginia Beach city: 14,164 countVirginia Beach city14,164Henrico County: 12,753 countHenrico County12,753Prince William County: 10,695 countPrince William County10,695Chesterfield County: 10,434 countChesterfield County10,434Arlington County: 9,516 countArlington County9,516Richmond city: 9,349 countRichmond city9,349Chesapeake city: 7,059 countChesapeake city7,059Norfolk city: 6,518 countNorfolk city6,518Alexandria city: 6,275 countAlexandria city6,275Newport News city: 4,506 countNewport News city4,506Hanover County: 4,252 countHanover County4,252Albemarle County: 4,181 countAlbemarle County4,181Spotsylvania County: 3,640 countSpotsylvania County3,640Roanoke city: 3,618 countRoanoke city3,618Stafford County: 3,380 countStafford County3,380Hampton city: 3,145 countHampton city3,145Lynchburg city: 2,730 countLynchburg city2,730Roanoke County: 2,712 countRoanoke County2,712Montgomery County: 2,573 countMontgomery County2,573Charlottesville city: 2,570 countCharlottesville city2,570Fauquier County: 2,547 countFauquier County2,547Bedford County: 2,310 countBedford County2,310James City County: 2,277 countJames City County2,277Suffolk city: 2,275 countSuffolk city2,275Frederick County: 2,236 countFrederick County2,236Rockingham County: 2,076 countRockingham County2,076Augusta County: 2,020 countAugusta County2,020Portsmouth city: 1,908 countPortsmouth city1,908Danville city: 1,812 countDanville city1,812Fairfax city: 1,803 countFairfax city1,803Harrisonburg city: 1,761 countHarrisonburg city1,761Fredericksburg city: 1,743 countFredericksburg city1,743Campbell County: 1,741 countCampbell County1,741York County: 1,733 countYork County1,733Henry County: 1,711 countHenry County1,711Franklin County: 1,630 countFranklin County1,630Washington County: 1,605 countWashington County1,605Manassas city: 1,588 countManassas city1,588
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

RankCounties2025
count
Change on 2024
1Fairfax County38,754-0.5%
2Loudoun County14,972+1.6%
3Virginia Beach city14,164+2.7%
4Henrico County12,753+0.7%
5Prince William County10,695+0.6%
6Chesterfield County10,434+1.5%
7Arlington County9,516-1.2%
8Richmond city9,349+1.6%
9Chesapeake city7,059+2.5%
10Norfolk city6,518+1.2%
11Alexandria city6,275-1.7%
12Newport News city4,506+0.1%
13Hanover County4,252-1.3%
14Albemarle County4,181-0.1%
15Spotsylvania County3,640+2%
16Roanoke city3,618+2%
17Stafford County3,380+3%
18Hampton city3,145-1.1%
19Lynchburg city2,730+2.9%
20Roanoke County2,712+1.3%
21Montgomery County2,573-1.5%
22Charlottesville city2,570-0.7%
23Fauquier County2,547-3.4%
24Bedford County2,310+0.1%
25James City County2,277+0.7%
26Suffolk city2,275+3.6%
27Frederick County2,236+4.9%
28Rockingham County2,076+0.9%
29Augusta County2,020-0.5%
30Portsmouth city1,908+1.7%
31Danville city1,812-1%
32Fairfax city1,803+0.3%
33Harrisonburg city1,761+0.4%
34Fredericksburg city1,743-1.3%
35Campbell County1,741-3.2%
36York County1,7330%
37Henry County1,711-0.3%
38Franklin County1,630+0.8%
39Washington County1,605+1.7%
40Manassas city1,588-0.6%
41Culpeper County1,560-1.9%
42Winchester city1,487+0.5%
43Pittsylvania County1,417-0.8%
44Accomack County1,181-6.6%
45Warren County1,173-0.4%
46Shenandoah County1,160+0.7%
47Salem city1,125+0.2%
48Gloucester County1,098-3.2%
49Louisa County1,069-3.8%
50Falls Church city1,064+0.9%
51Mecklenburg County1,048-1.3%
52Orange County1,031+0.1%
53Petersburg city1,016+2%
54Goochland County1,014-4.8%
55Tazewell County998-0.2%
56Halifax County993-2.8%
57Botetourt County985+0.3%
58Martinsville city964+0.5%
59Isle of Wight County927+0.1%
60Wythe County916-2.1%
61Staunton city906-2.4%
62Powhatan County898+0.9%
63Pulaski County874-0.9%
64Smyth County787-3.6%
65Wise County786-1%
66Amherst County766-3.6%
67Waynesboro city765-1.4%
68Caroline County742-1.6%
69Colonial Heights city740-2.2%
70Prince Edward County714-1%
71Prince George County698+4.5%
72King George County681-1.7%
73Fluvanna County664-0.6%
74Carroll County6540%
75Page County617+0.7%
76Bristol city6140%
77New Kent County590+0.9%
77Northampton County590-0.3%
79Rockbridge County582+3.6%
80Williamsburg city581+0.9%
81Russell County566+0.2%
82Lancaster County556+2.4%
83Dinwiddie County546-4.5%
84Greene County538-1.6%
84Hopewell city538-1.5%
86Nelson County531-5.2%
87Buchanan County530-4.5%
88Lee County519-0.6%
89Appomattox County516-3.2%
90Floyd County511-1.7%
91Westmoreland County502+5.5%
92King William County493+0.2%
93Nottoway County484+1.7%
94Clarke County479-2.6%
95Patrick County478-1.2%
96Buckingham County476-4.8%
97Brunswick County474-10.1%
98Alleghany County462-5.7%
99Madison County447-6.1%
100Charlotte County445-18%
100Giles County4450%
102Amelia County4110%
103Galax city4000%
103Scott County400-1.7%
105Middlesex County399-3.4%
106Essex County391-4.6%
107Northumberland County382-0.5%
108Radford city3720%
109Grayson County356-0.8%
110Lunenburg County353-0.8%
111Southampton County340-1.7%
112Manassas Park city334-2.9%
113Dickenson County318-2.5%
114Lexington city316+1.9%
115Franklin city313-2.2%
116Richmond County298+4.2%
117Covington city294+0.3%
118Rappahannock County279-4.5%
119Sussex County277-7%
120Emporia city262-3%
121Mathews County255-0.8%
122Poquoson city250-2.3%
123Cumberland County247-3.5%
124Charles City County235-0.8%
125Norton city232+0.4%
126Greensville County231-10.8%
127Bath County220-14.7%
128King and Queen County207-2.4%
129Buena Vista city165+2.5%
130Bland County145-4.6%
131Craig County142-2.7%
132Surry County140-5.4%
133Highland County123-8.9%

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/2025/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 Virginia by business establishments (QCEW), 2025) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/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 Virginia by business establishments (QCEW), 2025. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/virginia-counties. 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 Virginia by business establishments (QCEW), 2025. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/virginia-counties.

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 Virginia by business establishments (QCEW), 2025 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/virginia-counties (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_virginia_by_2025,
  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 Virginia by business establishments (QCEW), 2025}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/virginia-counties. 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/2025/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 Virginia by business establishments (QCEW), 2025
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/virginia-counties
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/virginia-counties.
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/2025/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  - 
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Questions

Which county has the highest business establishments (QCEW)?

Fairfax County, with 38,754 in 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest business establishments (QCEW)?

Highland County, with 123 in 2025.

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 Virginia: more rankings