Counties in California by employer firm births

Los Angeles County had the highest employer firm births of 57 counties in 2013, at 16,695. Modoc County had the lowest, at 6. The median was 206 and the figure for California was 53,569. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest16,695Los Angeles County
Median20657 counties
California53,569History

Map of counties, 2013

Alameda County: 2,204 countAmador County: 53 countButte County: 261 countCalaveras County: 33 countColusa County: 20 countContra Costa County: 1,237 countDel Norte County: 9 countEl Dorado County: 267 countFresno County: 824 countGlenn County: 15 countHumboldt County: 142 countImperial County: 104 countInyo County: 31 countKern County: 661 countKings County: 64 countLake County: 50 countLassen County: 16 countLos Angeles County: 16,695 countMadera County: 107 countMarin County: 547 countMariposa County: 17 countMendocino County: 104 countMerced County: 130 countModoc County: 6 countMono County: 26 countMonterey County: 384 countNapa County: 233 countNevada County: 161 countOrange County: 5,931 countPlacer County: 620 countPlumas County: 26 countRiverside County: 2,335 countSacramento County: 1,604 countSan Benito County: 46 countSan Bernardino County: 1,982 countSan Diego County: 4,925 countSan Francisco County: 2,152 countSan Joaquin County: 537 countSan Luis Obispo County: 420 countSan Mateo County: 1,229 countSanta Barbara County: 559 countSanta Clara County: 2,971 countSanta Cruz County: 335 countShasta County: 170 countSierra County: 7 countSiskiyou County: 51 countSolano County: 314 countSonoma County: 671 countStanislaus County: 464 countSutter County: 84 countTehama County: 43 countTrinity County: 13 countTulare County: 288 countTuolumne County: 45 countVentura County: 1,177 countYolo County: 206 countYuba County: 44 count
  • Under 100
  • 100 to 200
  • 200 to 500
  • 500 to 1,200
  • 1,200 and over
  • No data
count, 2013. Hatched areas have no value for this period. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics by firm age: employer firms of age zero, all covered industries, nation, states and counties from 1978. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All counties, 2013

Los Angeles County: 16,695 countLos Angeles County16,695Orange County: 5,931 countOrange County5,931San Diego County: 4,925 countSan Diego County4,925Santa Clara County: 2,971 countSanta Clara County2,971Riverside County: 2,335 countRiverside County2,335Alameda County: 2,204 countAlameda County2,204San Francisco County: 2,152 countSan Francisco County2,152San Bernardino County: 1,982 countSan Bernardino County1,982Sacramento County: 1,604 countSacramento County1,604Contra Costa County: 1,237 countContra Costa County1,237San Mateo County: 1,229 countSan Mateo County1,229Ventura County: 1,177 countVentura County1,177Fresno County: 824 countFresno County824Sonoma County: 671 countSonoma County671Kern County: 661 countKern County661Placer County: 620 countPlacer County620Santa Barbara County: 559 countSanta Barbara County559Marin County: 547 countMarin County547San Joaquin County: 537 countSan Joaquin County537Stanislaus County: 464 countStanislaus County464San Luis Obispo County: 420 countSan Luis Obispo County420Monterey County: 384 countMonterey County384Santa Cruz County: 335 countSanta Cruz County335Solano County: 314 countSolano County314Tulare County: 288 countTulare County288El Dorado County: 267 countEl Dorado County267Butte County: 261 countButte County261Napa County: 233 countNapa County233Yolo County: 206 countYolo County206Shasta County: 170 countShasta County170Nevada County: 161 countNevada County161Humboldt County: 142 countHumboldt County142Merced County: 130 countMerced County130Madera County: 107 countMadera County107Imperial County: 104 countImperial County104Mendocino County: 104 countMendocino County104Sutter County: 84 countSutter County84Kings County: 64 countKings County64Amador County: 53 countAmador County53Siskiyou County: 51 countSiskiyou County51Lake County: 50 countLake County50San Benito County: 46 countSan Benito County46Tuolumne County: 45 countTuolumne County45Yuba County: 44 countYuba County44Tehama County: 43 countTehama County43Calaveras County: 33 countCalaveras County33Inyo County: 31 countInyo County31Mono County: 26 countMono County26Plumas County: 26 countPlumas County26Colusa County: 20 countColusa County20Mariposa County: 17 countMariposa County17Lassen County: 16 countLassen County16Glenn County: 15 countGlenn County15Trinity County: 13 countTrinity County13Del Norte County: 9 countDel Norte County9Sierra County: 7 countSierra County7Modoc County: 6 countModoc County6Los Angeles County: 16,695 countLos Angeles County16,695Orange County: 5,931 countOrange County5,931San Diego County: 4,925 countSan Diego County4,925Santa Clara County: 2,971 countSanta Clara County2,971Riverside County: 2,335 countRiverside County2,335Alameda County: 2,204 countAlameda County2,204San Francisco County: 2,152 countSan Francisco County2,152San Bernardino County: 1,982 countSan Bernardino County1,982Sacramento County: 1,604 countSacramento County1,604Contra Costa County: 1,237 countContra Costa County1,237San Mateo County: 1,229 countSan Mateo County1,229Ventura County: 1,177 countVentura County1,177Fresno County: 824 countFresno County824Sonoma County: 671 countSonoma County671Kern County: 661 countKern County661Placer County: 620 countPlacer County620Santa Barbara County: 559 countSanta Barbara County559Marin County: 547 countMarin County547San Joaquin County: 537 countSan Joaquin County537Stanislaus County: 464 countStanislaus County464San Luis Obispo County: 420 countSan Luis Obispo County420Monterey County: 384 countMonterey County384Santa Cruz County: 335 countSanta Cruz County335Solano County: 314 countSolano County314Tulare County: 288 countTulare County288El Dorado County: 267 countEl Dorado County267Butte County: 261 countButte County261Napa County: 233 countNapa County233Yolo County: 206 countYolo County206Shasta County: 170 countShasta County170Nevada County: 161 countNevada County161Humboldt County: 142 countHumboldt County142Merced County: 130 countMerced County130Madera County: 107 countMadera County107Imperial County: 104 countImperial County104Mendocino County: 104 countMendocino County104Sutter County: 84 countSutter County84Kings County: 64 countKings County64Amador County: 53 countAmador County53Siskiyou County: 51 countSiskiyou County51Lake County: 50 countLake County50San Benito County: 46 countSan Benito County46Tuolumne County: 45 countTuolumne County45Yuba County: 44 countYuba County44Tehama County: 43 countTehama County43Calaveras County: 33 countCalaveras County33Inyo County: 31 countInyo County31Mono County: 26 countMono County26Plumas County: 26 countPlumas County26Colusa County: 20 countColusa County20Mariposa County: 17 countMariposa County17Lassen County: 16 countLassen County16Glenn County: 15 countGlenn County15Trinity County: 13 countTrinity County13Del Norte County: 9 countDel Norte County9Sierra County: 7 countSierra County7Modoc County: 6 countModoc County6
count. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics by firm age: employer firms of age zero, all covered industries, nation, states and counties from 1978. Retrieved 2026-10-22.

Full ranking

RankCounties2013
count
Change on 2012
1Los Angeles County16,695-0.6%
2Orange County5,931+3%
3San Diego County4,925+0.1%
4Santa Clara County2,971-5.6%
5Riverside County2,335-1.1%
6Alameda County2,204-0.8%
7San Francisco County2,152-2.3%
8San Bernardino County1,982+3.4%
9Sacramento County1,604-2.4%
10Contra Costa County1,237-1.7%
11San Mateo County1,229-4.4%
12Ventura County1,177+11.5%
13Fresno County824-5.2%
14Sonoma County671-2.9%
15Kern County661-13.7%
16Placer County620-5.8%
17Santa Barbara County559+0.5%
18Marin County547+2.1%
19San Joaquin County537-4.4%
20Stanislaus County464+11.8%
21San Luis Obispo County420-2.8%
22Monterey County384-3%
23Santa Cruz County335-5.6%
24Solano County314-4.8%
25Tulare County2880%
26El Dorado County267+7.2%
27Butte County261+19.2%
28Napa County233+14.2%
29Yolo County206-5.9%
30Shasta County170-17.5%
31Nevada County161-7.5%
32Humboldt County142+16.4%
33Merced County130-1.5%
34Madera County107+20.2%
35Imperial County104-20.6%
35Mendocino County104+7.2%
37Sutter County84+10.5%
38Kings County64-16.9%
39Amador County53+51.4%
40Siskiyou County510%
41Lake County50-2%
42San Benito County46-14.8%
43Tuolumne County45-30.8%
44Yuba County44-10.2%
45Tehama County43-23.2%
46Calaveras County33-26.7%
47Inyo County31+106.7%
48Mono County26+23.8%
48Plumas County26-13.3%
50Colusa County20+17.6%
51Mariposa County17-22.7%
52Lassen County16+14.3%
53Glenn County15-44.4%
54Trinity County13+8.3%
55Del Norte County9-30.8%
56Sierra County7n/a
57Modoc County60%

Other periods

About this ranking

New employer firms: firms of age zero in March of the year, meaning that every establishment of the firm had its first employees during the previous twelve months. United States: Census Bureau Business Dynamics Statistics, which calls these firms startups.

A firm counts only when it has employees, so a business without staff is not a birth, and a new branch, merger or change of ownership of an existing firm is not a birth either. Not the same as business_applications (requests for an employer number) or enterprise_births (European business demography). The year is the twelve months to March: 2023 compares March 2022 with March 2023.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the counties are compared on one definition. 1 counties with data in other periods have no value for 2013 and are left out rather than filled from another source. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics by firm age: employer firms of age zero, all covered industries, nation, states and counties from 1978. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty_fac.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-22.

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. Census Bureau. (2025). Business Dynamics Statistics by firm age: employer firms of age zero, all covered industries, nation, states and counties from 1978 (Counties in California by employer firm births, 2013) [Data set]. Retrieved October 22, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty_fac.csv

MLA 9

Business Dynamics Statistics by firm age: employer firms of age zero, all covered industries, nation, states and counties from 1978, Counties in California by employer firm births, 2013. U.S. Census Bureau, 25 Sept. 2025, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty_fac.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firm-births/california-counties?period=2013. Accessed 22 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2025. Business Dynamics Statistics by firm age: employer firms of age zero, all covered industries, nation, states and counties from 1978. Counties in California by employer firm births, 2013. Dataset. Accessed October 22, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty_fac.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firm-births/california-counties?period=2013.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2025) Business Dynamics Statistics by firm age: employer firms of age zero, all covered industries, nation, states and counties from 1978, Counties in California by employer firm births, 2013 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty_fac.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firm-births/california-counties?period=2013 (Accessed: 22 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_california_by_2013,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Business Dynamics Statistics by firm age: employer firms of age zero, all covered industries, nation, states and counties from 1978: Counties in California by employer firm births, 2013}},
  year = {2025},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty_fac.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-22},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firm-births/california-counties?period=2013. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics by firm age: employer firms of age zero, all covered industries, nation, states and counties from 1978. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023\_st\_cty\_fac.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-22.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - Business Dynamics Statistics by firm age: employer firms of age zero, all covered industries, nation, states and counties from 1978: Counties in California by employer firm births, 2013
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/09/25
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty_fac.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firm-births/california-counties?period=2013
Y2  - 2026/10/22
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firm-births/california-counties?period=2013.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics by firm age: employer firms of age zero, all covered industries, nation, states and counties from 1978. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty_fac.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-22.
ER  - 
Embed this chart

Paste this code into a web page or a blog post. The chart shows the latest figures as they are published, with the source and a link back to this page.

Sites that read oEmbed links, such as WordPress, can show the chart when you paste the link to this page.

Use this data in your AI agent

Invokely serves this figure to AI assistants through MCP and to code through a REST API, with the source and citation attached. Ask your assistant:

Rank Counties in California by employer firm births using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"employer_firm_births","level":"province","within":"California","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=employer_firm_births&level=province&within=California&limit=10

Connect Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor in one step. The trial answers 25 calls a day without an account.

Questions

Which county has the highest employer firm births?

Los Angeles County, with 16,695 in 2013, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest employer firm births?

Modoc County, with 6 in 2013.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics by firm age: employer firms of age zero, all covered industries, nation, states and counties from 1978. Retrieved 2026-10-22. 1 counties have no value for 2013 and are not ranked.

Employer firm births: other rankings

Counties in California: more rankings