Counties in California by employer firm births

Los Angeles County had the highest employer firm births of 57 counties in 2014, at 17,579. Alpine County had the lowest, at 0. The median was 209 and the figure for California was 56,514. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest17,579Los Angeles County
Median20957 counties
California56,514History

Map of counties, 2014

Alameda County: 2,398 countAlpine County: 0 countAmador County: 43 countButte County: 209 countCalaveras County: 46 countColusa County: 18 countContra Costa County: 1,340 countDel Norte County: 11 countEl Dorado County: 271 countFresno County: 873 countGlenn County: 24 countHumboldt County: 115 countImperial County: 121 countInyo County: 21 countKern County: 768 countKings County: 74 countLake County: 43 countLassen County: 22 countLos Angeles County: 17,579 countMadera County: 111 countMarin County: 597 countMariposa County: 12 countMendocino County: 111 countMerced County: 133 countModoc County: 4 countMono County: 22 countMonterey County: 446 countNapa County: 228 countNevada County: 142 countOrange County: 6,182 countPlacer County: 631 countPlumas County: 21 countRiverside County: 2,470 countSacramento County: 1,610 countSan Benito County: 58 countSan Bernardino County: 2,058 countSan Diego County: 5,526 countSan Francisco County: 2,305 countSan Joaquin County: 593 countSan Luis Obispo County: 445 countSan Mateo County: 1,295 countSanta Barbara County: 541 countSanta Clara County: 3,028 countSanta Cruz County: 379 countShasta County: 215 countSiskiyou County: 41 countSolano County: 352 countSonoma County: 808 countStanislaus County: 462 countSutter County: 91 countTehama County: 50 countTrinity County: 9 countTulare County: 305 countTuolumne County: 60 countVentura County: 1,139 countYolo County: 191 countYuba County: 42 count
  • Under 100
  • 100 to 200
  • 200 to 500
  • 500 to 1,300
  • 1,300 and over
  • No data
count, 2014. 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, 2014

Los Angeles County: 17,579 countLos Angeles County17,579Orange County: 6,182 countOrange County6,182San Diego County: 5,526 countSan Diego County5,526Santa Clara County: 3,028 countSanta Clara County3,028Riverside County: 2,470 countRiverside County2,470Alameda County: 2,398 countAlameda County2,398San Francisco County: 2,305 countSan Francisco County2,305San Bernardino County: 2,058 countSan Bernardino County2,058Sacramento County: 1,610 countSacramento County1,610Contra Costa County: 1,340 countContra Costa County1,340San Mateo County: 1,295 countSan Mateo County1,295Ventura County: 1,139 countVentura County1,139Fresno County: 873 countFresno County873Sonoma County: 808 countSonoma County808Kern County: 768 countKern County768Placer County: 631 countPlacer County631Marin County: 597 countMarin County597San Joaquin County: 593 countSan Joaquin County593Santa Barbara County: 541 countSanta Barbara County541Stanislaus County: 462 countStanislaus County462Monterey County: 446 countMonterey County446San Luis Obispo County: 445 countSan Luis Obispo County445Santa Cruz County: 379 countSanta Cruz County379Solano County: 352 countSolano County352Tulare County: 305 countTulare County305El Dorado County: 271 countEl Dorado County271Napa County: 228 countNapa County228Shasta County: 215 countShasta County215Butte County: 209 countButte County209Yolo County: 191 countYolo County191Nevada County: 142 countNevada County142Merced County: 133 countMerced County133Imperial County: 121 countImperial County121Humboldt County: 115 countHumboldt County115Madera County: 111 countMadera County111Mendocino County: 111 countMendocino County111Sutter County: 91 countSutter County91Kings County: 74 countKings County74Tuolumne County: 60 countTuolumne County60San Benito County: 58 countSan Benito County58Tehama County: 50 countTehama County50Calaveras County: 46 countCalaveras County46Amador County: 43 countAmador County43Lake County: 43 countLake County43Yuba County: 42 countYuba County42Siskiyou County: 41 countSiskiyou County41Glenn County: 24 countGlenn County24Lassen County: 22 countLassen County22Mono County: 22 countMono County22Inyo County: 21 countInyo County21Plumas County: 21 countPlumas County21Colusa County: 18 countColusa County18Mariposa County: 12 countMariposa County12Del Norte County: 11 countDel Norte County11Trinity County: 9 countTrinity County9Modoc County: 4 countModoc County4Alpine County: 0 countAlpine County0Los Angeles County: 17,579 countLos Angeles County17,579Orange County: 6,182 countOrange County6,182San Diego County: 5,526 countSan Diego County5,526Santa Clara County: 3,028 countSanta Clara County3,028Riverside County: 2,470 countRiverside County2,470Alameda County: 2,398 countAlameda County2,398San Francisco County: 2,305 countSan Francisco County2,305San Bernardino County: 2,058 countSan Bernardino County2,058Sacramento County: 1,610 countSacramento County1,610Contra Costa County: 1,340 countContra Costa County1,340San Mateo County: 1,295 countSan Mateo County1,295Ventura County: 1,139 countVentura County1,139Fresno County: 873 countFresno County873Sonoma County: 808 countSonoma County808Kern County: 768 countKern County768Placer County: 631 countPlacer County631Marin County: 597 countMarin County597San Joaquin County: 593 countSan Joaquin County593Santa Barbara County: 541 countSanta Barbara County541Stanislaus County: 462 countStanislaus County462Monterey County: 446 countMonterey County446San Luis Obispo County: 445 countSan Luis Obispo County445Santa Cruz County: 379 countSanta Cruz County379Solano County: 352 countSolano County352Tulare County: 305 countTulare County305El Dorado County: 271 countEl Dorado County271Napa County: 228 countNapa County228Shasta County: 215 countShasta County215Butte County: 209 countButte County209Yolo County: 191 countYolo County191Nevada County: 142 countNevada County142Merced County: 133 countMerced County133Imperial County: 121 countImperial County121Humboldt County: 115 countHumboldt County115Madera County: 111 countMadera County111Mendocino County: 111 countMendocino County111Sutter County: 91 countSutter County91Kings County: 74 countKings County74Tuolumne County: 60 countTuolumne County60San Benito County: 58 countSan Benito County58Tehama County: 50 countTehama County50Calaveras County: 46 countCalaveras County46Amador County: 43 countAmador County43Lake County: 43 countLake County43Yuba County: 42 countYuba County42Siskiyou County: 41 countSiskiyou County41Glenn County: 24 countGlenn County24Lassen County: 22 countLassen County22Mono County: 22 countMono County22Inyo County: 21 countInyo County21Plumas County: 21 countPlumas County21Colusa County: 18 countColusa County18Mariposa County: 12 countMariposa County12Del Norte County: 11 countDel Norte County11Trinity County: 9 countTrinity County9Modoc County: 4 countModoc County4Alpine County: 0 countAlpine County0
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

RankCounties2014
count
Change on 2013
1Los Angeles County17,579+5.3%
2Orange County6,182+4.2%
3San Diego County5,526+12.2%
4Santa Clara County3,028+1.9%
5Riverside County2,470+5.8%
6Alameda County2,398+8.8%
7San Francisco County2,305+7.1%
8San Bernardino County2,058+3.8%
9Sacramento County1,610+0.4%
10Contra Costa County1,340+8.3%
11San Mateo County1,295+5.4%
12Ventura County1,139-3.2%
13Fresno County873+5.9%
14Sonoma County808+20.4%
15Kern County768+16.2%
16Placer County631+1.8%
17Marin County597+9.1%
18San Joaquin County593+10.4%
19Santa Barbara County541-3.2%
20Stanislaus County462-0.4%
21Monterey County446+16.1%
22San Luis Obispo County445+6%
23Santa Cruz County379+13.1%
24Solano County352+12.1%
25Tulare County305+5.9%
26El Dorado County271+1.5%
27Napa County228-2.1%
28Shasta County215+26.5%
29Butte County209-19.9%
30Yolo County191-7.3%
31Nevada County142-11.8%
32Merced County133+2.3%
33Imperial County121+16.3%
34Humboldt County115-19%
35Madera County111+3.7%
35Mendocino County111+6.7%
37Sutter County91+8.3%
38Kings County74+15.6%
39Tuolumne County60+33.3%
40San Benito County58+26.1%
41Tehama County50+16.3%
42Calaveras County46+39.4%
43Amador County43-18.9%
43Lake County43-14%
45Yuba County42-4.5%
46Siskiyou County41-19.6%
47Glenn County24+60%
48Lassen County22+37.5%
48Mono County22-15.4%
50Inyo County21-32.3%
50Plumas County21-19.2%
52Colusa County18-10%
53Mariposa County12-29.4%
54Del Norte County11+22.2%
55Trinity County9-30.8%
56Modoc County4-33.3%
57Alpine County0n/a

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 2014 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, 2014) [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, 2014. 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=2014. 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, 2014. 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=2014.

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, 2014 [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=2014 (Accessed: 22 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_california_by_2014,
  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, 2014}},
  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=2014. 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, 2014
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=2014
Y2  - 2026/10/22
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firm-births/california-counties?period=2014.
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  - 
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Rank Counties in California by employer firm births using official data, and cite the source.
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Questions

Which county has the highest employer firm births?

Los Angeles County, with 17,579 in 2014, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest employer firm births?

Alpine County, with 0 in 2014.

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 2014 and are not ranked.

Employer firm births: other rankings

Counties in California: more rankings