Counties in California by employer firm births

Los Angeles County had the highest employer firm births of 57 counties in 2015, at 18,086. Alpine County had the lowest, at 4. The median was 223 and the figure for California was 57,849. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest18,086Los Angeles County
Median22357 counties
California57,849History

Map of counties, 2015

Alameda County: 2,408 countAlpine County: 4 countAmador County: 38 countButte County: 234 countCalaveras County: 48 countColusa County: 16 countContra Costa County: 1,328 countDel Norte County: 20 countEl Dorado County: 305 countFresno County: 850 countGlenn County: 16 countHumboldt County: 134 countImperial County: 133 countInyo County: 15 countKern County: 717 countKings County: 53 countLake County: 59 countLassen County: 15 countLos Angeles County: 18,086 countMadera County: 109 countMarin County: 545 countMariposa County: 14 countMendocino County: 115 countMerced County: 175 countModoc County: 8 countMono County: 24 countMonterey County: 408 countNapa County: 235 countNevada County: 151 countOrange County: 6,220 countPlacer County: 630 countPlumas County: 32 countRiverside County: 2,621 countSacramento County: 1,745 countSan Benito County: 64 countSan Bernardino County: 2,177 countSan Diego County: 5,535 countSan Francisco County: 2,329 countSan Joaquin County: 609 countSan Luis Obispo County: 507 countSan Mateo County: 1,373 countSanta Barbara County: 592 countSanta Clara County: 3,060 countSanta Cruz County: 385 countShasta County: 208 countSiskiyou County: 40 countSolano County: 347 countSonoma County: 786 countStanislaus County: 463 countSutter County: 92 countTehama County: 60 countTrinity County: 10 countTulare County: 331 countTuolumne County: 70 countVentura County: 1,206 countYolo County: 223 countYuba County: 39 count
  • Under 100
  • 100 to 200
  • 200 to 500
  • 500 to 1,400
  • 1,400 and over
  • No data
count, 2015. 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, 2015

Los Angeles County: 18,086 countLos Angeles County18,086Orange County: 6,220 countOrange County6,220San Diego County: 5,535 countSan Diego County5,535Santa Clara County: 3,060 countSanta Clara County3,060Riverside County: 2,621 countRiverside County2,621Alameda County: 2,408 countAlameda County2,408San Francisco County: 2,329 countSan Francisco County2,329San Bernardino County: 2,177 countSan Bernardino County2,177Sacramento County: 1,745 countSacramento County1,745San Mateo County: 1,373 countSan Mateo County1,373Contra Costa County: 1,328 countContra Costa County1,328Ventura County: 1,206 countVentura County1,206Fresno County: 850 countFresno County850Sonoma County: 786 countSonoma County786Kern County: 717 countKern County717Placer County: 630 countPlacer County630San Joaquin County: 609 countSan Joaquin County609Santa Barbara County: 592 countSanta Barbara County592Marin County: 545 countMarin County545San Luis Obispo County: 507 countSan Luis Obispo County507Stanislaus County: 463 countStanislaus County463Monterey County: 408 countMonterey County408Santa Cruz County: 385 countSanta Cruz County385Solano County: 347 countSolano County347Tulare County: 331 countTulare County331El Dorado County: 305 countEl Dorado County305Napa County: 235 countNapa County235Butte County: 234 countButte County234Yolo County: 223 countYolo County223Shasta County: 208 countShasta County208Merced County: 175 countMerced County175Nevada County: 151 countNevada County151Humboldt County: 134 countHumboldt County134Imperial County: 133 countImperial County133Mendocino County: 115 countMendocino County115Madera County: 109 countMadera County109Sutter County: 92 countSutter County92Tuolumne County: 70 countTuolumne County70San Benito County: 64 countSan Benito County64Tehama County: 60 countTehama County60Lake County: 59 countLake County59Kings County: 53 countKings County53Calaveras County: 48 countCalaveras County48Siskiyou County: 40 countSiskiyou County40Yuba County: 39 countYuba County39Amador County: 38 countAmador County38Plumas County: 32 countPlumas County32Mono County: 24 countMono County24Del Norte County: 20 countDel Norte County20Colusa County: 16 countColusa County16Glenn County: 16 countGlenn County16Inyo County: 15 countInyo County15Lassen County: 15 countLassen County15Mariposa County: 14 countMariposa County14Trinity County: 10 countTrinity County10Modoc County: 8 countModoc County8Alpine County: 4 countAlpine County4Los Angeles County: 18,086 countLos Angeles County18,086Orange County: 6,220 countOrange County6,220San Diego County: 5,535 countSan Diego County5,535Santa Clara County: 3,060 countSanta Clara County3,060Riverside County: 2,621 countRiverside County2,621Alameda County: 2,408 countAlameda County2,408San Francisco County: 2,329 countSan Francisco County2,329San Bernardino County: 2,177 countSan Bernardino County2,177Sacramento County: 1,745 countSacramento County1,745San Mateo County: 1,373 countSan Mateo County1,373Contra Costa County: 1,328 countContra Costa County1,328Ventura County: 1,206 countVentura County1,206Fresno County: 850 countFresno County850Sonoma County: 786 countSonoma County786Kern County: 717 countKern County717Placer County: 630 countPlacer County630San Joaquin County: 609 countSan Joaquin County609Santa Barbara County: 592 countSanta Barbara County592Marin County: 545 countMarin County545San Luis Obispo County: 507 countSan Luis Obispo County507Stanislaus County: 463 countStanislaus County463Monterey County: 408 countMonterey County408Santa Cruz County: 385 countSanta Cruz County385Solano County: 347 countSolano County347Tulare County: 331 countTulare County331El Dorado County: 305 countEl Dorado County305Napa County: 235 countNapa County235Butte County: 234 countButte County234Yolo County: 223 countYolo County223Shasta County: 208 countShasta County208Merced County: 175 countMerced County175Nevada County: 151 countNevada County151Humboldt County: 134 countHumboldt County134Imperial County: 133 countImperial County133Mendocino County: 115 countMendocino County115Madera County: 109 countMadera County109Sutter County: 92 countSutter County92Tuolumne County: 70 countTuolumne County70San Benito County: 64 countSan Benito County64Tehama County: 60 countTehama County60Lake County: 59 countLake County59Kings County: 53 countKings County53Calaveras County: 48 countCalaveras County48Siskiyou County: 40 countSiskiyou County40Yuba County: 39 countYuba County39Amador County: 38 countAmador County38Plumas County: 32 countPlumas County32Mono County: 24 countMono County24Del Norte County: 20 countDel Norte County20Colusa County: 16 countColusa County16Glenn County: 16 countGlenn County16Inyo County: 15 countInyo County15Lassen County: 15 countLassen County15Mariposa County: 14 countMariposa County14Trinity County: 10 countTrinity County10Modoc County: 8 countModoc County8Alpine County: 4 countAlpine County4
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

RankCounties2015
count
Change on 2014
1Los Angeles County18,086+2.9%
2Orange County6,220+0.6%
3San Diego County5,535+0.2%
4Santa Clara County3,060+1.1%
5Riverside County2,621+6.1%
6Alameda County2,408+0.4%
7San Francisco County2,329+1%
8San Bernardino County2,177+5.8%
9Sacramento County1,745+8.4%
10San Mateo County1,373+6%
11Contra Costa County1,328-0.9%
12Ventura County1,206+5.9%
13Fresno County850-2.6%
14Sonoma County786-2.7%
15Kern County717-6.6%
16Placer County630-0.2%
17San Joaquin County609+2.7%
18Santa Barbara County592+9.4%
19Marin County545-8.7%
20San Luis Obispo County507+13.9%
21Stanislaus County463+0.2%
22Monterey County408-8.5%
23Santa Cruz County385+1.6%
24Solano County347-1.4%
25Tulare County331+8.5%
26El Dorado County305+12.5%
27Napa County235+3.1%
28Butte County234+12%
29Yolo County223+16.8%
30Shasta County208-3.3%
31Merced County175+31.6%
32Nevada County151+6.3%
33Humboldt County134+16.5%
34Imperial County133+9.9%
35Mendocino County115+3.6%
36Madera County109-1.8%
37Sutter County92+1.1%
38Tuolumne County70+16.7%
39San Benito County64+10.3%
40Tehama County60+20%
41Lake County59+37.2%
42Kings County53-28.4%
43Calaveras County48+4.3%
44Siskiyou County40-2.4%
45Yuba County39-7.1%
46Amador County38-11.6%
47Plumas County32+52.4%
48Mono County24+9.1%
49Del Norte County20+81.8%
50Colusa County16-11.1%
50Glenn County16-33.3%
52Inyo County15-28.6%
52Lassen County15-31.8%
54Mariposa County14+16.7%
55Trinity County10+11.1%
56Modoc County8+100%
57Alpine County4n/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 2015 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, 2015) [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, 2015. 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=2015. 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, 2015. 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=2015.

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, 2015 [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=2015 (Accessed: 22 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_california_by_2015,
  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, 2015}},
  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=2015. 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, 2015
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=2015
Y2  - 2026/10/22
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firm-births/california-counties?period=2015.
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 18,086 in 2015, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest employer firm births?

Alpine County, with 4 in 2015.

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 2015 and are not ranked.

Employer firm births: other rankings

Counties in California: more rankings