Counties in California by employer firm births

Los Angeles County had the highest employer firm births of 57 counties in 2019, at 20,099. Sierra County had the lowest, at 4. The median was 237 and the figure for California was 64,516. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest20,099Los Angeles County
Median23757 counties
California64,516History

Map of counties, 2019

Alameda County: 2,629 countAmador County: 38 countButte County: 234 countCalaveras County: 48 countColusa County: 23 countContra Costa County: 1,621 countDel Norte County: 14 countEl Dorado County: 343 countFresno County: 1,079 countGlenn County: 35 countHumboldt County: 161 countImperial County: 143 countInyo County: 31 countKern County: 810 countKings County: 72 countLake County: 71 countLassen County: 16 countLos Angeles County: 20,099 countMadera County: 145 countMarin County: 606 countMariposa County: 23 countMendocino County: 133 countMerced County: 181 countModoc County: 7 countMono County: 38 countMonterey County: 455 countNapa County: 237 countNevada County: 210 countOrange County: 7,113 countPlacer County: 815 countPlumas County: 36 countRiverside County: 3,031 countSacramento County: 2,135 countSan Benito County: 54 countSan Bernardino County: 2,552 countSan Diego County: 6,021 countSan Francisco County: 2,250 countSan Joaquin County: 750 countSan Luis Obispo County: 495 countSan Mateo County: 1,315 countSanta Barbara County: 605 countSanta Clara County: 3,163 countSanta Cruz County: 403 countShasta County: 249 countSierra County: 4 countSiskiyou County: 61 countSolano County: 452 countSonoma County: 869 countStanislaus County: 540 countSutter County: 109 countTehama County: 56 countTrinity County: 15 countTulare County: 355 countTuolumne County: 74 countVentura County: 1,293 countYolo County: 277 countYuba County: 55 count
  • Under 100
  • 100 to 200
  • 200 to 600
  • 600 to 1,500
  • 1,500 and over
  • No data
count, 2019. 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, 2019

Los Angeles County: 20,099 countLos Angeles County20,099Orange County: 7,113 countOrange County7,113San Diego County: 6,021 countSan Diego County6,021Santa Clara County: 3,163 countSanta Clara County3,163Riverside County: 3,031 countRiverside County3,031Alameda County: 2,629 countAlameda County2,629San Bernardino County: 2,552 countSan Bernardino County2,552San Francisco County: 2,250 countSan Francisco County2,250Sacramento County: 2,135 countSacramento County2,135Contra Costa County: 1,621 countContra Costa County1,621San Mateo County: 1,315 countSan Mateo County1,315Ventura County: 1,293 countVentura County1,293Fresno County: 1,079 countFresno County1,079Sonoma County: 869 countSonoma County869Placer County: 815 countPlacer County815Kern County: 810 countKern County810San Joaquin County: 750 countSan Joaquin County750Marin County: 606 countMarin County606Santa Barbara County: 605 countSanta Barbara County605Stanislaus County: 540 countStanislaus County540San Luis Obispo County: 495 countSan Luis Obispo County495Monterey County: 455 countMonterey County455Solano County: 452 countSolano County452Santa Cruz County: 403 countSanta Cruz County403Tulare County: 355 countTulare County355El Dorado County: 343 countEl Dorado County343Yolo County: 277 countYolo County277Shasta County: 249 countShasta County249Napa County: 237 countNapa County237Butte County: 234 countButte County234Nevada County: 210 countNevada County210Merced County: 181 countMerced County181Humboldt County: 161 countHumboldt County161Madera County: 145 countMadera County145Imperial County: 143 countImperial County143Mendocino County: 133 countMendocino County133Sutter County: 109 countSutter County109Tuolumne County: 74 countTuolumne County74Kings County: 72 countKings County72Lake County: 71 countLake County71Siskiyou County: 61 countSiskiyou County61Tehama County: 56 countTehama County56Yuba County: 55 countYuba County55San Benito County: 54 countSan Benito County54Calaveras County: 48 countCalaveras County48Amador County: 38 countAmador County38Mono County: 38 countMono County38Plumas County: 36 countPlumas County36Glenn County: 35 countGlenn County35Inyo County: 31 countInyo County31Colusa County: 23 countColusa County23Mariposa County: 23 countMariposa County23Lassen County: 16 countLassen County16Trinity County: 15 countTrinity County15Del Norte County: 14 countDel Norte County14Modoc County: 7 countModoc County7Sierra County: 4 countSierra County4Los Angeles County: 20,099 countLos Angeles County20,099Orange County: 7,113 countOrange County7,113San Diego County: 6,021 countSan Diego County6,021Santa Clara County: 3,163 countSanta Clara County3,163Riverside County: 3,031 countRiverside County3,031Alameda County: 2,629 countAlameda County2,629San Bernardino County: 2,552 countSan Bernardino County2,552San Francisco County: 2,250 countSan Francisco County2,250Sacramento County: 2,135 countSacramento County2,135Contra Costa County: 1,621 countContra Costa County1,621San Mateo County: 1,315 countSan Mateo County1,315Ventura County: 1,293 countVentura County1,293Fresno County: 1,079 countFresno County1,079Sonoma County: 869 countSonoma County869Placer County: 815 countPlacer County815Kern County: 810 countKern County810San Joaquin County: 750 countSan Joaquin County750Marin County: 606 countMarin County606Santa Barbara County: 605 countSanta Barbara County605Stanislaus County: 540 countStanislaus County540San Luis Obispo County: 495 countSan Luis Obispo County495Monterey County: 455 countMonterey County455Solano County: 452 countSolano County452Santa Cruz County: 403 countSanta Cruz County403Tulare County: 355 countTulare County355El Dorado County: 343 countEl Dorado County343Yolo County: 277 countYolo County277Shasta County: 249 countShasta County249Napa County: 237 countNapa County237Butte County: 234 countButte County234Nevada County: 210 countNevada County210Merced County: 181 countMerced County181Humboldt County: 161 countHumboldt County161Madera County: 145 countMadera County145Imperial County: 143 countImperial County143Mendocino County: 133 countMendocino County133Sutter County: 109 countSutter County109Tuolumne County: 74 countTuolumne County74Kings County: 72 countKings County72Lake County: 71 countLake County71Siskiyou County: 61 countSiskiyou County61Tehama County: 56 countTehama County56Yuba County: 55 countYuba County55San Benito County: 54 countSan Benito County54Calaveras County: 48 countCalaveras County48Amador County: 38 countAmador County38Mono County: 38 countMono County38Plumas County: 36 countPlumas County36Glenn County: 35 countGlenn County35Inyo County: 31 countInyo County31Colusa County: 23 countColusa County23Mariposa County: 23 countMariposa County23Lassen County: 16 countLassen County16Trinity County: 15 countTrinity County15Del Norte County: 14 countDel Norte County14Modoc County: 7 countModoc County7Sierra County: 4 countSierra 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

RankCounties2019
count
Change on 2018
1Los Angeles County20,099+5%
2Orange County7,113+9.6%
3San Diego County6,021+2.3%
4Santa Clara County3,163+3.2%
5Riverside County3,031+2.2%
6Alameda County2,629+8.7%
7San Bernardino County2,552+0.9%
8San Francisco County2,250+6.1%
9Sacramento County2,135+10.3%
10Contra Costa County1,621+6.1%
11San Mateo County1,315+8.4%
12Ventura County1,293+5%
13Fresno County1,079+10%
14Sonoma County869+10.7%
15Placer County815+8.5%
16Kern County810+2.5%
17San Joaquin County750+10.9%
18Marin County606+7.3%
19Santa Barbara County605-5.5%
20Stanislaus County540+6.7%
21San Luis Obispo County495-0.8%
22Monterey County455-12.5%
23Solano County452+14.1%
24Santa Cruz County403+6.6%
25Tulare County355+5.3%
26El Dorado County343+4.3%
27Yolo County277+25.3%
28Shasta County249+13.2%
29Napa County237+3%
30Butte County234-8.9%
31Nevada County2100%
32Merced County181-3.7%
33Humboldt County161+2.5%
34Madera County145+23.9%
35Imperial County143+9.2%
36Mendocino County133+11.8%
37Sutter County109-12.1%
38Tuolumne County74-9.8%
39Kings County72-19.1%
40Lake County71+7.6%
41Siskiyou County61+19.6%
42Tehama County56+9.8%
43Yuba County55+25%
44San Benito County54-19.4%
45Calaveras County48-17.2%
46Amador County38-11.6%
46Mono County38+31%
48Plumas County36+50%
49Glenn County35+84.2%
50Inyo County31+63.2%
51Colusa County23-8%
51Mariposa County23-25.8%
53Lassen County16-11.1%
54Trinity County15+114.3%
55Del Norte County14-17.6%
56Modoc County7+75%
57Sierra 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 2019 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, 2019) [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, 2019. 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=2019. 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, 2019. 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=2019.

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, 2019 [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=2019 (Accessed: 22 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_california_by_2019,
  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, 2019}},
  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=2019. 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, 2019
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=2019
Y2  - 2026/10/22
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firm-births/california-counties?period=2019.
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 20,099 in 2019, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest employer firm births?

Sierra County, with 4 in 2019.

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 2019 and are not ranked.

Employer firm births: other rankings

Counties in California: more rankings