Counties in California by employer firm births

Los Angeles County had the highest employer firm births of 58 counties in 2022, at 23,757. Alpine County had the lowest, at 4. The median was 266 and the figure for California was 74,582. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest23,757Los Angeles County
Median26658 counties
California74,582History

Map of counties, 2022

Alameda County: 2,894 countAlpine County: 4 countAmador County: 46 countButte County: 245 countCalaveras County: 89 countColusa County: 34 countContra Costa County: 1,781 countDel Norte County: 18 countEl Dorado County: 383 countFresno County: 1,415 countGlenn County: 29 countHumboldt County: 188 countImperial County: 204 countInyo County: 33 countKern County: 1,104 countKings County: 102 countLake County: 64 countLassen County: 24 countLos Angeles County: 23,757 countMadera County: 187 countMarin County: 632 countMariposa County: 37 countMendocino County: 160 countMerced County: 271 countModoc County: 9 countMono County: 38 countMonterey County: 533 countNapa County: 260 countNevada County: 220 countOrange County: 7,676 countPlacer County: 848 countPlumas County: 31 countRiverside County: 3,798 countSacramento County: 2,598 countSan Benito County: 74 countSan Bernardino County: 3,591 countSan Diego County: 6,826 countSan Francisco County: 2,188 countSan Joaquin County: 1,066 countSan Luis Obispo County: 548 countSan Mateo County: 1,291 countSanta Barbara County: 749 countSanta Clara County: 3,166 countSanta Cruz County: 433 countShasta County: 309 countSierra County: 6 countSiskiyou County: 62 countSolano County: 495 countSonoma County: 935 countStanislaus County: 702 countSutter County: 202 countTehama County: 78 countTrinity County: 14 countTulare County: 425 countTuolumne County: 84 countVentura County: 1,451 countYolo County: 291 countYuba County: 59 count
  • Under 100
  • 100 to 300
  • 300 to 600
  • 600 to 1,600
  • 1,600 and over
count, 2022. 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, 2022

Los Angeles County: 23,757 countLos Angeles County23,757Orange County: 7,676 countOrange County7,676San Diego County: 6,826 countSan Diego County6,826Riverside County: 3,798 countRiverside County3,798San Bernardino County: 3,591 countSan Bernardino County3,591Santa Clara County: 3,166 countSanta Clara County3,166Alameda County: 2,894 countAlameda County2,894Sacramento County: 2,598 countSacramento County2,598San Francisco County: 2,188 countSan Francisco County2,188Contra Costa County: 1,781 countContra Costa County1,781Ventura County: 1,451 countVentura County1,451Fresno County: 1,415 countFresno County1,415San Mateo County: 1,291 countSan Mateo County1,291Kern County: 1,104 countKern County1,104San Joaquin County: 1,066 countSan Joaquin County1,066Sonoma County: 935 countSonoma County935Placer County: 848 countPlacer County848Santa Barbara County: 749 countSanta Barbara County749Stanislaus County: 702 countStanislaus County702Marin County: 632 countMarin County632San Luis Obispo County: 548 countSan Luis Obispo County548Monterey County: 533 countMonterey County533Solano County: 495 countSolano County495Santa Cruz County: 433 countSanta Cruz County433Tulare County: 425 countTulare County425El Dorado County: 383 countEl Dorado County383Shasta County: 309 countShasta County309Yolo County: 291 countYolo County291Merced County: 271 countMerced County271Napa County: 260 countNapa County260Butte County: 245 countButte County245Nevada County: 220 countNevada County220Imperial County: 204 countImperial County204Sutter County: 202 countSutter County202Humboldt County: 188 countHumboldt County188Madera County: 187 countMadera County187Mendocino County: 160 countMendocino County160Kings County: 102 countKings County102Calaveras County: 89 countCalaveras County89Tuolumne County: 84 countTuolumne County84Tehama County: 78 countTehama County78San Benito County: 74 countSan Benito County74Lake County: 64 countLake County64Siskiyou County: 62 countSiskiyou County62Yuba County: 59 countYuba County59Amador County: 46 countAmador County46Mono County: 38 countMono County38Mariposa County: 37 countMariposa County37Colusa County: 34 countColusa County34Inyo County: 33 countInyo County33Plumas County: 31 countPlumas County31Glenn County: 29 countGlenn County29Lassen County: 24 countLassen County24Del Norte County: 18 countDel Norte County18Trinity County: 14 countTrinity County14Modoc County: 9 countModoc County9Sierra County: 6 countSierra County6Alpine County: 4 countAlpine County4Los Angeles County: 23,757 countLos Angeles County23,757Orange County: 7,676 countOrange County7,676San Diego County: 6,826 countSan Diego County6,826Riverside County: 3,798 countRiverside County3,798San Bernardino County: 3,591 countSan Bernardino County3,591Santa Clara County: 3,166 countSanta Clara County3,166Alameda County: 2,894 countAlameda County2,894Sacramento County: 2,598 countSacramento County2,598San Francisco County: 2,188 countSan Francisco County2,188Contra Costa County: 1,781 countContra Costa County1,781Ventura County: 1,451 countVentura County1,451Fresno County: 1,415 countFresno County1,415San Mateo County: 1,291 countSan Mateo County1,291Kern County: 1,104 countKern County1,104San Joaquin County: 1,066 countSan Joaquin County1,066Sonoma County: 935 countSonoma County935Placer County: 848 countPlacer County848Santa Barbara County: 749 countSanta Barbara County749Stanislaus County: 702 countStanislaus County702Marin County: 632 countMarin County632San Luis Obispo County: 548 countSan Luis Obispo County548Monterey County: 533 countMonterey County533Solano County: 495 countSolano County495Santa Cruz County: 433 countSanta Cruz County433Tulare County: 425 countTulare County425El Dorado County: 383 countEl Dorado County383Shasta County: 309 countShasta County309Yolo County: 291 countYolo County291Merced County: 271 countMerced County271Napa County: 260 countNapa County260Butte County: 245 countButte County245Nevada County: 220 countNevada County220Imperial County: 204 countImperial County204Sutter County: 202 countSutter County202Humboldt County: 188 countHumboldt County188Madera County: 187 countMadera County187Mendocino County: 160 countMendocino County160Kings County: 102 countKings County102Calaveras County: 89 countCalaveras County89Tuolumne County: 84 countTuolumne County84Tehama County: 78 countTehama County78San Benito County: 74 countSan Benito County74Lake County: 64 countLake County64Siskiyou County: 62 countSiskiyou County62Yuba County: 59 countYuba County59Amador County: 46 countAmador County46Mono County: 38 countMono County38Mariposa County: 37 countMariposa County37Colusa County: 34 countColusa County34Inyo County: 33 countInyo County33Plumas County: 31 countPlumas County31Glenn County: 29 countGlenn County29Lassen County: 24 countLassen County24Del Norte County: 18 countDel Norte County18Trinity County: 14 countTrinity County14Modoc County: 9 countModoc County9Sierra County: 6 countSierra County6Alpine 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

RankCounties2022
count
Change on 2021
1Los Angeles County23,757+8.6%
2Orange County7,676+4.4%
3San Diego County6,826+10.9%
4Riverside County3,798+11.1%
5San Bernardino County3,591+17.8%
6Santa Clara County3,166+13.1%
7Alameda County2,894+9.7%
8Sacramento County2,598+14.4%
9San Francisco County2,188+12.6%
10Contra Costa County1,781+6.1%
11Ventura County1,451+4.9%
12Fresno County1,415+13.7%
13San Mateo County1,291+5.1%
14Kern County1,104+18.2%
15San Joaquin County1,066+12.9%
16Sonoma County935+23.5%
17Placer County848+7.3%
18Santa Barbara County749+9.7%
19Stanislaus County702+21.7%
20Marin County632+9.5%
21San Luis Obispo County548+6.8%
22Monterey County533+13.9%
23Solano County495+1.9%
24Santa Cruz County433+19.9%
25Tulare County425-0.7%
26El Dorado County383+6.4%
27Shasta County309+5.8%
28Yolo County291+16.4%
29Merced County271+20.4%
30Napa County260+3.6%
31Butte County245+2.1%
32Nevada County220+0.5%
33Imperial County204+50%
34Sutter County202+26.3%
35Humboldt County188+1.6%
36Madera County187+14%
37Mendocino County160+27%
38Kings County102+13.3%
39Calaveras County89+30.9%
40Tuolumne County84+18.3%
41Tehama County78+21.9%
42San Benito County74+23.3%
43Lake County64+20.8%
44Siskiyou County62+1.6%
45Yuba County59+11.3%
46Amador County46-2.1%
47Mono County38+18.8%
48Mariposa County37+105.6%
49Colusa County34+142.9%
50Inyo County33+153.8%
51Plumas County31-8.8%
52Glenn County29+38.1%
53Lassen County24+9.1%
54Del Norte County18-14.3%
55Trinity County14-33.3%
56Modoc County9-40%
57Sierra County6-25%
58Alpine County4+33.3%

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. 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, 2022) [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, 2022. 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=2022. 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, 2022. 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=2022.

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, 2022 [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=2022 (Accessed: 22 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_california_by_2022,
  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, 2022}},
  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=2022. 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, 2022
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=2022
Y2  - 2026/10/22
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firm-births/california-counties?period=2022.
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 23,757 in 2022, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest employer firm births?

Alpine County, with 4 in 2022.

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.

Employer firm births: other rankings

Counties in California: more rankings