Counties in Indiana by employer firm births

Marion County had the highest employer firm births of 92 counties in 2017, at 1,094. Union County had the lowest, at 4. The median was 28 and the figure for Indiana was 6,524. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest1,094Marion County
Median2892 counties
Indiana6,524History

Map of counties, 2017

Adams County: 26 countAllen County: 372 countBartholomew County: 62 countBenton County: 7 countBlackford County: 5 countBoone County: 89 countBrown County: 24 countCarroll County: 23 countCass County: 20 countClark County: 108 countClay County: 19 countClinton County: 22 countCrawford County: 6 countDaviess County: 39 countDearborn County: 43 countDecatur County: 22 countDeKalb County: 28 countDelaware County: 82 countDubois County: 41 countElkhart County: 213 countFayette County: 9 countFloyd County: 94 countFountain County: 16 countFranklin County: 21 countFulton County: 15 countGibson County: 26 countGrant County: 45 countGreene County: 32 countHamilton County: 591 countHancock County: 70 countHarrison County: 35 countHendricks County: 205 countHenry County: 28 countHoward County: 83 countHuntington County: 31 countJackson County: 30 countJasper County: 43 countJay County: 15 countJefferson County: 21 countJennings County: 13 countJohnson County: 169 countKnox County: 23 countKosciusko County: 101 countLaGrange County: 47 countLake County: 477 countLaPorte County: 82 countLawrence County: 47 countMadison County: 87 countMarion County: 1,094 countMarshall County: 42 countMartin County: 8 countMiami County: 29 countMonroe County: 168 countMontgomery County: 37 countMorgan County: 58 countNewton County: 19 countNoble County: 27 countOhio County: 4 countOrange County: 10 countOwen County: 20 countParke County: 17 countPerry County: 11 countPike County: 6 countPorter County: 139 countPosey County: 20 countPulaski County: 14 countPutnam County: 30 countRandolph County: 13 countRipley County: 24 countRush County: 13 countSt. Joseph County: 231 countScott County: 7 countShelby County: 41 countSpencer County: 11 countStarke County: 15 countSteuben County: 39 countSullivan County: 18 countSwitzerland County: 5 countTippecanoe County: 173 countTipton County: 9 countUnion County: 4 countVanderburgh County: 175 countVermillion County: 9 countVigo County: 91 countWabash County: 21 countWarren County: 7 countWarrick County: 63 countWashington County: 24 countWayne County: 50 countWells County: 23 countWhite County: 15 countWhitley County: 28 count
  • Under 10
  • 10 to 20
  • 20 to 30
  • 30 to 40
  • 40 to 90
  • 90 and over
count, 2017. 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.

Top 40 counties, 2017

Marion County: 1,094 countMarion County1,094Hamilton County: 591 countHamilton County591Lake County: 477 countLake County477Allen County: 372 countAllen County372St. Joseph County: 231 countSt. Joseph County231Elkhart County: 213 countElkhart County213Hendricks County: 205 countHendricks County205Vanderburgh County: 175 countVanderburgh County175Tippecanoe County: 173 countTippecanoe County173Johnson County: 169 countJohnson County169Monroe County: 168 countMonroe County168Porter County: 139 countPorter County139Clark County: 108 countClark County108Kosciusko County: 101 countKosciusko County101Floyd County: 94 countFloyd County94Vigo County: 91 countVigo County91Boone County: 89 countBoone County89Madison County: 87 countMadison County87Howard County: 83 countHoward County83Delaware County: 82 countDelaware County82LaPorte County: 82 countLaPorte County82Hancock County: 70 countHancock County70Warrick County: 63 countWarrick County63Bartholomew County: 62 countBartholomew County62Morgan County: 58 countMorgan County58Wayne County: 50 countWayne County50LaGrange County: 47 countLaGrange County47Lawrence County: 47 countLawrence County47Grant County: 45 countGrant County45Dearborn County: 43 countDearborn County43Jasper County: 43 countJasper County43Marshall County: 42 countMarshall County42Dubois County: 41 countDubois County41Shelby County: 41 countShelby County41Daviess County: 39 countDaviess County39Steuben County: 39 countSteuben County39Montgomery County: 37 countMontgomery County37Harrison County: 35 countHarrison County35Greene County: 32 countGreene County32Huntington County: 31 countHuntington County31Marion County: 1,094 countMarion County1,094Hamilton County: 591 countHamilton County591Lake County: 477 countLake County477Allen County: 372 countAllen County372St. Joseph County: 231 countSt. Joseph County231Elkhart County: 213 countElkhart County213Hendricks County: 205 countHendricks County205Vanderburgh County: 175 countVanderburgh County175Tippecanoe County: 173 countTippecanoe County173Johnson County: 169 countJohnson County169Monroe County: 168 countMonroe County168Porter County: 139 countPorter County139Clark County: 108 countClark County108Kosciusko County: 101 countKosciusko County101Floyd County: 94 countFloyd County94Vigo County: 91 countVigo County91Boone County: 89 countBoone County89Madison County: 87 countMadison County87Howard County: 83 countHoward County83Delaware County: 82 countDelaware County82LaPorte County: 82 countLaPorte County82Hancock County: 70 countHancock County70Warrick County: 63 countWarrick County63Bartholomew County: 62 countBartholomew County62Morgan County: 58 countMorgan County58Wayne County: 50 countWayne County50LaGrange County: 47 countLaGrange County47Lawrence County: 47 countLawrence County47Grant County: 45 countGrant County45Dearborn County: 43 countDearborn County43Jasper County: 43 countJasper County43Marshall County: 42 countMarshall County42Dubois County: 41 countDubois County41Shelby County: 41 countShelby County41Daviess County: 39 countDaviess County39Steuben County: 39 countSteuben County39Montgomery County: 37 countMontgomery County37Harrison County: 35 countHarrison County35Greene County: 32 countGreene County32Huntington County: 31 countHuntington County31
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

RankCounties2017
count
Change on 2016
1Marion County1,094+0.4%
2Hamilton County591-1.3%
3Lake County477-2.7%
4Allen County372+6%
5St. Joseph County231+3.6%
6Elkhart County213+18.3%
7Hendricks County205+6.8%
8Vanderburgh County175+2.9%
9Tippecanoe County173-5.5%
10Johnson County169+5.6%
11Monroe County168+14.3%
12Porter County139-24.5%
13Clark County108+1.9%
14Kosciusko County101+29.5%
15Floyd County94+13.3%
16Vigo County91+26.4%
17Boone County89+18.7%
18Madison County87-12.1%
19Howard County83+33.9%
20Delaware County82+18.8%
20LaPorte County82-10.9%
22Hancock County70-23.1%
23Warrick County63+14.5%
24Bartholomew County62-10.1%
25Morgan County58+9.4%
26Wayne County50+4.2%
27LaGrange County47-9.6%
27Lawrence County47+11.9%
29Grant County45+18.4%
30Dearborn County43+16.2%
30Jasper County43+10.3%
32Marshall County42-6.7%
33Dubois County41-6.8%
33Shelby County41+7.9%
35Daviess County39-4.9%
35Steuben County39-2.5%
37Montgomery County37+54.2%
38Harrison County35+20.7%
39Greene County32+14.3%
40Huntington County31+34.8%
41Jackson County30-9.1%
41Putnam County30-23.1%
43Miami County29+20.8%
44DeKalb County28-33.3%
44Henry County28-26.3%
44Whitley County28-3.4%
47Noble County27+28.6%
48Adams County26-7.1%
48Gibson County26-21.2%
50Brown County24+14.3%
50Ripley County24+4.3%
50Washington County24+26.3%
53Carroll County23+64.3%
53Knox County23-23.3%
53Wells County23+43.8%
56Clinton County22-15.4%
56Decatur County22+29.4%
58Franklin County21-19.2%
58Jefferson County21+10.5%
58Wabash County21-4.5%
61Cass County20-9.1%
61Owen County20+66.7%
61Posey County20-16.7%
64Clay County190%
64Newton County19+46.2%
66Sullivan County18+100%
67Parke County17+54.5%
68Fountain County16+77.8%
69Fulton County15-6.3%
69Jay County15+36.4%
69Starke County15+36.4%
69White County15-31.8%
73Pulaski County14+55.6%
74Jennings County13+8.3%
74Randolph County13-18.8%
74Rush County13+44.4%
77Perry County11+10%
77Spencer County11+10%
79Orange County10-37.5%
80Fayette County9-50%
80Tipton County9-47.1%
80Vermillion County9-43.8%
83Martin County8+100%
84Benton County7+75%
84Scott County7-46.2%
84Warren County7-12.5%
87Crawford County6-53.8%
87Pike County6-40%
89Blackford County5-54.5%
89Switzerland County5-16.7%
91Ohio County4n/a
91Union County4-42.9%

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 Indiana by employer firm births, 2017) [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 Indiana by employer firm births, 2017. 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/indiana-counties?period=2017. 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 Indiana by employer firm births, 2017. 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/indiana-counties?period=2017.

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 Indiana by employer firm births, 2017 [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/indiana-counties?period=2017 (Accessed: 22 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_indiana_by_2017,
  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 Indiana by employer firm births, 2017}},
  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/indiana-counties?period=2017. 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 Indiana by employer firm births, 2017
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/indiana-counties?period=2017
Y2  - 2026/10/22
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firm-births/indiana-counties?period=2017.
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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Questions

Which county has the highest employer firm births?

Marion County, with 1,094 in 2017, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest employer firm births?

Union County, with 4 in 2017.

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 Indiana: more rankings