Counties in Minnesota by employer firm births

Hennepin County had the highest employer firm births of 85 counties in 2012, at 1,896. Traverse County had the lowest, at 3. The median was 23 and the figure for Minnesota was 6,425. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest1,896Hennepin County
Median2385 counties
Minnesota6,425History

Map of counties, 2012

Aitkin County: 17 countAnoka County: 386 countBecker County: 46 countBeltrami County: 50 countBenton County: 42 countBig Stone County: 8 countBlue Earth County: 83 countBrown County: 23 countCarlton County: 32 countCarver County: 122 countCass County: 35 countChippewa County: 8 countChisago County: 42 countClay County: 41 countClearwater County: 11 countCook County: 8 countCottonwood County: 13 countCrow Wing County: 80 countDakota County: 453 countDodge County: 19 countDouglas County: 42 countFaribault County: 14 countFillmore County: 24 countFreeborn County: 28 countGoodhue County: 39 countGrant County: 6 countHennepin County: 1,896 countHouston County: 14 countHubbard County: 26 countIsanti County: 53 countItasca County: 54 countJackson County: 15 countKanabec County: 13 countKandiyohi County: 53 countKittson County: 5 countKoochiching County: 23 countLake County: 20 countLake of the Woods County: 15 countLe Sueur County: 32 countLincoln County: 15 countLyon County: 24 countMcLeod County: 45 countMahnomen County: 3 countMarshall County: 7 countMartin County: 19 countMeeker County: 23 countMille Lacs County: 26 countMorrison County: 20 countMower County: 31 countMurray County: 12 countNicollet County: 30 countNobles County: 19 countNorman County: 8 countOlmsted County: 143 countOtter Tail County: 69 countPennington County: 17 countPine County: 22 countPipestone County: 15 countPolk County: 31 countPope County: 12 countRamsey County: 549 countRedwood County: 23 countRenville County: 13 countRice County: 57 countRock County: 12 countRoseau County: 19 countSt. Louis County: 154 countScott County: 192 countSherburne County: 107 countSibley County: 12 countStearns County: 153 countSteele County: 42 countStevens County: 8 countSwift County: 9 countTodd County: 26 countTraverse County: 3 countWabasha County: 26 countWadena County: 17 countWaseca County: 14 countWashington County: 276 countWatonwan County: 12 countWilkin County: 4 countWinona County: 37 countWright County: 177 countYellow Medicine County: 16 count
  • Under 10
  • 10 to 20
  • 20 to 40
  • 40 to 70
  • 70 and over
  • No data
count, 2012. 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.

Top 40 counties, 2012

Hennepin County: 1,896 countHennepin County1,896Ramsey County: 549 countRamsey County549Dakota County: 453 countDakota County453Anoka County: 386 countAnoka County386Washington County: 276 countWashington County276Scott County: 192 countScott County192Wright County: 177 countWright County177St. Louis County: 154 countSt. Louis County154Stearns County: 153 countStearns County153Olmsted County: 143 countOlmsted County143Carver County: 122 countCarver County122Sherburne County: 107 countSherburne County107Blue Earth County: 83 countBlue Earth County83Crow Wing County: 80 countCrow Wing County80Otter Tail County: 69 countOtter Tail County69Rice County: 57 countRice County57Itasca County: 54 countItasca County54Isanti County: 53 countIsanti County53Kandiyohi County: 53 countKandiyohi County53Beltrami County: 50 countBeltrami County50Becker County: 46 countBecker County46McLeod County: 45 countMcLeod County45Benton County: 42 countBenton County42Chisago County: 42 countChisago County42Douglas County: 42 countDouglas County42Steele County: 42 countSteele County42Clay County: 41 countClay County41Goodhue County: 39 countGoodhue County39Winona County: 37 countWinona County37Cass County: 35 countCass County35Carlton County: 32 countCarlton County32Le Sueur County: 32 countLe Sueur County32Mower County: 31 countMower County31Polk County: 31 countPolk County31Nicollet County: 30 countNicollet County30Freeborn County: 28 countFreeborn County28Hubbard County: 26 countHubbard County26Mille Lacs County: 26 countMille Lacs County26Todd County: 26 countTodd County26Wabasha County: 26 countWabasha County26Hennepin County: 1,896 countHennepin County1,896Ramsey County: 549 countRamsey County549Dakota County: 453 countDakota County453Anoka County: 386 countAnoka County386Washington County: 276 countWashington County276Scott County: 192 countScott County192Wright County: 177 countWright County177St. Louis County: 154 countSt. Louis County154Stearns County: 153 countStearns County153Olmsted County: 143 countOlmsted County143Carver County: 122 countCarver County122Sherburne County: 107 countSherburne County107Blue Earth County: 83 countBlue Earth County83Crow Wing County: 80 countCrow Wing County80Otter Tail County: 69 countOtter Tail County69Rice County: 57 countRice County57Itasca County: 54 countItasca County54Isanti County: 53 countIsanti County53Kandiyohi County: 53 countKandiyohi County53Beltrami County: 50 countBeltrami County50Becker County: 46 countBecker County46McLeod County: 45 countMcLeod County45Benton County: 42 countBenton County42Chisago County: 42 countChisago County42Douglas County: 42 countDouglas County42Steele County: 42 countSteele County42Clay County: 41 countClay County41Goodhue County: 39 countGoodhue County39Winona County: 37 countWinona County37Cass County: 35 countCass County35Carlton County: 32 countCarlton County32Le Sueur County: 32 countLe Sueur County32Mower County: 31 countMower County31Polk County: 31 countPolk County31Nicollet County: 30 countNicollet County30Freeborn County: 28 countFreeborn County28Hubbard County: 26 countHubbard County26Mille Lacs County: 26 countMille Lacs County26Todd County: 26 countTodd County26Wabasha County: 26 countWabasha County26
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

RankCounties2012
count
Change on 2011
1Hennepin County1,896+2.2%
2Ramsey County549-0.4%
3Dakota County453-11.7%
4Anoka County386+6%
5Washington County276-2.5%
6Scott County192+5.5%
7Wright County177+28.3%
8St. Louis County154-18.1%
9Stearns County153-6.1%
10Olmsted County143-0.7%
11Carver County122-3.2%
12Sherburne County107-4.5%
13Blue Earth County83+15.3%
14Crow Wing County80-17.5%
15Otter Tail County69-13.8%
16Rice County570%
17Itasca County54+38.5%
18Isanti County53+26.2%
18Kandiyohi County53+3.9%
20Beltrami County50+13.6%
21Becker County46+2.2%
22McLeod County45+36.4%
23Benton County42-4.5%
23Chisago County42-36.4%
23Douglas County42-27.6%
23Steele County42+27.3%
27Clay County41-10.9%
28Goodhue County39-33.9%
29Winona County37-21.3%
30Cass County35+29.6%
31Carlton County32+39.1%
31Le Sueur County320%
33Mower County31+10.7%
33Polk County31+29.2%
35Nicollet County30+66.7%
36Freeborn County28+7.7%
37Hubbard County26-23.5%
37Mille Lacs County26+18.2%
37Todd County26+23.8%
37Wabasha County26+30%
41Fillmore County24+33.3%
41Lyon County24-4%
43Brown County23+15%
43Koochiching County23+53.3%
43Meeker County23-14.8%
43Redwood County23+15%
47Pine County22-26.7%
48Lake County20+300%
48Morrison County20-54.5%
50Dodge County19+58.3%
50Martin County19+72.7%
50Nobles County19-9.5%
50Roseau County19+26.7%
54Aitkin County17-15%
54Pennington County17+21.4%
54Wadena County17+13.3%
57Yellow Medicine County16+100%
58Jackson County15+36.4%
58Lake of the Woods County15+400%
58Lincoln County15+114.3%
58Pipestone County15+66.7%
62Faribault County14+7.7%
62Houston County14+75%
62Waseca County14+16.7%
65Cottonwood County13-7.1%
65Kanabec County13-27.8%
65Renville County13-23.5%
68Murray County12+9.1%
68Pope County12-7.7%
68Rock County12+50%
68Sibley County12-33.3%
68Watonwan County12+20%
73Clearwater County11-21.4%
74Swift County9-18.2%
75Big Stone County8+14.3%
75Chippewa County8-38.5%
75Cook County8-27.3%
75Norman County8+33.3%
75Stevens County80%
80Marshall County7-41.7%
81Grant County6-25%
82Kittson County5+25%
83Wilkin County4+33.3%
84Mahnomen County3n/a
84Traverse County30%

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. 2 counties with data in other periods have no value for 2012 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 Minnesota by employer firm births, 2012) [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 Minnesota by employer firm births, 2012. 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/minnesota-counties?period=2012. 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 Minnesota by employer firm births, 2012. 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/minnesota-counties?period=2012.

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 Minnesota by employer firm births, 2012 [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/minnesota-counties?period=2012 (Accessed: 22 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_minnesota_by_2012,
  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 Minnesota by employer firm births, 2012}},
  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/minnesota-counties?period=2012. 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 Minnesota by employer firm births, 2012
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/minnesota-counties?period=2012
Y2  - 2026/10/22
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firm-births/minnesota-counties?period=2012.
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?

Hennepin County, with 1,896 in 2012, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest employer firm births?

Traverse County, with 3 in 2012.

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. 2 counties have no value for 2012 and are not ranked.

Employer firm births: other rankings

Counties in Minnesota: more rankings