Counties in Minnesota by employer firm births

Hennepin County had the highest employer firm births of 86 counties in 2015, at 1,962. Traverse County had the lowest, at 3. The median was 22 and the figure for Minnesota was 6,610. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest1,962Hennepin County
Median2286 counties
Minnesota6,610History

Map of counties, 2015

Aitkin County: 16 countAnoka County: 410 countBecker County: 42 countBeltrami County: 61 countBenton County: 34 countBig Stone County: 7 countBlue Earth County: 79 countBrown County: 23 countCarlton County: 27 countCarver County: 118 countCass County: 37 countChippewa County: 12 countChisago County: 50 countClay County: 68 countClearwater County: 15 countCook County: 8 countCottonwood County: 10 countCrow Wing County: 92 countDakota County: 496 countDodge County: 22 countDouglas County: 49 countFaribault County: 12 countFillmore County: 19 countFreeborn County: 16 countGoodhue County: 54 countGrant County: 5 countHennepin County: 1,962 countHouston County: 12 countHubbard County: 23 countIsanti County: 43 countItasca County: 42 countJackson County: 12 countKanabec County: 16 countKandiyohi County: 38 countKoochiching County: 12 countLac qui Parle County: 6 countLake County: 13 countLake of the Woods County: 5 countLe Sueur County: 25 countLincoln County: 7 countLyon County: 26 countMcLeod County: 24 countMahnomen County: 3 countMarshall County: 6 countMartin County: 24 countMeeker County: 15 countMille Lacs County: 30 countMorrison County: 37 countMower County: 20 countMurray County: 13 countNicollet County: 28 countNobles County: 23 countNorman County: 6 countOlmsted County: 163 countOtter Tail County: 59 countPennington County: 19 countPine County: 24 countPipestone County: 14 countPolk County: 24 countPope County: 13 countRamsey County: 592 countRed Lake County: 3 countRedwood County: 22 countRenville County: 15 countRice County: 66 countRock County: 15 countRoseau County: 18 countSt. Louis County: 184 countScott County: 186 countSherburne County: 124 countSibley County: 8 countStearns County: 169 countSteele County: 28 countStevens County: 10 countSwift County: 12 countTodd County: 22 countTraverse County: 3 countWabasha County: 13 countWadena County: 22 countWaseca County: 15 countWashington County: 330 countWatonwan County: 9 countWilkin County: 5 countWinona County: 41 countWright County: 149 countYellow Medicine County: 11 count
  • Under 10
  • 10 to 20
  • 20 to 30
  • 30 to 70
  • 70 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.

Top 40 counties, 2015

Hennepin County: 1,962 countHennepin County1,962Ramsey County: 592 countRamsey County592Dakota County: 496 countDakota County496Anoka County: 410 countAnoka County410Washington County: 330 countWashington County330Scott County: 186 countScott County186St. Louis County: 184 countSt. Louis County184Stearns County: 169 countStearns County169Olmsted County: 163 countOlmsted County163Wright County: 149 countWright County149Sherburne County: 124 countSherburne County124Carver County: 118 countCarver County118Crow Wing County: 92 countCrow Wing County92Blue Earth County: 79 countBlue Earth County79Clay County: 68 countClay County68Rice County: 66 countRice County66Beltrami County: 61 countBeltrami County61Otter Tail County: 59 countOtter Tail County59Goodhue County: 54 countGoodhue County54Chisago County: 50 countChisago County50Douglas County: 49 countDouglas County49Isanti County: 43 countIsanti County43Becker County: 42 countBecker County42Itasca County: 42 countItasca County42Winona County: 41 countWinona County41Kandiyohi County: 38 countKandiyohi County38Cass County: 37 countCass County37Morrison County: 37 countMorrison County37Benton County: 34 countBenton County34Mille Lacs County: 30 countMille Lacs County30Nicollet County: 28 countNicollet County28Steele County: 28 countSteele County28Carlton County: 27 countCarlton County27Lyon County: 26 countLyon County26Le Sueur County: 25 countLe Sueur County25Martin County: 24 countMartin County24McLeod County: 24 countMcLeod County24Pine County: 24 countPine County24Polk County: 24 countPolk County24Brown County: 23 countBrown County23Hennepin County: 1,962 countHennepin County1,962Ramsey County: 592 countRamsey County592Dakota County: 496 countDakota County496Anoka County: 410 countAnoka County410Washington County: 330 countWashington County330Scott County: 186 countScott County186St. Louis County: 184 countSt. Louis County184Stearns County: 169 countStearns County169Olmsted County: 163 countOlmsted County163Wright County: 149 countWright County149Sherburne County: 124 countSherburne County124Carver County: 118 countCarver County118Crow Wing County: 92 countCrow Wing County92Blue Earth County: 79 countBlue Earth County79Clay County: 68 countClay County68Rice County: 66 countRice County66Beltrami County: 61 countBeltrami County61Otter Tail County: 59 countOtter Tail County59Goodhue County: 54 countGoodhue County54Chisago County: 50 countChisago County50Douglas County: 49 countDouglas County49Isanti County: 43 countIsanti County43Becker County: 42 countBecker County42Itasca County: 42 countItasca County42Winona County: 41 countWinona County41Kandiyohi County: 38 countKandiyohi County38Cass County: 37 countCass County37Morrison County: 37 countMorrison County37Benton County: 34 countBenton County34Mille Lacs County: 30 countMille Lacs County30Nicollet County: 28 countNicollet County28Steele County: 28 countSteele County28Carlton County: 27 countCarlton County27Lyon County: 26 countLyon County26Le Sueur County: 25 countLe Sueur County25Martin County: 24 countMartin County24McLeod County: 24 countMcLeod County24Pine County: 24 countPine County24Polk County: 24 countPolk County24Brown County: 23 countBrown County23
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
1Hennepin County1,962+2%
2Ramsey County592+1.7%
3Dakota County496-6.8%
4Anoka County410+5.4%
5Washington County330+8.6%
6Scott County186-2.1%
7St. Louis County184+26.9%
8Stearns County169-0.6%
9Olmsted County163-5.2%
10Wright County149-9.7%
11Sherburne County124+25.3%
12Carver County118-13.2%
13Crow Wing County92-5.2%
14Blue Earth County79+23.4%
15Clay County68+47.8%
16Rice County66+26.9%
17Beltrami County61+24.5%
18Otter Tail County59-3.3%
19Goodhue County54+3.8%
20Chisago County500%
21Douglas County49-10.9%
22Isanti County43-10.4%
23Becker County42+10.5%
23Itasca County42+31.3%
25Winona County41+13.9%
26Kandiyohi County38-26.9%
27Cass County37+54.2%
27Morrison County37+60.9%
29Benton County34-2.9%
30Mille Lacs County30+15.4%
31Nicollet County28+21.7%
31Steele County28-17.6%
33Carlton County27-20.6%
34Lyon County26-13.3%
35Le Sueur County25-10.7%
36Martin County24+4.3%
36McLeod County24-11.1%
36Pine County24+26.3%
36Polk County24-25%
40Brown County23+4.5%
40Hubbard County23-4.2%
40Nobles County23+35.3%
43Dodge County22+46.7%
43Redwood County22+37.5%
43Todd County22+10%
43Wadena County22+22.2%
47Mower County20-37.5%
48Fillmore County19-13.6%
48Pennington County19+58.3%
50Roseau County18+20%
51Aitkin County16-27.3%
51Freeborn County16-44.8%
51Kanabec County16+14.3%
54Clearwater County15+87.5%
54Meeker County15-16.7%
54Renville County15-6.3%
54Rock County15+66.7%
54Waseca County15-6.3%
59Pipestone County14+55.6%
60Lake County13-7.1%
60Murray County13+8.3%
60Pope County13+44.4%
60Wabasha County13-31.6%
64Chippewa County12+9.1%
64Faribault County12-7.7%
64Houston County12+9.1%
64Jackson County12-7.7%
64Koochiching County120%
64Swift County12-20%
70Yellow Medicine County11-26.7%
71Cottonwood County100%
71Stevens County10+100%
73Watonwan County90%
74Cook County8-33.3%
74Sibley County8-20%
76Big Stone County7+16.7%
76Lincoln County7+16.7%
78Lac qui Parle County6-62.5%
78Marshall County6-25%
78Norman County60%
81Grant County5-28.6%
81Lake of the Woods County5-37.5%
81Wilkin County5-44.4%
84Mahnomen County3-40%
84Red Lake County3-40%
84Traverse County3-25%

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 Minnesota 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 Minnesota 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/minnesota-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 Minnesota 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/minnesota-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 Minnesota 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/minnesota-counties?period=2015 (Accessed: 22 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_minnesota_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 Minnesota 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/minnesota-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 Minnesota 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/minnesota-counties?period=2015
Y2  - 2026/10/22
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firm-births/minnesota-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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Questions

Which county has the highest employer firm births?

Hennepin County, with 1,962 in 2015, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest employer firm births?

Traverse County, with 3 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 Minnesota: more rankings