Counties in Minnesota by employer firm births

Hennepin County had the highest employer firm births of 85 counties in 2018, at 1,981. Mahnomen County had the lowest, at 3. The median was 21 and the figure for Minnesota was 6,619. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest1,981Hennepin County
Median2185 counties
Minnesota6,619History

Map of counties, 2018

Aitkin County: 10 countAnoka County: 409 countBecker County: 36 countBeltrami County: 49 countBenton County: 30 countBig Stone County: 4 countBlue Earth County: 66 countBrown County: 20 countCarlton County: 22 countCarver County: 117 countCass County: 25 countChippewa County: 13 countChisago County: 70 countClay County: 62 countClearwater County: 9 countCook County: 18 countCottonwood County: 9 countCrow Wing County: 87 countDakota County: 479 countDodge County: 20 countDouglas County: 55 countFaribault County: 14 countFillmore County: 17 countFreeborn County: 27 countGoodhue County: 47 countGrant County: 6 countHennepin County: 1,981 countHouston County: 17 countHubbard County: 27 countIsanti County: 44 countItasca County: 38 countJackson County: 5 countKanabec County: 16 countKandiyohi County: 54 countKittson County: 9 countKoochiching County: 8 countLac qui Parle County: 5 countLake County: 8 countLake of the Woods County: 10 countLe Sueur County: 20 countLincoln County: 3 countLyon County: 29 countMcLeod County: 31 countMahnomen County: 3 countMarshall County: 4 countMartin County: 20 countMeeker County: 33 countMille Lacs County: 27 countMorrison County: 44 countMower County: 21 countMurray County: 4 countNicollet County: 28 countNobles County: 21 countNorman County: 7 countOlmsted County: 148 countOtter Tail County: 66 countPennington County: 14 countPine County: 23 countPipestone County: 9 countPolk County: 21 countPope County: 11 countRamsey County: 650 countRedwood County: 25 countRenville County: 16 countRice County: 57 countRock County: 8 countRoseau County: 12 countSt. Louis County: 182 countScott County: 183 countSherburne County: 115 countSibley County: 19 countStearns County: 174 countSteele County: 39 countStevens County: 12 countSwift County: 6 countTodd County: 22 countTraverse County: 5 countWabasha County: 19 countWadena County: 19 countWaseca County: 9 countWashington County: 304 countWatonwan County: 7 countWinona County: 44 countWright County: 163 countYellow Medicine County: 18 count
  • Under 10
  • 10 to 20
  • 20 to 30
  • 30 to 70
  • 70 and over
  • No data
count, 2018. 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, 2018

Hennepin County: 1,981 countHennepin County1,981Ramsey County: 650 countRamsey County650Dakota County: 479 countDakota County479Anoka County: 409 countAnoka County409Washington County: 304 countWashington County304Scott County: 183 countScott County183St. Louis County: 182 countSt. Louis County182Stearns County: 174 countStearns County174Wright County: 163 countWright County163Olmsted County: 148 countOlmsted County148Carver County: 117 countCarver County117Sherburne County: 115 countSherburne County115Crow Wing County: 87 countCrow Wing County87Chisago County: 70 countChisago County70Blue Earth County: 66 countBlue Earth County66Otter Tail County: 66 countOtter Tail County66Clay County: 62 countClay County62Rice County: 57 countRice County57Douglas County: 55 countDouglas County55Kandiyohi County: 54 countKandiyohi County54Beltrami County: 49 countBeltrami County49Goodhue County: 47 countGoodhue County47Isanti County: 44 countIsanti County44Morrison County: 44 countMorrison County44Winona County: 44 countWinona County44Steele County: 39 countSteele County39Itasca County: 38 countItasca County38Becker County: 36 countBecker County36Meeker County: 33 countMeeker County33McLeod County: 31 countMcLeod County31Benton County: 30 countBenton County30Lyon County: 29 countLyon County29Nicollet County: 28 countNicollet County28Freeborn County: 27 countFreeborn County27Hubbard County: 27 countHubbard County27Mille Lacs County: 27 countMille Lacs County27Cass County: 25 countCass County25Redwood County: 25 countRedwood County25Pine County: 23 countPine County23Carlton County: 22 countCarlton County22Hennepin County: 1,981 countHennepin County1,981Ramsey County: 650 countRamsey County650Dakota County: 479 countDakota County479Anoka County: 409 countAnoka County409Washington County: 304 countWashington County304Scott County: 183 countScott County183St. Louis County: 182 countSt. Louis County182Stearns County: 174 countStearns County174Wright County: 163 countWright County163Olmsted County: 148 countOlmsted County148Carver County: 117 countCarver County117Sherburne County: 115 countSherburne County115Crow Wing County: 87 countCrow Wing County87Chisago County: 70 countChisago County70Blue Earth County: 66 countBlue Earth County66Otter Tail County: 66 countOtter Tail County66Clay County: 62 countClay County62Rice County: 57 countRice County57Douglas County: 55 countDouglas County55Kandiyohi County: 54 countKandiyohi County54Beltrami County: 49 countBeltrami County49Goodhue County: 47 countGoodhue County47Isanti County: 44 countIsanti County44Morrison County: 44 countMorrison County44Winona County: 44 countWinona County44Steele County: 39 countSteele County39Itasca County: 38 countItasca County38Becker County: 36 countBecker County36Meeker County: 33 countMeeker County33McLeod County: 31 countMcLeod County31Benton County: 30 countBenton County30Lyon County: 29 countLyon County29Nicollet County: 28 countNicollet County28Freeborn County: 27 countFreeborn County27Hubbard County: 27 countHubbard County27Mille Lacs County: 27 countMille Lacs County27Cass County: 25 countCass County25Redwood County: 25 countRedwood County25Pine County: 23 countPine County23Carlton County: 22 countCarlton County22
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

RankCounties2018
count
Change on 2017
1Hennepin County1,981-6.8%
2Ramsey County650+0.8%
3Dakota County479-5.1%
4Anoka County409+1%
5Washington County304+2%
6Scott County183+0.5%
7St. Louis County182-2.2%
8Stearns County174-1.7%
9Wright County163-9.9%
10Olmsted County148-0.7%
11Carver County117-3.3%
12Sherburne County115+18.6%
13Crow Wing County87-20.9%
14Chisago County70+32.1%
15Blue Earth County66-24.1%
15Otter Tail County66-15.4%
17Clay County62-7.5%
18Rice County57-17.4%
19Douglas County55-12.7%
20Kandiyohi County54+12.5%
21Beltrami County49-3.9%
22Goodhue County47-20.3%
23Isanti County44+18.9%
23Morrison County44+100%
23Winona County44+12.8%
26Steele County39+30%
27Itasca County38-40.6%
28Becker County36-2.7%
29Meeker County33+10%
30McLeod County31+34.8%
31Benton County30+7.1%
32Lyon County29-6.5%
33Nicollet County28-26.3%
34Freeborn County27+68.8%
34Hubbard County27+28.6%
34Mille Lacs County27-25%
37Cass County25-50%
37Redwood County25+19%
39Pine County23-32.4%
40Carlton County22-4.3%
40Todd County22-18.5%
42Mower County21+23.5%
42Nobles County21+61.5%
42Polk County21+23.5%
45Brown County20-35.5%
45Dodge County20-9.1%
45Le Sueur County20-39.4%
45Martin County20-4.8%
49Sibley County19+46.2%
49Wabasha County19-13.6%
49Wadena County19+46.2%
52Cook County18+28.6%
52Yellow Medicine County18+80%
54Fillmore County17-34.6%
54Houston County17+6.3%
56Kanabec County16+128.6%
56Renville County16-20%
58Faribault County14-6.7%
58Pennington County14-30%
60Chippewa County13-40.9%
61Roseau County12-40%
61Stevens County12+50%
63Pope County11-8.3%
64Aitkin County10-9.1%
64Lake of the Woods County10+150%
66Clearwater County90%
66Cottonwood County9-25%
66Kittson County9n/a
66Pipestone County9-52.6%
66Waseca County9-43.8%
71Koochiching County8-38.5%
71Lake County8-38.5%
71Rock County8-20%
74Norman County70%
74Watonwan County7-46.2%
76Grant County6-14.3%
76Swift County6-40%
78Jackson County5-28.6%
78Lac qui Parle County5-16.7%
78Traverse County50%
81Big Stone County4-50%
81Marshall County4-42.9%
81Murray County4-69.2%
84Lincoln County3n/a
84Mahnomen County3n/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. 2 counties with data in other periods have no value for 2018 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, 2018) [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, 2018. 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=2018. 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, 2018. 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=2018.

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, 2018 [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=2018 (Accessed: 22 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_minnesota_by_2018,
  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, 2018}},
  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=2018. 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, 2018
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=2018
Y2  - 2026/10/22
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firm-births/minnesota-counties?period=2018.
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 Minnesota by employer firm births using official data, and cite the source.
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Questions

Which county has the highest employer firm births?

Hennepin County, with 1,981 in 2018, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest employer firm births?

Mahnomen County, with 3 in 2018.

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 2018 and are not ranked.

Employer firm births: other rankings

Counties in Minnesota: more rankings