Counties in Minnesota by employer firm births

Hennepin County had the highest employer firm births of 87 counties in 2021, at 2,149. Mahnomen County had the lowest, at 3. The median was 22 and the figure for Minnesota was 7,189. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest2,149Hennepin County
Median2287 counties
Minnesota7,189History

Map of counties, 2021

Aitkin County: 11 countAnoka County: 434 countBecker County: 51 countBeltrami County: 60 countBenton County: 32 countBig Stone County: 3 countBlue Earth County: 56 countBrown County: 26 countCarlton County: 32 countCarver County: 167 countCass County: 54 countChippewa County: 7 countChisago County: 80 countClay County: 69 countClearwater County: 7 countCook County: 14 countCottonwood County: 16 countCrow Wing County: 110 countDakota County: 547 countDodge County: 16 countDouglas County: 60 countFaribault County: 15 countFillmore County: 22 countFreeborn County: 23 countGoodhue County: 47 countGrant County: 6 countHennepin County: 2,149 countHouston County: 19 countHubbard County: 26 countIsanti County: 56 countItasca County: 41 countJackson County: 11 countKanabec County: 12 countKandiyohi County: 49 countKittson County: 5 countKoochiching County: 14 countLac qui Parle County: 5 countLake County: 19 countLake of the Woods County: 6 countLe Sueur County: 31 countLincoln County: 3 countLyon County: 32 countMcLeod County: 35 countMahnomen County: 3 countMarshall County: 9 countMartin County: 18 countMeeker County: 22 countMille Lacs County: 27 countMorrison County: 41 countMower County: 23 countMurray County: 4 countNicollet County: 26 countNobles County: 13 countNorman County: 6 countOlmsted County: 169 countOtter Tail County: 72 countPennington County: 10 countPine County: 22 countPipestone County: 11 countPolk County: 25 countPope County: 19 countRamsey County: 674 countRed Lake County: 4 countRedwood County: 16 countRenville County: 19 countRice County: 65 countRock County: 10 countRoseau County: 16 countSt. Louis County: 178 countScott County: 198 countSherburne County: 140 countSibley County: 12 countStearns County: 144 countSteele County: 42 countStevens County: 9 countSwift County: 9 countTodd County: 20 countTraverse County: 5 countWabasha County: 26 countWadena County: 15 countWaseca County: 10 countWashington County: 341 countWatonwan County: 12 countWilkin County: 5 countWinona County: 35 countWright County: 201 countYellow Medicine County: 7 count
  • Under 10
  • 10 to 20
  • 20 to 40
  • 40 to 70
  • 70 and over
count, 2021. 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, 2021

Hennepin County: 2,149 countHennepin County2,149Ramsey County: 674 countRamsey County674Dakota County: 547 countDakota County547Anoka County: 434 countAnoka County434Washington County: 341 countWashington County341Wright County: 201 countWright County201Scott County: 198 countScott County198St. Louis County: 178 countSt. Louis County178Olmsted County: 169 countOlmsted County169Carver County: 167 countCarver County167Stearns County: 144 countStearns County144Sherburne County: 140 countSherburne County140Crow Wing County: 110 countCrow Wing County110Chisago County: 80 countChisago County80Otter Tail County: 72 countOtter Tail County72Clay County: 69 countClay County69Rice County: 65 countRice County65Beltrami County: 60 countBeltrami County60Douglas County: 60 countDouglas County60Blue Earth County: 56 countBlue Earth County56Isanti County: 56 countIsanti County56Cass County: 54 countCass County54Becker County: 51 countBecker County51Kandiyohi County: 49 countKandiyohi County49Goodhue County: 47 countGoodhue County47Steele County: 42 countSteele County42Itasca County: 41 countItasca County41Morrison County: 41 countMorrison County41McLeod County: 35 countMcLeod County35Winona County: 35 countWinona County35Benton County: 32 countBenton County32Carlton County: 32 countCarlton County32Lyon County: 32 countLyon County32Le Sueur County: 31 countLe Sueur County31Mille Lacs County: 27 countMille Lacs County27Brown County: 26 countBrown County26Hubbard County: 26 countHubbard County26Nicollet County: 26 countNicollet County26Wabasha County: 26 countWabasha County26Polk County: 25 countPolk County25Hennepin County: 2,149 countHennepin County2,149Ramsey County: 674 countRamsey County674Dakota County: 547 countDakota County547Anoka County: 434 countAnoka County434Washington County: 341 countWashington County341Wright County: 201 countWright County201Scott County: 198 countScott County198St. Louis County: 178 countSt. Louis County178Olmsted County: 169 countOlmsted County169Carver County: 167 countCarver County167Stearns County: 144 countStearns County144Sherburne County: 140 countSherburne County140Crow Wing County: 110 countCrow Wing County110Chisago County: 80 countChisago County80Otter Tail County: 72 countOtter Tail County72Clay County: 69 countClay County69Rice County: 65 countRice County65Beltrami County: 60 countBeltrami County60Douglas County: 60 countDouglas County60Blue Earth County: 56 countBlue Earth County56Isanti County: 56 countIsanti County56Cass County: 54 countCass County54Becker County: 51 countBecker County51Kandiyohi County: 49 countKandiyohi County49Goodhue County: 47 countGoodhue County47Steele County: 42 countSteele County42Itasca County: 41 countItasca County41Morrison County: 41 countMorrison County41McLeod County: 35 countMcLeod County35Winona County: 35 countWinona County35Benton County: 32 countBenton County32Carlton County: 32 countCarlton County32Lyon County: 32 countLyon County32Le Sueur County: 31 countLe Sueur County31Mille Lacs County: 27 countMille Lacs County27Brown County: 26 countBrown County26Hubbard County: 26 countHubbard County26Nicollet County: 26 countNicollet County26Wabasha County: 26 countWabasha County26Polk County: 25 countPolk County25
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

RankCounties2021
count
Change on 2020
1Hennepin County2,149+10.4%
2Ramsey County674-2.7%
3Dakota County547+11%
4Anoka County434+7.2%
5Washington County341-4.2%
6Wright County201+24.1%
7Scott County198+15.8%
8St. Louis County178-12.3%
9Olmsted County169-9.1%
10Carver County167+31.5%
11Stearns County144-0.7%
12Sherburne County140+26.1%
13Crow Wing County110+15.8%
14Chisago County80+27%
15Otter Tail County72+14.3%
16Clay County69+19%
17Rice County65+12.1%
18Beltrami County60+39.5%
18Douglas County60+20%
20Blue Earth County56-37.8%
20Isanti County56-1.8%
22Cass County54+45.9%
23Becker County51+6.3%
24Kandiyohi County49+25.6%
25Goodhue County470%
26Steele County42+55.6%
27Itasca County41-8.9%
27Morrison County41+32.3%
29McLeod County35+45.8%
29Winona County35-20.5%
31Benton County32+39.1%
31Carlton County32+45.5%
31Lyon County32+113.3%
34Le Sueur County31+34.8%
35Mille Lacs County27+22.7%
36Brown County26+8.3%
36Hubbard County26-7.1%
36Nicollet County26+18.2%
36Wabasha County26+18.2%
40Polk County25-13.8%
41Freeborn County23-14.8%
41Mower County23-17.9%
43Fillmore County22+29.4%
43Meeker County220%
43Pine County220%
46Todd County20-35.5%
47Houston County19+18.8%
47Lake County19+72.7%
47Pope County19+18.8%
47Renville County19+58.3%
51Martin County18+63.6%
52Cottonwood County16+77.8%
52Dodge County16+33.3%
52Redwood County16-11.1%
52Roseau County16-11.1%
56Faribault County15+25%
56Wadena County15+25%
58Cook County14+55.6%
58Koochiching County14+55.6%
60Nobles County13+8.3%
61Kanabec County12-33.3%
61Sibley County12-47.8%
61Watonwan County12+9.1%
64Aitkin County11-35.3%
64Jackson County11+37.5%
64Pipestone County11-26.7%
67Pennington County10+66.7%
67Rock County10+66.7%
67Waseca County10-33.3%
70Marshall County9-25%
70Stevens County90%
70Swift County9+12.5%
73Chippewa County7+16.7%
73Clearwater County7+16.7%
73Yellow Medicine County7-12.5%
76Grant County6-45.5%
76Lake of the Woods County6+50%
76Norman County60%
79Kittson County50%
79Lac qui Parle County5-28.6%
79Traverse County5+66.7%
79Wilkin County5-16.7%
83Murray County4-50%
83Red Lake County40%
85Big Stone County3-57.1%
85Lincoln County3-40%
85Mahnomen 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. 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, 2021) [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, 2021. 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=2021. 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, 2021. 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=2021.

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, 2021 [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=2021 (Accessed: 22 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_minnesota_by_2021,
  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, 2021}},
  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=2021. 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, 2021
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=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/22
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firm-births/minnesota-counties?period=2021.
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 2,149 in 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest employer firm births?

Mahnomen County, with 3 in 2021.

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 Minnesota: more rankings