Counties in Missouri by employer firm births

St. Louis County had the highest employer firm births of 113 counties in 2014, at 2,099. Worth County had the lowest, at 3. The median was 25 and the figure for Missouri was 9,993. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest2,099St. Louis County
Median25113 counties
Missouri9,993History

Map of counties, 2014

Adair County: 30 countAndrew County: 21 countAtchison County: 9 countAudrain County: 20 countBarry County: 37 countBarton County: 11 countBates County: 18 countBenton County: 26 countBollinger County: 16 countBoone County: 266 countBuchanan County: 138 countButler County: 102 countCaldwell County: 7 countCallaway County: 30 countCamden County: 86 countCape Girardeau County: 115 countCarroll County: 18 countCarter County: 15 countCass County: 109 countCedar County: 18 countChariton County: 8 countChristian County: 140 countClark County: 11 countClay County: 268 countClinton County: 15 countCole County: 101 countCooper County: 18 countCrawford County: 45 countDallas County: 19 countDaviess County: 8 countDeKalb County: 11 countDent County: 57 countDouglas County: 15 countDunklin County: 55 countFranklin County: 99 countGasconade County: 24 countGentry County: 9 countGreene County: 559 countGrundy County: 9 countHarrison County: 6 countHenry County: 27 countHickory County: 5 countHolt County: 12 countHoward County: 8 countHowell County: 65 countIron County: 53 countJackson County: 1,185 countJasper County: 121 countJefferson County: 258 countJohnson County: 45 countKnox County: 4 countLaclede County: 40 countLafayette County: 39 countLawrence County: 46 countLewis County: 11 countLincoln County: 56 countLinn County: 12 countLivingston County: 21 countMcDonald County: 17 countMacon County: 13 countMadison County: 26 countMaries County: 5 countMarion County: 48 countMercer County: 5 countMiller County: 28 countMississippi County: 20 countMoniteau County: 14 countMonroe County: 8 countMontgomery County: 11 countMorgan County: 27 countNew Madrid County: 26 countNewton County: 65 countNodaway County: 20 countOregon County: 18 countOsage County: 12 countOzark County: 14 countPemiscot County: 29 countPerry County: 21 countPettis County: 48 countPhelps County: 51 countPike County: 22 countPlatte County: 111 countPolk County: 36 countPulaski County: 34 countRalls County: 12 countRandolph County: 25 countRay County: 23 countReynolds County: 20 countRipley County: 56 countSt. Charles County: 433 countSt. Clair County: 5 countSte. Genevieve County: 27 countSt. Francois County: 142 countSt. Louis County: 2,099 countSaline County: 20 countSchuyler County: 5 countScotland County: 6 countScott County: 51 countShannon County: 20 countShelby County: 11 countStoddard County: 48 countStone County: 25 countSullivan County: 4 countTaney County: 105 countTexas County: 40 countVernon County: 43 countWarren County: 33 countWashington County: 86 countWayne County: 30 countWebster County: 32 countWorth County: 3 countWright County: 24 countSt. Louis city: 1,294 count
  • Under 10
  • 10 to 20
  • 20 to 30
  • 30 to 40
  • 40 to 90
  • 90 and over
  • No data
count, 2014. 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, 2014

St. Louis County: 2,099 countSt. Louis County2,099St. Louis city: 1,294 countSt. Louis city1,294Jackson County: 1,185 countJackson County1,185Greene County: 559 countGreene County559St. Charles County: 433 countSt. Charles County433Clay County: 268 countClay County268Boone County: 266 countBoone County266Jefferson County: 258 countJefferson County258St. Francois County: 142 countSt. Francois County142Christian County: 140 countChristian County140Buchanan County: 138 countBuchanan County138Jasper County: 121 countJasper County121Cape Girardeau County: 115 countCape Girardeau County115Platte County: 111 countPlatte County111Cass County: 109 countCass County109Taney County: 105 countTaney County105Butler County: 102 countButler County102Cole County: 101 countCole County101Franklin County: 99 countFranklin County99Camden County: 86 countCamden County86Washington County: 86 countWashington County86Howell County: 65 countHowell County65Newton County: 65 countNewton County65Dent County: 57 countDent County57Lincoln County: 56 countLincoln County56Ripley County: 56 countRipley County56Dunklin County: 55 countDunklin County55Iron County: 53 countIron County53Phelps County: 51 countPhelps County51Scott County: 51 countScott County51Marion County: 48 countMarion County48Pettis County: 48 countPettis County48Stoddard County: 48 countStoddard County48Lawrence County: 46 countLawrence County46Crawford County: 45 countCrawford County45Johnson County: 45 countJohnson County45Vernon County: 43 countVernon County43Laclede County: 40 countLaclede County40Texas County: 40 countTexas County40Lafayette County: 39 countLafayette County39St. Louis County: 2,099 countSt. Louis County2,099St. Louis city: 1,294 countSt. Louis city1,294Jackson County: 1,185 countJackson County1,185Greene County: 559 countGreene County559St. Charles County: 433 countSt. Charles County433Clay County: 268 countClay County268Boone County: 266 countBoone County266Jefferson County: 258 countJefferson County258St. Francois County: 142 countSt. Francois County142Christian County: 140 countChristian County140Buchanan County: 138 countBuchanan County138Jasper County: 121 countJasper County121Cape Girardeau County: 115 countCape Girardeau County115Platte County: 111 countPlatte County111Cass County: 109 countCass County109Taney County: 105 countTaney County105Butler County: 102 countButler County102Cole County: 101 countCole County101Franklin County: 99 countFranklin County99Camden County: 86 countCamden County86Washington County: 86 countWashington County86Howell County: 65 countHowell County65Newton County: 65 countNewton County65Dent County: 57 countDent County57Lincoln County: 56 countLincoln County56Ripley County: 56 countRipley County56Dunklin County: 55 countDunklin County55Iron County: 53 countIron County53Phelps County: 51 countPhelps County51Scott County: 51 countScott County51Marion County: 48 countMarion County48Pettis County: 48 countPettis County48Stoddard County: 48 countStoddard County48Lawrence County: 46 countLawrence County46Crawford County: 45 countCrawford County45Johnson County: 45 countJohnson County45Vernon County: 43 countVernon County43Laclede County: 40 countLaclede County40Texas County: 40 countTexas County40Lafayette County: 39 countLafayette County39
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

RankCounties2014
count
Change on 2013
1St. Louis County2,099+14%
2St. Louis city1,294+37.7%
3Jackson County1,185+19.2%
4Greene County559+21.3%
5St. Charles County433-7.7%
6Clay County268+1.5%
7Boone County266+2.7%
8Jefferson County258+6.6%
9St. Francois County142+27.9%
10Christian County140+21.7%
11Buchanan County138+13.1%
12Jasper County121+11%
13Cape Girardeau County115+7.5%
14Platte County111-8.3%
15Cass County109+0.9%
16Taney County105-1.9%
17Butler County102+6.3%
18Cole County101+24.7%
19Franklin County99-7.5%
20Camden County86+28.4%
20Washington County86+16.2%
22Howell County65-7.1%
22Newton County65-27%
24Dent County57+42.5%
25Lincoln County560%
25Ripley County56+16.7%
27Dunklin County55-28.6%
28Iron County53+20.5%
29Phelps County51-13.6%
29Scott County51-30.1%
31Marion County48-9.4%
31Pettis County48+60%
31Stoddard County48+26.3%
34Lawrence County46+31.4%
35Crawford County45-4.3%
35Johnson County45+9.8%
37Vernon County43-2.3%
38Laclede County40-9.1%
38Texas County40+42.9%
40Lafayette County39+34.5%
41Barry County37-21.3%
42Polk County360%
43Pulaski County34-15%
44Warren County33-5.7%
45Webster County32-22%
46Adair County30+42.9%
46Callaway County30-31.8%
46Wayne County30-14.3%
49Pemiscot County29-42%
50Miller County28-3.4%
51Henry County27-20.6%
51Morgan County27-25%
51Ste. Genevieve County27+50%
54Benton County26+30%
54Madison County26+30%
54New Madrid County26-16.1%
57Randolph County25+31.6%
57Stone County25-37.5%
59Gasconade County24-4%
59Wright County240%
61Ray County23+187.5%
62Pike County22+22.2%
63Andrew County21-4.5%
63Livingston County21+61.5%
63Perry County21+31.3%
66Audrain County20-4.8%
66Mississippi County20+11.1%
66Nodaway County20-23.1%
66Reynolds County20-50%
66Saline County20+11.1%
66Shannon County20+66.7%
72Dallas County19-9.5%
73Bates County18-10%
73Carroll County18+63.6%
73Cedar County18+125%
73Cooper County18+5.9%
73Oregon County18+28.6%
78McDonald County17-5.6%
79Bollinger County16-5.9%
80Carter County15-50%
80Clinton County15-11.8%
80Douglas County15+87.5%
83Moniteau County14-17.6%
83Ozark County14-12.5%
85Macon County13-23.5%
86Holt County12+140%
86Linn County12+50%
86Osage County12-40%
86Ralls County12+9.1%
90Barton County11-21.4%
90Clark County11+175%
90DeKalb County110%
90Lewis County11+175%
90Montgomery County11+10%
90Shelby County11+57.1%
96Atchison County9-10%
96Gentry County9+28.6%
96Grundy County9-43.8%
99Chariton County8-20%
99Daviess County8-20%
99Howard County8-20%
99Monroe County8-27.3%
103Caldwell County7-30%
104Harrison County6+20%
104Scotland County6-33.3%
106Hickory County5-54.5%
106Maries County5-16.7%
106Mercer County5-16.7%
106Schuyler County5+66.7%
106St. Clair County5-70.6%
111Knox County4-20%
111Sullivan County4-42.9%
113Worth 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 2014 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 Missouri by employer firm births, 2014) [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 Missouri by employer firm births, 2014. 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/missouri-counties?period=2014. 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 Missouri by employer firm births, 2014. 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/missouri-counties?period=2014.

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 Missouri by employer firm births, 2014 [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/missouri-counties?period=2014 (Accessed: 22 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_missouri_by_2014,
  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 Missouri by employer firm births, 2014}},
  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/missouri-counties?period=2014. 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 Missouri by employer firm births, 2014
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/missouri-counties?period=2014
Y2  - 2026/10/22
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firm-births/missouri-counties?period=2014.
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?

St. Louis County, with 2,099 in 2014, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest employer firm births?

Worth County, with 3 in 2014.

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 2014 and are not ranked.

Employer firm births: other rankings

Counties in Missouri: more rankings