Counties in Missouri by employer firm births

St. Louis County had the highest employer firm births of 112 counties in 2015, at 2,182. Schuyler County had the lowest, at 0. The median was 23 and the figure for Missouri was 10,258. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest2,182St. Louis County
Median23112 counties
Missouri10,258History

Map of counties, 2015

Adair County: 22 countAndrew County: 14 countAtchison County: 7 countAudrain County: 20 countBarry County: 51 countBarton County: 12 countBates County: 14 countBenton County: 20 countBollinger County: 24 countBoone County: 287 countBuchanan County: 116 countButler County: 90 countCaldwell County: 10 countCallaway County: 42 countCamden County: 89 countCape Girardeau County: 114 countCarroll County: 13 countCarter County: 16 countCass County: 153 countCedar County: 17 countChariton County: 12 countChristian County: 122 countClark County: 4 countClay County: 288 countClinton County: 29 countCole County: 112 countCooper County: 14 countCrawford County: 27 countDade County: 5 countDallas County: 21 countDaviess County: 14 countDeKalb County: 7 countDent County: 33 countDouglas County: 12 countDunklin County: 59 countFranklin County: 122 countGasconade County: 9 countGentry County: 12 countGreene County: 504 countGrundy County: 10 countHarrison County: 12 countHenry County: 30 countHickory County: 12 countHolt County: 14 countHoward County: 12 countHowell County: 50 countIron County: 16 countJackson County: 1,272 countJasper County: 132 countJefferson County: 236 countJohnson County: 47 countKnox County: 6 countLaclede County: 29 countLafayette County: 42 countLawrence County: 38 countLewis County: 10 countLincoln County: 52 countLinn County: 18 countLivingston County: 21 countMcDonald County: 22 countMacon County: 15 countMadison County: 20 countMaries County: 10 countMarion County: 24 countMiller County: 33 countMississippi County: 9 countMoniteau County: 13 countMonroe County: 8 countMontgomery County: 7 countMorgan County: 28 countNew Madrid County: 32 countNewton County: 80 countNodaway County: 19 countOregon County: 21 countOsage County: 15 countOzark County: 16 countPemiscot County: 31 countPerry County: 20 countPettis County: 37 countPhelps County: 63 countPike County: 18 countPlatte County: 147 countPolk County: 40 countPulaski County: 42 countPutnam County: 4 countRalls County: 12 countRandolph County: 30 countRay County: 21 countReynolds County: 8 countRipley County: 58 countSt. Charles County: 512 countSt. Clair County: 19 countSte. Genevieve County: 24 countSt. Francois County: 99 countSt. Louis County: 2,182 countSaline County: 22 countSchuyler County: 0 countScotland County: 6 countScott County: 60 countShannon County: 16 countShelby County: 7 countStoddard County: 39 countStone County: 46 countTaney County: 110 countTexas County: 50 countVernon County: 39 countWarren County: 21 countWashington County: 42 countWayne County: 28 countWebster County: 47 countWright County: 31 countSt. Louis city: 1,397 count
  • Under 10
  • 10 to 20
  • 20 to 40
  • 40 to 90
  • 90 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

St. Louis County: 2,182 countSt. Louis County2,182St. Louis city: 1,397 countSt. Louis city1,397Jackson County: 1,272 countJackson County1,272St. Charles County: 512 countSt. Charles County512Greene County: 504 countGreene County504Clay County: 288 countClay County288Boone County: 287 countBoone County287Jefferson County: 236 countJefferson County236Cass County: 153 countCass County153Platte County: 147 countPlatte County147Jasper County: 132 countJasper County132Christian County: 122 countChristian County122Franklin County: 122 countFranklin County122Buchanan County: 116 countBuchanan County116Cape Girardeau County: 114 countCape Girardeau County114Cole County: 112 countCole County112Taney County: 110 countTaney County110St. Francois County: 99 countSt. Francois County99Butler County: 90 countButler County90Camden County: 89 countCamden County89Newton County: 80 countNewton County80Phelps County: 63 countPhelps County63Scott County: 60 countScott County60Dunklin County: 59 countDunklin County59Ripley County: 58 countRipley County58Lincoln County: 52 countLincoln County52Barry County: 51 countBarry County51Howell County: 50 countHowell County50Texas County: 50 countTexas County50Johnson County: 47 countJohnson County47Webster County: 47 countWebster County47Stone County: 46 countStone County46Callaway County: 42 countCallaway County42Lafayette County: 42 countLafayette County42Pulaski County: 42 countPulaski County42Washington County: 42 countWashington County42Polk County: 40 countPolk County40Stoddard County: 39 countStoddard County39Vernon County: 39 countVernon County39Lawrence County: 38 countLawrence County38St. Louis County: 2,182 countSt. Louis County2,182St. Louis city: 1,397 countSt. Louis city1,397Jackson County: 1,272 countJackson County1,272St. Charles County: 512 countSt. Charles County512Greene County: 504 countGreene County504Clay County: 288 countClay County288Boone County: 287 countBoone County287Jefferson County: 236 countJefferson County236Cass County: 153 countCass County153Platte County: 147 countPlatte County147Jasper County: 132 countJasper County132Christian County: 122 countChristian County122Franklin County: 122 countFranklin County122Buchanan County: 116 countBuchanan County116Cape Girardeau County: 114 countCape Girardeau County114Cole County: 112 countCole County112Taney County: 110 countTaney County110St. Francois County: 99 countSt. Francois County99Butler County: 90 countButler County90Camden County: 89 countCamden County89Newton County: 80 countNewton County80Phelps County: 63 countPhelps County63Scott County: 60 countScott County60Dunklin County: 59 countDunklin County59Ripley County: 58 countRipley County58Lincoln County: 52 countLincoln County52Barry County: 51 countBarry County51Howell County: 50 countHowell County50Texas County: 50 countTexas County50Johnson County: 47 countJohnson County47Webster County: 47 countWebster County47Stone County: 46 countStone County46Callaway County: 42 countCallaway County42Lafayette County: 42 countLafayette County42Pulaski County: 42 countPulaski County42Washington County: 42 countWashington County42Polk County: 40 countPolk County40Stoddard County: 39 countStoddard County39Vernon County: 39 countVernon County39Lawrence County: 38 countLawrence County38
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
1St. Louis County2,182+4%
2St. Louis city1,397+8%
3Jackson County1,272+7.3%
4St. Charles County512+18.2%
5Greene County504-9.8%
6Clay County288+7.5%
7Boone County287+7.9%
8Jefferson County236-8.5%
9Cass County153+40.4%
10Platte County147+32.4%
11Jasper County132+9.1%
12Christian County122-12.9%
12Franklin County122+23.2%
14Buchanan County116-15.9%
15Cape Girardeau County114-0.9%
16Cole County112+10.9%
17Taney County110+4.8%
18St. Francois County99-30.3%
19Butler County90-11.8%
20Camden County89+3.5%
21Newton County80+23.1%
22Phelps County63+23.5%
23Scott County60+17.6%
24Dunklin County59+7.3%
25Ripley County58+3.6%
26Lincoln County52-7.1%
27Barry County51+37.8%
28Howell County50-23.1%
28Texas County50+25%
30Johnson County47+4.4%
30Webster County47+46.9%
32Stone County46+84%
33Callaway County42+40%
33Lafayette County42+7.7%
33Pulaski County42+23.5%
33Washington County42-51.2%
37Polk County40+11.1%
38Stoddard County39-18.8%
38Vernon County39-9.3%
40Lawrence County38-17.4%
41Pettis County37-22.9%
42Dent County33-42.1%
42Miller County33+17.9%
44New Madrid County32+23.1%
45Pemiscot County31+6.9%
45Wright County31+29.2%
47Henry County30+11.1%
47Randolph County30+20%
49Clinton County29+93.3%
49Laclede County29-27.5%
51Morgan County28+3.7%
51Wayne County28-6.7%
53Crawford County27-40%
54Bollinger County24+50%
54Marion County24-50%
54Ste. Genevieve County24-11.1%
57Adair County22-26.7%
57McDonald County22+29.4%
57Saline County22+10%
60Dallas County21+10.5%
60Livingston County210%
60Oregon County21+16.7%
60Ray County21-8.7%
60Warren County21-36.4%
65Audrain County200%
65Benton County20-23.1%
65Madison County20-23.1%
65Perry County20-4.8%
69Nodaway County19-5%
69St. Clair County19+280%
71Linn County18+50%
71Pike County18-18.2%
73Cedar County17-5.6%
74Carter County16+6.7%
74Iron County16-69.8%
74Ozark County16+14.3%
74Shannon County16-20%
78Macon County15+15.4%
78Osage County15+25%
80Andrew County14-33.3%
80Bates County14-22.2%
80Cooper County14-22.2%
80Daviess County14+75%
80Holt County14+16.7%
85Carroll County13-27.8%
85Moniteau County13-7.1%
87Barton County12+9.1%
87Chariton County12+50%
87Douglas County12-20%
87Gentry County12+33.3%
87Harrison County12+100%
87Hickory County12+140%
87Howard County12+50%
87Ralls County120%
95Caldwell County10+42.9%
95Grundy County10+11.1%
95Lewis County10-9.1%
95Maries County10+100%
99Gasconade County9-62.5%
99Mississippi County9-55%
101Monroe County80%
101Reynolds County8-60%
103Atchison County7-22.2%
103DeKalb County7-36.4%
103Montgomery County7-36.4%
103Shelby County7-36.4%
107Knox County6+50%
107Scotland County60%
109Dade County5n/a
110Clark County4-63.6%
110Putnam County4n/a
112Schuyler County0-100%

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. 3 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 Missouri 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 Missouri 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/missouri-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 Missouri 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/missouri-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 Missouri 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/missouri-counties?period=2015 (Accessed: 22 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_missouri_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 Missouri 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/missouri-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 Missouri 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/missouri-counties?period=2015
Y2  - 2026/10/22
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firm-births/missouri-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  - 
Embed this chart

Paste this code into a web page or a blog post. The chart shows the latest figures as they are published, with the source and a link back to this page.

Sites that read oEmbed links, such as WordPress, can show the chart when you paste the link to this page.

Use this data in your AI agent

Invokely serves this figure to AI assistants through MCP and to code through a REST API, with the source and citation attached. Ask your assistant:

Rank Counties in Missouri by employer firm births using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"employer_firm_births","level":"province","within":"Missouri","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=employer_firm_births&level=province&within=Missouri&limit=10

Connect Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor in one step. The trial answers 25 calls a day without an account.

Questions

Which county has the highest employer firm births?

St. Louis County, with 2,182 in 2015, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest employer firm births?

Schuyler County, with 0 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. 3 counties have no value for 2015 and are not ranked.

Employer firm births: other rankings

Counties in Missouri: more rankings