Counties in Missouri by employer firm births

St. Louis County had the highest employer firm births of 114 counties in 2016, at 2,229. Worth County had the lowest, at 3. The median was 26 and the figure for Missouri was 10,464. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest2,229St. Louis County
Median26114 counties
Missouri10,464History

Map of counties, 2016

Adair County: 31 countAndrew County: 21 countAtchison County: 7 countAudrain County: 10 countBarry County: 38 countBarton County: 14 countBates County: 23 countBenton County: 17 countBollinger County: 10 countBoone County: 256 countBuchanan County: 117 countButler County: 76 countCaldwell County: 10 countCallaway County: 37 countCamden County: 109 countCape Girardeau County: 133 countCarroll County: 7 countCarter County: 9 countCass County: 123 countCedar County: 19 countChariton County: 11 countChristian County: 130 countClark County: 4 countClay County: 312 countClinton County: 36 countCole County: 97 countCooper County: 28 countCrawford County: 37 countDade County: 5 countDallas County: 35 countDaviess County: 9 countDeKalb County: 11 countDent County: 33 countDouglas County: 13 countDunklin County: 75 countFranklin County: 137 countGasconade County: 15 countGentry County: 7 countGreene County: 522 countGrundy County: 11 countHarrison County: 5 countHenry County: 25 countHickory County: 18 countHolt County: 7 countHoward County: 12 countHowell County: 71 countIron County: 12 countJackson County: 1,327 countJasper County: 127 countJefferson County: 238 countJohnson County: 63 countLaclede County: 46 countLafayette County: 36 countLawrence County: 44 countLewis County: 7 countLincoln County: 61 countLinn County: 16 countLivingston County: 14 countMcDonald County: 24 countMacon County: 18 countMadison County: 28 countMaries County: 5 countMarion County: 40 countMercer County: 5 countMiller County: 34 countMississippi County: 22 countMoniteau County: 12 countMonroe County: 10 countMontgomery County: 14 countMorgan County: 33 countNew Madrid County: 37 countNewton County: 71 countNodaway County: 17 countOregon County: 14 countOsage County: 12 countOzark County: 15 countPemiscot County: 32 countPerry County: 25 countPettis County: 47 countPhelps County: 49 countPike County: 24 countPlatte County: 142 countPolk County: 41 countPulaski County: 44 countPutnam County: 7 countRalls County: 14 countRandolph County: 39 countRay County: 27 countReynolds County: 12 countRipley County: 56 countSt. Charles County: 507 countSt. Clair County: 5 countSte. Genevieve County: 19 countSt. Francois County: 113 countSt. Louis County: 2,229 countSaline County: 19 countSchuyler County: 4 countScotland County: 9 countScott County: 79 countShannon County: 14 countShelby County: 10 countStoddard County: 45 countStone County: 40 countSullivan County: 4 countTaney County: 123 countTexas County: 35 countVernon County: 35 countWarren County: 42 countWashington County: 35 countWayne County: 22 countWebster County: 49 countWorth County: 3 countWright County: 22 countSt. Louis city: 1,314 count
  • Under 10
  • 10 to 30
  • 30 to 40
  • 40 to 80
  • 80 and over
  • No data
count, 2016. 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, 2016

St. Louis County: 2,229 countSt. Louis County2,229Jackson County: 1,327 countJackson County1,327St. Louis city: 1,314 countSt. Louis city1,314Greene County: 522 countGreene County522St. Charles County: 507 countSt. Charles County507Clay County: 312 countClay County312Boone County: 256 countBoone County256Jefferson County: 238 countJefferson County238Platte County: 142 countPlatte County142Franklin County: 137 countFranklin County137Cape Girardeau County: 133 countCape Girardeau County133Christian County: 130 countChristian County130Jasper County: 127 countJasper County127Cass County: 123 countCass County123Taney County: 123 countTaney County123Buchanan County: 117 countBuchanan County117St. Francois County: 113 countSt. Francois County113Camden County: 109 countCamden County109Cole County: 97 countCole County97Scott County: 79 countScott County79Butler County: 76 countButler County76Dunklin County: 75 countDunklin County75Howell County: 71 countHowell County71Newton County: 71 countNewton County71Johnson County: 63 countJohnson County63Lincoln County: 61 countLincoln County61Ripley County: 56 countRipley County56Phelps County: 49 countPhelps County49Webster County: 49 countWebster County49Pettis County: 47 countPettis County47Laclede County: 46 countLaclede County46Stoddard County: 45 countStoddard County45Lawrence County: 44 countLawrence County44Pulaski County: 44 countPulaski County44Warren County: 42 countWarren County42Polk County: 41 countPolk County41Marion County: 40 countMarion County40Stone County: 40 countStone County40Randolph County: 39 countRandolph County39Barry County: 38 countBarry County38St. Louis County: 2,229 countSt. Louis County2,229Jackson County: 1,327 countJackson County1,327St. Louis city: 1,314 countSt. Louis city1,314Greene County: 522 countGreene County522St. Charles County: 507 countSt. Charles County507Clay County: 312 countClay County312Boone County: 256 countBoone County256Jefferson County: 238 countJefferson County238Platte County: 142 countPlatte County142Franklin County: 137 countFranklin County137Cape Girardeau County: 133 countCape Girardeau County133Christian County: 130 countChristian County130Jasper County: 127 countJasper County127Cass County: 123 countCass County123Taney County: 123 countTaney County123Buchanan County: 117 countBuchanan County117St. Francois County: 113 countSt. Francois County113Camden County: 109 countCamden County109Cole County: 97 countCole County97Scott County: 79 countScott County79Butler County: 76 countButler County76Dunklin County: 75 countDunklin County75Howell County: 71 countHowell County71Newton County: 71 countNewton County71Johnson County: 63 countJohnson County63Lincoln County: 61 countLincoln County61Ripley County: 56 countRipley County56Phelps County: 49 countPhelps County49Webster County: 49 countWebster County49Pettis County: 47 countPettis County47Laclede County: 46 countLaclede County46Stoddard County: 45 countStoddard County45Lawrence County: 44 countLawrence County44Pulaski County: 44 countPulaski County44Warren County: 42 countWarren County42Polk County: 41 countPolk County41Marion County: 40 countMarion County40Stone County: 40 countStone County40Randolph County: 39 countRandolph County39Barry County: 38 countBarry 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

RankCounties2016
count
Change on 2015
1St. Louis County2,229+2.2%
2Jackson County1,327+4.3%
3St. Louis city1,314-5.9%
4Greene County522+3.6%
5St. Charles County507-1%
6Clay County312+8.3%
7Boone County256-10.8%
8Jefferson County238+0.8%
9Platte County142-3.4%
10Franklin County137+12.3%
11Cape Girardeau County133+16.7%
12Christian County130+6.6%
13Jasper County127-3.8%
14Cass County123-19.6%
14Taney County123+11.8%
16Buchanan County117+0.9%
17St. Francois County113+14.1%
18Camden County109+22.5%
19Cole County97-13.4%
20Scott County79+31.7%
21Butler County76-15.6%
22Dunklin County75+27.1%
23Howell County71+42%
23Newton County71-11.3%
25Johnson County63+34%
26Lincoln County61+17.3%
27Ripley County56-3.4%
28Phelps County49-22.2%
28Webster County49+4.3%
30Pettis County47+27%
31Laclede County46+58.6%
32Stoddard County45+15.4%
33Lawrence County44+15.8%
33Pulaski County44+4.8%
35Warren County42+100%
36Polk County41+2.5%
37Marion County40+66.7%
37Stone County40-13%
39Randolph County39+30%
40Barry County38-25.5%
41Callaway County37-11.9%
41Crawford County37+37%
41New Madrid County37+15.6%
44Clinton County36+24.1%
44Lafayette County36-14.3%
46Dallas County35+66.7%
46Texas County35-30%
46Vernon County35-10.3%
46Washington County35-16.7%
50Miller County34+3%
51Dent County330%
51Morgan County33+17.9%
53Pemiscot County32+3.2%
54Adair County31+40.9%
55Cooper County28+100%
55Madison County28+40%
57Ray County27+28.6%
58Henry County25-16.7%
58Perry County25+25%
60McDonald County24+9.1%
60Pike County24+33.3%
62Bates County23+64.3%
63Mississippi County22+144.4%
63Wayne County22-21.4%
63Wright County22-29%
66Andrew County21+50%
67Cedar County19+11.8%
67Saline County19-13.6%
67Ste. Genevieve County19-20.8%
70Hickory County18+50%
70Macon County18+20%
72Benton County17-15%
72Nodaway County17-10.5%
74Linn County16-11.1%
75Gasconade County15+66.7%
75Ozark County15-6.3%
77Barton County14+16.7%
77Livingston County14-33.3%
77Montgomery County14+100%
77Oregon County14-33.3%
77Ralls County14+16.7%
77Shannon County14-12.5%
83Douglas County13+8.3%
84Howard County120%
84Iron County12-25%
84Moniteau County12-7.7%
84Osage County12-20%
84Reynolds County12+50%
89Chariton County11-8.3%
89DeKalb County11+57.1%
89Grundy County11+10%
92Audrain County10-50%
92Bollinger County10-58.3%
92Caldwell County100%
92Monroe County10+25%
92Shelby County10+42.9%
97Carter County9-43.8%
97Daviess County9-35.7%
97Scotland County9+50%
100Atchison County70%
100Carroll County7-46.2%
100Gentry County7-41.7%
100Holt County7-50%
100Lewis County7-30%
100Putnam County7+75%
106Dade County50%
106Harrison County5-58.3%
106Maries County5-50%
106Mercer County5n/a
106St. Clair County5-73.7%
111Clark County40%
111Schuyler County4n/a
111Sullivan County4n/a
114Worth 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. 1 counties with data in other periods have no value for 2016 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, 2016) [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, 2016. 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=2016. 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, 2016. 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=2016.

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, 2016 [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=2016 (Accessed: 22 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_missouri_by_2016,
  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, 2016}},
  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=2016. 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, 2016
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=2016
Y2  - 2026/10/22
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firm-births/missouri-counties?period=2016.
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 2,229 in 2016, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest employer firm births?

Worth County, with 3 in 2016.

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 2016 and are not ranked.

Employer firm births: other rankings

Counties in Missouri: more rankings