Data / Rankings / Employer firm births / Counties in North Carolina

Counties in North Carolina by employer firm births

Mecklenburg County had the highest employer firm births of 100 counties in 2014, at 1,834. Hyde County had the lowest, at 4. The median was 44 and the figure for North Carolina was 11,300. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest1,834Mecklenburg County
Lowest4Hyde County
Median44100 counties
North Carolina11,300History

Map of counties, 2014

Alamance County: 152 countAlexander County: 31 countAlleghany County: 10 countAnson County: 15 countAshe County: 26 countAvery County: 22 countBeaufort County: 40 countBertie County: 10 countBladen County: 23 countBrunswick County: 150 countBuncombe County: 457 countBurke County: 52 countCabarrus County: 250 countCaldwell County: 50 countCamden County: 5 countCarteret County: 90 countCaswell County: 9 countCatawba County: 163 countChatham County: 92 countCherokee County: 23 countChowan County: 7 countClay County: 12 countCleveland County: 63 countColumbus County: 51 countCraven County: 63 countCumberland County: 246 countCurrituck County: 37 countDare County: 58 countDavidson County: 127 countDavie County: 44 countDuplin County: 31 countDurham County: 401 countEdgecombe County: 26 countForsyth County: 379 countFranklin County: 61 countGaston County: 189 countGates County: 4 countGraham County: 8 countGranville County: 41 countGreene County: 9 countGuilford County: 611 countHalifax County: 31 countHarnett County: 88 countHaywood County: 58 countHenderson County: 112 countHertford County: 16 countHoke County: 22 countHyde County: 4 countIredell County: 260 countJackson County: 56 countJohnston County: 178 countJones County: 9 countLee County: 61 countLenoir County: 43 countLincoln County: 103 countMcDowell County: 28 countMacon County: 43 countMadison County: 27 countMartin County: 16 countMecklenburg County: 1,834 countMitchell County: 6 countMontgomery County: 23 countMoore County: 137 countNash County: 73 countNew Hanover County: 380 countNorthampton County: 8 countOnslow County: 126 countOrange County: 161 countPamlico County: 11 countPasquotank County: 25 countPender County: 71 countPerquimans County: 5 countPerson County: 25 countPitt County: 156 countPolk County: 16 countRandolph County: 103 countRichmond County: 31 countRobeson County: 61 countRockingham County: 70 countRowan County: 116 countRutherford County: 56 countSampson County: 46 countScotland County: 18 countStanly County: 45 countStokes County: 31 countSurry County: 71 countSwain County: 22 countTransylvania County: 43 countTyrrell County: 5 countUnion County: 270 countVance County: 23 countWake County: 1,682 countWarren County: 14 countWashington County: 6 countWatauga County: 57 countWayne County: 85 countWilkes County: 35 countWilson County: 68 countYadkin County: 24 countYancey County: 11 count
  • Under 10
  • 10 to 30
  • 30 to 40
  • 40 to 70
  • 70 to 150
  • 150 and over
count, 2014. 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

Mecklenburg County: 1,834 countMecklenburg County1,834Wake County: 1,682 countWake County1,682Guilford County: 611 countGuilford County611Buncombe County: 457 countBuncombe County457Durham County: 401 countDurham County401New Hanover County: 380 countNew Hanover County380Forsyth County: 379 countForsyth County379Union County: 270 countUnion County270Iredell County: 260 countIredell County260Cabarrus County: 250 countCabarrus County250Cumberland County: 246 countCumberland County246Gaston County: 189 countGaston County189Johnston County: 178 countJohnston County178Catawba County: 163 countCatawba County163Orange County: 161 countOrange County161Pitt County: 156 countPitt County156Alamance County: 152 countAlamance County152Brunswick County: 150 countBrunswick County150Moore County: 137 countMoore County137Davidson County: 127 countDavidson County127Onslow County: 126 countOnslow County126Rowan County: 116 countRowan County116Henderson County: 112 countHenderson County112Lincoln County: 103 countLincoln County103Randolph County: 103 countRandolph County103Chatham County: 92 countChatham County92Carteret County: 90 countCarteret County90Harnett County: 88 countHarnett County88Wayne County: 85 countWayne County85Nash County: 73 countNash County73Pender County: 71 countPender County71Surry County: 71 countSurry County71Rockingham County: 70 countRockingham County70Wilson County: 68 countWilson County68Cleveland County: 63 countCleveland County63Craven County: 63 countCraven County63Franklin County: 61 countFranklin County61Lee County: 61 countLee County61Robeson County: 61 countRobeson County61Dare County: 58 countDare County58Mecklenburg County: 1,834 countMecklenburg County1,834Wake County: 1,682 countWake County1,682Guilford County: 611 countGuilford County611Buncombe County: 457 countBuncombe County457Durham County: 401 countDurham County401New Hanover County: 380 countNew Hanover County380Forsyth County: 379 countForsyth County379Union County: 270 countUnion County270Iredell County: 260 countIredell County260Cabarrus County: 250 countCabarrus County250Cumberland County: 246 countCumberland County246Gaston County: 189 countGaston County189Johnston County: 178 countJohnston County178Catawba County: 163 countCatawba County163Orange County: 161 countOrange County161Pitt County: 156 countPitt County156Alamance County: 152 countAlamance County152Brunswick County: 150 countBrunswick County150Moore County: 137 countMoore County137Davidson County: 127 countDavidson County127Onslow County: 126 countOnslow County126Rowan County: 116 countRowan County116Henderson County: 112 countHenderson County112Lincoln County: 103 countLincoln County103Randolph County: 103 countRandolph County103Chatham County: 92 countChatham County92Carteret County: 90 countCarteret County90Harnett County: 88 countHarnett County88Wayne County: 85 countWayne County85Nash County: 73 countNash County73Pender County: 71 countPender County71Surry County: 71 countSurry County71Rockingham County: 70 countRockingham County70Wilson County: 68 countWilson County68Cleveland County: 63 countCleveland County63Craven County: 63 countCraven County63Franklin County: 61 countFranklin County61Lee County: 61 countLee County61Robeson County: 61 countRobeson County61Dare County: 58 countDare County58
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
1Mecklenburg County1,834+4.4%
2Wake County1,682+4.5%
3Guilford County611+1.2%
4Buncombe County457+7.5%
5Durham County401+7.8%
6New Hanover County380-1.6%
7Forsyth County379+0.8%
8Union County270-3.2%
9Iredell County260-8.8%
10Cabarrus County250+8.2%
11Cumberland County246-3.1%
12Gaston County189-6%
13Johnston County178+2.9%
14Catawba County163-3.6%
15Orange County161+0.6%
16Pitt County156-6%
17Alamance County152+14.3%
18Brunswick County150+12.8%
19Moore County137+23.4%
20Davidson County127+2.4%
21Onslow County126-5.3%
22Rowan County1160%
23Henderson County112-20%
24Lincoln County103+21.2%
24Randolph County103-8%
26Chatham County92+48.4%
27Carteret County90+9.8%
28Harnett County88+3.5%
29Wayne County85-3.4%
30Nash County73-2.7%
31Pender County71+16.4%
31Surry County71-2.7%
33Rockingham County70+12.9%
34Wilson County68-2.9%
35Cleveland County63-10%
35Craven County63-6%
37Franklin County61+1.7%
37Lee County61-12.9%
37Robeson County61-1.6%
40Dare County58-18.3%
40Haywood County58-22.7%
42Watauga County57-16.2%
43Jackson County56+40%
43Rutherford County56+16.7%
45Burke County52-3.7%
46Columbus County51-7.3%
47Caldwell County50-5.7%
48Sampson County46+43.8%
49Stanly County45-16.7%
50Davie County44-6.4%
51Lenoir County43-8.5%
51Macon County43-6.5%
51Transylvania County43-14%
54Granville County41-10.9%
55Beaufort County40-7%
56Currituck County37+42.3%
57Wilkes County35-27.1%
58Alexander County31+210%
58Duplin County310%
58Halifax County31-8.8%
58Richmond County31+10.7%
58Stokes County31+29.2%
63McDowell County280%
64Madison County27+92.9%
65Ashe County26-16.1%
65Edgecombe County26-10.3%
67Pasquotank County25-3.8%
67Person County25+19%
69Yadkin County24+84.6%
70Bladen County23+9.5%
70Cherokee County23+15%
70Montgomery County23+53.3%
70Vance County23-28.1%
74Avery County22-12%
74Hoke County22+10%
74Swain County22+46.7%
77Scotland County18+28.6%
78Hertford County16+6.7%
78Martin County16+14.3%
78Polk County16-50%
81Anson County15-16.7%
82Warren County14-6.7%
83Clay County12+33.3%
84Pamlico County11-8.3%
84Yancey County11+37.5%
86Alleghany County10-23.1%
86Bertie County10+66.7%
88Caswell County9-43.8%
88Greene County9-47.1%
88Jones County9+125%
91Graham County8+60%
91Northampton County8-38.5%
93Chowan County7-12.5%
94Mitchell County6-60%
94Washington County6-50%
96Camden County5-28.6%
96Perquimans County5-70.6%
96Tyrrell County5-28.6%
99Gates County4-20%
99Hyde County4-50%

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 North Carolina 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 North Carolina 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/north-carolina-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 North Carolina 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/north-carolina-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 North Carolina 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/north-carolina-counties?period=2014 (Accessed: 22 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_north_carolina_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 North Carolina 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/north-carolina-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 North Carolina 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/north-carolina-counties?period=2014
Y2  - 2026/10/22
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firm-births/north-carolina-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?

Mecklenburg County, with 1,834 in 2014, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest employer firm births?

Hyde County, with 4 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.

Employer firm births: other rankings

Counties in North Carolina: more rankings