Counties in Oklahoma by employer firm births

Oklahoma County had the highest employer firm births of 74 counties in 2021, at 1,417. Roger Mills County had the lowest, at 3. The median was 23 and the figure for Oklahoma was 5,166. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest1,417Oklahoma County
Median2374 counties
Oklahoma5,166History

Map of counties, 2021

Adair County: 10 countAlfalfa County: 5 countAtoka County: 18 countBeaver County: 7 countBeckham County: 38 countBlaine County: 15 countBryan County: 62 countCaddo County: 16 countCanadian County: 201 countCarter County: 67 countCherokee County: 43 countChoctaw County: 6 countCleveland County: 374 countCoal County: 5 countComanche County: 128 countCotton County: 4 countCraig County: 14 countCreek County: 76 countCuster County: 45 countDelaware County: 51 countDewey County: 16 countEllis County: 8 countGarfield County: 51 countGarvin County: 28 countGrady County: 61 countGrant County: 4 countGreer County: 6 countHarper County: 7 countHaskell County: 13 countHughes County: 7 countJackson County: 22 countJefferson County: 5 countJohnston County: 6 countKay County: 34 countKingfisher County: 24 countKiowa County: 7 countLatimer County: 8 countLe Flore County: 45 countLincoln County: 29 countLogan County: 77 countLove County: 11 countMcClain County: 86 countMcCurtain County: 40 countMcIntosh County: 21 countMajor County: 7 countMarshall County: 15 countMayes County: 40 countMurray County: 15 countMuskogee County: 58 countNoble County: 9 countNowata County: 8 countOkfuskee County: 9 countOklahoma County: 1,417 countOkmulgee County: 21 countOsage County: 44 countOttawa County: 26 countPawnee County: 11 countPayne County: 86 countPittsburg County: 43 countPontotoc County: 47 countPottawatomie County: 51 countPushmataha County: 14 countRoger Mills County: 3 countRogers County: 100 countSeminole County: 13 countSequoyah County: 37 countStephens County: 48 countTexas County: 29 countTulsa County: 1,026 countWagoner County: 78 countWashington County: 53 countWashita County: 11 countWoods County: 12 countWoodward County: 38 count
  • Under 10
  • 10 to 20
  • 20 to 40
  • 40 to 60
  • 60 and over
  • No data
count, 2021. 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, 2021

Oklahoma County: 1,417 countOklahoma County1,417Tulsa County: 1,026 countTulsa County1,026Cleveland County: 374 countCleveland County374Canadian County: 201 countCanadian County201Comanche County: 128 countComanche County128Rogers County: 100 countRogers County100McClain County: 86 countMcClain County86Payne County: 86 countPayne County86Wagoner County: 78 countWagoner County78Logan County: 77 countLogan County77Creek County: 76 countCreek County76Carter County: 67 countCarter County67Bryan County: 62 countBryan County62Grady County: 61 countGrady County61Muskogee County: 58 countMuskogee County58Washington County: 53 countWashington County53Delaware County: 51 countDelaware County51Garfield County: 51 countGarfield County51Pottawatomie County: 51 countPottawatomie County51Stephens County: 48 countStephens County48Pontotoc County: 47 countPontotoc County47Custer County: 45 countCuster County45Le Flore County: 45 countLe Flore County45Osage County: 44 countOsage County44Cherokee County: 43 countCherokee County43Pittsburg County: 43 countPittsburg County43Mayes County: 40 countMayes County40McCurtain County: 40 countMcCurtain County40Beckham County: 38 countBeckham County38Woodward County: 38 countWoodward County38Sequoyah County: 37 countSequoyah County37Kay County: 34 countKay County34Lincoln County: 29 countLincoln County29Texas County: 29 countTexas County29Garvin County: 28 countGarvin County28Ottawa County: 26 countOttawa County26Kingfisher County: 24 countKingfisher County24Jackson County: 22 countJackson County22McIntosh County: 21 countMcIntosh County21Okmulgee County: 21 countOkmulgee County21Oklahoma County: 1,417 countOklahoma County1,417Tulsa County: 1,026 countTulsa County1,026Cleveland County: 374 countCleveland County374Canadian County: 201 countCanadian County201Comanche County: 128 countComanche County128Rogers County: 100 countRogers County100McClain County: 86 countMcClain County86Payne County: 86 countPayne County86Wagoner County: 78 countWagoner County78Logan County: 77 countLogan County77Creek County: 76 countCreek County76Carter County: 67 countCarter County67Bryan County: 62 countBryan County62Grady County: 61 countGrady County61Muskogee County: 58 countMuskogee County58Washington County: 53 countWashington County53Delaware County: 51 countDelaware County51Garfield County: 51 countGarfield County51Pottawatomie County: 51 countPottawatomie County51Stephens County: 48 countStephens County48Pontotoc County: 47 countPontotoc County47Custer County: 45 countCuster County45Le Flore County: 45 countLe Flore County45Osage County: 44 countOsage County44Cherokee County: 43 countCherokee County43Pittsburg County: 43 countPittsburg County43Mayes County: 40 countMayes County40McCurtain County: 40 countMcCurtain County40Beckham County: 38 countBeckham County38Woodward County: 38 countWoodward County38Sequoyah County: 37 countSequoyah County37Kay County: 34 countKay County34Lincoln County: 29 countLincoln County29Texas County: 29 countTexas County29Garvin County: 28 countGarvin County28Ottawa County: 26 countOttawa County26Kingfisher County: 24 countKingfisher County24Jackson County: 22 countJackson County22McIntosh County: 21 countMcIntosh County21Okmulgee County: 21 countOkmulgee County21
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
1Oklahoma County1,417+8.5%
2Tulsa County1,026-3.8%
3Cleveland County374+3.3%
4Canadian County201+20.4%
5Comanche County128+15.3%
6Rogers County100-21.9%
7McClain County86+30.3%
7Payne County86-1.1%
9Wagoner County78+9.9%
10Logan County77+24.2%
11Creek County76-7.3%
12Carter County67-8.2%
13Bryan County62+3.3%
14Grady County61-12.9%
15Muskogee County58+5.5%
16Washington County53-7%
17Delaware County51+30.8%
17Garfield County51-3.8%
17Pottawatomie County51-8.9%
20Stephens County480%
21Pontotoc County47+11.9%
22Custer County45+7.1%
22Le Flore County45-19.6%
24Osage County44+46.7%
25Cherokee County43+10.3%
25Pittsburg County43+65.4%
27Mayes County40+14.3%
27McCurtain County40-7%
29Beckham County38+18.8%
29Woodward County38+35.7%
31Sequoyah County37+2.8%
32Kay County34-27.7%
33Lincoln County29-14.7%
33Texas County29+45%
35Garvin County28-24.3%
36Ottawa County26-3.7%
37Kingfisher County24-14.3%
38Jackson County22-4.3%
39McIntosh County21-19.2%
39Okmulgee County21-22.2%
41Atoka County18+12.5%
42Caddo County16+14.3%
42Dewey County16+33.3%
44Blaine County15+150%
44Marshall County15-25%
44Murray County15+36.4%
47Craig County14-12.5%
47Pushmataha County14+133.3%
49Haskell County13-18.8%
49Seminole County130%
51Woods County12+9.1%
52Love County11+10%
52Pawnee County11-31.3%
52Washita County11+37.5%
55Adair County10-23.1%
56Noble County90%
56Okfuskee County9-30.8%
58Ellis County8n/a
58Latimer County8-11.1%
58Nowata County8+166.7%
61Beaver County7+133.3%
61Harper County7+133.3%
61Hughes County7-22.2%
61Kiowa County7+16.7%
61Major County7-36.4%
66Choctaw County6-40%
66Greer County6-14.3%
66Johnston County6-40%
69Alfalfa County5n/a
69Coal County5n/a
69Jefferson County5-44.4%
72Cotton County40%
72Grant County4-50%
74Roger Mills County30%

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 2021 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 Oklahoma 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 Oklahoma 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/oklahoma-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 Oklahoma 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/oklahoma-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 Oklahoma 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/oklahoma-counties?period=2021 (Accessed: 22 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_oklahoma_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 Oklahoma 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/oklahoma-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 Oklahoma 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/oklahoma-counties?period=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/22
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firm-births/oklahoma-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?

Oklahoma County, with 1,417 in 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest employer firm births?

Roger Mills 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. 3 counties have no value for 2021 and are not ranked.

Employer firm births: other rankings

Counties in Oklahoma: more rankings