Counties in Pennsylvania by employer firm births

Philadelphia County had the highest employer firm births of 66 counties in 2016, at 1,788. Forest County had the lowest, at 3. The median was 64 and the figure for Pennsylvania was 13,452. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Median6466 counties
Pennsylvania13,452History

Map of counties, 2016

Adams County: 59 countAllegheny County: 1,433 countArmstrong County: 56 countBeaver County: 120 countBedford County: 48 countBerks County: 385 countBlair County: 107 countBradford County: 53 countBucks County: 1,018 countButler County: 203 countCambria County: 88 countCarbon County: 52 countCentre County: 173 countChester County: 745 countClarion County: 25 countClearfield County: 50 countClinton County: 30 countColumbia County: 51 countCrawford County: 60 countCumberland County: 277 countDauphin County: 281 countDelaware County: 626 countElk County: 36 countErie County: 185 countFayette County: 97 countForest County: 3 countFranklin County: 117 countFulton County: 11 countGreene County: 25 countHuntingdon County: 28 countIndiana County: 67 countJefferson County: 37 countJuniata County: 25 countLackawanna County: 203 countLancaster County: 618 countLawrence County: 60 countLebanon County: 116 countLehigh County: 403 countLuzerne County: 277 countLycoming County: 91 countMcKean County: 34 countMercer County: 78 countMifflin County: 44 countMonroe County: 179 countMontgomery County: 1,221 countMontour County: 13 countNorthampton County: 288 countNorthumberland County: 67 countPerry County: 27 countPhiladelphia County: 1,788 countPike County: 60 countPotter County: 9 countSchuylkill County: 87 countSnyder County: 26 countSomerset County: 68 countSullivan County: 5 countSusquehanna County: 48 countTioga County: 32 countUnion County: 41 countVenango County: 28 countWarren County: 21 countWashington County: 227 countWayne County: 55 countWestmoreland County: 315 countWyoming County: 31 countYork County: 353 count
  • Under 30
  • 30 to 50
  • 50 to 60
  • 60 to 120
  • 120 to 290
  • 290 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

Philadelphia County: 1,788 countPhiladelphia County1,788Allegheny County: 1,433 countAllegheny County1,433Montgomery County: 1,221 countMontgomery County1,221Bucks County: 1,018 countBucks County1,018Chester County: 745 countChester County745Delaware County: 626 countDelaware County626Lancaster County: 618 countLancaster County618Lehigh County: 403 countLehigh County403Berks County: 385 countBerks County385York County: 353 countYork County353Westmoreland County: 315 countWestmoreland County315Northampton County: 288 countNorthampton County288Dauphin County: 281 countDauphin County281Cumberland County: 277 countCumberland County277Luzerne County: 277 countLuzerne County277Washington County: 227 countWashington County227Butler County: 203 countButler County203Lackawanna County: 203 countLackawanna County203Erie County: 185 countErie County185Monroe County: 179 countMonroe County179Centre County: 173 countCentre County173Beaver County: 120 countBeaver County120Franklin County: 117 countFranklin County117Lebanon County: 116 countLebanon County116Blair County: 107 countBlair County107Fayette County: 97 countFayette County97Lycoming County: 91 countLycoming County91Cambria County: 88 countCambria County88Schuylkill County: 87 countSchuylkill County87Mercer County: 78 countMercer County78Somerset County: 68 countSomerset County68Indiana County: 67 countIndiana County67Northumberland County: 67 countNorthumberland County67Crawford County: 60 countCrawford County60Lawrence County: 60 countLawrence County60Pike County: 60 countPike County60Adams County: 59 countAdams County59Armstrong County: 56 countArmstrong County56Wayne County: 55 countWayne County55Bradford County: 53 countBradford County53Philadelphia County: 1,788 countPhiladelphia County1,788Allegheny County: 1,433 countAllegheny County1,433Montgomery County: 1,221 countMontgomery County1,221Bucks County: 1,018 countBucks County1,018Chester County: 745 countChester County745Delaware County: 626 countDelaware County626Lancaster County: 618 countLancaster County618Lehigh County: 403 countLehigh County403Berks County: 385 countBerks County385York County: 353 countYork County353Westmoreland County: 315 countWestmoreland County315Northampton County: 288 countNorthampton County288Dauphin County: 281 countDauphin County281Cumberland County: 277 countCumberland County277Luzerne County: 277 countLuzerne County277Washington County: 227 countWashington County227Butler County: 203 countButler County203Lackawanna County: 203 countLackawanna County203Erie County: 185 countErie County185Monroe County: 179 countMonroe County179Centre County: 173 countCentre County173Beaver County: 120 countBeaver County120Franklin County: 117 countFranklin County117Lebanon County: 116 countLebanon County116Blair County: 107 countBlair County107Fayette County: 97 countFayette County97Lycoming County: 91 countLycoming County91Cambria County: 88 countCambria County88Schuylkill County: 87 countSchuylkill County87Mercer County: 78 countMercer County78Somerset County: 68 countSomerset County68Indiana County: 67 countIndiana County67Northumberland County: 67 countNorthumberland County67Crawford County: 60 countCrawford County60Lawrence County: 60 countLawrence County60Pike County: 60 countPike County60Adams County: 59 countAdams County59Armstrong County: 56 countArmstrong County56Wayne County: 55 countWayne County55Bradford County: 53 countBradford County53
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
1Philadelphia County1,788+9%
2Allegheny County1,433+10.5%
3Montgomery County1,221+3.8%
4Bucks County1,018+5.6%
5Chester County745+16.4%
6Delaware County626-0.2%
7Lancaster County618+3%
8Lehigh County403+22.1%
9Berks County385+11%
10York County353+5.1%
11Westmoreland County315+2.6%
12Northampton County288+9.5%
13Dauphin County281+16.1%
14Cumberland County277+17.9%
14Luzerne County277+1.5%
16Washington County227+2.3%
17Butler County203+6.3%
17Lackawanna County203-1.9%
19Erie County185+11.4%
20Monroe County179+7.2%
21Centre County173+39.5%
22Beaver County120+10.1%
23Franklin County117+1.7%
24Lebanon County116+23.4%
25Blair County107+3.9%
26Fayette County97-1%
27Lycoming County91+2.2%
28Cambria County88+29.4%
29Schuylkill County87-7.4%
30Mercer County78+5.4%
31Somerset County68-19%
32Indiana County67+4.7%
32Northumberland County67+55.8%
34Crawford County60-6.3%
34Lawrence County60-9.1%
34Pike County60+33.3%
37Adams County59-37.2%
38Armstrong County56+5.7%
39Wayne County55+31%
40Bradford County53-18.5%
41Carbon County52+62.5%
42Columbia County51-5.6%
43Clearfield County50-36.7%
44Bedford County48+33.3%
44Susquehanna County48+4.3%
46Mifflin County44+41.9%
47Union County41-2.4%
48Jefferson County37-24.5%
49Elk County36+50%
50McKean County34+13.3%
51Tioga County32+10.3%
52Wyoming County31+10.7%
53Clinton County30+30.4%
54Huntingdon County280%
54Venango County28-15.2%
56Perry County27-6.9%
57Snyder County26-21.2%
58Clarion County25-21.9%
58Greene County25-28.6%
58Juniata County25+38.9%
61Warren County21-16%
62Montour County13+44.4%
63Fulton County11n/a
64Potter County9-47.1%
65Sullivan County5-50%
66Forest County3-25%

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 Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania 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/pennsylvania-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 Pennsylvania 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/pennsylvania-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 Pennsylvania 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/pennsylvania-counties?period=2016 (Accessed: 22 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_pennsylvania_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 Pennsylvania 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/pennsylvania-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 Pennsylvania 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/pennsylvania-counties?period=2016
Y2  - 2026/10/22
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firm-births/pennsylvania-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?

Philadelphia County, with 1,788 in 2016, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest employer firm births?

Forest 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 Pennsylvania: more rankings