Counties in Tennessee by employer firm births

Davidson County had the highest employer firm births of 91 counties in 2015, at 1,061. Moore County had the lowest, at 3. The median was 21 and the figure for Tennessee was 6,466. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest1,061Davidson County
Median2191 counties
Tennessee6,466History

Map of counties, 2015

Anderson County: 50 countBedford County: 41 countBenton County: 11 countBledsoe County: 5 countBlount County: 94 countBradley County: 87 countCampbell County: 19 countCannon County: 11 countCarroll County: 17 countCarter County: 29 countCheatham County: 37 countChester County: 9 countClaiborne County: 20 countClay County: 5 countCocke County: 16 countCoffee County: 39 countCrockett County: 11 countCumberland County: 50 countDavidson County: 1,061 countDecatur County: 11 countDeKalb County: 9 countDickson County: 39 countDyer County: 26 countFayette County: 29 countFentress County: 7 countFranklin County: 33 countGibson County: 37 countGiles County: 19 countGrainger County: 4 countGreene County: 39 countGrundy County: 9 countHamblen County: 48 countHamilton County: 410 countHardeman County: 15 countHardin County: 26 countHawkins County: 21 countHaywood County: 11 countHenderson County: 19 countHenry County: 18 countHickman County: 13 countHouston County: 7 countHumphreys County: 13 countJackson County: 9 countJefferson County: 38 countJohnson County: 10 countKnox County: 506 countLauderdale County: 10 countLawrence County: 32 countLewis County: 17 countLincoln County: 27 countLoudon County: 44 countMcMinn County: 33 countMcNairy County: 23 countMacon County: 12 countMadison County: 87 countMarion County: 22 countMarshall County: 30 countMaury County: 85 countMeigs County: 8 countMonroe County: 37 countMontgomery County: 156 countMoore County: 3 countMorgan County: 6 countObion County: 25 countOverton County: 16 countPickett County: 5 countPolk County: 11 countPutnam County: 87 countRhea County: 10 countRoane County: 19 countRobertson County: 66 countRutherford County: 287 countScott County: 13 countSequatchie County: 12 countSevier County: 165 countShelby County: 843 countSmith County: 14 countStewart County: 6 countSullivan County: 104 countSumner County: 194 countTipton County: 40 countTrousdale County: 6 countUnicoi County: 7 countUnion County: 12 countWarren County: 32 countWashington County: 143 countWayne County: 12 countWeakley County: 20 countWhite County: 24 countWilliamson County: 470 countWilson County: 166 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

Davidson County: 1,061 countDavidson County1,061Shelby County: 843 countShelby County843Knox County: 506 countKnox County506Williamson County: 470 countWilliamson County470Hamilton County: 410 countHamilton County410Rutherford County: 287 countRutherford County287Sumner County: 194 countSumner County194Wilson County: 166 countWilson County166Sevier County: 165 countSevier County165Montgomery County: 156 countMontgomery County156Washington County: 143 countWashington County143Sullivan County: 104 countSullivan County104Blount County: 94 countBlount County94Bradley County: 87 countBradley County87Madison County: 87 countMadison County87Putnam County: 87 countPutnam County87Maury County: 85 countMaury County85Robertson County: 66 countRobertson County66Anderson County: 50 countAnderson County50Cumberland County: 50 countCumberland County50Hamblen County: 48 countHamblen County48Loudon County: 44 countLoudon County44Bedford County: 41 countBedford County41Tipton County: 40 countTipton County40Coffee County: 39 countCoffee County39Dickson County: 39 countDickson County39Greene County: 39 countGreene County39Jefferson County: 38 countJefferson County38Cheatham County: 37 countCheatham County37Gibson County: 37 countGibson County37Monroe County: 37 countMonroe County37Franklin County: 33 countFranklin County33McMinn County: 33 countMcMinn County33Lawrence County: 32 countLawrence County32Warren County: 32 countWarren County32Marshall County: 30 countMarshall County30Carter County: 29 countCarter County29Fayette County: 29 countFayette County29Lincoln County: 27 countLincoln County27Dyer County: 26 countDyer County26Davidson County: 1,061 countDavidson County1,061Shelby County: 843 countShelby County843Knox County: 506 countKnox County506Williamson County: 470 countWilliamson County470Hamilton County: 410 countHamilton County410Rutherford County: 287 countRutherford County287Sumner County: 194 countSumner County194Wilson County: 166 countWilson County166Sevier County: 165 countSevier County165Montgomery County: 156 countMontgomery County156Washington County: 143 countWashington County143Sullivan County: 104 countSullivan County104Blount County: 94 countBlount County94Bradley County: 87 countBradley County87Madison County: 87 countMadison County87Putnam County: 87 countPutnam County87Maury County: 85 countMaury County85Robertson County: 66 countRobertson County66Anderson County: 50 countAnderson County50Cumberland County: 50 countCumberland County50Hamblen County: 48 countHamblen County48Loudon County: 44 countLoudon County44Bedford County: 41 countBedford County41Tipton County: 40 countTipton County40Coffee County: 39 countCoffee County39Dickson County: 39 countDickson County39Greene County: 39 countGreene County39Jefferson County: 38 countJefferson County38Cheatham County: 37 countCheatham County37Gibson County: 37 countGibson County37Monroe County: 37 countMonroe County37Franklin County: 33 countFranklin County33McMinn County: 33 countMcMinn County33Lawrence County: 32 countLawrence County32Warren County: 32 countWarren County32Marshall County: 30 countMarshall County30Carter County: 29 countCarter County29Fayette County: 29 countFayette County29Lincoln County: 27 countLincoln County27Dyer County: 26 countDyer County26
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
1Davidson County1,061-0.7%
2Shelby County843+7.1%
3Knox County506+2.6%
4Williamson County470+2.8%
5Hamilton County410-3.5%
6Rutherford County287+13%
7Sumner County194+16.2%
8Wilson County166+15.3%
9Sevier County165+18.7%
10Montgomery County156+9.1%
11Washington County143+23.3%
12Sullivan County104-18.8%
13Blount County94-11.3%
14Bradley County87-5.4%
14Madison County87-22.3%
14Putnam County87+14.5%
17Maury County85+14.9%
18Robertson County66-4.3%
19Anderson County50+4.2%
19Cumberland County50+13.6%
21Hamblen County48-7.7%
22Loudon County44+25.7%
23Bedford County41+20.6%
24Tipton County40+29%
25Coffee County39-13.3%
25Dickson County39-2.5%
25Greene County39+11.4%
28Jefferson County38+35.7%
29Cheatham County37+8.8%
29Gibson County37+8.8%
29Monroe County37+27.6%
32Franklin County33+13.8%
32McMinn County33+26.9%
34Lawrence County32+28%
34Warren County32+23.1%
36Marshall County30+36.4%
37Carter County29-9.4%
37Fayette County29+16%
39Lincoln County27-12.9%
40Dyer County26+52.9%
40Hardin County26+44.4%
42Obion County25+4.2%
43White County24+60%
44McNairy County23+76.9%
45Marion County22+57.1%
46Hawkins County21+23.5%
47Claiborne County20+5.3%
47Weakley County20-47.4%
49Campbell County19-24%
49Giles County19-20.8%
49Henderson County19-17.4%
49Roane County19-47.2%
53Henry County18-28%
54Carroll County17-10.5%
54Lewis County17+54.5%
56Cocke County16-46.7%
56Overton County16+33.3%
58Hardeman County15+87.5%
59Smith County14+27.3%
60Hickman County13+62.5%
60Humphreys County13-23.5%
60Scott County13+116.7%
63Macon County120%
63Sequatchie County12+33.3%
63Union County12+50%
63Wayne County12+100%
67Benton County11-8.3%
67Cannon County11+10%
67Crockett County11-21.4%
67Decatur County11+83.3%
67Haywood County11-26.7%
67Polk County11-26.7%
73Johnson County10+66.7%
73Lauderdale County10-28.6%
73Rhea County10-44.4%
76Chester County9+125%
76DeKalb County9-47.1%
76Grundy County9+80%
76Jackson County9+50%
80Meigs County8+166.7%
81Fentress County7-12.5%
81Houston County7+16.7%
81Unicoi County70%
84Morgan County6+20%
84Stewart County6-33.3%
84Trousdale County6+50%
87Bledsoe County5-44.4%
87Clay County5+66.7%
87Pickett County5+66.7%
90Grainger County4-73.3%
91Moore 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. 4 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 Tennessee 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 Tennessee 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/tennessee-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 Tennessee 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/tennessee-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 Tennessee 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/tennessee-counties?period=2015 (Accessed: 22 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_tennessee_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 Tennessee 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/tennessee-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 Tennessee 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/tennessee-counties?period=2015
Y2  - 2026/10/22
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firm-births/tennessee-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  - 
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Rank Counties in Tennessee by employer firm births using official data, and cite the source.
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Questions

Which county has the highest employer firm births?

Davidson County, with 1,061 in 2015, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest employer firm births?

Moore County, with 3 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. 4 counties have no value for 2015 and are not ranked.

Employer firm births: other rankings

Counties in Tennessee: more rankings