Counties in Tennessee by employer firm births

Davidson County had the highest employer firm births of 92 counties in 2016, at 1,104. Sequatchie County had the lowest, at 5. The median was 24 and the figure for Tennessee was 6,690. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest1,104Davidson County
Median2492 counties
Tennessee6,690History

Map of counties, 2016

Anderson County: 55 countBedford County: 31 countBenton County: 15 countBledsoe County: 5 countBlount County: 104 countBradley County: 75 countCampbell County: 25 countCannon County: 14 countCarroll County: 24 countCarter County: 28 countCheatham County: 54 countChester County: 9 countClaiborne County: 22 countClay County: 11 countCocke County: 19 countCoffee County: 63 countCrockett County: 10 countCumberland County: 57 countDavidson County: 1,104 countDecatur County: 14 countDeKalb County: 17 countDickson County: 50 countDyer County: 26 countFayette County: 36 countFentress County: 9 countFranklin County: 25 countGibson County: 33 countGiles County: 14 countGrainger County: 10 countGreene County: 43 countGrundy County: 9 countHamblen County: 59 countHamilton County: 462 countHardeman County: 12 countHardin County: 22 countHawkins County: 28 countHaywood County: 11 countHenderson County: 24 countHenry County: 24 countHickman County: 13 countHouston County: 6 countHumphreys County: 11 countJackson County: 6 countJefferson County: 38 countJohnson County: 5 countKnox County: 562 countLauderdale County: 11 countLawrence County: 33 countLewis County: 10 countLincoln County: 31 countLoudon County: 55 countMcMinn County: 44 countMcNairy County: 12 countMacon County: 14 countMadison County: 96 countMarion County: 18 countMarshall County: 20 countMaury County: 102 countMeigs County: 5 countMonroe County: 30 countMontgomery County: 140 countMoore County: 5 countMorgan County: 9 countObion County: 22 countOverton County: 27 countPerry County: 10 countPickett County: 7 countPolk County: 7 countPutnam County: 85 countRhea County: 22 countRoane County: 27 countRobertson County: 57 countRutherford County: 263 countScott County: 10 countSequatchie County: 5 countSevier County: 165 countShelby County: 822 countSmith County: 13 countStewart County: 7 countSullivan County: 135 countSumner County: 186 countTipton County: 35 countTrousdale County: 7 countUnicoi County: 12 countUnion County: 10 countWarren County: 27 countWashington County: 127 countWayne County: 12 countWeakley County: 23 countWhite County: 23 countWilliamson County: 470 countWilson County: 164 count
  • Under 10
  • 10 to 20
  • 20 to 30
  • 30 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

Davidson County: 1,104 countDavidson County1,104Shelby County: 822 countShelby County822Knox County: 562 countKnox County562Williamson County: 470 countWilliamson County470Hamilton County: 462 countHamilton County462Rutherford County: 263 countRutherford County263Sumner County: 186 countSumner County186Sevier County: 165 countSevier County165Wilson County: 164 countWilson County164Montgomery County: 140 countMontgomery County140Sullivan County: 135 countSullivan County135Washington County: 127 countWashington County127Blount County: 104 countBlount County104Maury County: 102 countMaury County102Madison County: 96 countMadison County96Putnam County: 85 countPutnam County85Bradley County: 75 countBradley County75Coffee County: 63 countCoffee County63Hamblen County: 59 countHamblen County59Cumberland County: 57 countCumberland County57Robertson County: 57 countRobertson County57Anderson County: 55 countAnderson County55Loudon County: 55 countLoudon County55Cheatham County: 54 countCheatham County54Dickson County: 50 countDickson County50McMinn County: 44 countMcMinn County44Greene County: 43 countGreene County43Jefferson County: 38 countJefferson County38Fayette County: 36 countFayette County36Tipton County: 35 countTipton County35Gibson County: 33 countGibson County33Lawrence County: 33 countLawrence County33Bedford County: 31 countBedford County31Lincoln County: 31 countLincoln County31Monroe County: 30 countMonroe County30Carter County: 28 countCarter County28Hawkins County: 28 countHawkins County28Overton County: 27 countOverton County27Roane County: 27 countRoane County27Warren County: 27 countWarren County27Davidson County: 1,104 countDavidson County1,104Shelby County: 822 countShelby County822Knox County: 562 countKnox County562Williamson County: 470 countWilliamson County470Hamilton County: 462 countHamilton County462Rutherford County: 263 countRutherford County263Sumner County: 186 countSumner County186Sevier County: 165 countSevier County165Wilson County: 164 countWilson County164Montgomery County: 140 countMontgomery County140Sullivan County: 135 countSullivan County135Washington County: 127 countWashington County127Blount County: 104 countBlount County104Maury County: 102 countMaury County102Madison County: 96 countMadison County96Putnam County: 85 countPutnam County85Bradley County: 75 countBradley County75Coffee County: 63 countCoffee County63Hamblen County: 59 countHamblen County59Cumberland County: 57 countCumberland County57Robertson County: 57 countRobertson County57Anderson County: 55 countAnderson County55Loudon County: 55 countLoudon County55Cheatham County: 54 countCheatham County54Dickson County: 50 countDickson County50McMinn County: 44 countMcMinn County44Greene County: 43 countGreene County43Jefferson County: 38 countJefferson County38Fayette County: 36 countFayette County36Tipton County: 35 countTipton County35Gibson County: 33 countGibson County33Lawrence County: 33 countLawrence County33Bedford County: 31 countBedford County31Lincoln County: 31 countLincoln County31Monroe County: 30 countMonroe County30Carter County: 28 countCarter County28Hawkins County: 28 countHawkins County28Overton County: 27 countOverton County27Roane County: 27 countRoane County27Warren County: 27 countWarren County27
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
1Davidson County1,104+4.1%
2Shelby County822-2.5%
3Knox County562+11.1%
4Williamson County4700%
5Hamilton County462+12.7%
6Rutherford County263-8.4%
7Sumner County186-4.1%
8Sevier County1650%
9Wilson County164-1.2%
10Montgomery County140-10.3%
11Sullivan County135+29.8%
12Washington County127-11.2%
13Blount County104+10.6%
14Maury County102+20%
15Madison County96+10.3%
16Putnam County85-2.3%
17Bradley County75-13.8%
18Coffee County63+61.5%
19Hamblen County59+22.9%
20Cumberland County57+14%
20Robertson County57-13.6%
22Anderson County55+10%
22Loudon County55+25%
24Cheatham County54+45.9%
25Dickson County50+28.2%
26McMinn County44+33.3%
27Greene County43+10.3%
28Jefferson County380%
29Fayette County36+24.1%
30Tipton County35-12.5%
31Gibson County33-10.8%
31Lawrence County33+3.1%
33Bedford County31-24.4%
33Lincoln County31+14.8%
35Monroe County30-18.9%
36Carter County28-3.4%
36Hawkins County28+33.3%
38Overton County27+68.8%
38Roane County27+42.1%
38Warren County27-15.6%
41Dyer County260%
42Campbell County25+31.6%
42Franklin County25-24.2%
44Carroll County24+41.2%
44Henderson County24+26.3%
44Henry County24+33.3%
47Weakley County23+15%
47White County23-4.2%
49Claiborne County22+10%
49Hardin County22-15.4%
49Obion County22-12%
49Rhea County22+120%
53Marshall County20-33.3%
54Cocke County19+18.8%
55Marion County18-18.2%
56DeKalb County17+88.9%
57Benton County15+36.4%
58Cannon County14+27.3%
58Decatur County14+27.3%
58Giles County14-26.3%
58Macon County14+16.7%
62Hickman County130%
62Smith County13-7.1%
64Hardeman County12-20%
64McNairy County12-47.8%
64Unicoi County12+71.4%
64Wayne County120%
68Clay County11+120%
68Haywood County110%
68Humphreys County11-15.4%
68Lauderdale County11+10%
72Crockett County10-9.1%
72Grainger County10+150%
72Lewis County10-41.2%
72Perry County10n/a
72Scott County10-23.1%
72Union County10-16.7%
78Chester County90%
78Fentress County9+28.6%
78Grundy County90%
78Morgan County9+50%
82Pickett County7+40%
82Polk County7-36.4%
82Stewart County7+16.7%
82Trousdale County7+16.7%
86Houston County6-14.3%
86Jackson County6-33.3%
88Bledsoe County50%
88Johnson County5-50%
88Meigs County5-37.5%
88Moore County5+66.7%
88Sequatchie County5-58.3%

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 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 Tennessee 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 Tennessee 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/tennessee-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 Tennessee 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/tennessee-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 Tennessee 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/tennessee-counties?period=2016 (Accessed: 22 October 2026).

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

Davidson County, with 1,104 in 2016, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest employer firm births?

Sequatchie County, with 5 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. 3 counties have no value for 2016 and are not ranked.

Employer firm births: other rankings

Counties in Tennessee: more rankings