Counties in Tennessee by employer firm births

Davidson County had the highest employer firm births of 93 counties in 2022, at 1,405. Pickett County had the lowest, at 3. The median was 30 and the figure for Tennessee was 8,767. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest1,405Davidson County
Median3093 counties
Tennessee8,767History

Map of counties, 2022

Anderson County: 66 countBedford County: 72 countBenton County: 18 countBledsoe County: 11 countBlount County: 159 countBradley County: 80 countCampbell County: 27 countCannon County: 22 countCarroll County: 22 countCarter County: 45 countCheatham County: 41 countChester County: 20 countClaiborne County: 21 countClay County: 6 countCocke County: 26 countCoffee County: 82 countCrockett County: 19 countCumberland County: 56 countDavidson County: 1,405 countDecatur County: 11 countDeKalb County: 22 countDickson County: 72 countDyer County: 32 countFayette County: 49 countFentress County: 15 countFranklin County: 49 countGibson County: 56 countGiles County: 40 countGrainger County: 23 countGreene County: 66 countGrundy County: 16 countHamblen County: 59 countHamilton County: 565 countHancock County: 5 countHardeman County: 17 countHardin County: 30 countHawkins County: 28 countHaywood County: 11 countHenderson County: 22 countHenry County: 17 countHickman County: 22 countHouston County: 6 countHumphreys County: 19 countJackson County: 7 countJefferson County: 46 countJohnson County: 13 countKnox County: 702 countLauderdale County: 12 countLawrence County: 40 countLewis County: 12 countLincoln County: 31 countLoudon County: 57 countMcMinn County: 45 countMcNairy County: 36 countMacon County: 20 countMadison County: 133 countMarion County: 21 countMarshall County: 36 countMaury County: 141 countMeigs County: 5 countMonroe County: 36 countMontgomery County: 258 countMorgan County: 14 countObion County: 30 countOverton County: 27 countPerry County: 12 countPickett County: 3 countPolk County: 14 countPutnam County: 91 countRhea County: 34 countRoane County: 39 countRobertson County: 85 countRutherford County: 400 countScott County: 12 countSequatchie County: 17 countSevier County: 187 countShelby County: 979 countSmith County: 20 countStewart County: 13 countSullivan County: 140 countSumner County: 273 countTipton County: 54 countTrousdale County: 11 countUnicoi County: 10 countUnion County: 20 countVan Buren County: 4 countWarren County: 42 countWashington County: 177 countWayne County: 13 countWeakley County: 31 countWhite County: 19 countWilliamson County: 675 countWilson County: 246 count
  • Under 10
  • 10 to 20
  • 20 to 30
  • 30 to 50
  • 50 to 90
  • 90 and over
  • No data
count, 2022. 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, 2022

Davidson County: 1,405 countDavidson County1,405Shelby County: 979 countShelby County979Knox County: 702 countKnox County702Williamson County: 675 countWilliamson County675Hamilton County: 565 countHamilton County565Rutherford County: 400 countRutherford County400Sumner County: 273 countSumner County273Montgomery County: 258 countMontgomery County258Wilson County: 246 countWilson County246Sevier County: 187 countSevier County187Washington County: 177 countWashington County177Blount County: 159 countBlount County159Maury County: 141 countMaury County141Sullivan County: 140 countSullivan County140Madison County: 133 countMadison County133Putnam County: 91 countPutnam County91Robertson County: 85 countRobertson County85Coffee County: 82 countCoffee County82Bradley County: 80 countBradley County80Bedford County: 72 countBedford County72Dickson County: 72 countDickson County72Anderson County: 66 countAnderson County66Greene County: 66 countGreene County66Hamblen County: 59 countHamblen County59Loudon County: 57 countLoudon County57Cumberland County: 56 countCumberland County56Gibson County: 56 countGibson County56Tipton County: 54 countTipton County54Fayette County: 49 countFayette County49Franklin County: 49 countFranklin County49Jefferson County: 46 countJefferson County46Carter County: 45 countCarter County45McMinn County: 45 countMcMinn County45Warren County: 42 countWarren County42Cheatham County: 41 countCheatham County41Giles County: 40 countGiles County40Lawrence County: 40 countLawrence County40Roane County: 39 countRoane County39Marshall County: 36 countMarshall County36McNairy County: 36 countMcNairy County36Davidson County: 1,405 countDavidson County1,405Shelby County: 979 countShelby County979Knox County: 702 countKnox County702Williamson County: 675 countWilliamson County675Hamilton County: 565 countHamilton County565Rutherford County: 400 countRutherford County400Sumner County: 273 countSumner County273Montgomery County: 258 countMontgomery County258Wilson County: 246 countWilson County246Sevier County: 187 countSevier County187Washington County: 177 countWashington County177Blount County: 159 countBlount County159Maury County: 141 countMaury County141Sullivan County: 140 countSullivan County140Madison County: 133 countMadison County133Putnam County: 91 countPutnam County91Robertson County: 85 countRobertson County85Coffee County: 82 countCoffee County82Bradley County: 80 countBradley County80Bedford County: 72 countBedford County72Dickson County: 72 countDickson County72Anderson County: 66 countAnderson County66Greene County: 66 countGreene County66Hamblen County: 59 countHamblen County59Loudon County: 57 countLoudon County57Cumberland County: 56 countCumberland County56Gibson County: 56 countGibson County56Tipton County: 54 countTipton County54Fayette County: 49 countFayette County49Franklin County: 49 countFranklin County49Jefferson County: 46 countJefferson County46Carter County: 45 countCarter County45McMinn County: 45 countMcMinn County45Warren County: 42 countWarren County42Cheatham County: 41 countCheatham County41Giles County: 40 countGiles County40Lawrence County: 40 countLawrence County40Roane County: 39 countRoane County39Marshall County: 36 countMarshall County36McNairy County: 36 countMcNairy County36
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

RankCounties2022
count
Change on 2021
1Davidson County1,405+11.4%
2Shelby County979-22.4%
3Knox County702+3.4%
4Williamson County675+15.8%
5Hamilton County565+8.2%
6Rutherford County400+6.4%
7Sumner County273+8.3%
8Montgomery County258+17.8%
9Wilson County246+22.4%
10Sevier County187+19.9%
11Washington County177+21.2%
12Blount County159+39.5%
13Maury County141+19.5%
14Sullivan County140-7.9%
15Madison County133+9%
16Putnam County91-9.9%
17Robertson County85+26.9%
18Coffee County82+43.9%
19Bradley County80-7%
20Bedford County72+46.9%
20Dickson County72+30.9%
22Anderson County66-5.7%
22Greene County66+34.7%
24Hamblen County59+1.7%
25Loudon County57+50%
26Cumberland County56-20%
26Gibson County560%
28Tipton County54+5.9%
29Fayette County49-43%
29Franklin County49+22.5%
31Jefferson County46-4.2%
32Carter County45-2.2%
32McMinn County45+18.4%
34Warren County42+55.6%
35Cheatham County41+17.1%
36Giles County40+42.9%
36Lawrence County40-4.8%
38Roane County39+25.8%
39Marshall County36+20%
39McNairy County36+100%
39Monroe County36-2.7%
42Rhea County34+78.9%
43Dyer County32+28%
44Lincoln County31-3.1%
44Weakley County31+47.6%
46Hardin County300%
46Obion County30-9.1%
48Hawkins County28-17.6%
49Campbell County27+17.4%
49Overton County27+50%
51Cocke County26+18.2%
52Grainger County23+27.8%
53Cannon County22+83.3%
53Carroll County220%
53DeKalb County22+10%
53Henderson County220%
53Hickman County22+46.7%
58Claiborne County21+40%
58Marion County21-43.2%
60Chester County20+25%
60Macon County20+53.8%
60Smith County20+25%
60Union County20+122.2%
64Crockett County19+18.8%
64Humphreys County19-17.4%
64White County19-29.6%
67Benton County18+50%
68Hardeman County17-41.4%
68Henry County17-43.3%
68Sequatchie County17+112.5%
71Grundy County16+300%
72Fentress County15-28.6%
73Morgan County14n/a
73Polk County14-12.5%
75Johnson County13-23.5%
75Stewart County13+44.4%
75Wayne County13-7.1%
78Lauderdale County120%
78Lewis County120%
78Perry County12+140%
78Scott County12-20%
82Bledsoe County11+266.7%
82Decatur County11-8.3%
82Haywood County110%
82Trousdale County110%
86Unicoi County10-28.6%
87Jackson County7-22.2%
88Clay County6+20%
88Houston County6-25%
90Hancock County5+25%
90Meigs County5-44.4%
92Van Buren County4-33.3%
93Pickett 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. 2 counties with data in other periods have no value for 2022 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, 2022) [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, 2022. 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=2022. 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, 2022. 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=2022.

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, 2022 [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=2022 (Accessed: 22 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_tennessee_by_2022,
  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, 2022}},
  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=2022. 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, 2022
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=2022
Y2  - 2026/10/22
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firm-births/tennessee-counties?period=2022.
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 1,405 in 2022, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest employer firm births?

Pickett County, with 3 in 2022.

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. 2 counties have no value for 2022 and are not ranked.

Employer firm births: other rankings

Counties in Tennessee: more rankings