Counties in West Virginia by employer firm births

Kanawha County had the highest employer firm births of 52 counties in 2019, at 123. Tucker County had the lowest, at 4. The median was 14 and the figure for West Virginia was 1,392. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest123Kanawha County
Median1452 counties
West Virginia1,392History

Map of counties, 2019

Barbour County: 11 countBerkeley County: 92 countBoone County: 8 countBraxton County: 12 countBrooke County: 10 countCabell County: 73 countCalhoun County: 6 countDoddridge County: 4 countFayette County: 35 countGilmer County: 5 countGrant County: 11 countGreenbrier County: 36 countHampshire County: 12 countHancock County: 14 countHardy County: 12 countHarrison County: 79 countJackson County: 28 countJefferson County: 49 countKanawha County: 123 countLewis County: 17 countLincoln County: 5 countLogan County: 24 countMcDowell County: 4 countMarion County: 49 countMarshall County: 16 countMason County: 13 countMercer County: 56 countMineral County: 11 countMingo County: 25 countMonongalia County: 103 countMonroe County: 10 countMorgan County: 14 countNicholas County: 28 countOhio County: 38 countPendleton County: 7 countPleasants County: 4 countPocahontas County: 16 countPreston County: 20 countPutnam County: 52 countRaleigh County: 65 countRandolph County: 26 countRoane County: 8 countSummers County: 14 countTaylor County: 10 countTucker County: 4 countTyler County: 6 countUpshur County: 23 countWayne County: 22 countWetzel County: 13 countWirt County: 6 countWood County: 66 countWyoming County: 10 count
  • Under 7
  • 7 to 11
  • 11 to 14
  • 14 to 25
  • 25 to 51
  • 51 and over
  • No data
count, 2019. 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.

All counties, 2019

Kanawha County: 123 countKanawha County123Monongalia County: 103 countMonongalia County103Berkeley County: 92 countBerkeley County92Harrison County: 79 countHarrison County79Cabell County: 73 countCabell County73Wood County: 66 countWood County66Raleigh County: 65 countRaleigh County65Mercer County: 56 countMercer County56Putnam County: 52 countPutnam County52Jefferson County: 49 countJefferson County49Marion County: 49 countMarion County49Ohio County: 38 countOhio County38Greenbrier County: 36 countGreenbrier County36Fayette County: 35 countFayette County35Jackson County: 28 countJackson County28Nicholas County: 28 countNicholas County28Randolph County: 26 countRandolph County26Mingo County: 25 countMingo County25Logan County: 24 countLogan County24Upshur County: 23 countUpshur County23Wayne County: 22 countWayne County22Preston County: 20 countPreston County20Lewis County: 17 countLewis County17Marshall County: 16 countMarshall County16Pocahontas County: 16 countPocahontas County16Hancock County: 14 countHancock County14Morgan County: 14 countMorgan County14Summers County: 14 countSummers County14Mason County: 13 countMason County13Wetzel County: 13 countWetzel County13Braxton County: 12 countBraxton County12Hampshire County: 12 countHampshire County12Hardy County: 12 countHardy County12Barbour County: 11 countBarbour County11Grant County: 11 countGrant County11Mineral County: 11 countMineral County11Brooke County: 10 countBrooke County10Monroe County: 10 countMonroe County10Taylor County: 10 countTaylor County10Wyoming County: 10 countWyoming County10Boone County: 8 countBoone County8Roane County: 8 countRoane County8Pendleton County: 7 countPendleton County7Calhoun County: 6 countCalhoun County6Tyler County: 6 countTyler County6Wirt County: 6 countWirt County6Gilmer County: 5 countGilmer County5Lincoln County: 5 countLincoln County5Doddridge County: 4 countDoddridge County4McDowell County: 4 countMcDowell County4Pleasants County: 4 countPleasants County4Tucker County: 4 countTucker County4Kanawha County: 123 countKanawha County123Monongalia County: 103 countMonongalia County103Berkeley County: 92 countBerkeley County92Harrison County: 79 countHarrison County79Cabell County: 73 countCabell County73Wood County: 66 countWood County66Raleigh County: 65 countRaleigh County65Mercer County: 56 countMercer County56Putnam County: 52 countPutnam County52Jefferson County: 49 countJefferson County49Marion County: 49 countMarion County49Ohio County: 38 countOhio County38Greenbrier County: 36 countGreenbrier County36Fayette County: 35 countFayette County35Jackson County: 28 countJackson County28Nicholas County: 28 countNicholas County28Randolph County: 26 countRandolph County26Mingo County: 25 countMingo County25Logan County: 24 countLogan County24Upshur County: 23 countUpshur County23Wayne County: 22 countWayne County22Preston County: 20 countPreston County20Lewis County: 17 countLewis County17Marshall County: 16 countMarshall County16Pocahontas County: 16 countPocahontas County16Hancock County: 14 countHancock County14Morgan County: 14 countMorgan County14Summers County: 14 countSummers County14Mason County: 13 countMason County13Wetzel County: 13 countWetzel County13Braxton County: 12 countBraxton County12Hampshire County: 12 countHampshire County12Hardy County: 12 countHardy County12Barbour County: 11 countBarbour County11Grant County: 11 countGrant County11Mineral County: 11 countMineral County11Brooke County: 10 countBrooke County10Monroe County: 10 countMonroe County10Taylor County: 10 countTaylor County10Wyoming County: 10 countWyoming County10Boone County: 8 countBoone County8Roane County: 8 countRoane County8Pendleton County: 7 countPendleton County7Calhoun County: 6 countCalhoun County6Tyler County: 6 countTyler County6Wirt County: 6 countWirt County6Gilmer County: 5 countGilmer County5Lincoln County: 5 countLincoln County5Doddridge County: 4 countDoddridge County4McDowell County: 4 countMcDowell County4Pleasants County: 4 countPleasants County4Tucker County: 4 countTucker County4
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

RankCounties2019
count
Change on 2018
1Kanawha County123-14%
2Monongalia County103-17.6%
3Berkeley County92+4.5%
4Harrison County79+17.9%
5Cabell County73+35.2%
6Wood County66+17.9%
7Raleigh County65+18.2%
8Mercer County56+55.6%
9Putnam County52+57.6%
10Jefferson County49+11.4%
10Marion County49+44.1%
12Ohio County38-5%
13Greenbrier County36-14.3%
14Fayette County35+20.7%
15Jackson County28+47.4%
15Nicholas County28+12%
17Randolph County26+44.4%
18Mingo County25+150%
19Logan County24+4.3%
20Upshur County230%
21Wayne County220%
22Preston County20+5.3%
23Lewis County17+21.4%
24Marshall County16+14.3%
24Pocahontas County16+45.5%
26Hancock County14-22.2%
26Morgan County14+55.6%
26Summers County14+100%
29Mason County13+44.4%
29Wetzel County13+116.7%
31Braxton County12+33.3%
31Hampshire County12-45.5%
31Hardy County12+50%
34Barbour County11+22.2%
34Grant County11+37.5%
34Mineral County11-47.6%
37Brooke County10+66.7%
37Monroe County10+150%
37Taylor County10-28.6%
37Wyoming County10-9.1%
41Boone County8-27.3%
41Roane County8+60%
43Pendleton County7+133.3%
44Calhoun County6+50%
44Tyler County6+100%
44Wirt County6n/a
47Gilmer County5+66.7%
47Lincoln County5+25%
49Doddridge County4n/a
49McDowell County4-50%
49Pleasants County4n/a
49Tucker County4-20%

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 2019 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 West Virginia by employer firm births, 2019) [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 West Virginia by employer firm births, 2019. 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/west-virginia-counties?period=2019. 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 West Virginia by employer firm births, 2019. 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/west-virginia-counties?period=2019.

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 West Virginia by employer firm births, 2019 [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/west-virginia-counties?period=2019 (Accessed: 22 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_west_virginia_2019,
  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 West Virginia by employer firm births, 2019}},
  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/west-virginia-counties?period=2019. 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 West Virginia by employer firm births, 2019
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/west-virginia-counties?period=2019
Y2  - 2026/10/22
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firm-births/west-virginia-counties?period=2019.
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?

Kanawha County, with 123 in 2019, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest employer firm births?

Tucker County, with 4 in 2019.

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 2019 and are not ranked.

Employer firm births: other rankings

Counties in West Virginia: more rankings