Data / Rankings / Employer firms / Counties in Illinois

Counties in Illinois by employer firms

Cook County had the highest employer firms of 102 counties in 2016, at 94,312. Hardin County had the lowest, at 50. The median was 513 and the figure for Illinois was 221,163. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest94,312Cook County
Lowest50Hardin County
Median513102 counties
Illinois221,163History

Map of counties, 2016

Adams County: 1,506 countAlexander County: 78 countBond County: 276 countBoone County: 725 countBrown County: 94 countBureau County: 617 countCalhoun County: 69 countCarroll County: 326 countCass County: 208 countChampaign County: 3,265 countChristian County: 587 countClark County: 278 countClay County: 308 countClinton County: 712 countColes County: 910 countCook County: 94,312 countCrawford County: 355 countCumberland County: 135 countDeKalb County: 1,643 countDe Witt County: 324 countDouglas County: 495 countDuPage County: 25,277 countEdgar County: 304 countEdwards County: 130 countEffingham County: 1,000 countFayette County: 417 countFord County: 291 countFranklin County: 593 countFulton County: 541 countGallatin County: 90 countGreene County: 181 countGrundy County: 938 countHamilton County: 182 countHancock County: 316 countHardin County: 50 countHenderson County: 97 countHenry County: 885 countIroquois County: 544 countJackson County: 1,053 countJasper County: 188 countJefferson County: 821 countJersey County: 359 countJo Daviess County: 610 countJohnson County: 148 countKane County: 9,875 countKankakee County: 1,851 countKendall County: 1,711 countKnox County: 840 countLake County: 14,520 countLaSalle County: 2,088 countLawrence County: 226 countLee County: 608 countLivingston County: 718 countLogan County: 489 countMcDonough County: 556 countMcHenry County: 6,058 countMcLean County: 2,825 countMacon County: 1,891 countMacoupin County: 716 countMadison County: 4,471 countMarion County: 774 countMarshall County: 225 countMason County: 227 countMassac County: 197 countMenard County: 180 countMercer County: 229 countMonroe County: 679 countMontgomery County: 570 countMorgan County: 699 countMoultrie County: 300 countOgle County: 849 countPeoria County: 3,436 countPerry County: 351 countPiatt County: 273 countPike County: 311 countPope County: 57 countPulaski County: 74 countPutnam County: 110 countRandolph County: 530 countRichland County: 398 countRock Island County: 2,421 countSt. Clair County: 4,037 countSaline County: 465 countSangamon County: 3,858 countSchuyler County: 127 countScott County: 73 countShelby County: 363 countStark County: 107 countStephenson County: 862 countTazewell County: 2,224 countUnion County: 307 countVermilion County: 1,109 countWabash County: 245 countWarren County: 320 countWashington County: 329 countWayne County: 335 countWhite County: 332 countWhiteside County: 1,017 countWill County: 11,459 countWilliamson County: 1,318 countWinnebago County: 4,993 countWoodford County: 651 count
  • Under 200
  • 200 to 300
  • 300 to 500
  • 500 to 700
  • 700 to 1,900
  • 1,900 and over
count, 2016. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2016

Cook County: 94,312 countCook County94,312DuPage County: 25,277 countDuPage County25,277Lake County: 14,520 countLake County14,520Will County: 11,459 countWill County11,459Kane County: 9,875 countKane County9,875McHenry County: 6,058 countMcHenry County6,058Winnebago County: 4,993 countWinnebago County4,993Madison County: 4,471 countMadison County4,471St. Clair County: 4,037 countSt. Clair County4,037Sangamon County: 3,858 countSangamon County3,858Peoria County: 3,436 countPeoria County3,436Champaign County: 3,265 countChampaign County3,265McLean County: 2,825 countMcLean County2,825Rock Island County: 2,421 countRock Island County2,421Tazewell County: 2,224 countTazewell County2,224LaSalle County: 2,088 countLaSalle County2,088Macon County: 1,891 countMacon County1,891Kankakee County: 1,851 countKankakee County1,851Kendall County: 1,711 countKendall County1,711DeKalb County: 1,643 countDeKalb County1,643Adams County: 1,506 countAdams County1,506Williamson County: 1,318 countWilliamson County1,318Vermilion County: 1,109 countVermilion County1,109Jackson County: 1,053 countJackson County1,053Whiteside County: 1,017 countWhiteside County1,017Effingham County: 1,000 countEffingham County1,000Grundy County: 938 countGrundy County938Coles County: 910 countColes County910Henry County: 885 countHenry County885Stephenson County: 862 countStephenson County862Ogle County: 849 countOgle County849Knox County: 840 countKnox County840Jefferson County: 821 countJefferson County821Marion County: 774 countMarion County774Boone County: 725 countBoone County725Livingston County: 718 countLivingston County718Macoupin County: 716 countMacoupin County716Clinton County: 712 countClinton County712Morgan County: 699 countMorgan County699Monroe County: 679 countMonroe County679Cook County: 94,312 countCook County94,312DuPage County: 25,277 countDuPage County25,277Lake County: 14,520 countLake County14,520Will County: 11,459 countWill County11,459Kane County: 9,875 countKane County9,875McHenry County: 6,058 countMcHenry County6,058Winnebago County: 4,993 countWinnebago County4,993Madison County: 4,471 countMadison County4,471St. Clair County: 4,037 countSt. Clair County4,037Sangamon County: 3,858 countSangamon County3,858Peoria County: 3,436 countPeoria County3,436Champaign County: 3,265 countChampaign County3,265McLean County: 2,825 countMcLean County2,825Rock Island County: 2,421 countRock Island County2,421Tazewell County: 2,224 countTazewell County2,224LaSalle County: 2,088 countLaSalle County2,088Macon County: 1,891 countMacon County1,891Kankakee County: 1,851 countKankakee County1,851Kendall County: 1,711 countKendall County1,711DeKalb County: 1,643 countDeKalb County1,643Adams County: 1,506 countAdams County1,506Williamson County: 1,318 countWilliamson County1,318Vermilion County: 1,109 countVermilion County1,109Jackson County: 1,053 countJackson County1,053Whiteside County: 1,017 countWhiteside County1,017Effingham County: 1,000 countEffingham County1,000Grundy County: 938 countGrundy County938Coles County: 910 countColes County910Henry County: 885 countHenry County885Stephenson County: 862 countStephenson County862Ogle County: 849 countOgle County849Knox County: 840 countKnox County840Jefferson County: 821 countJefferson County821Marion County: 774 countMarion County774Boone County: 725 countBoone County725Livingston County: 718 countLivingston County718Macoupin County: 716 countMacoupin County716Clinton County: 712 countClinton County712Morgan County: 699 countMorgan County699Monroe County: 679 countMonroe County679
count. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-11.

Full ranking

RankCounties2016
count		Change on 2015
1Cook County94,312+1.1%
2DuPage County25,277+1.1%
3Lake County14,520+0.7%
4Will County11,459+1.8%
5Kane County9,875+1.7%
6McHenry County6,058+1.8%
7Winnebago County4,993-0.2%
8Madison County4,471+0.6%
9St. Clair County4,037-0.2%
10Sangamon County3,858-0.7%
11Peoria County3,436-0.7%
12Champaign County3,265-0.4%
13McLean County2,8250%
14Rock Island County2,421-2.2%
15Tazewell County2,224+1%
16LaSalle County2,088-1.4%
17Macon County1,891-1.3%
18Kankakee County1,851-1.4%
19Kendall County1,711+2.6%
20DeKalb County1,643-1.4%
21Adams County1,506+0.2%
22Williamson County1,318-0.2%
23Vermilion County1,109-0.9%
24Jackson County1,053+0.6%
25Whiteside County1,017-0.8%
26Effingham County1,000+1.4%
27Grundy County938+3.3%
28Coles County910+0.7%
29Henry County885+0.2%
30Stephenson County862-1.4%
31Ogle County849+1.1%
32Knox County840-0.9%
33Jefferson County821+1.7%
34Marion County774-0.5%
35Boone County725+3.3%
36Livingston County718+0.1%
37Macoupin County716-1.2%
38Clinton County712+2%
39Morgan County699-0.6%
40Monroe County679+1%
41Woodford County6510%
42Bureau County617-1.4%
43Jo Daviess County610-1.5%
44Lee County608-1.3%
45Franklin County5930%
46Christian County587-1.2%
47Montgomery County570-0.5%
48McDonough County5560%
49Iroquois County544+0.9%
50Fulton County541-2.9%
51Randolph County530-2%
52Douglas County495+1.9%
53Logan County489-0.2%
54Saline County465+0.4%
55Fayette County417-1%
56Richland County398+1%
57Shelby County363-1.6%
58Jersey County359+0.3%
59Crawford County355+0.3%
60Perry County351-3.8%
61Wayne County335-1.2%
62White County332+2.2%
63Washington County329-0.3%
64Carroll County326+1.6%
65De Witt County3240%
66Warren County320+2.6%
67Hancock County316+0.3%
68Pike County3110%
69Clay County308+1%
70Union County307-1%
71Edgar County304+0.3%
72Moultrie County300-1.3%
73Ford County291-5.5%
74Clark County278-0.7%
75Bond County276+0.4%
76Piatt County273+1.1%
77Wabash County245+1.7%
78Mercer County229+1.3%
79Mason County227-0.9%
80Lawrence County226-0.9%
81Marshall County225-3.4%
82Cass County208+4%
83Massac County197+1.5%
84Jasper County1880%
85Hamilton County182+0.6%
86Greene County181-9%
87Menard County180+7.1%
88Johnson County148+2.1%
89Cumberland County135-9.4%
90Edwards County130+2.4%
91Schuyler County127+1.6%
92Putnam County110-6%
93Stark County107+7%
94Henderson County97+1%
95Brown County94-1.1%
96Gallatin County90+4.7%
97Alexander County78-1.3%
98Pulaski County74-3.9%
99Scott County73-1.4%
100Calhoun County69-13.8%
101Pope County57+1.8%
102Hardin County50-2%

Other periods

About this ranking

Number of firms in the private nonfarm sectors covered by the US Census Bureau Business Dynamics Statistics. Establishments under common ownership form one firm.

Excludes nonemployer businesses. Differs from active_companies, the INE DIRCE count, which includes businesses without employees.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the counties are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-11.

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: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties (Counties in Illinois by employer firms, 2016) [Data set]. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv

MLA 9

Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties, Counties in Illinois by employer firms, 2016. U.S. Census Bureau, 25 Sept. 2025, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firms/illinois-counties?period=2016. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2025. Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. Counties in Illinois by employer firms, 2016. Dataset. Accessed October 11, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firms/illinois-counties?period=2016.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2025) Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties, Counties in Illinois by employer firms, 2016 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firms/illinois-counties?period=2016 (Accessed: 11 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_illinois_by_2016,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties: Counties in Illinois by employer firms, 2016}},
  year = {2025},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-11},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firms/illinois-counties?period=2016. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023\_st\_cty.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-11.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties: Counties in Illinois by employer firms, 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.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firms/illinois-counties?period=2016
Y2  - 2026/10/11
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firms/illinois-counties?period=2016.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
ER  -
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Questions

Which county has the highest employer firms?

Cook County, with 94,312 in 2016, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest employer firms?

Hardin County, with 50 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: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-11.

Employer firms: other rankings

Counties in Illinois: more rankings