Counties in Missouri by employer firms, 2023

St. Louis County had the highest employer firms of 115 counties in 2023, at 20,664. Worth County had the lowest, at 43. The median was 323 and the figure for Missouri was 102,345. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest20,664St. Louis County
Lowest43Worth County
Median323115 counties
Missouri102,345History

Map of counties, 2023

Adair County: 482 countAndrew County: 240 countAtchison County: 137 countAudrain County: 399 countBarry County: 649 countBarton County: 205 countBates County: 286 countBenton County: 322 countBollinger County: 153 countBoone County: 3,759 countBuchanan County: 1,599 countButler County: 869 countCaldwell County: 126 countCallaway County: 626 countCamden County: 1,319 countCape Girardeau County: 1,913 countCarroll County: 166 countCarter County: 123 countCass County: 1,749 countCedar County: 261 countChariton County: 174 countChristian County: 1,678 countClark County: 117 countClay County: 4,468 countClinton County: 307 countCole County: 1,805 countCooper County: 325 countCrawford County: 413 countDade County: 127 countDallas County: 233 countDaviess County: 135 countDeKalb County: 191 countDent County: 262 countDouglas County: 187 countDunklin County: 483 countFranklin County: 2,156 countGasconade County: 364 countGentry County: 150 countGreene County: 6,540 countGrundy County: 197 countHarrison County: 144 countHenry County: 492 countHickory County: 120 countHolt County: 122 countHoward County: 151 countHowell County: 877 countIron County: 165 countJackson County: 13,097 countJasper County: 2,170 countJefferson County: 3,118 countJohnson County: 797 countKnox County: 81 countLaclede County: 615 countLafayette County: 591 countLawrence County: 579 countLewis County: 149 countLincoln County: 873 countLinn County: 254 countLivingston County: 350 countMcDonald County: 243 countMacon County: 287 countMadison County: 200 countMaries County: 119 countMarion County: 640 countMercer County: 68 countMiller County: 584 countMississippi County: 180 countMoniteau County: 277 countMonroe County: 141 countMontgomery County: 205 countMorgan County: 454 countNew Madrid County: 294 countNewton County: 1,106 countNodaway County: 419 countOregon County: 151 countOsage County: 234 countOzark County: 135 countPemiscot County: 225 countPerry County: 465 countPettis County: 837 countPhelps County: 858 countPike County: 323 countPlatte County: 2,122 countPolk County: 520 countPulaski County: 550 countPutnam County: 82 countRalls County: 190 countRandolph County: 468 countRay County: 311 countReynolds County: 103 countRipley County: 222 countSt. Charles County: 6,588 countSt. Clair County: 127 countSte. Genevieve County: 369 countSt. Francois County: 1,140 countSt. Louis County: 20,664 countSaline County: 381 countSchuyler County: 69 countScotland County: 127 countScott County: 807 countShannon County: 119 countShelby County: 145 countStoddard County: 545 countStone County: 637 countSullivan County: 87 countTaney County: 1,510 countTexas County: 375 countVernon County: 387 countWarren County: 545 countWashington County: 319 countWayne County: 175 countWebster County: 627 countWorth County: 43 countWright County: 364 countSt. Louis city: 6,228 count
  • Under 100
  • 100 to 200
  • 200 to 300
  • 300 to 500
  • 500 to 1,100
  • 1,100 and over
count, 2023. 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, 2023

St. Louis County: 20,664 countSt. Louis County20,664Jackson County: 13,097 countJackson County13,097St. Charles County: 6,588 countSt. Charles County6,588Greene County: 6,540 countGreene County6,540St. Louis city: 6,228 countSt. Louis city6,228Clay County: 4,468 countClay County4,468Boone County: 3,759 countBoone County3,759Jefferson County: 3,118 countJefferson County3,118Jasper County: 2,170 countJasper County2,170Franklin County: 2,156 countFranklin County2,156Platte County: 2,122 countPlatte County2,122Cape Girardeau County: 1,913 countCape Girardeau County1,913Cole County: 1,805 countCole County1,805Cass County: 1,749 countCass County1,749Christian County: 1,678 countChristian County1,678Buchanan County: 1,599 countBuchanan County1,599Taney County: 1,510 countTaney County1,510Camden County: 1,319 countCamden County1,319St. Francois County: 1,140 countSt. Francois County1,140Newton County: 1,106 countNewton County1,106Howell County: 877 countHowell County877Lincoln County: 873 countLincoln County873Butler County: 869 countButler County869Phelps County: 858 countPhelps County858Pettis County: 837 countPettis County837Scott County: 807 countScott County807Johnson County: 797 countJohnson County797Barry County: 649 countBarry County649Marion County: 640 countMarion County640Stone County: 637 countStone County637Webster County: 627 countWebster County627Callaway County: 626 countCallaway County626Laclede County: 615 countLaclede County615Lafayette County: 591 countLafayette County591Miller County: 584 countMiller County584Lawrence County: 579 countLawrence County579Pulaski County: 550 countPulaski County550Stoddard County: 545 countStoddard County545Warren County: 545 countWarren County545Polk County: 520 countPolk County520St. Louis County: 20,664 countSt. Louis County20,664Jackson County: 13,097 countJackson County13,097St. Charles County: 6,588 countSt. Charles County6,588Greene County: 6,540 countGreene County6,540St. Louis city: 6,228 countSt. Louis city6,228Clay County: 4,468 countClay County4,468Boone County: 3,759 countBoone County3,759Jefferson County: 3,118 countJefferson County3,118Jasper County: 2,170 countJasper County2,170Franklin County: 2,156 countFranklin County2,156Platte County: 2,122 countPlatte County2,122Cape Girardeau County: 1,913 countCape Girardeau County1,913Cole County: 1,805 countCole County1,805Cass County: 1,749 countCass County1,749Christian County: 1,678 countChristian County1,678Buchanan County: 1,599 countBuchanan County1,599Taney County: 1,510 countTaney County1,510Camden County: 1,319 countCamden County1,319St. Francois County: 1,140 countSt. Francois County1,140Newton County: 1,106 countNewton County1,106Howell County: 877 countHowell County877Lincoln County: 873 countLincoln County873Butler County: 869 countButler County869Phelps County: 858 countPhelps County858Pettis County: 837 countPettis County837Scott County: 807 countScott County807Johnson County: 797 countJohnson County797Barry County: 649 countBarry County649Marion County: 640 countMarion County640Stone County: 637 countStone County637Webster County: 627 countWebster County627Callaway County: 626 countCallaway County626Laclede County: 615 countLaclede County615Lafayette County: 591 countLafayette County591Miller County: 584 countMiller County584Lawrence County: 579 countLawrence County579Pulaski County: 550 countPulaski County550Stoddard County: 545 countStoddard County545Warren County: 545 countWarren County545Polk County: 520 countPolk County520
count. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-11.

Full ranking

RankCounties2023
count
Change on 2022
1St. Louis County20,664-5.8%
2Jackson County13,097-1.1%
3St. Charles County6,588-0.9%
4Greene County6,540-0.3%
5St. Louis city6,228-9.7%
6Clay County4,468+1.9%
7Boone County3,759+1.5%
8Jefferson County3,118+1%
9Jasper County2,1700%
10Franklin County2,156+0.5%
11Platte County2,122+2.9%
12Cape Girardeau County1,913-0.1%
13Cole County1,805+0.6%
14Cass County1,749+0.5%
15Christian County1,678+2.3%
16Buchanan County1,599-3.7%
17Taney County1,510+2.2%
18Camden County1,319+4.7%
19St. Francois County1,140-1.2%
20Newton County1,106+2.7%
21Howell County877-3.5%
22Lincoln County873+1.5%
23Butler County869+1.8%
24Phelps County858-0.2%
25Pettis County837-4.6%
26Scott County807-4.6%
27Johnson County797+0.9%
28Barry County649+3%
29Marion County640-2.6%
30Stone County637+1.1%
31Webster County627-0.2%
32Callaway County626-1.1%
33Laclede County615-1.8%
34Lafayette County591+1.2%
35Miller County584-0.3%
36Lawrence County579-1.5%
37Pulaski County550+1.1%
38Stoddard County545-2.7%
38Warren County545+2.3%
40Polk County520-0.2%
41Henry County492+0.2%
42Dunklin County483-5.1%
43Adair County482+0.6%
44Randolph County468+3.3%
45Perry County465+2.9%
46Morgan County454+1.6%
47Nodaway County419+0.7%
48Crawford County413-0.5%
49Audrain County399-2%
50Vernon County387-6.1%
51Saline County381-1.3%
52Texas County375-2.8%
53Ste. Genevieve County369+3.4%
54Gasconade County364+3.1%
54Wright County364+6.7%
56Livingston County350+1.2%
57Cooper County325+0.9%
58Pike County323-2.4%
59Benton County322-3.9%
60Washington County319+1.3%
61Ray County311+3.7%
62Clinton County307+2%
63New Madrid County294-8.1%
64Macon County287+1.1%
65Bates County286-2.4%
66Moniteau County277-3.5%
67Dent County262+1.6%
68Cedar County261-1.5%
69Linn County254+0.8%
70McDonald County243-5.4%
71Andrew County240-1.2%
72Osage County234-2.5%
73Dallas County2330%
74Pemiscot County225-7.4%
75Ripley County222-5.9%
76Barton County205+3%
76Montgomery County205+1%
78Madison County200-7%
79Grundy County197+1.5%
80DeKalb County191-1.5%
81Ralls County190-2.1%
82Douglas County187+8.7%
83Mississippi County180-5.3%
84Wayne County175-1.1%
85Chariton County174+1.2%
86Carroll County166-3.5%
87Iron County165-2.9%
88Bollinger County153-0.6%
89Howard County151-2.6%
89Oregon County151+2.7%
91Gentry County150+2.7%
92Lewis County149-3.2%
93Shelby County145-0.7%
94Harrison County144-4%
95Monroe County141+2.9%
96Atchison County137-10.5%
97Daviess County135-3.6%
97Ozark County135+3.1%
99Dade County127+0.8%
99Scotland County127+5.8%
99St. Clair County127-3.1%
102Caldwell County126-5.3%
103Carter County123-0.8%
104Holt County122+8%
105Hickory County120-5.5%
106Maries County1190%
106Shannon County119+2.6%
108Clark County117-4.1%
109Reynolds County103+9.6%
110Sullivan County87-4.4%
111Putnam County82+5.1%
112Knox County81+8%
113Schuyler County69-4.2%
114Mercer County68-1.4%
115Worth County43-2.3%

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 Missouri by employer firms, 2023) [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 Missouri by employer firms, 2023. 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/missouri-counties. 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 Missouri by employer firms, 2023. 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/missouri-counties.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2025) Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties, Counties in Missouri by employer firms, 2023 [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/missouri-counties (Accessed: 11 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_missouri_by_2023,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties: Counties in Missouri by employer firms, 2023}},
  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/missouri-counties. 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 Missouri by employer firms, 2023
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/missouri-counties
Y2  - 2026/10/11
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firms/missouri-counties.
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?

St. Louis County, with 20,664 in 2023, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest employer firms?

Worth County, with 43 in 2023.

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 Missouri: more rankings