Counties in Missouri by employer firms

St. Louis County had the highest employer firms of 115 counties in 2013, at 21,823. Worth County had the lowest, at 36. The median was 344 and the figure for Missouri was 103,076. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest21,823St. Louis County
Lowest36Worth County
Median344115 counties
Missouri103,076History

Map of counties, 2013

Adair County: 546 countAndrew County: 247 countAtchison County: 168 countAudrain County: 449 countBarry County: 635 countBarton County: 234 countBates County: 296 countBenton County: 311 countBollinger County: 167 countBoone County: 3,525 countBuchanan County: 1,767 countButler County: 1,026 countCaldwell County: 123 countCallaway County: 640 countCamden County: 1,216 countCape Girardeau County: 1,935 countCarroll County: 199 countCarter County: 157 countCass County: 1,529 countCedar County: 245 countChariton County: 186 countChristian County: 1,324 countClark County: 124 countClay County: 3,868 countClinton County: 288 countCole County: 1,849 countCooper County: 334 countCrawford County: 441 countDade County: 121 countDallas County: 244 countDaviess County: 133 countDeKalb County: 205 countDent County: 302 countDouglas County: 166 countDunklin County: 606 countFranklin County: 2,111 countGasconade County: 372 countGentry County: 171 countGreene County: 6,106 countGrundy County: 214 countHarrison County: 181 countHenry County: 494 countHickory County: 122 countHolt County: 108 countHoward County: 163 countHowell County: 916 countIron County: 282 countJackson County: 12,327 countJasper County: 2,172 countJefferson County: 3,115 countJohnson County: 755 countKnox County: 80 countLaclede County: 685 countLafayette County: 568 countLawrence County: 591 countLewis County: 155 countLincoln County: 796 countLinn County: 251 countLivingston County: 354 countMcDonald County: 256 countMacon County: 293 countMadison County: 237 countMaries County: 118 countMarion County: 694 countMercer County: 64 countMiller County: 517 countMississippi County: 217 countMoniteau County: 295 countMonroe County: 154 countMontgomery County: 227 countMorgan County: 396 countNew Madrid County: 331 countNewton County: 1,116 countNodaway County: 421 countOregon County: 158 countOsage County: 244 countOzark County: 144 countPemiscot County: 344 countPerry County: 431 countPettis County: 841 countPhelps County: 942 countPike County: 339 countPlatte County: 1,842 countPolk County: 499 countPulaski County: 607 countPutnam County: 79 countRalls County: 181 countRandolph County: 473 countRay County: 301 countReynolds County: 133 countRipley County: 303 countSt. Charles County: 6,076 countSt. Clair County: 158 countSte. Genevieve County: 356 countSt. Francois County: 1,166 countSt. Louis County: 21,823 countSaline County: 413 countSchuyler County: 68 countScotland County: 118 countScott County: 923 countShannon County: 119 countShelby County: 147 countStoddard County: 583 countStone County: 573 countSullivan County: 101 countTaney County: 1,379 countTexas County: 414 countVernon County: 473 countWarren County: 512 countWashington County: 357 countWayne County: 251 countWebster County: 562 countWorth County: 36 countWright County: 350 countSt. Louis city: 6,922 count
  • Under 200
  • 200 to 300
  • 300 to 500
  • 500 to 1,100
  • 1,100 and over
count, 2013. 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, 2013

St. Louis County: 21,823 countSt. Louis County21,823Jackson County: 12,327 countJackson County12,327St. Louis city: 6,922 countSt. Louis city6,922Greene County: 6,106 countGreene County6,106St. Charles County: 6,076 countSt. Charles County6,076Clay County: 3,868 countClay County3,868Boone County: 3,525 countBoone County3,525Jefferson County: 3,115 countJefferson County3,115Jasper County: 2,172 countJasper County2,172Franklin County: 2,111 countFranklin County2,111Cape Girardeau County: 1,935 countCape Girardeau County1,935Cole County: 1,849 countCole County1,849Platte County: 1,842 countPlatte County1,842Buchanan County: 1,767 countBuchanan County1,767Cass County: 1,529 countCass County1,529Taney County: 1,379 countTaney County1,379Christian County: 1,324 countChristian County1,324Camden County: 1,216 countCamden County1,216St. Francois County: 1,166 countSt. Francois County1,166Newton County: 1,116 countNewton County1,116Butler County: 1,026 countButler County1,026Phelps County: 942 countPhelps County942Scott County: 923 countScott County923Howell County: 916 countHowell County916Pettis County: 841 countPettis County841Lincoln County: 796 countLincoln County796Johnson County: 755 countJohnson County755Marion County: 694 countMarion County694Laclede County: 685 countLaclede County685Callaway County: 640 countCallaway County640Barry County: 635 countBarry County635Pulaski County: 607 countPulaski County607Dunklin County: 606 countDunklin County606Lawrence County: 591 countLawrence County591Stoddard County: 583 countStoddard County583Stone County: 573 countStone County573Lafayette County: 568 countLafayette County568Webster County: 562 countWebster County562Adair County: 546 countAdair County546Miller County: 517 countMiller County517St. Louis County: 21,823 countSt. Louis County21,823Jackson County: 12,327 countJackson County12,327St. Louis city: 6,922 countSt. Louis city6,922Greene County: 6,106 countGreene County6,106St. Charles County: 6,076 countSt. Charles County6,076Clay County: 3,868 countClay County3,868Boone County: 3,525 countBoone County3,525Jefferson County: 3,115 countJefferson County3,115Jasper County: 2,172 countJasper County2,172Franklin County: 2,111 countFranklin County2,111Cape Girardeau County: 1,935 countCape Girardeau County1,935Cole County: 1,849 countCole County1,849Platte County: 1,842 countPlatte County1,842Buchanan County: 1,767 countBuchanan County1,767Cass County: 1,529 countCass County1,529Taney County: 1,379 countTaney County1,379Christian County: 1,324 countChristian County1,324Camden County: 1,216 countCamden County1,216St. Francois County: 1,166 countSt. Francois County1,166Newton County: 1,116 countNewton County1,116Butler County: 1,026 countButler County1,026Phelps County: 942 countPhelps County942Scott County: 923 countScott County923Howell County: 916 countHowell County916Pettis County: 841 countPettis County841Lincoln County: 796 countLincoln County796Johnson County: 755 countJohnson County755Marion County: 694 countMarion County694Laclede County: 685 countLaclede County685Callaway County: 640 countCallaway County640Barry County: 635 countBarry County635Pulaski County: 607 countPulaski County607Dunklin County: 606 countDunklin County606Lawrence County: 591 countLawrence County591Stoddard County: 583 countStoddard County583Stone County: 573 countStone County573Lafayette County: 568 countLafayette County568Webster County: 562 countWebster County562Adair County: 546 countAdair County546Miller County: 517 countMiller County517
count. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-11.

Full ranking

RankCounties2013
count
Change on 2012
1St. Louis County21,823+2%
2Jackson County12,327+0.6%
3St. Louis city6,922+8%
4Greene County6,106+1.9%
5St. Charles County6,076+0.5%
6Clay County3,868+0.2%
7Boone County3,525+2.7%
8Jefferson County3,115+0.8%
9Jasper County2,172-1.3%
10Franklin County2,111-2.1%
11Cape Girardeau County1,935-0.2%
12Cole County1,849+0.9%
13Platte County1,842+1.5%
14Buchanan County1,767+0.8%
15Cass County1,529+0.3%
16Taney County1,379-0.9%
17Christian County1,324+2.6%
18Camden County1,216-1.1%
19St. Francois County1,166+6.4%
20Newton County1,116+2.6%
21Butler County1,026+8.1%
22Phelps County942-1.3%
23Scott County923+5.2%
24Howell County916+1.4%
25Pettis County841-1.4%
26Lincoln County796+1.1%
27Johnson County755+0.7%
28Marion County694+2.1%
29Laclede County685+1%
30Callaway County640+0.8%
31Barry County635+1.1%
32Pulaski County607+0.2%
33Dunklin County606+15%
34Lawrence County591+1.7%
35Stoddard County583+0.9%
36Stone County573-0.5%
37Lafayette County568+0.2%
38Webster County562+2.6%
39Adair County546-1.8%
40Miller County517+1.2%
41Warren County512-1.3%
42Polk County499-1.4%
43Henry County494+1.4%
44Randolph County473-0.4%
44Vernon County473+6.8%
46Audrain County449-1.8%
47Crawford County441+5%
48Perry County431+0.5%
49Nodaway County421-0.5%
50Texas County414+1.2%
51Saline County413-2.4%
52Morgan County396+2.9%
53Gasconade County372+1.9%
54Washington County357+22.3%
55Ste. Genevieve County3560%
56Livingston County354-1.7%
57Wright County350+1.7%
58Pemiscot County344+11.3%
59Pike County339+1.5%
60Cooper County334-2.6%
61New Madrid County331+3.8%
62Benton County311+1%
63Ripley County303+20.2%
64Dent County302+9.4%
65Ray County301-3.5%
66Bates County296-0.3%
67Moniteau County295+2.4%
68Macon County293+2.1%
69Clinton County288-0.7%
70Iron County282+9.3%
71McDonald County256-1.2%
72Linn County251-2.3%
72Wayne County251+19%
74Andrew County247+3.8%
75Cedar County2450%
76Dallas County244+5.2%
76Osage County244+2.1%
78Madison County237+4.4%
79Barton County234+4%
80Montgomery County227+0.9%
81Mississippi County217+3.8%
82Grundy County2140%
83DeKalb County205-1.4%
84Carroll County199-1%
85Chariton County186+1.6%
86Harrison County181-4.7%
86Ralls County181+1.1%
88Gentry County171+1.2%
89Atchison County168-2.3%
90Bollinger County167+3.1%
91Douglas County166-4.6%
92Howard County163+2.5%
93Oregon County1580%
93St. Clair County158+11.3%
95Carter County157+13.8%
96Lewis County155-4.9%
97Monroe County154+3.4%
98Shelby County1470%
99Ozark County144+2.1%
100Daviess County133+2.3%
100Reynolds County133+38.5%
102Clark County1240%
103Caldwell County123-6.1%
104Hickory County122+4.3%
105Dade County121-1.6%
106Shannon County119+2.6%
107Maries County118+5.4%
107Scotland County118+8.3%
109Holt County108+0.9%
110Sullivan County101-5.6%
111Knox County80+1.3%
112Putnam County79-3.7%
113Schuyler County68-5.6%
114Mercer County64-1.5%
115Worth County360%

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, 2013) [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, 2013. 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?period=2013. 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, 2013. 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?period=2013.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2025) Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties, Counties in Missouri by employer firms, 2013 [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?period=2013 (Accessed: 11 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_missouri_by_2013,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties: Counties in Missouri by employer firms, 2013}},
  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?period=2013. 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, 2013
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?period=2013
Y2  - 2026/10/11
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firms/missouri-counties?period=2013.
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  - 
Embed this chart

Paste this code into a web page or a blog post. The chart shows the latest figures as they are published, with the source and a link back to this page.

Sites that read oEmbed links, such as WordPress, can show the chart when you paste the link to this page.

Use this data in your AI agent

Invokely serves this figure to AI assistants through MCP and to code through a REST API, with the source and citation attached. Ask your assistant:

Rank Counties in Missouri by employer firms using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"employer_firms","level":"province","within":"Missouri","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=employer_firms&level=province&within=Missouri&limit=10

Connect Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor in one step. The trial answers 25 calls a day without an account.

Questions

Which county has the highest employer firms?

St. Louis County, with 21,823 in 2013, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest employer firms?

Worth County, with 36 in 2013.

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