Counties in Missouri by employer firms

St. Louis County had the highest employer firms of 115 counties in 2015, at 23,007. Worth County had the lowest, at 37. The median was 349 and the figure for Missouri was 107,538. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest23,007St. Louis County
Lowest37Worth County
Median349115 counties
Missouri107,538History

Map of counties, 2015

Adair County: 531 countAndrew County: 246 countAtchison County: 176 countAudrain County: 453 countBarry County: 639 countBarton County: 214 countBates County: 300 countBenton County: 312 countBollinger County: 181 countBoone County: 3,666 countBuchanan County: 1,807 countButler County: 1,062 countCaldwell County: 130 countCallaway County: 618 countCamden County: 1,207 countCape Girardeau County: 1,975 countCarroll County: 199 countCarter County: 145 countCass County: 1,605 countCedar County: 253 countChariton County: 186 countChristian County: 1,406 countClark County: 126 countClay County: 4,006 countClinton County: 296 countCole County: 1,848 countCooper County: 318 countCrawford County: 428 countDade County: 118 countDallas County: 244 countDaviess County: 125 countDeKalb County: 205 countDent County: 305 countDouglas County: 165 countDunklin County: 614 countFranklin County: 2,100 countGasconade County: 370 countGentry County: 166 countGreene County: 6,394 countGrundy County: 224 countHarrison County: 171 countHenry County: 501 countHickory County: 120 countHolt County: 121 countHoward County: 162 countHowell County: 921 countIron County: 205 countJackson County: 13,234 countJasper County: 2,152 countJefferson County: 3,192 countJohnson County: 761 countKnox County: 80 countLaclede County: 665 countLafayette County: 572 countLawrence County: 602 countLewis County: 160 countLincoln County: 797 countLinn County: 257 countLivingston County: 373 countMcDonald County: 247 countMacon County: 290 countMadison County: 256 countMaries County: 116 countMarion County: 675 countMercer County: 61 countMiller County: 520 countMississippi County: 206 countMoniteau County: 295 countMonroe County: 156 countMontgomery County: 218 countMorgan County: 409 countNew Madrid County: 348 countNewton County: 1,077 countNodaway County: 407 countOregon County: 178 countOsage County: 264 countOzark County: 148 countPemiscot County: 349 countPerry County: 442 countPettis County: 854 countPhelps County: 948 countPike County: 345 countPlatte County: 1,907 countPolk County: 509 countPulaski County: 595 countPutnam County: 78 countRalls County: 180 countRandolph County: 487 countRay County: 310 countReynolds County: 113 countRipley County: 352 countSt. Charles County: 6,231 countSt. Clair County: 165 countSte. Genevieve County: 370 countSt. Francois County: 1,194 countSt. Louis County: 23,007 countSaline County: 419 countSchuyler County: 60 countScotland County: 120 countScott County: 929 countShannon County: 137 countShelby County: 147 countStoddard County: 587 countStone County: 561 countSullivan County: 97 countTaney County: 1,385 countTexas County: 432 countVernon County: 480 countWarren County: 482 countWashington County: 311 countWayne County: 274 countWebster County: 574 countWorth County: 37 countWright County: 356 countSt. Louis city: 8,448 count
  • Under 200
  • 200 to 300
  • 300 to 500
  • 500 to 1,100
  • 1,100 and over
count, 2015. 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, 2015

St. Louis County: 23,007 countSt. Louis County23,007Jackson County: 13,234 countJackson County13,234St. Louis city: 8,448 countSt. Louis city8,448Greene County: 6,394 countGreene County6,394St. Charles County: 6,231 countSt. Charles County6,231Clay County: 4,006 countClay County4,006Boone County: 3,666 countBoone County3,666Jefferson County: 3,192 countJefferson County3,192Jasper County: 2,152 countJasper County2,152Franklin County: 2,100 countFranklin County2,100Cape Girardeau County: 1,975 countCape Girardeau County1,975Platte County: 1,907 countPlatte County1,907Cole County: 1,848 countCole County1,848Buchanan County: 1,807 countBuchanan County1,807Cass County: 1,605 countCass County1,605Christian County: 1,406 countChristian County1,406Taney County: 1,385 countTaney County1,385Camden County: 1,207 countCamden County1,207St. Francois County: 1,194 countSt. Francois County1,194Newton County: 1,077 countNewton County1,077Butler County: 1,062 countButler County1,062Phelps County: 948 countPhelps County948Scott County: 929 countScott County929Howell County: 921 countHowell County921Pettis County: 854 countPettis County854Lincoln County: 797 countLincoln County797Johnson County: 761 countJohnson County761Marion County: 675 countMarion County675Laclede County: 665 countLaclede County665Barry County: 639 countBarry County639Callaway County: 618 countCallaway County618Dunklin County: 614 countDunklin County614Lawrence County: 602 countLawrence County602Pulaski County: 595 countPulaski County595Stoddard County: 587 countStoddard County587Webster County: 574 countWebster County574Lafayette County: 572 countLafayette County572Stone County: 561 countStone County561Adair County: 531 countAdair County531Miller County: 520 countMiller County520St. Louis County: 23,007 countSt. Louis County23,007Jackson County: 13,234 countJackson County13,234St. Louis city: 8,448 countSt. Louis city8,448Greene County: 6,394 countGreene County6,394St. Charles County: 6,231 countSt. Charles County6,231Clay County: 4,006 countClay County4,006Boone County: 3,666 countBoone County3,666Jefferson County: 3,192 countJefferson County3,192Jasper County: 2,152 countJasper County2,152Franklin County: 2,100 countFranklin County2,100Cape Girardeau County: 1,975 countCape Girardeau County1,975Platte County: 1,907 countPlatte County1,907Cole County: 1,848 countCole County1,848Buchanan County: 1,807 countBuchanan County1,807Cass County: 1,605 countCass County1,605Christian County: 1,406 countChristian County1,406Taney County: 1,385 countTaney County1,385Camden County: 1,207 countCamden County1,207St. Francois County: 1,194 countSt. Francois County1,194Newton County: 1,077 countNewton County1,077Butler County: 1,062 countButler County1,062Phelps County: 948 countPhelps County948Scott County: 929 countScott County929Howell County: 921 countHowell County921Pettis County: 854 countPettis County854Lincoln County: 797 countLincoln County797Johnson County: 761 countJohnson County761Marion County: 675 countMarion County675Laclede County: 665 countLaclede County665Barry County: 639 countBarry County639Callaway County: 618 countCallaway County618Dunklin County: 614 countDunklin County614Lawrence County: 602 countLawrence County602Pulaski County: 595 countPulaski County595Stoddard County: 587 countStoddard County587Webster County: 574 countWebster County574Lafayette County: 572 countLafayette County572Stone County: 561 countStone County561Adair County: 531 countAdair County531Miller County: 520 countMiller 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

RankCounties2015
count
Change on 2014
1St. Louis County23,007+3%
2Jackson County13,234+3.6%
3St. Louis city8,448+11%
4Greene County6,394+1%
5St. Charles County6,231+2.2%
6Clay County4,006+1.8%
7Boone County3,666+2.2%
8Jefferson County3,192+1.2%
9Jasper County2,152+0.9%
10Franklin County2,1000%
11Cape Girardeau County1,975+2.1%
12Platte County1,907+3.5%
13Cole County1,848+0.1%
14Buchanan County1,807+0.4%
15Cass County1,605+4%
16Christian County1,406+3%
17Taney County1,385+0.4%
18Camden County1,207+0.8%
19St. Francois County1,194-4.2%
20Newton County1,077+2.1%
21Butler County1,0620%
22Phelps County948+0.5%
23Scott County929+2.4%
24Howell County921-1%
25Pettis County854+0.9%
26Lincoln County797-0.4%
27Johnson County761-1.2%
28Marion County675-3.4%
29Laclede County665-1.8%
30Barry County639+4.6%
31Callaway County618-1.4%
32Dunklin County614+1%
33Lawrence County602+2.9%
34Pulaski County595+1%
35Stoddard County587-0.7%
36Webster County574+1.6%
37Lafayette County572+0.4%
38Stone County561+4.3%
39Adair County531-3.6%
40Miller County5200%
41Polk County509+0.6%
42Henry County501+1%
43Randolph County487+1.9%
44Warren County482-3%
45Vernon County480+3%
46Audrain County453-0.4%
47Perry County442+2.1%
48Texas County432+2.9%
49Crawford County428-5.9%
50Saline County419+1.9%
51Morgan County409+2%
52Nodaway County407+1.5%
53Livingston County373+4.5%
54Gasconade County370-0.8%
54Ste. Genevieve County370+0.8%
56Wright County356+2.6%
57Ripley County352+5.7%
58Pemiscot County349-2.5%
59New Madrid County348+3.9%
60Pike County345-0.6%
61Cooper County318-1.2%
62Benton County312-0.3%
63Washington County311-25.4%
64Ray County310-0.6%
65Dent County305-11.6%
66Bates County300-0.3%
67Clinton County296+2.4%
68Moniteau County295+1%
69Macon County290+1%
70Wayne County274+2.2%
71Osage County264+5.6%
72Linn County257+2.8%
73Madison County256+2%
74Cedar County253-1.2%
75McDonald County247+2.5%
76Andrew County246-0.8%
77Dallas County244+1.7%
78Grundy County224+2.8%
79Montgomery County218-5.2%
80Barton County214-4.9%
81Mississippi County206-5.5%
82DeKalb County205-1.4%
82Iron County205-34.1%
84Carroll County199+1.5%
85Chariton County186+1.6%
86Bollinger County181+7.1%
87Ralls County180-0.6%
88Oregon County178+4.1%
89Atchison County176+1.1%
90Harrison County171-1.2%
91Gentry County166+3.8%
92Douglas County165-2.4%
92St. Clair County165+10%
94Howard County162+3.2%
95Lewis County160+2.6%
96Monroe County156+2.6%
97Ozark County148+0.7%
98Shelby County147-0.7%
99Carter County145-5.8%
100Shannon County137+1.5%
101Caldwell County130+3.2%
102Clark County126-3.1%
103Daviess County125+5%
104Holt County121+11%
105Hickory County120+3.4%
105Scotland County120+1.7%
107Dade County1180%
108Maries County116-0.9%
109Reynolds County113-18.1%
110Sullivan County97-3%
111Knox County800%
112Putnam County78+2.6%
113Mercer County61-3.2%
114Schuyler County60-10.4%
115Worth County37-2.6%

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, 2015) [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, 2015. 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=2015. 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, 2015. 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=2015.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2025) Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties, Counties in Missouri by employer firms, 2015 [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=2015 (Accessed: 11 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_missouri_by_2015,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties: Counties in Missouri by employer firms, 2015}},
  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=2015. 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, 2015
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=2015
Y2  - 2026/10/11
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firms/missouri-counties?period=2015.
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 23,007 in 2015, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest employer firms?

Worth County, with 37 in 2015.

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