Counties in Missouri by employer firms

St. Louis County had the highest employer firms of 115 counties in 2018, at 21,876. Worth County had the lowest, at 38. The median was 329 and the figure for Missouri was 104,019. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest21,876St. Louis County
Lowest38Worth County
Median329115 counties
Missouri104,019History

Map of counties, 2018

Adair County: 525 countAndrew County: 250 countAtchison County: 155 countAudrain County: 428 countBarry County: 635 countBarton County: 203 countBates County: 287 countBenton County: 321 countBollinger County: 171 countBoone County: 3,694 countBuchanan County: 1,709 countButler County: 976 countCaldwell County: 136 countCallaway County: 607 countCamden County: 1,251 countCape Girardeau County: 1,925 countCarroll County: 191 countCarter County: 130 countCass County: 1,616 countCedar County: 249 countChariton County: 178 countChristian County: 1,475 countClark County: 129 countClay County: 4,086 countClinton County: 311 countCole County: 1,796 countCooper County: 324 countCrawford County: 419 countDade County: 114 countDallas County: 245 countDaviess County: 129 countDeKalb County: 198 countDent County: 278 countDouglas County: 169 countDunklin County: 553 countFranklin County: 2,193 countGasconade County: 358 countGentry County: 151 countGreene County: 6,414 countGrundy County: 213 countHarrison County: 172 countHenry County: 485 countHickory County: 122 countHolt County: 108 countHoward County: 152 countHowell County: 916 countIron County: 202 countJackson County: 12,986 countJasper County: 2,145 countJefferson County: 3,157 countJohnson County: 739 countKnox County: 81 countLaclede County: 642 countLafayette County: 580 countLawrence County: 592 countLewis County: 143 countLincoln County: 817 countLinn County: 244 countLivingston County: 364 countMcDonald County: 242 countMacon County: 309 countMadison County: 237 countMaries County: 112 countMarion County: 660 countMercer County: 62 countMiller County: 518 countMississippi County: 226 countMoniteau County: 289 countMonroe County: 141 countMontgomery County: 219 countMorgan County: 411 countNew Madrid County: 344 countNewton County: 1,083 countNodaway County: 408 countOregon County: 169 countOsage County: 239 countOzark County: 135 countPemiscot County: 303 countPerry County: 463 countPettis County: 856 countPhelps County: 888 countPike County: 329 countPlatte County: 1,950 countPolk County: 503 countPulaski County: 571 countPutnam County: 83 countRalls County: 186 countRandolph County: 477 countRay County: 305 countReynolds County: 101 countRipley County: 323 countSt. Charles County: 6,412 countSt. Clair County: 131 countSte. Genevieve County: 358 countSt. Francois County: 1,154 countSt. Louis County: 21,876 countSaline County: 410 countSchuyler County: 68 countScotland County: 123 countScott County: 918 countShannon County: 133 countShelby County: 146 countStoddard County: 578 countStone County: 578 countSullivan County: 90 countTaney County: 1,441 countTexas County: 408 countVernon County: 412 countWarren County: 526 countWashington County: 298 countWayne County: 225 countWebster County: 585 countWorth County: 38 countWright County: 330 countSt. Louis city: 6,944 count
  • Under 100
  • 100 to 200
  • 200 to 300
  • 300 to 500
  • 500 to 1,100
  • 1,100 and over
count, 2018. 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, 2018

St. Louis County: 21,876 countSt. Louis County21,876Jackson County: 12,986 countJackson County12,986St. Louis city: 6,944 countSt. Louis city6,944Greene County: 6,414 countGreene County6,414St. Charles County: 6,412 countSt. Charles County6,412Clay County: 4,086 countClay County4,086Boone County: 3,694 countBoone County3,694Jefferson County: 3,157 countJefferson County3,157Franklin County: 2,193 countFranklin County2,193Jasper County: 2,145 countJasper County2,145Platte County: 1,950 countPlatte County1,950Cape Girardeau County: 1,925 countCape Girardeau County1,925Cole County: 1,796 countCole County1,796Buchanan County: 1,709 countBuchanan County1,709Cass County: 1,616 countCass County1,616Christian County: 1,475 countChristian County1,475Taney County: 1,441 countTaney County1,441Camden County: 1,251 countCamden County1,251St. Francois County: 1,154 countSt. Francois County1,154Newton County: 1,083 countNewton County1,083Butler County: 976 countButler County976Scott County: 918 countScott County918Howell County: 916 countHowell County916Phelps County: 888 countPhelps County888Pettis County: 856 countPettis County856Lincoln County: 817 countLincoln County817Johnson County: 739 countJohnson County739Marion County: 660 countMarion County660Laclede County: 642 countLaclede County642Barry County: 635 countBarry County635Callaway County: 607 countCallaway County607Lawrence County: 592 countLawrence County592Webster County: 585 countWebster County585Lafayette County: 580 countLafayette County580Stoddard County: 578 countStoddard County578Stone County: 578 countStone County578Pulaski County: 571 countPulaski County571Dunklin County: 553 countDunklin County553Warren County: 526 countWarren County526Adair County: 525 countAdair County525St. Louis County: 21,876 countSt. Louis County21,876Jackson County: 12,986 countJackson County12,986St. Louis city: 6,944 countSt. Louis city6,944Greene County: 6,414 countGreene County6,414St. Charles County: 6,412 countSt. Charles County6,412Clay County: 4,086 countClay County4,086Boone County: 3,694 countBoone County3,694Jefferson County: 3,157 countJefferson County3,157Franklin County: 2,193 countFranklin County2,193Jasper County: 2,145 countJasper County2,145Platte County: 1,950 countPlatte County1,950Cape Girardeau County: 1,925 countCape Girardeau County1,925Cole County: 1,796 countCole County1,796Buchanan County: 1,709 countBuchanan County1,709Cass County: 1,616 countCass County1,616Christian County: 1,475 countChristian County1,475Taney County: 1,441 countTaney County1,441Camden County: 1,251 countCamden County1,251St. Francois County: 1,154 countSt. Francois County1,154Newton County: 1,083 countNewton County1,083Butler County: 976 countButler County976Scott County: 918 countScott County918Howell County: 916 countHowell County916Phelps County: 888 countPhelps County888Pettis County: 856 countPettis County856Lincoln County: 817 countLincoln County817Johnson County: 739 countJohnson County739Marion County: 660 countMarion County660Laclede County: 642 countLaclede County642Barry County: 635 countBarry County635Callaway County: 607 countCallaway County607Lawrence County: 592 countLawrence County592Webster County: 585 countWebster County585Lafayette County: 580 countLafayette County580Stoddard County: 578 countStoddard County578Stone County: 578 countStone County578Pulaski County: 571 countPulaski County571Dunklin County: 553 countDunklin County553Warren County: 526 countWarren County526Adair County: 525 countAdair County525
count. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-11.

Full ranking

RankCounties2018
count
Change on 2017
1St. Louis County21,876-7.2%
2Jackson County12,986-5.1%
3St. Louis city6,944-23.5%
4Greene County6,414+0.1%
5St. Charles County6,412+0.2%
6Clay County4,086-0.4%
7Boone County3,694-1.5%
8Jefferson County3,157-1.8%
9Franklin County2,193+1.3%
10Jasper County2,145-0.4%
11Platte County1,950+0.4%
12Cape Girardeau County1,925-2.5%
13Cole County1,796-1.6%
14Buchanan County1,709-3.8%
15Cass County1,616-2.1%
16Christian County1,475-0.5%
17Taney County1,441-0.1%
18Camden County1,251-1%
19St. Francois County1,154-6%
20Newton County1,083-0.9%
21Butler County976-6.5%
22Scott County918-2.9%
23Howell County916+0.2%
24Phelps County888-4.7%
25Pettis County856-3.6%
26Lincoln County817-2.5%
27Johnson County739-4.2%
28Marion County660-5%
29Laclede County642-5.2%
30Barry County635-0.6%
31Callaway County607-1.3%
32Lawrence County592-3.1%
33Webster County585-3.1%
34Lafayette County5800%
35Stoddard County5780%
35Stone County578+1.6%
37Pulaski County571-2.6%
38Dunklin County553-8.7%
39Warren County526+3.5%
40Adair County525-0.9%
41Miller County518-3.5%
42Polk County503-1.6%
43Henry County485-2.8%
44Randolph County477-2.7%
45Perry County463+0.4%
46Audrain County428-4.3%
47Crawford County419-2.8%
48Vernon County412-7.4%
49Morgan County4110%
50Saline County410-1.9%
51Nodaway County408-2.9%
51Texas County408-3.1%
53Livingston County364-1.9%
54Gasconade County358-0.3%
54Ste. Genevieve County3580%
56New Madrid County344-6.3%
57Wright County330-3.2%
58Pike County329-1.8%
59Cooper County324-5.5%
60Ripley County323-11.5%
61Benton County321-1.5%
62Clinton County311-0.6%
63Macon County309+5.5%
64Ray County305-2.2%
65Pemiscot County303-14.2%
66Washington County298-7.5%
67Moniteau County289+0.3%
68Bates County287-3.4%
69Dent County278-1.4%
70Andrew County250+2%
71Cedar County249+1.6%
72Dallas County245-8.9%
73Linn County244-1.2%
74McDonald County242-3.2%
75Osage County239-2.8%
76Madison County237-3.7%
77Mississippi County226+3.7%
78Wayne County225-18.2%
79Montgomery County219-0.5%
80Grundy County213-5.3%
81Barton County203-5.1%
82Iron County202-1.9%
83DeKalb County198-2.5%
84Carroll County191-2.6%
85Ralls County186+1.6%
86Chariton County178-4.8%
87Harrison County172+3%
88Bollinger County171-5.5%
89Douglas County169-0.6%
89Oregon County169-4%
91Atchison County155-8.3%
92Howard County152-7.9%
93Gentry County151-3.8%
94Shelby County146-2%
95Lewis County143-5.9%
96Monroe County141-3.4%
97Caldwell County136-0.7%
98Ozark County135-0.7%
99Shannon County133-5%
100St. Clair County131-3.7%
101Carter County130-16.7%
102Clark County1290%
102Daviess County129+1.6%
104Scotland County123+0.8%
105Hickory County122-4.7%
106Dade County114-6.6%
107Maries County112-2.6%
108Holt County108-0.9%
109Reynolds County101-11.4%
110Sullivan County90-8.2%
111Putnam County83-7.8%
112Knox County81+3.8%
113Schuyler County68+4.6%
114Mercer County62-4.6%
115Worth County38-2.6%

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, 2018) [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, 2018. 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=2018. 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, 2018. 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=2018.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2025) Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties, Counties in Missouri by employer firms, 2018 [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=2018 (Accessed: 11 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_missouri_by_2018,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties: Counties in Missouri by employer firms, 2018}},
  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=2018. 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, 2018
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=2018
Y2  - 2026/10/11
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firms/missouri-counties?period=2018.
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 21,876 in 2018, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest employer firms?

Worth County, with 38 in 2018.

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