Counties in Missouri by employer firms

St. Louis County had the highest employer firms of 115 counties in 2019, at 22,247. Worth County had the lowest, at 43. The median was 319 and the figure for Missouri was 104,315. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest22,247St. Louis County
Lowest43Worth County
Median319115 counties
Missouri104,315History

Map of counties, 2019

Adair County: 506 countAndrew County: 244 countAtchison County: 153 countAudrain County: 416 countBarry County: 637 countBarton County: 203 countBates County: 294 countBenton County: 319 countBollinger County: 169 countBoone County: 3,726 countBuchanan County: 1,673 countButler County: 901 countCaldwell County: 124 countCallaway County: 598 countCamden County: 1,233 countCape Girardeau County: 1,915 countCarroll County: 181 countCarter County: 137 countCass County: 1,651 countCedar County: 233 countChariton County: 174 countChristian County: 1,513 countClark County: 132 countClay County: 4,139 countClinton County: 290 countCole County: 1,804 countCooper County: 314 countCrawford County: 408 countDade County: 120 countDallas County: 249 countDaviess County: 134 countDeKalb County: 193 countDent County: 289 countDouglas County: 178 countDunklin County: 522 countFranklin County: 2,136 countGasconade County: 354 countGentry County: 148 countGreene County: 6,507 countGrundy County: 201 countHarrison County: 157 countHenry County: 493 countHickory County: 120 countHolt County: 108 countHoward County: 151 countHowell County: 927 countIron County: 196 countJackson County: 12,890 countJasper County: 2,160 countJefferson County: 3,095 countJohnson County: 754 countKnox County: 74 countLaclede County: 646 countLafayette County: 574 countLawrence County: 582 countLewis County: 148 countLincoln County: 835 countLinn County: 237 countLivingston County: 362 countMcDonald County: 247 countMacon County: 295 countMadison County: 224 countMaries County: 114 countMarion County: 641 countMercer County: 63 countMiller County: 529 countMississippi County: 210 countMoniteau County: 288 countMonroe County: 144 countMontgomery County: 207 countMorgan County: 419 countNew Madrid County: 316 countNewton County: 1,100 countNodaway County: 405 countOregon County: 164 countOsage County: 239 countOzark County: 136 countPemiscot County: 271 countPerry County: 466 countPettis County: 859 countPhelps County: 906 countPike County: 329 countPlatte County: 1,946 countPolk County: 513 countPulaski County: 567 countPutnam County: 79 countRalls County: 188 countRandolph County: 460 countRay County: 292 countReynolds County: 100 countRipley County: 285 countSt. Charles County: 6,493 countSt. Clair County: 139 countSte. Genevieve County: 357 countSt. Francois County: 1,149 countSt. Louis County: 22,247 countSaline County: 409 countSchuyler County: 69 countScotland County: 125 countScott County: 921 countShannon County: 130 countShelby County: 136 countStoddard County: 567 countStone County: 591 countSullivan County: 90 countTaney County: 1,443 countTexas County: 408 countVernon County: 414 countWarren County: 551 countWashington County: 305 countWayne County: 211 countWebster County: 585 countWorth County: 43 countWright County: 341 countSt. Louis city: 7,219 count
  • Under 100
  • 100 to 200
  • 200 to 300
  • 300 to 500
  • 500 to 1,100
  • 1,100 and over
count, 2019. 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, 2019

St. Louis County: 22,247 countSt. Louis County22,247Jackson County: 12,890 countJackson County12,890St. Louis city: 7,219 countSt. Louis city7,219Greene County: 6,507 countGreene County6,507St. Charles County: 6,493 countSt. Charles County6,493Clay County: 4,139 countClay County4,139Boone County: 3,726 countBoone County3,726Jefferson County: 3,095 countJefferson County3,095Jasper County: 2,160 countJasper County2,160Franklin County: 2,136 countFranklin County2,136Platte County: 1,946 countPlatte County1,946Cape Girardeau County: 1,915 countCape Girardeau County1,915Cole County: 1,804 countCole County1,804Buchanan County: 1,673 countBuchanan County1,673Cass County: 1,651 countCass County1,651Christian County: 1,513 countChristian County1,513Taney County: 1,443 countTaney County1,443Camden County: 1,233 countCamden County1,233St. Francois County: 1,149 countSt. Francois County1,149Newton County: 1,100 countNewton County1,100Howell County: 927 countHowell County927Scott County: 921 countScott County921Phelps County: 906 countPhelps County906Butler County: 901 countButler County901Pettis County: 859 countPettis County859Lincoln County: 835 countLincoln County835Johnson County: 754 countJohnson County754Laclede County: 646 countLaclede County646Marion County: 641 countMarion County641Barry County: 637 countBarry County637Callaway County: 598 countCallaway County598Stone County: 591 countStone County591Webster County: 585 countWebster County585Lawrence County: 582 countLawrence County582Lafayette County: 574 countLafayette County574Pulaski County: 567 countPulaski County567Stoddard County: 567 countStoddard County567Warren County: 551 countWarren County551Miller County: 529 countMiller County529Dunklin County: 522 countDunklin County522St. Louis County: 22,247 countSt. Louis County22,247Jackson County: 12,890 countJackson County12,890St. Louis city: 7,219 countSt. Louis city7,219Greene County: 6,507 countGreene County6,507St. Charles County: 6,493 countSt. Charles County6,493Clay County: 4,139 countClay County4,139Boone County: 3,726 countBoone County3,726Jefferson County: 3,095 countJefferson County3,095Jasper County: 2,160 countJasper County2,160Franklin County: 2,136 countFranklin County2,136Platte County: 1,946 countPlatte County1,946Cape Girardeau County: 1,915 countCape Girardeau County1,915Cole County: 1,804 countCole County1,804Buchanan County: 1,673 countBuchanan County1,673Cass County: 1,651 countCass County1,651Christian County: 1,513 countChristian County1,513Taney County: 1,443 countTaney County1,443Camden County: 1,233 countCamden County1,233St. Francois County: 1,149 countSt. Francois County1,149Newton County: 1,100 countNewton County1,100Howell County: 927 countHowell County927Scott County: 921 countScott County921Phelps County: 906 countPhelps County906Butler County: 901 countButler County901Pettis County: 859 countPettis County859Lincoln County: 835 countLincoln County835Johnson County: 754 countJohnson County754Laclede County: 646 countLaclede County646Marion County: 641 countMarion County641Barry County: 637 countBarry County637Callaway County: 598 countCallaway County598Stone County: 591 countStone County591Webster County: 585 countWebster County585Lawrence County: 582 countLawrence County582Lafayette County: 574 countLafayette County574Pulaski County: 567 countPulaski County567Stoddard County: 567 countStoddard County567Warren County: 551 countWarren County551Miller County: 529 countMiller County529Dunklin County: 522 countDunklin County522
count. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-11.

Full ranking

RankCounties2019
count
Change on 2018
1St. Louis County22,247+1.7%
2Jackson County12,890-0.7%
3St. Louis city7,219+4%
4Greene County6,507+1.4%
5St. Charles County6,493+1.3%
6Clay County4,139+1.3%
7Boone County3,726+0.9%
8Jefferson County3,095-2%
9Jasper County2,160+0.7%
10Franklin County2,136-2.6%
11Platte County1,946-0.2%
12Cape Girardeau County1,915-0.5%
13Cole County1,804+0.4%
14Buchanan County1,673-2.1%
15Cass County1,651+2.2%
16Christian County1,513+2.6%
17Taney County1,443+0.1%
18Camden County1,233-1.4%
19St. Francois County1,149-0.4%
20Newton County1,100+1.6%
21Howell County927+1.2%
22Scott County921+0.3%
23Phelps County906+2%
24Butler County901-7.7%
25Pettis County859+0.4%
26Lincoln County835+2.2%
27Johnson County754+2%
28Laclede County646+0.6%
29Marion County641-2.9%
30Barry County637+0.3%
31Callaway County598-1.5%
32Stone County591+2.2%
33Webster County5850%
34Lawrence County582-1.7%
35Lafayette County574-1%
36Pulaski County567-0.7%
36Stoddard County567-1.9%
38Warren County551+4.8%
39Miller County529+2.1%
40Dunklin County522-5.6%
41Polk County513+2%
42Adair County506-3.6%
43Henry County493+1.6%
44Perry County466+0.6%
45Randolph County460-3.6%
46Morgan County419+1.9%
47Audrain County416-2.8%
48Vernon County414+0.5%
49Saline County409-0.2%
50Crawford County408-2.6%
50Texas County4080%
52Nodaway County405-0.7%
53Livingston County362-0.5%
54Ste. Genevieve County357-0.3%
55Gasconade County354-1.1%
56Wright County341+3.3%
57Pike County3290%
58Benton County319-0.6%
59New Madrid County316-8.1%
60Cooper County314-3.1%
61Washington County305+2.3%
62Macon County295-4.5%
63Bates County294+2.4%
64Ray County292-4.3%
65Clinton County290-6.8%
66Dent County289+4%
67Moniteau County288-0.3%
68Ripley County285-11.8%
69Pemiscot County271-10.6%
70Dallas County249+1.6%
71McDonald County247+2.1%
72Andrew County244-2.4%
73Osage County2390%
74Linn County237-2.9%
75Cedar County233-6.4%
76Madison County224-5.5%
77Wayne County211-6.2%
78Mississippi County210-7.1%
79Montgomery County207-5.5%
80Barton County2030%
81Grundy County201-5.6%
82Iron County196-3%
83DeKalb County193-2.5%
84Ralls County188+1.1%
85Carroll County181-5.2%
86Douglas County178+5.3%
87Chariton County174-2.2%
88Bollinger County169-1.2%
89Oregon County164-3%
90Harrison County157-8.7%
91Atchison County153-1.3%
92Howard County151-0.7%
93Gentry County148-2%
93Lewis County148+3.5%
95Monroe County144+2.1%
96St. Clair County139+6.1%
97Carter County137+5.4%
98Ozark County136+0.7%
98Shelby County136-6.8%
100Daviess County134+3.9%
101Clark County132+2.3%
102Shannon County130-2.3%
103Scotland County125+1.6%
104Caldwell County124-8.8%
105Dade County120+5.3%
105Hickory County120-1.6%
107Maries County114+1.8%
108Holt County1080%
109Reynolds County100-1%
110Sullivan County900%
111Putnam County79-4.8%
112Knox County74-8.6%
113Schuyler County69+1.5%
114Mercer County63+1.6%
115Worth County43+13.2%

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 Missouri by employer firms, 2019) [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, 2019. 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=2019. 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, 2019. 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=2019.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2025) Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties, Counties in Missouri by employer firms, 2019 [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=2019 (Accessed: 11 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_missouri_by_2019,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties: Counties in Missouri by employer firms, 2019}},
  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=2019. 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, 2019
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=2019
Y2  - 2026/10/11
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firms/missouri-counties?period=2019.
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 22,247 in 2019, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest employer firms?

Worth County, with 43 in 2019.

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