Counties in North Carolina by employer firms

Mecklenburg County had the highest employer firms of 100 counties in 2014, at 20,081. Tyrrell County had the lowest, at 74. The median was 813 and the figure for North Carolina was 149,938. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest20,081Mecklenburg County
Median813100 counties
North Carolina149,938History

Map of counties, 2014

Alamance County: 2,510 countAlexander County: 475 countAlleghany County: 219 countAnson County: 350 countAshe County: 445 countAvery County: 423 countBeaufort County: 891 countBertie County: 262 countBladen County: 435 countBrunswick County: 1,861 countBuncombe County: 5,844 countBurke County: 1,214 countCabarrus County: 3,170 countCaldwell County: 1,121 countCamden County: 96 countCarteret County: 1,582 countCaswell County: 208 countCatawba County: 3,275 countChatham County: 1,112 countCherokee County: 509 countChowan County: 308 countClay County: 190 countCleveland County: 1,585 countColumbus County: 810 countCraven County: 1,703 countCumberland County: 4,226 countCurrituck County: 479 countDare County: 1,347 countDavidson County: 2,234 countDavie County: 697 countDuplin County: 680 countDurham County: 5,182 countEdgecombe County: 572 countForsyth County: 6,210 countFranklin County: 813 countGaston County: 3,098 countGates County: 105 countGraham County: 141 countGranville County: 722 countGreene County: 200 countGuilford County: 9,872 countHalifax County: 744 countHarnett County: 1,312 countHaywood County: 1,101 countHenderson County: 2,105 countHertford County: 391 countHoke County: 370 countHyde County: 125 countIredell County: 3,528 countJackson County: 792 countJohnston County: 2,471 countJones County: 114 countLee County: 1,101 countLenoir County: 1,027 countLincoln County: 1,328 countMcDowell County: 633 countMacon County: 876 countMadison County: 258 countMartin County: 396 countMecklenburg County: 20,081 countMitchell County: 309 countMontgomery County: 418 countMoore County: 1,832 countNash County: 1,638 countNew Hanover County: 5,462 countNorthampton County: 223 countOnslow County: 2,123 countOrange County: 2,544 countPamlico County: 214 countPasquotank County: 769 countPender County: 838 countPerquimans County: 171 countPerson County: 571 countPitt County: 2,785 countPolk County: 427 countRandolph County: 2,055 countRichmond County: 695 countRobeson County: 1,403 countRockingham County: 1,358 countRowan County: 2,144 countRutherford County: 1,069 countSampson County: 812 countScotland County: 518 countStanly County: 1,043 countStokes County: 514 countSurry County: 1,362 countSwain County: 269 countTransylvania County: 717 countTyrrell County: 74 countUnion County: 3,399 countVance County: 710 countWake County: 19,223 countWarren County: 253 countWashington County: 200 countWatauga County: 1,300 countWayne County: 1,741 countWilkes County: 975 countWilson County: 1,407 countYadkin County: 502 countYancey County: 286 count
  • Under 300
  • 300 to 500
  • 500 to 800
  • 800 to 1,300
  • 1,300 to 2,400
  • 2,400 and over
count, 2014. 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, 2014

Mecklenburg County: 20,081 countMecklenburg County20,081Wake County: 19,223 countWake County19,223Guilford County: 9,872 countGuilford County9,872Forsyth County: 6,210 countForsyth County6,210Buncombe County: 5,844 countBuncombe County5,844New Hanover County: 5,462 countNew Hanover County5,462Durham County: 5,182 countDurham County5,182Cumberland County: 4,226 countCumberland County4,226Iredell County: 3,528 countIredell County3,528Union County: 3,399 countUnion County3,399Catawba County: 3,275 countCatawba County3,275Cabarrus County: 3,170 countCabarrus County3,170Gaston County: 3,098 countGaston County3,098Pitt County: 2,785 countPitt County2,785Orange County: 2,544 countOrange County2,544Alamance County: 2,510 countAlamance County2,510Johnston County: 2,471 countJohnston County2,471Davidson County: 2,234 countDavidson County2,234Rowan County: 2,144 countRowan County2,144Onslow County: 2,123 countOnslow County2,123Henderson County: 2,105 countHenderson County2,105Randolph County: 2,055 countRandolph County2,055Brunswick County: 1,861 countBrunswick County1,861Moore County: 1,832 countMoore County1,832Wayne County: 1,741 countWayne County1,741Craven County: 1,703 countCraven County1,703Nash County: 1,638 countNash County1,638Cleveland County: 1,585 countCleveland County1,585Carteret County: 1,582 countCarteret County1,582Wilson County: 1,407 countWilson County1,407Robeson County: 1,403 countRobeson County1,403Surry County: 1,362 countSurry County1,362Rockingham County: 1,358 countRockingham County1,358Dare County: 1,347 countDare County1,347Lincoln County: 1,328 countLincoln County1,328Harnett County: 1,312 countHarnett County1,312Watauga County: 1,300 countWatauga County1,300Burke County: 1,214 countBurke County1,214Caldwell County: 1,121 countCaldwell County1,121Chatham County: 1,112 countChatham County1,112Mecklenburg County: 20,081 countMecklenburg County20,081Wake County: 19,223 countWake County19,223Guilford County: 9,872 countGuilford County9,872Forsyth County: 6,210 countForsyth County6,210Buncombe County: 5,844 countBuncombe County5,844New Hanover County: 5,462 countNew Hanover County5,462Durham County: 5,182 countDurham County5,182Cumberland County: 4,226 countCumberland County4,226Iredell County: 3,528 countIredell County3,528Union County: 3,399 countUnion County3,399Catawba County: 3,275 countCatawba County3,275Cabarrus County: 3,170 countCabarrus County3,170Gaston County: 3,098 countGaston County3,098Pitt County: 2,785 countPitt County2,785Orange County: 2,544 countOrange County2,544Alamance County: 2,510 countAlamance County2,510Johnston County: 2,471 countJohnston County2,471Davidson County: 2,234 countDavidson County2,234Rowan County: 2,144 countRowan County2,144Onslow County: 2,123 countOnslow County2,123Henderson County: 2,105 countHenderson County2,105Randolph County: 2,055 countRandolph County2,055Brunswick County: 1,861 countBrunswick County1,861Moore County: 1,832 countMoore County1,832Wayne County: 1,741 countWayne County1,741Craven County: 1,703 countCraven County1,703Nash County: 1,638 countNash County1,638Cleveland County: 1,585 countCleveland County1,585Carteret County: 1,582 countCarteret County1,582Wilson County: 1,407 countWilson County1,407Robeson County: 1,403 countRobeson County1,403Surry County: 1,362 countSurry County1,362Rockingham County: 1,358 countRockingham County1,358Dare County: 1,347 countDare County1,347Lincoln County: 1,328 countLincoln County1,328Harnett County: 1,312 countHarnett County1,312Watauga County: 1,300 countWatauga County1,300Burke County: 1,214 countBurke County1,214Caldwell County: 1,121 countCaldwell County1,121Chatham County: 1,112 countChatham County1,112
count. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-11.

Full ranking

RankCounties2014
count
Change on 2013
1Mecklenburg County20,081+1.9%
2Wake County19,223+2.1%
3Guilford County9,872+0.2%
4Forsyth County6,210-0.5%
5Buncombe County5,844+1.6%
6New Hanover County5,462+1.2%
7Durham County5,182+1.4%
8Cumberland County4,226-0.6%
9Iredell County3,528+1.9%
10Union County3,399+1.6%
11Catawba County3,275-0.2%
12Cabarrus County3,170+2.1%
13Gaston County3,098+0.1%
14Pitt County2,785-0.3%
15Orange County2,544+1.6%
16Alamance County2,510-0.6%
17Johnston County2,471+0.1%
18Davidson County2,234-1.2%
19Rowan County2,144-0.7%
20Onslow County2,123-1%
21Henderson County2,105-0.7%
22Randolph County2,055-2%
23Brunswick County1,861+0.7%
24Moore County1,832+0.3%
25Wayne County1,741-0.6%
26Craven County1,703-1.4%
27Nash County1,638-1.4%
28Cleveland County1,585-1.6%
29Carteret County1,582-0.8%
30Wilson County1,407+0.1%
31Robeson County1,403-2.1%
32Surry County1,362-1.7%
33Rockingham County1,3580%
34Dare County1,347-2%
35Lincoln County1,328+2.6%
36Harnett County1,312-1%
37Watauga County1,300-1.2%
38Burke County1,214+0.2%
39Caldwell County1,121-1.7%
40Chatham County1,112+3.2%
41Haywood County1,101-3.8%
41Lee County1,101-0.1%
43Rutherford County1,0690%
44Stanly County1,043-1.7%
45Lenoir County1,027-2.5%
46Wilkes County975-4.5%
47Beaufort County891-2.2%
48Macon County876-1.9%
49Pender County838+3.2%
50Franklin County813+1.4%
51Sampson County812-1.8%
52Columbus County810-1.1%
53Jackson County792+2.6%
54Pasquotank County769-2%
55Halifax County744-3.3%
56Granville County722-1.6%
57Transylvania County717+0.3%
58Vance County710-2.6%
59Davie County697+1.6%
60Richmond County695-4.3%
61Duplin County680-2.9%
62McDowell County633-1.6%
63Edgecombe County572-0.5%
64Person County571-0.7%
65Scotland County518-1.7%
66Stokes County514-2.3%
67Cherokee County509+1.6%
68Yadkin County5020%
69Currituck County479+0.4%
70Alexander County475-0.4%
71Ashe County445-0.2%
72Bladen County435-1.1%
73Polk County427-3.8%
74Avery County423+0.2%
75Montgomery County418+0.7%
76Martin County3960%
77Hertford County391-1.3%
78Hoke County370+2.5%
79Anson County350-1.1%
80Mitchell County309-4.3%
81Chowan County308-1.9%
82Yancey County286-0.7%
83Swain County269-1.5%
84Bertie County262-5.4%
85Madison County258-1.9%
86Warren County253+2.4%
87Northampton County223-2.6%
88Alleghany County219-3.1%
89Pamlico County214-1.4%
90Caswell County208-1.9%
91Greene County200-6.1%
91Washington County200-6.5%
93Clay County190+4.4%
94Perquimans County171-4.5%
95Graham County141+6.8%
96Hyde County125-3.1%
97Jones County114+1.8%
98Gates County105-3.7%
99Camden County960%
100Tyrrell County74+5.7%

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 North Carolina by employer firms, 2014) [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 North Carolina by employer firms, 2014. 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/north-carolina-counties?period=2014. 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 North Carolina by employer firms, 2014. 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/north-carolina-counties?period=2014.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2025) Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties, Counties in North Carolina by employer firms, 2014 [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/north-carolina-counties?period=2014 (Accessed: 11 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_north_carolina_2014,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties: Counties in North Carolina by employer firms, 2014}},
  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/north-carolina-counties?period=2014. 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 North Carolina by employer firms, 2014
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/north-carolina-counties?period=2014
Y2  - 2026/10/11
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firms/north-carolina-counties?period=2014.
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?

Mecklenburg County, with 20,081 in 2014, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest employer firms?

Tyrrell County, with 74 in 2014.

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 North Carolina: more rankings