Counties in North Carolina by employer firms

Mecklenburg County had the highest employer firms of 100 counties in 2022, at 25,177. Tyrrell County had the lowest, at 66. The median was 904 and the figure for North Carolina was 173,080. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest25,177Mecklenburg County
Median904100 counties
North Carolina173,080History

Map of counties, 2022

Alamance County: 2,840 countAlexander County: 505 countAlleghany County: 225 countAnson County: 346 countAshe County: 485 countAvery County: 433 countBeaufort County: 898 countBertie County: 250 countBladen County: 462 countBrunswick County: 2,275 countBuncombe County: 7,453 countBurke County: 1,261 countCabarrus County: 3,985 countCaldwell County: 1,170 countCamden County: 109 countCarteret County: 1,788 countCaswell County: 207 countCatawba County: 3,520 countChatham County: 1,315 countCherokee County: 554 countChowan County: 292 countClay County: 215 countCleveland County: 1,663 countColumbus County: 783 countCraven County: 1,770 countCumberland County: 4,361 countCurrituck County: 577 countDare County: 1,552 countDavidson County: 2,403 countDavie County: 758 countDuplin County: 710 countDurham County: 6,158 countEdgecombe County: 583 countForsyth County: 6,740 countFranklin County: 973 countGaston County: 3,537 countGates County: 108 countGraham County: 140 countGranville County: 782 countGreene County: 238 countGuilford County: 10,683 countHalifax County: 694 countHarnett County: 1,544 countHaywood County: 1,213 countHenderson County: 2,485 countHertford County: 366 countHoke County: 433 countHyde County: 128 countIredell County: 4,213 countJackson County: 910 countJohnston County: 3,173 countJones County: 111 countLee County: 1,207 countLenoir County: 983 countLincoln County: 1,661 countMcDowell County: 715 countMacon County: 1,052 countMadison County: 334 countMartin County: 375 countMecklenburg County: 25,177 countMitchell County: 304 countMontgomery County: 418 countMoore County: 1,985 countNash County: 1,661 countNew Hanover County: 6,623 countNorthampton County: 200 countOnslow County: 2,363 countOrange County: 2,825 countPamlico County: 219 countPasquotank County: 760 countPender County: 1,127 countPerquimans County: 159 countPerson County: 600 countPitt County: 2,974 countPolk County: 441 countRandolph County: 2,215 countRichmond County: 689 countRobeson County: 1,375 countRockingham County: 1,348 countRowan County: 2,358 countRutherford County: 1,070 countSampson County: 832 countScotland County: 498 countStanly County: 1,173 countStokes County: 558 countSurry County: 1,330 countSwain County: 332 countTransylvania County: 822 countTyrrell County: 66 countUnion County: 4,520 countVance County: 730 countWake County: 23,780 countWarren County: 258 countWashington County: 205 countWatauga County: 1,452 countWayne County: 1,748 countWilkes County: 933 countWilson County: 1,471 countYadkin County: 538 countYancey County: 308 count
  • Under 300
  • 300 to 600
  • 600 to 900
  • 900 to 1,500
  • 1,500 to 2,700
  • 2,700 and over
count, 2022. 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, 2022

Mecklenburg County: 25,177 countMecklenburg County25,177Wake County: 23,780 countWake County23,780Guilford County: 10,683 countGuilford County10,683Buncombe County: 7,453 countBuncombe County7,453Forsyth County: 6,740 countForsyth County6,740New Hanover County: 6,623 countNew Hanover County6,623Durham County: 6,158 countDurham County6,158Union County: 4,520 countUnion County4,520Cumberland County: 4,361 countCumberland County4,361Iredell County: 4,213 countIredell County4,213Cabarrus County: 3,985 countCabarrus County3,985Gaston County: 3,537 countGaston County3,537Catawba County: 3,520 countCatawba County3,520Johnston County: 3,173 countJohnston County3,173Pitt County: 2,974 countPitt County2,974Alamance County: 2,840 countAlamance County2,840Orange County: 2,825 countOrange County2,825Henderson County: 2,485 countHenderson County2,485Davidson County: 2,403 countDavidson County2,403Onslow County: 2,363 countOnslow County2,363Rowan County: 2,358 countRowan County2,358Brunswick County: 2,275 countBrunswick County2,275Randolph County: 2,215 countRandolph County2,215Moore County: 1,985 countMoore County1,985Carteret County: 1,788 countCarteret County1,788Craven County: 1,770 countCraven County1,770Wayne County: 1,748 countWayne County1,748Cleveland County: 1,663 countCleveland County1,663Lincoln County: 1,661 countLincoln County1,661Nash County: 1,661 countNash County1,661Dare County: 1,552 countDare County1,552Harnett County: 1,544 countHarnett County1,544Wilson County: 1,471 countWilson County1,471Watauga County: 1,452 countWatauga County1,452Robeson County: 1,375 countRobeson County1,375Rockingham County: 1,348 countRockingham County1,348Surry County: 1,330 countSurry County1,330Chatham County: 1,315 countChatham County1,315Burke County: 1,261 countBurke County1,261Haywood County: 1,213 countHaywood County1,213Mecklenburg County: 25,177 countMecklenburg County25,177Wake County: 23,780 countWake County23,780Guilford County: 10,683 countGuilford County10,683Buncombe County: 7,453 countBuncombe County7,453Forsyth County: 6,740 countForsyth County6,740New Hanover County: 6,623 countNew Hanover County6,623Durham County: 6,158 countDurham County6,158Union County: 4,520 countUnion County4,520Cumberland County: 4,361 countCumberland County4,361Iredell County: 4,213 countIredell County4,213Cabarrus County: 3,985 countCabarrus County3,985Gaston County: 3,537 countGaston County3,537Catawba County: 3,520 countCatawba County3,520Johnston County: 3,173 countJohnston County3,173Pitt County: 2,974 countPitt County2,974Alamance County: 2,840 countAlamance County2,840Orange County: 2,825 countOrange County2,825Henderson County: 2,485 countHenderson County2,485Davidson County: 2,403 countDavidson County2,403Onslow County: 2,363 countOnslow County2,363Rowan County: 2,358 countRowan County2,358Brunswick County: 2,275 countBrunswick County2,275Randolph County: 2,215 countRandolph County2,215Moore County: 1,985 countMoore County1,985Carteret County: 1,788 countCarteret County1,788Craven County: 1,770 countCraven County1,770Wayne County: 1,748 countWayne County1,748Cleveland County: 1,663 countCleveland County1,663Lincoln County: 1,661 countLincoln County1,661Nash County: 1,661 countNash County1,661Dare County: 1,552 countDare County1,552Harnett County: 1,544 countHarnett County1,544Wilson County: 1,471 countWilson County1,471Watauga County: 1,452 countWatauga County1,452Robeson County: 1,375 countRobeson County1,375Rockingham County: 1,348 countRockingham County1,348Surry County: 1,330 countSurry County1,330Chatham County: 1,315 countChatham County1,315Burke County: 1,261 countBurke County1,261Haywood County: 1,213 countHaywood County1,213
count. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-11.

Full ranking

RankCounties2022
count
Change on 2021
1Mecklenburg County25,177+3.8%
2Wake County23,780+3.1%
3Guilford County10,683+2%
4Buncombe County7,453+3.6%
5Forsyth County6,740+1.7%
6New Hanover County6,623+3.9%
7Durham County6,158+4.1%
8Union County4,520+3.7%
9Cumberland County4,361+2.1%
10Iredell County4,213+2.4%
11Cabarrus County3,985+4.9%
12Gaston County3,537+2.3%
13Catawba County3,520+2.5%
14Johnston County3,173+4%
15Pitt County2,974-0.6%
16Alamance County2,840+2.6%
17Orange County2,825+3.6%
18Henderson County2,485+1.6%
19Davidson County2,403+2.5%
20Onslow County2,363+2.9%
21Rowan County2,358+5.3%
22Brunswick County2,275+2.1%
23Randolph County2,215+4.8%
24Moore County1,985+0.5%
25Carteret County1,788+3.5%
26Craven County1,770+2.8%
27Wayne County1,748+0.9%
28Cleveland County1,663+2.1%
29Lincoln County1,661+4.2%
29Nash County1,661-0.3%
31Dare County1,552+3.6%
32Harnett County1,544+3.6%
33Wilson County1,471+0.3%
34Watauga County1,452+1.8%
35Robeson County1,375+0.2%
36Rockingham County1,348+3%
37Surry County1,330+1.8%
38Chatham County1,315+4%
39Burke County1,261+0.7%
40Haywood County1,213+2.4%
41Lee County1,207+3.1%
42Stanly County1,173+2.4%
43Caldwell County1,170+2.9%
44Pender County1,127+4.2%
45Rutherford County1,070+1.5%
46Macon County1,052+5.7%
47Lenoir County983+0.2%
48Franklin County973+2.2%
49Wilkes County933-2.9%
50Jackson County910+3.9%
51Beaufort County898+1.1%
52Sampson County832+2.5%
53Transylvania County822+0.7%
54Columbus County783+3.3%
55Granville County782+0.8%
56Pasquotank County760+0.1%
57Davie County758+4.7%
58Vance County730+1.2%
59McDowell County715+1.4%
60Duplin County710-1.9%
61Halifax County694-0.3%
62Richmond County689+2.1%
63Person County600+1.5%
64Edgecombe County583+3.6%
65Currituck County577+2.5%
66Stokes County558-0.9%
67Cherokee County554+3.9%
68Yadkin County538+4.3%
69Alexander County505+1.4%
70Scotland County498+1.2%
71Ashe County485+1%
72Bladen County462+2%
73Polk County441+2.8%
74Avery County433+6.1%
74Hoke County433+6.7%
76Montgomery County418+4.8%
77Martin County375-4.1%
78Hertford County366+0.3%
79Anson County346+0.9%
80Madison County334+5.7%
81Swain County332+5.1%
82Yancey County308+3%
83Mitchell County304+1.7%
84Chowan County292+1.4%
85Warren County258+4.5%
86Bertie County250+1.2%
87Greene County238-5.6%
88Alleghany County225+3.2%
89Pamlico County219+4.3%
90Clay County215+4.9%
91Caswell County207+3%
92Washington County205+5.1%
93Northampton County200-3.4%
94Perquimans County159+0.6%
95Graham County140-3.4%
96Hyde County128+4.9%
97Jones County111-5.1%
98Camden County109-1.8%
99Gates County108+1.9%
100Tyrrell County66+8.2%

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 North Carolina by employer firms, 2022) [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, 2022. 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=2022. 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, 2022. 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=2022.

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, 2022 [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=2022 (Accessed: 11 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_north_carolina_2022,
  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, 2022}},
  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=2022. 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, 2022
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=2022
Y2  - 2026/10/11
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firms/north-carolina-counties?period=2022.
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 25,177 in 2022, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest employer firms?

Tyrrell County, with 66 in 2022.

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