Counties in Oregon by employer firms, 2023

Multnomah County had the highest employer firms of 36 counties in 2023, at 20,707. Wheeler County had the lowest, at 27. The median was 1,059 and the figure for Oregon was 88,326. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest20,707Multnomah County
Median1,05936 counties
Oregon88,326History

Map of counties, 2023

Baker County: 443 countBenton County: 1,838 countClackamas County: 10,144 countClatsop County: 1,330 countColumbia County: 828 countCoos County: 1,320 countCrook County: 556 countCurry County: 574 countDeschutes County: 6,822 countDouglas County: 2,156 countGilliam County: 56 countGrant County: 176 countHarney County: 182 countHood River County: 867 countJackson County: 5,205 countJefferson County: 390 countJosephine County: 1,722 countKlamath County: 1,251 countLake County: 160 countLane County: 7,887 countLincoln County: 1,349 countLinn County: 2,354 countMalheur County: 601 countMarion County: 7,181 countMorrow County: 160 countMultnomah County: 20,707 countPolk County: 1,282 countSherman County: 44 countTillamook County: 650 countUmatilla County: 1,298 countUnion County: 632 countWallowa County: 290 countWasco County: 628 countWashington County: 12,332 countWheeler County: 27 countYamhill County: 2,290 count
  • Under 200
  • 200 to 600
  • 600 to 1,100
  • 1,100 to 1,500
  • 1,500 to 5,500
  • 5,500 and over
count, 2023. 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.

All counties, 2023

Multnomah County: 20,707 countMultnomah County20,707Washington County: 12,332 countWashington County12,332Clackamas County: 10,144 countClackamas County10,144Lane County: 7,887 countLane County7,887Marion County: 7,181 countMarion County7,181Deschutes County: 6,822 countDeschutes County6,822Jackson County: 5,205 countJackson County5,205Linn County: 2,354 countLinn County2,354Yamhill County: 2,290 countYamhill County2,290Douglas County: 2,156 countDouglas County2,156Benton County: 1,838 countBenton County1,838Josephine County: 1,722 countJosephine County1,722Lincoln County: 1,349 countLincoln County1,349Clatsop County: 1,330 countClatsop County1,330Coos County: 1,320 countCoos County1,320Umatilla County: 1,298 countUmatilla County1,298Polk County: 1,282 countPolk County1,282Klamath County: 1,251 countKlamath County1,251Hood River County: 867 countHood River County867Columbia County: 828 countColumbia County828Tillamook County: 650 countTillamook County650Union County: 632 countUnion County632Wasco County: 628 countWasco County628Malheur County: 601 countMalheur County601Curry County: 574 countCurry County574Crook County: 556 countCrook County556Baker County: 443 countBaker County443Jefferson County: 390 countJefferson County390Wallowa County: 290 countWallowa County290Harney County: 182 countHarney County182Grant County: 176 countGrant County176Lake County: 160 countLake County160Morrow County: 160 countMorrow County160Gilliam County: 56 countGilliam County56Sherman County: 44 countSherman County44Wheeler County: 27 countWheeler County27Multnomah County: 20,707 countMultnomah County20,707Washington County: 12,332 countWashington County12,332Clackamas County: 10,144 countClackamas County10,144Lane County: 7,887 countLane County7,887Marion County: 7,181 countMarion County7,181Deschutes County: 6,822 countDeschutes County6,822Jackson County: 5,205 countJackson County5,205Linn County: 2,354 countLinn County2,354Yamhill County: 2,290 countYamhill County2,290Douglas County: 2,156 countDouglas County2,156Benton County: 1,838 countBenton County1,838Josephine County: 1,722 countJosephine County1,722Lincoln County: 1,349 countLincoln County1,349Clatsop County: 1,330 countClatsop County1,330Coos County: 1,320 countCoos County1,320Umatilla County: 1,298 countUmatilla County1,298Polk County: 1,282 countPolk County1,282Klamath County: 1,251 countKlamath County1,251Hood River County: 867 countHood River County867Columbia County: 828 countColumbia County828Tillamook County: 650 countTillamook County650Union County: 632 countUnion County632Wasco County: 628 countWasco County628Malheur County: 601 countMalheur County601Curry County: 574 countCurry County574Crook County: 556 countCrook County556Baker County: 443 countBaker County443Jefferson County: 390 countJefferson County390Wallowa County: 290 countWallowa County290Harney County: 182 countHarney County182Grant County: 176 countGrant County176Lake County: 160 countLake County160Morrow County: 160 countMorrow County160Gilliam County: 56 countGilliam County56Sherman County: 44 countSherman County44Wheeler County: 27 countWheeler County27
count. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-11.

Full ranking

RankCounties2023
count
Change on 2022
1Multnomah County20,707-0.3%
2Washington County12,332+0.1%
3Clackamas County10,144+0.7%
4Lane County7,887-0.6%
5Marion County7,181+1.4%
6Deschutes County6,822+1%
7Jackson County5,205-0.3%
8Linn County2,354+1.3%
9Yamhill County2,290-0.9%
10Douglas County2,156-0.1%
11Benton County1,838-0.1%
12Josephine County1,722-2.1%
13Lincoln County1,349-0.1%
14Clatsop County1,330+1.8%
15Coos County1,320+1%
16Umatilla County1,298+0.5%
17Polk County1,282-0.6%
18Klamath County1,251-1.8%
19Hood River County867+0.7%
20Columbia County828+0.5%
21Tillamook County650+0.2%
22Union County632-0.5%
23Wasco County628+1.9%
24Malheur County6010%
25Curry County574+0.2%
26Crook County556+4.9%
27Baker County443+0.5%
28Jefferson County390+3.4%
29Wallowa County290-2.4%
30Harney County182-2.2%
31Grant County176-3.3%
32Lake County1600%
32Morrow County160+0.6%
34Gilliam County56+5.7%
35Sherman County44+7.3%
36Wheeler County27+12.5%

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 Oregon by employer firms, 2023) [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 Oregon by employer firms, 2023. 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/oregon-counties. 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 Oregon by employer firms, 2023. 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/oregon-counties.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2025) Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties, Counties in Oregon by employer firms, 2023 [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/oregon-counties (Accessed: 11 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_oregon_by_2023,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties: Counties in Oregon by employer firms, 2023}},
  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/oregon-counties. 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 Oregon by employer firms, 2023
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/oregon-counties
Y2  - 2026/10/11
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firms/oregon-counties.
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?

Multnomah County, with 20,707 in 2023, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest employer firms?

Wheeler County, with 27 in 2023.

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 Oregon: more rankings