Counties in Tennessee by employer firms

Shelby County had the highest employer firms of 95 counties in 2013, at 13,331. Van Buren County had the lowest, at 36. The median was 431 and the figure for Tennessee was 88,671. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest13,331Shelby County
Median43195 counties
Tennessee88,671History

Map of counties, 2013

Anderson County: 1,272 countBedford County: 701 countBenton County: 278 countBledsoe County: 108 countBlount County: 1,863 countBradley County: 1,533 countCampbell County: 504 countCannon County: 143 countCarroll County: 371 countCarter County: 582 countCheatham County: 479 countChester County: 219 countClaiborne County: 366 countClay County: 87 countCocke County: 419 countCoffee County: 1,023 countCrockett County: 191 countCumberland County: 919 countDavidson County: 13,305 countDecatur County: 183 countDeKalb County: 266 countDickson County: 795 countDyer County: 691 countFayette County: 513 countFentress County: 208 countFranklin County: 593 countGibson County: 775 countGiles County: 474 countGrainger County: 167 countGreene County: 908 countGrundy County: 126 countHamblen County: 1,064 countHamilton County: 6,582 countHancock County: 47 countHardeman County: 323 countHardin County: 431 countHawkins County: 515 countHaywood County: 279 countHenderson County: 413 countHenry County: 630 countHickman County: 218 countHouston County: 101 countHumphreys County: 290 countJackson County: 82 countJefferson County: 552 countJohnson County: 211 countKnox County: 8,127 countLake County: 71 countLauderdale County: 269 countLawrence County: 601 countLewis County: 178 countLincoln County: 498 countLoudon County: 789 countMcMinn County: 748 countMcNairy County: 373 countMacon County: 294 countMadison County: 2,056 countMarion County: 388 countMarshall County: 417 countMaury County: 1,330 countMeigs County: 92 countMonroe County: 596 countMontgomery County: 2,131 countMoore County: 61 countMorgan County: 141 countObion County: 552 countOverton County: 260 countPerry County: 106 countPickett County: 74 countPolk County: 166 countPutnam County: 1,486 countRhea County: 462 countRoane County: 614 countRobertson County: 945 countRutherford County: 3,642 countScott County: 278 countSequatchie County: 168 countSevier County: 1,935 countShelby County: 13,331 countSmith County: 228 countStewart County: 133 countSullivan County: 2,539 countSumner County: 2,421 countTipton County: 602 countTrousdale County: 109 countUnicoi County: 224 countUnion County: 166 countVan Buren County: 36 countWarren County: 650 countWashington County: 2,266 countWayne County: 162 countWeakley County: 484 countWhite County: 329 countWilliamson County: 5,011 countWilson County: 2,008 count
  • Under 200
  • 200 to 300
  • 300 to 400
  • 400 to 600
  • 600 to 1,400
  • 1,400 and over
count, 2013. 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, 2013

Shelby County: 13,331 countShelby County13,331Davidson County: 13,305 countDavidson County13,305Knox County: 8,127 countKnox County8,127Hamilton County: 6,582 countHamilton County6,582Williamson County: 5,011 countWilliamson County5,011Rutherford County: 3,642 countRutherford County3,642Sullivan County: 2,539 countSullivan County2,539Sumner County: 2,421 countSumner County2,421Washington County: 2,266 countWashington County2,266Montgomery County: 2,131 countMontgomery County2,131Madison County: 2,056 countMadison County2,056Wilson County: 2,008 countWilson County2,008Sevier County: 1,935 countSevier County1,935Blount County: 1,863 countBlount County1,863Bradley County: 1,533 countBradley County1,533Putnam County: 1,486 countPutnam County1,486Maury County: 1,330 countMaury County1,330Anderson County: 1,272 countAnderson County1,272Hamblen County: 1,064 countHamblen County1,064Coffee County: 1,023 countCoffee County1,023Robertson County: 945 countRobertson County945Cumberland County: 919 countCumberland County919Greene County: 908 countGreene County908Dickson County: 795 countDickson County795Loudon County: 789 countLoudon County789Gibson County: 775 countGibson County775McMinn County: 748 countMcMinn County748Bedford County: 701 countBedford County701Dyer County: 691 countDyer County691Warren County: 650 countWarren County650Henry County: 630 countHenry County630Roane County: 614 countRoane County614Tipton County: 602 countTipton County602Lawrence County: 601 countLawrence County601Monroe County: 596 countMonroe County596Franklin County: 593 countFranklin County593Carter County: 582 countCarter County582Jefferson County: 552 countJefferson County552Obion County: 552 countObion County552Hawkins County: 515 countHawkins County515Shelby County: 13,331 countShelby County13,331Davidson County: 13,305 countDavidson County13,305Knox County: 8,127 countKnox County8,127Hamilton County: 6,582 countHamilton County6,582Williamson County: 5,011 countWilliamson County5,011Rutherford County: 3,642 countRutherford County3,642Sullivan County: 2,539 countSullivan County2,539Sumner County: 2,421 countSumner County2,421Washington County: 2,266 countWashington County2,266Montgomery County: 2,131 countMontgomery County2,131Madison County: 2,056 countMadison County2,056Wilson County: 2,008 countWilson County2,008Sevier County: 1,935 countSevier County1,935Blount County: 1,863 countBlount County1,863Bradley County: 1,533 countBradley County1,533Putnam County: 1,486 countPutnam County1,486Maury County: 1,330 countMaury County1,330Anderson County: 1,272 countAnderson County1,272Hamblen County: 1,064 countHamblen County1,064Coffee County: 1,023 countCoffee County1,023Robertson County: 945 countRobertson County945Cumberland County: 919 countCumberland County919Greene County: 908 countGreene County908Dickson County: 795 countDickson County795Loudon County: 789 countLoudon County789Gibson County: 775 countGibson County775McMinn County: 748 countMcMinn County748Bedford County: 701 countBedford County701Dyer County: 691 countDyer County691Warren County: 650 countWarren County650Henry County: 630 countHenry County630Roane County: 614 countRoane County614Tipton County: 602 countTipton County602Lawrence County: 601 countLawrence County601Monroe County: 596 countMonroe County596Franklin County: 593 countFranklin County593Carter County: 582 countCarter County582Jefferson County: 552 countJefferson County552Obion County: 552 countObion County552Hawkins County: 515 countHawkins County515
count. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-11.

Full ranking

RankCounties2013
count
Change on 2012
1Shelby County13,331-0.2%
2Davidson County13,305+1.6%
3Knox County8,127-0.5%
4Hamilton County6,582+0.3%
5Williamson County5,011+3.5%
6Rutherford County3,642+1.5%
7Sullivan County2,539-1.2%
8Sumner County2,421+1.8%
9Washington County2,266-1%
10Montgomery County2,131+1%
11Madison County2,056-1%
12Wilson County2,008+0.2%
13Sevier County1,935+1.8%
14Blount County1,863-1.4%
15Bradley County1,533-0.7%
16Putnam County1,486+0.5%
17Maury County1,330+0.2%
18Anderson County1,272-2.8%
19Hamblen County1,064+0.2%
20Coffee County1,023+0.6%
21Robertson County945-1.2%
22Cumberland County919+1.9%
23Greene County908-1.6%
24Dickson County795+0.6%
25Loudon County789+1.2%
26Gibson County775+1.6%
27McMinn County7480%
28Bedford County701+2.6%
29Dyer County691+0.4%
30Warren County650+0.8%
31Henry County630+1%
32Roane County614-1%
33Tipton County602-2.1%
34Lawrence County601+1.5%
35Monroe County596+0.2%
36Franklin County593-0.3%
37Carter County582-3.3%
38Jefferson County552+0.2%
38Obion County552-4.8%
40Hawkins County515-0.2%
41Fayette County513+0.2%
42Campbell County504-0.8%
43Lincoln County498+0.8%
44Weakley County484-0.8%
45Cheatham County479+3%
46Giles County474-4.2%
47Rhea County462+2.9%
48Hardin County431-2%
49Cocke County419-0.2%
50Marshall County417+0.7%
51Henderson County413-2.6%
52Marion County388-1.3%
53McNairy County373-3.1%
54Carroll County371-2.1%
55Claiborne County366+3.4%
56White County329-2.4%
57Hardeman County323+1.6%
58Macon County294-1.3%
59Humphreys County290+1.8%
60Haywood County279+0.4%
61Benton County278+2.2%
61Scott County278-1.1%
63Lauderdale County269-0.7%
64DeKalb County266+0.4%
65Overton County260-0.4%
66Smith County228-2.1%
67Unicoi County224+2.3%
68Chester County219-1.4%
69Hickman County218-1.8%
70Johnson County211+0.5%
71Fentress County208-4.1%
72Crockett County191-0.5%
73Decatur County183-7.1%
74Lewis County178-3.3%
75Sequatchie County168+1.2%
76Grainger County167-2.9%
77Polk County1660%
77Union County166-3.5%
79Wayne County162-3%
80Cannon County143+2.9%
81Morgan County141+2.9%
82Stewart County133-2.2%
83Grundy County1260%
84Trousdale County109-2.7%
85Bledsoe County108-0.9%
86Perry County106-1.9%
87Houston County101+3.1%
88Meigs County92+3.4%
89Clay County87-9.4%
90Jackson County82+6.5%
91Pickett County74-5.1%
92Lake County71-11.3%
93Moore County61+3.4%
94Hancock County47-7.8%
95Van Buren County36-14.3%

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 Tennessee by employer firms, 2013) [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 Tennessee by employer firms, 2013. 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/tennessee-counties?period=2013. 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 Tennessee by employer firms, 2013. 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/tennessee-counties?period=2013.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2025) Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties, Counties in Tennessee by employer firms, 2013 [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/tennessee-counties?period=2013 (Accessed: 11 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_tennessee_by_2013,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties: Counties in Tennessee by employer firms, 2013}},
  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/tennessee-counties?period=2013. 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 Tennessee by employer firms, 2013
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/tennessee-counties?period=2013
Y2  - 2026/10/11
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firms/tennessee-counties?period=2013.
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?

Shelby County, with 13,331 in 2013, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest employer firms?

Van Buren County, with 36 in 2013.

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 Tennessee: more rankings