Counties in Tennessee by employer firms

Davidson County had the highest employer firms of 95 counties in 2014, at 13,487. Van Buren County had the lowest, at 37. The median was 426 and the figure for Tennessee was 88,666. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest13,487Davidson County
Median42695 counties
Tennessee88,666History

Map of counties, 2014

Anderson County: 1,252 countBedford County: 690 countBenton County: 278 countBledsoe County: 108 countBlount County: 1,870 countBradley County: 1,546 countCampbell County: 501 countCannon County: 152 countCarroll County: 368 countCarter County: 595 countCheatham County: 485 countChester County: 212 countClaiborne County: 358 countClay County: 86 countCocke County: 426 countCoffee County: 1,034 countCrockett County: 200 countCumberland County: 912 countDavidson County: 13,487 countDecatur County: 185 countDeKalb County: 258 countDickson County: 793 countDyer County: 664 countFayette County: 499 countFentress County: 204 countFranklin County: 604 countGibson County: 761 countGiles County: 470 countGrainger County: 176 countGreene County: 904 countGrundy County: 125 countHamblen County: 1,066 countHamilton County: 6,624 countHancock County: 45 countHardeman County: 311 countHardin County: 423 countHawkins County: 508 countHaywood County: 281 countHenderson County: 424 countHenry County: 631 countHickman County: 218 countHouston County: 98 countHumphreys County: 290 countJackson County: 87 countJefferson County: 551 countJohnson County: 211 countKnox County: 8,105 countLake County: 75 countLauderdale County: 277 countLawrence County: 590 countLewis County: 179 countLincoln County: 507 countLoudon County: 777 countMcMinn County: 746 countMcNairy County: 368 countMacon County: 286 countMadison County: 2,076 countMarion County: 383 countMarshall County: 409 countMaury County: 1,331 countMeigs County: 86 countMonroe County: 596 countMontgomery County: 2,157 countMoore County: 56 countMorgan County: 141 countObion County: 544 countOverton County: 262 countPerry County: 111 countPickett County: 77 countPolk County: 172 countPutnam County: 1,474 countRhea County: 447 countRoane County: 617 countRobertson County: 962 countRutherford County: 3,685 countScott County: 277 countSequatchie County: 167 countSevier County: 1,978 countShelby County: 13,246 countSmith County: 219 countStewart County: 131 countSullivan County: 2,527 countSumner County: 2,459 countTipton County: 594 countTrousdale County: 106 countUnicoi County: 217 countUnion County: 163 countVan Buren County: 37 countWarren County: 640 countWashington County: 2,267 countWayne County: 162 countWeakley County: 494 countWhite County: 326 countWilliamson County: 5,116 countWilson County: 2,045 count
  • Under 200
  • 200 to 300
  • 300 to 400
  • 400 to 600
  • 600 to 1,400
  • 1,400 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

Davidson County: 13,487 countDavidson County13,487Shelby County: 13,246 countShelby County13,246Knox County: 8,105 countKnox County8,105Hamilton County: 6,624 countHamilton County6,624Williamson County: 5,116 countWilliamson County5,116Rutherford County: 3,685 countRutherford County3,685Sullivan County: 2,527 countSullivan County2,527Sumner County: 2,459 countSumner County2,459Washington County: 2,267 countWashington County2,267Montgomery County: 2,157 countMontgomery County2,157Madison County: 2,076 countMadison County2,076Wilson County: 2,045 countWilson County2,045Sevier County: 1,978 countSevier County1,978Blount County: 1,870 countBlount County1,870Bradley County: 1,546 countBradley County1,546Putnam County: 1,474 countPutnam County1,474Maury County: 1,331 countMaury County1,331Anderson County: 1,252 countAnderson County1,252Hamblen County: 1,066 countHamblen County1,066Coffee County: 1,034 countCoffee County1,034Robertson County: 962 countRobertson County962Cumberland County: 912 countCumberland County912Greene County: 904 countGreene County904Dickson County: 793 countDickson County793Loudon County: 777 countLoudon County777Gibson County: 761 countGibson County761McMinn County: 746 countMcMinn County746Bedford County: 690 countBedford County690Dyer County: 664 countDyer County664Warren County: 640 countWarren County640Henry County: 631 countHenry County631Roane County: 617 countRoane County617Franklin County: 604 countFranklin County604Monroe County: 596 countMonroe County596Carter County: 595 countCarter County595Tipton County: 594 countTipton County594Lawrence County: 590 countLawrence County590Jefferson County: 551 countJefferson County551Obion County: 544 countObion County544Hawkins County: 508 countHawkins County508Davidson County: 13,487 countDavidson County13,487Shelby County: 13,246 countShelby County13,246Knox County: 8,105 countKnox County8,105Hamilton County: 6,624 countHamilton County6,624Williamson County: 5,116 countWilliamson County5,116Rutherford County: 3,685 countRutherford County3,685Sullivan County: 2,527 countSullivan County2,527Sumner County: 2,459 countSumner County2,459Washington County: 2,267 countWashington County2,267Montgomery County: 2,157 countMontgomery County2,157Madison County: 2,076 countMadison County2,076Wilson County: 2,045 countWilson County2,045Sevier County: 1,978 countSevier County1,978Blount County: 1,870 countBlount County1,870Bradley County: 1,546 countBradley County1,546Putnam County: 1,474 countPutnam County1,474Maury County: 1,331 countMaury County1,331Anderson County: 1,252 countAnderson County1,252Hamblen County: 1,066 countHamblen County1,066Coffee County: 1,034 countCoffee County1,034Robertson County: 962 countRobertson County962Cumberland County: 912 countCumberland County912Greene County: 904 countGreene County904Dickson County: 793 countDickson County793Loudon County: 777 countLoudon County777Gibson County: 761 countGibson County761McMinn County: 746 countMcMinn County746Bedford County: 690 countBedford County690Dyer County: 664 countDyer County664Warren County: 640 countWarren County640Henry County: 631 countHenry County631Roane County: 617 countRoane County617Franklin County: 604 countFranklin County604Monroe County: 596 countMonroe County596Carter County: 595 countCarter County595Tipton County: 594 countTipton County594Lawrence County: 590 countLawrence County590Jefferson County: 551 countJefferson County551Obion County: 544 countObion County544Hawkins County: 508 countHawkins County508
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
1Davidson County13,487+1.4%
2Shelby County13,246-0.6%
3Knox County8,105-0.3%
4Hamilton County6,624+0.6%
5Williamson County5,116+2.1%
6Rutherford County3,685+1.2%
7Sullivan County2,527-0.5%
8Sumner County2,459+1.6%
9Washington County2,2670%
10Montgomery County2,157+1.2%
11Madison County2,076+1%
12Wilson County2,045+1.8%
13Sevier County1,978+2.2%
14Blount County1,870+0.4%
15Bradley County1,546+0.8%
16Putnam County1,474-0.8%
17Maury County1,331+0.1%
18Anderson County1,252-1.6%
19Hamblen County1,066+0.2%
20Coffee County1,034+1.1%
21Robertson County962+1.8%
22Cumberland County912-0.8%
23Greene County904-0.4%
24Dickson County793-0.3%
25Loudon County777-1.5%
26Gibson County761-1.8%
27McMinn County746-0.3%
28Bedford County690-1.6%
29Dyer County664-3.9%
30Warren County640-1.5%
31Henry County631+0.2%
32Roane County617+0.5%
33Franklin County604+1.9%
34Monroe County5960%
35Carter County595+2.2%
36Tipton County594-1.3%
37Lawrence County590-1.8%
38Jefferson County551-0.2%
39Obion County544-1.4%
40Hawkins County508-1.4%
41Lincoln County507+1.8%
42Campbell County501-0.6%
43Fayette County499-2.7%
44Weakley County494+2.1%
45Cheatham County485+1.3%
46Giles County470-0.8%
47Rhea County447-3.2%
48Cocke County426+1.7%
49Henderson County424+2.7%
50Hardin County423-1.9%
51Marshall County409-1.9%
52Marion County383-1.3%
53Carroll County368-0.8%
53McNairy County368-1.3%
55Claiborne County358-2.2%
56White County326-0.9%
57Hardeman County311-3.7%
58Humphreys County2900%
59Macon County286-2.7%
60Haywood County281+0.7%
61Benton County2780%
62Lauderdale County277+3%
62Scott County277-0.4%
64Overton County262+0.8%
65DeKalb County258-3%
66Smith County219-3.9%
67Hickman County2180%
68Unicoi County217-3.1%
69Chester County212-3.2%
70Johnson County2110%
71Fentress County204-1.9%
72Crockett County200+4.7%
73Decatur County185+1.1%
74Lewis County179+0.6%
75Grainger County176+5.4%
76Polk County172+3.6%
77Sequatchie County167-0.6%
78Union County163-1.8%
79Wayne County1620%
80Cannon County152+6.3%
81Morgan County1410%
82Stewart County131-1.5%
83Grundy County125-0.8%
84Perry County111+4.7%
85Bledsoe County1080%
86Trousdale County106-2.8%
87Houston County98-3%
88Jackson County87+6.1%
89Clay County86-1.1%
89Meigs County86-6.5%
91Pickett County77+4.1%
92Lake County75+5.6%
93Moore County56-8.2%
94Hancock County45-4.3%
95Van Buren County37+2.8%

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, 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 Tennessee 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/tennessee-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 Tennessee 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/tennessee-counties?period=2014.

Harvard

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

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_tennessee_by_2014,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties: Counties in Tennessee 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/tennessee-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 Tennessee 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/tennessee-counties?period=2014
Y2  - 2026/10/11
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firms/tennessee-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?

Davidson County, with 13,487 in 2014, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest employer firms?

Van Buren County, with 37 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 Tennessee: more rankings