Counties in Tennessee by employer firms

Davidson County had the highest employer firms of 95 counties in 2018, at 14,288. Van Buren County had the lowest, at 41. The median was 426 and the figure for Tennessee was 91,351. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest14,288Davidson County
Median42695 counties
Tennessee91,351History

Map of counties, 2018

Anderson County: 1,230 countBedford County: 706 countBenton County: 262 countBledsoe County: 102 countBlount County: 1,910 countBradley County: 1,559 countCampbell County: 506 countCannon County: 169 countCarroll County: 365 countCarter County: 592 countCheatham County: 538 countChester County: 215 countClaiborne County: 381 countClay County: 92 countCocke County: 413 countCoffee County: 1,006 countCrockett County: 202 countCumberland County: 933 countDavidson County: 14,288 countDecatur County: 183 countDeKalb County: 267 countDickson County: 854 countDyer County: 671 countFayette County: 526 countFentress County: 223 countFranklin County: 616 countGibson County: 752 countGiles County: 476 countGrainger County: 183 countGreene County: 927 countGrundy County: 116 countHamblen County: 1,075 countHamilton County: 6,807 countHancock County: 51 countHardeman County: 294 countHardin County: 426 countHawkins County: 496 countHaywood County: 281 countHenderson County: 420 countHenry County: 607 countHickman County: 246 countHouston County: 98 countHumphreys County: 278 countJackson County: 95 countJefferson County: 598 countJohnson County: 204 countKnox County: 8,395 countLake County: 65 countLauderdale County: 264 countLawrence County: 621 countLewis County: 191 countLincoln County: 496 countLoudon County: 779 countMcMinn County: 771 countMcNairy County: 370 countMacon County: 274 countMadison County: 2,049 countMarion County: 388 countMarshall County: 424 countMaury County: 1,424 countMeigs County: 82 countMonroe County: 597 countMontgomery County: 2,316 countMoore County: 69 countMorgan County: 131 countObion County: 528 countOverton County: 288 countPerry County: 105 countPickett County: 73 countPolk County: 180 countPutnam County: 1,542 countRhea County: 439 countRoane County: 595 countRobertson County: 1,040 countRutherford County: 4,089 countScott County: 280 countSequatchie County: 170 countSevier County: 2,162 countShelby County: 13,195 countSmith County: 240 countStewart County: 133 countSullivan County: 2,492 countSumner County: 2,618 countTipton County: 606 countTrousdale County: 105 countUnicoi County: 212 countUnion County: 173 countVan Buren County: 41 countWarren County: 647 countWashington County: 2,322 countWayne County: 163 countWeakley County: 478 countWhite County: 353 countWilliamson County: 5,723 countWilson County: 2,261 count
  • Under 200
  • 200 to 300
  • 300 to 400
  • 400 to 600
  • 600 to 1,500
  • 1,500 and over
count, 2018. 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, 2018

Davidson County: 14,288 countDavidson County14,288Shelby County: 13,195 countShelby County13,195Knox County: 8,395 countKnox County8,395Hamilton County: 6,807 countHamilton County6,807Williamson County: 5,723 countWilliamson County5,723Rutherford County: 4,089 countRutherford County4,089Sumner County: 2,618 countSumner County2,618Sullivan County: 2,492 countSullivan County2,492Washington County: 2,322 countWashington County2,322Montgomery County: 2,316 countMontgomery County2,316Wilson County: 2,261 countWilson County2,261Sevier County: 2,162 countSevier County2,162Madison County: 2,049 countMadison County2,049Blount County: 1,910 countBlount County1,910Bradley County: 1,559 countBradley County1,559Putnam County: 1,542 countPutnam County1,542Maury County: 1,424 countMaury County1,424Anderson County: 1,230 countAnderson County1,230Hamblen County: 1,075 countHamblen County1,075Robertson County: 1,040 countRobertson County1,040Coffee County: 1,006 countCoffee County1,006Cumberland County: 933 countCumberland County933Greene County: 927 countGreene County927Dickson County: 854 countDickson County854Loudon County: 779 countLoudon County779McMinn County: 771 countMcMinn County771Gibson County: 752 countGibson County752Bedford County: 706 countBedford County706Dyer County: 671 countDyer County671Warren County: 647 countWarren County647Lawrence County: 621 countLawrence County621Franklin County: 616 countFranklin County616Henry County: 607 countHenry County607Tipton County: 606 countTipton County606Jefferson County: 598 countJefferson County598Monroe County: 597 countMonroe County597Roane County: 595 countRoane County595Carter County: 592 countCarter County592Cheatham County: 538 countCheatham County538Obion County: 528 countObion County528Davidson County: 14,288 countDavidson County14,288Shelby County: 13,195 countShelby County13,195Knox County: 8,395 countKnox County8,395Hamilton County: 6,807 countHamilton County6,807Williamson County: 5,723 countWilliamson County5,723Rutherford County: 4,089 countRutherford County4,089Sumner County: 2,618 countSumner County2,618Sullivan County: 2,492 countSullivan County2,492Washington County: 2,322 countWashington County2,322Montgomery County: 2,316 countMontgomery County2,316Wilson County: 2,261 countWilson County2,261Sevier County: 2,162 countSevier County2,162Madison County: 2,049 countMadison County2,049Blount County: 1,910 countBlount County1,910Bradley County: 1,559 countBradley County1,559Putnam County: 1,542 countPutnam County1,542Maury County: 1,424 countMaury County1,424Anderson County: 1,230 countAnderson County1,230Hamblen County: 1,075 countHamblen County1,075Robertson County: 1,040 countRobertson County1,040Coffee County: 1,006 countCoffee County1,006Cumberland County: 933 countCumberland County933Greene County: 927 countGreene County927Dickson County: 854 countDickson County854Loudon County: 779 countLoudon County779McMinn County: 771 countMcMinn County771Gibson County: 752 countGibson County752Bedford County: 706 countBedford County706Dyer County: 671 countDyer County671Warren County: 647 countWarren County647Lawrence County: 621 countLawrence County621Franklin County: 616 countFranklin County616Henry County: 607 countHenry County607Tipton County: 606 countTipton County606Jefferson County: 598 countJefferson County598Monroe County: 597 countMonroe County597Roane County: 595 countRoane County595Carter County: 592 countCarter County592Cheatham County: 538 countCheatham County538Obion County: 528 countObion County528
count. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-11.

Full ranking

RankCounties2018
count
Change on 2017
1Davidson County14,288+1.3%
2Shelby County13,195-0%
3Knox County8,395-0.1%
4Hamilton County6,807+0.6%
5Williamson County5,723+1.6%
6Rutherford County4,089+2.5%
7Sumner County2,618+1.7%
8Sullivan County2,492-0.7%
9Washington County2,322+1.3%
10Montgomery County2,316+4.2%
11Wilson County2,261+1.9%
12Sevier County2,162+0.7%
13Madison County2,049+0.5%
14Blount County1,910-0.2%
15Bradley County1,559+0.5%
16Putnam County1,5420%
17Maury County1,424+3%
18Anderson County1,230-0.5%
19Hamblen County1,075+1.1%
20Robertson County1,040+2.9%
21Coffee County1,006-2.3%
22Cumberland County933+4%
23Greene County9270%
24Dickson County854+3.4%
25Loudon County779-1.5%
26McMinn County771-1.3%
27Gibson County752-1.3%
28Bedford County706-0.6%
29Dyer County671-2%
30Warren County647+1.1%
31Lawrence County6210%
32Franklin County616+1.3%
33Henry County607-1.5%
34Tipton County606-0.2%
35Jefferson County598+3.1%
36Monroe County597+1.4%
37Roane County5950%
38Carter County592-2.3%
39Cheatham County538-1.5%
40Obion County528-0.2%
41Fayette County526+4.2%
42Campbell County506+0.8%
43Hawkins County496+0.6%
43Lincoln County496+0.2%
45Weakley County478+0.4%
46Giles County476-1.9%
47Rhea County439+2.1%
48Hardin County4260%
49Marshall County424+0.7%
50Henderson County420-2.3%
51Cocke County413-3.3%
52Marion County388-1.5%
53Claiborne County381+1.3%
54McNairy County370-1.6%
55Carroll County365-1.1%
56White County353+1.1%
57Hardeman County294-0.7%
58Overton County288+1.1%
59Haywood County2810%
60Scott County280-3.1%
61Humphreys County278-2.5%
62Macon County274+0.4%
63DeKalb County267+5.5%
64Lauderdale County264-0.8%
65Benton County262-1.1%
66Hickman County246+4.2%
67Smith County240+1.3%
68Fentress County223+0.5%
69Chester County215+0.9%
70Unicoi County212-1.9%
71Johnson County204-1.9%
72Crockett County202+2%
73Lewis County191+2.7%
74Decatur County183+0.5%
74Grainger County183+2.2%
76Polk County1800%
77Union County173+2.4%
78Sequatchie County170+2.4%
79Cannon County169+0.6%
80Wayne County163-1.8%
81Stewart County133-6.3%
82Morgan County131-3.7%
83Grundy County116-3.3%
84Perry County105+1%
84Trousdale County105-5.4%
86Bledsoe County102+9.7%
87Houston County98+2.1%
88Jackson County95+5.6%
89Clay County92-2.1%
90Meigs County82-2.4%
91Pickett County730%
92Moore County69+15%
93Lake County65-3%
94Hancock County51+4.1%
95Van Buren County41+5.1%

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, 2018) [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, 2018. 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=2018. 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, 2018. 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=2018.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2025) Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties, Counties in Tennessee by employer firms, 2018 [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=2018 (Accessed: 11 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_tennessee_by_2018,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties: Counties in Tennessee by employer firms, 2018}},
  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=2018. 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, 2018
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=2018
Y2  - 2026/10/11
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firms/tennessee-counties?period=2018.
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 14,288 in 2018, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest employer firms?

Van Buren County, with 41 in 2018.

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