Data / Rankings / Employer firms / Counties in Tennessee

Counties in Tennessee by employer firms

Davidson County had the highest employer firms of 95 counties in 2019, at 14,503. Van Buren County had the lowest, at 45. The median was 432 and the figure for Tennessee was 92,103. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest14,503Davidson County
Lowest45Van Buren County
Median43295 counties
Tennessee92,103History

Map of counties, 2019

Anderson County: 1,233 countBedford County: 714 countBenton County: 257 countBledsoe County: 99 countBlount County: 1,935 countBradley County: 1,594 countCampbell County: 492 countCannon County: 177 countCarroll County: 365 countCarter County: 598 countCheatham County: 558 countChester County: 211 countClaiborne County: 374 countClay County: 92 countCocke County: 416 countCoffee County: 1,012 countCrockett County: 199 countCumberland County: 944 countDavidson County: 14,503 countDecatur County: 189 countDeKalb County: 258 countDickson County: 850 countDyer County: 685 countFayette County: 534 countFentress County: 223 countFranklin County: 619 countGibson County: 759 countGiles County: 481 countGrainger County: 180 countGreene County: 940 countGrundy County: 120 countHamblen County: 1,063 countHamilton County: 6,956 countHancock County: 47 countHardeman County: 293 countHardin County: 418 countHawkins County: 498 countHaywood County: 266 countHenderson County: 424 countHenry County: 613 countHickman County: 246 countHouston County: 96 countHumphreys County: 283 countJackson County: 90 countJefferson County: 604 countJohnson County: 201 countKnox County: 8,522 countLake County: 62 countLauderdale County: 267 countLawrence County: 623 countLewis County: 195 countLincoln County: 481 countLoudon County: 799 countMcMinn County: 778 countMcNairy County: 368 countMacon County: 278 countMadison County: 2,052 countMarion County: 386 countMarshall County: 439 countMaury County: 1,451 countMeigs County: 85 countMonroe County: 599 countMontgomery County: 2,318 countMoore County: 70 countMorgan County: 128 countObion County: 533 countOverton County: 299 countPerry County: 99 countPickett County: 71 countPolk County: 179 countPutnam County: 1,537 countRhea County: 432 countRoane County: 601 countRobertson County: 1,045 countRutherford County: 4,175 countScott County: 275 countSequatchie County: 161 countSevier County: 2,211 countShelby County: 13,163 countSmith County: 238 countStewart County: 141 countSullivan County: 2,491 countSumner County: 2,678 countTipton County: 621 countTrousdale County: 104 countUnicoi County: 210 countUnion County: 177 countVan Buren County: 45 countWarren County: 628 countWashington County: 2,342 countWayne County: 164 countWeakley County: 471 countWhite County: 354 countWilliamson County: 5,876 countWilson County: 2,349 count
  • Under 200
  • 200 to 300
  • 300 to 400
  • 400 to 600
  • 600 to 1,500
  • 1,500 and over
count, 2019. 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, 2019

Davidson County: 14,503 countDavidson County14,503Shelby County: 13,163 countShelby County13,163Knox County: 8,522 countKnox County8,522Hamilton County: 6,956 countHamilton County6,956Williamson County: 5,876 countWilliamson County5,876Rutherford County: 4,175 countRutherford County4,175Sumner County: 2,678 countSumner County2,678Sullivan County: 2,491 countSullivan County2,491Wilson County: 2,349 countWilson County2,349Washington County: 2,342 countWashington County2,342Montgomery County: 2,318 countMontgomery County2,318Sevier County: 2,211 countSevier County2,211Madison County: 2,052 countMadison County2,052Blount County: 1,935 countBlount County1,935Bradley County: 1,594 countBradley County1,594Putnam County: 1,537 countPutnam County1,537Maury County: 1,451 countMaury County1,451Anderson County: 1,233 countAnderson County1,233Hamblen County: 1,063 countHamblen County1,063Robertson County: 1,045 countRobertson County1,045Coffee County: 1,012 countCoffee County1,012Cumberland County: 944 countCumberland County944Greene County: 940 countGreene County940Dickson County: 850 countDickson County850Loudon County: 799 countLoudon County799McMinn County: 778 countMcMinn County778Gibson County: 759 countGibson County759Bedford County: 714 countBedford County714Dyer County: 685 countDyer County685Warren County: 628 countWarren County628Lawrence County: 623 countLawrence County623Tipton County: 621 countTipton County621Franklin County: 619 countFranklin County619Henry County: 613 countHenry County613Jefferson County: 604 countJefferson County604Roane County: 601 countRoane County601Monroe County: 599 countMonroe County599Carter County: 598 countCarter County598Cheatham County: 558 countCheatham County558Fayette County: 534 countFayette County534Davidson County: 14,503 countDavidson County14,503Shelby County: 13,163 countShelby County13,163Knox County: 8,522 countKnox County8,522Hamilton County: 6,956 countHamilton County6,956Williamson County: 5,876 countWilliamson County5,876Rutherford County: 4,175 countRutherford County4,175Sumner County: 2,678 countSumner County2,678Sullivan County: 2,491 countSullivan County2,491Wilson County: 2,349 countWilson County2,349Washington County: 2,342 countWashington County2,342Montgomery County: 2,318 countMontgomery County2,318Sevier County: 2,211 countSevier County2,211Madison County: 2,052 countMadison County2,052Blount County: 1,935 countBlount County1,935Bradley County: 1,594 countBradley County1,594Putnam County: 1,537 countPutnam County1,537Maury County: 1,451 countMaury County1,451Anderson County: 1,233 countAnderson County1,233Hamblen County: 1,063 countHamblen County1,063Robertson County: 1,045 countRobertson County1,045Coffee County: 1,012 countCoffee County1,012Cumberland County: 944 countCumberland County944Greene County: 940 countGreene County940Dickson County: 850 countDickson County850Loudon County: 799 countLoudon County799McMinn County: 778 countMcMinn County778Gibson County: 759 countGibson County759Bedford County: 714 countBedford County714Dyer County: 685 countDyer County685Warren County: 628 countWarren County628Lawrence County: 623 countLawrence County623Tipton County: 621 countTipton County621Franklin County: 619 countFranklin County619Henry County: 613 countHenry County613Jefferson County: 604 countJefferson County604Roane County: 601 countRoane County601Monroe County: 599 countMonroe County599Carter County: 598 countCarter County598Cheatham County: 558 countCheatham County558Fayette County: 534 countFayette County534
count. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-11.

Full ranking

RankCounties2019
count		Change on 2018
1Davidson County14,503+1.5%
2Shelby County13,163-0.2%
3Knox County8,522+1.5%
4Hamilton County6,956+2.2%
5Williamson County5,876+2.7%
6Rutherford County4,175+2.1%
7Sumner County2,678+2.3%
8Sullivan County2,491-0%
9Wilson County2,349+3.9%
10Washington County2,342+0.9%
11Montgomery County2,318+0.1%
12Sevier County2,211+2.3%
13Madison County2,052+0.1%
14Blount County1,935+1.3%
15Bradley County1,594+2.2%
16Putnam County1,537-0.3%
17Maury County1,451+1.9%
18Anderson County1,233+0.2%
19Hamblen County1,063-1.1%
20Robertson County1,045+0.5%
21Coffee County1,012+0.6%
22Cumberland County944+1.2%
23Greene County940+1.4%
24Dickson County850-0.5%
25Loudon County799+2.6%
26McMinn County778+0.9%
27Gibson County759+0.9%
28Bedford County714+1.1%
29Dyer County685+2.1%
30Warren County628-2.9%
31Lawrence County623+0.3%
32Tipton County621+2.5%
33Franklin County619+0.5%
34Henry County613+1%
35Jefferson County604+1%
36Roane County601+1%
37Monroe County599+0.3%
38Carter County598+1%
39Cheatham County558+3.7%
40Fayette County534+1.5%
41Obion County533+0.9%
42Hawkins County498+0.4%
43Campbell County492-2.8%
44Giles County481+1.1%
44Lincoln County481-3%
46Weakley County471-1.5%
47Marshall County439+3.5%
48Rhea County432-1.6%
49Henderson County424+1%
50Hardin County418-1.9%
51Cocke County416+0.7%
52Marion County386-0.5%
53Claiborne County374-1.8%
54McNairy County368-0.5%
55Carroll County3650%
56White County354+0.3%
57Overton County299+3.8%
58Hardeman County293-0.3%
59Humphreys County283+1.8%
60Macon County278+1.5%
61Scott County275-1.8%
62Lauderdale County267+1.1%
63Haywood County266-5.3%
64DeKalb County258-3.4%
65Benton County257-1.9%
66Hickman County2460%
67Smith County238-0.8%
68Fentress County2230%
69Chester County211-1.9%
70Unicoi County210-0.9%
71Johnson County201-1.5%
72Crockett County199-1.5%
73Lewis County195+2.1%
74Decatur County189+3.3%
75Grainger County180-1.6%
76Polk County179-0.6%
77Cannon County177+4.7%
77Union County177+2.3%
79Wayne County164+0.6%
80Sequatchie County161-5.3%
81Stewart County141+6%
82Morgan County128-2.3%
83Grundy County120+3.4%
84Trousdale County104-1%
85Bledsoe County99-2.9%
85Perry County99-5.7%
87Houston County96-2%
88Clay County920%
89Jackson County90-5.3%
90Meigs County85+3.7%
91Pickett County71-2.7%
92Moore County70+1.4%
93Lake County62-4.6%
94Hancock County47-7.8%
95Van Buren County45+9.8%

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, 2019) [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, 2019. 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=2019. 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, 2019. 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=2019.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2025) Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties, Counties in Tennessee by employer firms, 2019 [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=2019 (Accessed: 11 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_tennessee_by_2019,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties: Counties in Tennessee by employer firms, 2019}},
  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=2019. 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, 2019
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=2019
Y2  - 2026/10/11
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firms/tennessee-counties?period=2019.
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 14,503 in 2019, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest employer firms?

Van Buren County, with 45 in 2019.

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