Counties in Tennessee by employer firms

Davidson County had the highest employer firms of 95 counties in 2022, at 15,363. Van Buren County had the lowest, at 43. The median was 441 and the figure for Tennessee was 96,419. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest15,363Davidson County
Median44195 counties
Tennessee96,419History

Map of counties, 2022

Anderson County: 1,245 countBedford County: 761 countBenton County: 259 countBledsoe County: 112 countBlount County: 2,029 countBradley County: 1,620 countCampbell County: 489 countCannon County: 186 countCarroll County: 364 countCarter County: 622 countCheatham County: 563 countChester County: 222 countClaiborne County: 381 countClay County: 85 countCocke County: 411 countCoffee County: 1,065 countCrockett County: 213 countCumberland County: 964 countDavidson County: 15,363 countDecatur County: 189 countDeKalb County: 268 countDickson County: 917 countDyer County: 687 countFayette County: 557 countFentress County: 229 countFranklin County: 622 countGibson County: 774 countGiles County: 488 countGrainger County: 202 countGreene County: 968 countGrundy County: 136 countHamblen County: 1,110 countHamilton County: 7,226 countHancock County: 51 countHardeman County: 287 countHardin County: 441 countHawkins County: 492 countHaywood County: 259 countHenderson County: 415 countHenry County: 586 countHickman County: 240 countHouston County: 96 countHumphreys County: 292 countJackson County: 101 countJefferson County: 621 countJohnson County: 203 countKnox County: 8,943 countLake County: 53 countLauderdale County: 254 countLawrence County: 645 countLewis County: 207 countLincoln County: 501 countLoudon County: 825 countMcMinn County: 789 countMcNairy County: 384 countMacon County: 291 countMadison County: 2,084 countMarion County: 388 countMarshall County: 457 countMaury County: 1,553 countMeigs County: 87 countMonroe County: 608 countMontgomery County: 2,539 countMoore County: 71 countMorgan County: 142 countObion County: 524 countOverton County: 311 countPerry County: 104 countPickett County: 71 countPolk County: 188 countPutnam County: 1,608 countRhea County: 434 countRoane County: 598 countRobertson County: 1,081 countRutherford County: 4,532 countScott County: 284 countSequatchie County: 174 countSevier County: 2,340 countShelby County: 13,348 countSmith County: 257 countStewart County: 146 countSullivan County: 2,450 countSumner County: 2,905 countTipton County: 639 countTrousdale County: 115 countUnicoi County: 213 countUnion County: 191 countVan Buren County: 43 countWarren County: 649 countWashington County: 2,424 countWayne County: 168 countWeakley County: 477 countWhite County: 355 countWilliamson County: 6,493 countWilson County: 2,566 count
  • Under 200
  • 200 to 300
  • 300 to 400
  • 400 to 600
  • 600 to 1,600
  • 1,600 and over
count, 2022. 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, 2022

Davidson County: 15,363 countDavidson County15,363Shelby County: 13,348 countShelby County13,348Knox County: 8,943 countKnox County8,943Hamilton County: 7,226 countHamilton County7,226Williamson County: 6,493 countWilliamson County6,493Rutherford County: 4,532 countRutherford County4,532Sumner County: 2,905 countSumner County2,905Wilson County: 2,566 countWilson County2,566Montgomery County: 2,539 countMontgomery County2,539Sullivan County: 2,450 countSullivan County2,450Washington County: 2,424 countWashington County2,424Sevier County: 2,340 countSevier County2,340Madison County: 2,084 countMadison County2,084Blount County: 2,029 countBlount County2,029Bradley County: 1,620 countBradley County1,620Putnam County: 1,608 countPutnam County1,608Maury County: 1,553 countMaury County1,553Anderson County: 1,245 countAnderson County1,245Hamblen County: 1,110 countHamblen County1,110Robertson County: 1,081 countRobertson County1,081Coffee County: 1,065 countCoffee County1,065Greene County: 968 countGreene County968Cumberland County: 964 countCumberland County964Dickson County: 917 countDickson County917Loudon County: 825 countLoudon County825McMinn County: 789 countMcMinn County789Gibson County: 774 countGibson County774Bedford County: 761 countBedford County761Dyer County: 687 countDyer County687Warren County: 649 countWarren County649Lawrence County: 645 countLawrence County645Tipton County: 639 countTipton County639Carter County: 622 countCarter County622Franklin County: 622 countFranklin County622Jefferson County: 621 countJefferson County621Monroe County: 608 countMonroe County608Roane County: 598 countRoane County598Henry County: 586 countHenry County586Cheatham County: 563 countCheatham County563Fayette County: 557 countFayette County557Davidson County: 15,363 countDavidson County15,363Shelby County: 13,348 countShelby County13,348Knox County: 8,943 countKnox County8,943Hamilton County: 7,226 countHamilton County7,226Williamson County: 6,493 countWilliamson County6,493Rutherford County: 4,532 countRutherford County4,532Sumner County: 2,905 countSumner County2,905Wilson County: 2,566 countWilson County2,566Montgomery County: 2,539 countMontgomery County2,539Sullivan County: 2,450 countSullivan County2,450Washington County: 2,424 countWashington County2,424Sevier County: 2,340 countSevier County2,340Madison County: 2,084 countMadison County2,084Blount County: 2,029 countBlount County2,029Bradley County: 1,620 countBradley County1,620Putnam County: 1,608 countPutnam County1,608Maury County: 1,553 countMaury County1,553Anderson County: 1,245 countAnderson County1,245Hamblen County: 1,110 countHamblen County1,110Robertson County: 1,081 countRobertson County1,081Coffee County: 1,065 countCoffee County1,065Greene County: 968 countGreene County968Cumberland County: 964 countCumberland County964Dickson County: 917 countDickson County917Loudon County: 825 countLoudon County825McMinn County: 789 countMcMinn County789Gibson County: 774 countGibson County774Bedford County: 761 countBedford County761Dyer County: 687 countDyer County687Warren County: 649 countWarren County649Lawrence County: 645 countLawrence County645Tipton County: 639 countTipton County639Carter County: 622 countCarter County622Franklin County: 622 countFranklin County622Jefferson County: 621 countJefferson County621Monroe County: 608 countMonroe County608Roane County: 598 countRoane County598Henry County: 586 countHenry County586Cheatham County: 563 countCheatham County563Fayette County: 557 countFayette County557
count. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-11.

Full ranking

RankCounties2022
count
Change on 2021
1Davidson County15,363+3.1%
2Shelby County13,348-1.7%
3Knox County8,943+2.2%
4Hamilton County7,226+2%
5Williamson County6,493+4%
6Rutherford County4,532+3.5%
7Sumner County2,905+2.6%
8Wilson County2,566+4.5%
9Montgomery County2,539+5%
10Sullivan County2,450-0.2%
11Washington County2,424+2.5%
12Sevier County2,340+4%
13Madison County2,084+1.1%
14Blount County2,029+3.1%
15Bradley County1,620-0.4%
16Putnam County1,608+1.9%
17Maury County1,553+1.8%
18Anderson County1,245+0.1%
19Hamblen County1,110+2.4%
20Robertson County1,081+2.3%
21Coffee County1,065+2.1%
22Greene County968+0.8%
23Cumberland County964+1.6%
24Dickson County917+3.7%
25Loudon County825+3.1%
26McMinn County789+1.5%
27Gibson County774+1.2%
28Bedford County761+4.1%
29Dyer County687+2.2%
30Warren County649+2.9%
31Lawrence County645+0.5%
32Tipton County639+2.9%
33Carter County622+1.6%
33Franklin County622+2.1%
35Jefferson County621+1%
36Monroe County608+1.8%
37Roane County598+1.9%
38Henry County586-2.2%
39Cheatham County563+1.1%
40Fayette County557-7.8%
41Obion County524-1.9%
42Lincoln County501+1.6%
43Hawkins County492-0.6%
44Campbell County489+2.5%
45Giles County488+3.8%
46Weakley County477+2.1%
47Marshall County457+1.3%
48Hardin County4410%
49Rhea County434+3.3%
50Henderson County415-0.7%
51Cocke County411+3.8%
52Marion County388-2.5%
53McNairy County384+2.9%
54Claiborne County381+2.7%
55Carroll County364-0.5%
56White County3550%
57Overton County311+2.6%
58Humphreys County292-0.7%
59Macon County291+5.4%
60Hardeman County287-7.7%
61Scott County284+1.1%
62DeKalb County268-1.5%
63Benton County259+4.4%
63Haywood County259-0.8%
65Smith County257+6.6%
66Lauderdale County254+2.8%
67Hickman County240+2.6%
68Fentress County229-1.3%
69Chester County222-1.3%
70Crockett County213+1.9%
70Unicoi County2130%
72Lewis County207+1%
73Johnson County203-1%
74Grainger County202+4.7%
75Union County191+9.8%
76Decatur County189+2.2%
77Polk County188-1.6%
78Cannon County186+6.3%
79Sequatchie County174+6.7%
80Wayne County168-3.4%
81Stewart County146+1.4%
82Morgan County142+8.4%
83Grundy County136+15.3%
84Trousdale County115+2.7%
85Bledsoe County112+10.9%
86Perry County104+5.1%
87Jackson County101-1%
88Houston County96+2.1%
89Meigs County87+1.2%
90Clay County85+1.2%
91Moore County71-4.1%
91Pickett County71+1.4%
93Lake County53-8.6%
94Hancock County51+2%
95Van Buren County43+4.9%

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, 2022) [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, 2022. 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=2022. 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, 2022. 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=2022.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2025) Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties, Counties in Tennessee by employer firms, 2022 [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=2022 (Accessed: 11 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_tennessee_by_2022,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties: Counties in Tennessee by employer firms, 2022}},
  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=2022. 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, 2022
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=2022
Y2  - 2026/10/11
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firms/tennessee-counties?period=2022.
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 15,363 in 2022, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest employer firms?

Van Buren County, with 43 in 2022.

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