Counties in Virginia by employer firms

Fairfax County had the highest employer firms of 133 counties in 2015, at 22,026. Craig County had the lowest, at 48. The median was 477 and the figure for Virginia was 134,648. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest22,026Fairfax County
Lowest48Craig County
Median477133 counties
Virginia134,648History

Map of counties, 2015

Accomack County: 593 countAlbemarle County: 2,210 countAlleghany County: 235 countAmelia County: 252 countAmherst County: 501 countAppomattox County: 262 countArlington County: 4,392 countAugusta County: 1,188 countBath County: 108 countBedford County: 1,436 countBland County: 74 countBotetourt County: 595 countBrunswick County: 223 countBuchanan County: 359 countBuckingham County: 218 countCampbell County: 959 countCaroline County: 316 countCarroll County: 352 countCharles City County: 124 countCharlotte County: 183 countChesterfield County: 5,440 countClarke County: 314 countCraig County: 48 countCulpeper County: 862 countCumberland County: 124 countDickenson County: 182 countDinwiddie County: 312 countEssex County: 271 countFairfax County: 22,026 countFauquier County: 1,650 countFloyd County: 289 countFluvanna County: 343 countFranklin County: 1,026 countFrederick County: 1,246 countGiles County: 241 countGloucester County: 725 countGoochland County: 595 countGrayson County: 125 countGreene County: 299 countGreensville County: 78 countHalifax County: 606 countHanover County: 2,697 countHenrico County: 6,708 countHenry County: 686 countHighland County: 83 countIsle of Wight County: 561 countJames City County: 1,370 countKing and Queen County: 103 countKing George County: 387 countKing William County: 282 countLancaster County: 401 countLee County: 234 countLoudoun County: 7,657 countLouisa County: 477 countLunenburg County: 163 countMadison County: 241 countMathews County: 159 countMecklenburg County: 661 countMiddlesex County: 273 countMontgomery County: 1,585 countNelson County: 338 countNew Kent County: 327 countNorthampton County: 268 countNorthumberland County: 269 countNottoway County: 264 countOrange County: 558 countPage County: 343 countPatrick County: 259 countPittsylvania County: 745 countPowhatan County: 611 countPrince Edward County: 465 countPrince George County: 386 countPrince William County: 5,912 countPulaski County: 516 countRappahannock County: 166 countRichmond County: 155 countRoanoke County: 1,753 countRockbridge County: 365 countRockingham County: 1,194 countRussell County: 361 countScott County: 239 countShenandoah County: 711 countSmyth County: 437 countSouthampton County: 188 countSpotsylvania County: 1,973 countStafford County: 1,766 countSurry County: 60 countSussex County: 149 countTazewell County: 822 countWarren County: 674 countWashington County: 989 countWestmoreland County: 265 countWise County: 563 countWythe County: 567 countYork County: 1,146 countAlexandria city: 3,726 countBristol city: 561 countBuena Vista city: 99 countCharlottesville city: 1,731 countChesapeake city: 4,145 countColonial Heights city: 543 countCovington city: 190 countDanville city: 1,024 countEmporia city: 215 countFairfax city: 1,520 countFalls Church city: 745 countFranklin city: 247 countFredericksburg city: 1,141 countGalax city: 276 countHampton city: 1,831 countHarrisonburg city: 1,307 countHopewell city: 392 countLexington city: 252 countLynchburg city: 1,764 countManassas city: 1,207 countManassas Park city: 270 countMartinsville city: 461 countNewport News city: 2,813 countNorfolk city: 3,845 countNorton city: 208 countPetersburg city: 610 countPoquoson city: 178 countPortsmouth city: 1,352 countRadford city: 238 countRichmond city: 4,739 countRoanoke city: 2,430 countSalem city: 831 countStaunton city: 685 countSuffolk city: 1,257 countVirginia Beach city: 8,125 countWaynesboro city: 552 countWilliamsburg city: 468 countWinchester city: 1,144 count
  • Under 200
  • 200 to 300
  • 300 to 500
  • 500 to 700
  • 700 to 1,600
  • 1,600 and over
count, 2015. 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, 2015

Fairfax County: 22,026 countFairfax County22,026Virginia Beach city: 8,125 countVirginia Beach city8,125Loudoun County: 7,657 countLoudoun County7,657Henrico County: 6,708 countHenrico County6,708Prince William County: 5,912 countPrince William County5,912Chesterfield County: 5,440 countChesterfield County5,440Richmond city: 4,739 countRichmond city4,739Arlington County: 4,392 countArlington County4,392Chesapeake city: 4,145 countChesapeake city4,145Norfolk city: 3,845 countNorfolk city3,845Alexandria city: 3,726 countAlexandria city3,726Newport News city: 2,813 countNewport News city2,813Hanover County: 2,697 countHanover County2,697Roanoke city: 2,430 countRoanoke city2,430Albemarle County: 2,210 countAlbemarle County2,210Spotsylvania County: 1,973 countSpotsylvania County1,973Hampton city: 1,831 countHampton city1,831Stafford County: 1,766 countStafford County1,766Lynchburg city: 1,764 countLynchburg city1,764Roanoke County: 1,753 countRoanoke County1,753Charlottesville city: 1,731 countCharlottesville city1,731Fauquier County: 1,650 countFauquier County1,650Montgomery County: 1,585 countMontgomery County1,585Fairfax city: 1,520 countFairfax city1,520Bedford County: 1,436 countBedford County1,436James City County: 1,370 countJames City County1,370Portsmouth city: 1,352 countPortsmouth city1,352Harrisonburg city: 1,307 countHarrisonburg city1,307Suffolk city: 1,257 countSuffolk city1,257Frederick County: 1,246 countFrederick County1,246Manassas city: 1,207 countManassas city1,207Rockingham County: 1,194 countRockingham County1,194Augusta County: 1,188 countAugusta County1,188York County: 1,146 countYork County1,146Winchester city: 1,144 countWinchester city1,144Fredericksburg city: 1,141 countFredericksburg city1,141Franklin County: 1,026 countFranklin County1,026Danville city: 1,024 countDanville city1,024Washington County: 989 countWashington County989Campbell County: 959 countCampbell County959Fairfax County: 22,026 countFairfax County22,026Virginia Beach city: 8,125 countVirginia Beach city8,125Loudoun County: 7,657 countLoudoun County7,657Henrico County: 6,708 countHenrico County6,708Prince William County: 5,912 countPrince William County5,912Chesterfield County: 5,440 countChesterfield County5,440Richmond city: 4,739 countRichmond city4,739Arlington County: 4,392 countArlington County4,392Chesapeake city: 4,145 countChesapeake city4,145Norfolk city: 3,845 countNorfolk city3,845Alexandria city: 3,726 countAlexandria city3,726Newport News city: 2,813 countNewport News city2,813Hanover County: 2,697 countHanover County2,697Roanoke city: 2,430 countRoanoke city2,430Albemarle County: 2,210 countAlbemarle County2,210Spotsylvania County: 1,973 countSpotsylvania County1,973Hampton city: 1,831 countHampton city1,831Stafford County: 1,766 countStafford County1,766Lynchburg city: 1,764 countLynchburg city1,764Roanoke County: 1,753 countRoanoke County1,753Charlottesville city: 1,731 countCharlottesville city1,731Fauquier County: 1,650 countFauquier County1,650Montgomery County: 1,585 countMontgomery County1,585Fairfax city: 1,520 countFairfax city1,520Bedford County: 1,436 countBedford County1,436James City County: 1,370 countJames City County1,370Portsmouth city: 1,352 countPortsmouth city1,352Harrisonburg city: 1,307 countHarrisonburg city1,307Suffolk city: 1,257 countSuffolk city1,257Frederick County: 1,246 countFrederick County1,246Manassas city: 1,207 countManassas city1,207Rockingham County: 1,194 countRockingham County1,194Augusta County: 1,188 countAugusta County1,188York County: 1,146 countYork County1,146Winchester city: 1,144 countWinchester city1,144Fredericksburg city: 1,141 countFredericksburg city1,141Franklin County: 1,026 countFranklin County1,026Danville city: 1,024 countDanville city1,024Washington County: 989 countWashington County989Campbell County: 959 countCampbell County959
count. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-11.

Full ranking

RankCounties2015
count
Change on 2014
1Fairfax County22,026+1.5%
2Virginia Beach city8,125+1.1%
3Loudoun County7,657+4.6%
4Henrico County6,708+1.5%
5Prince William County5,912+2.1%
6Chesterfield County5,440+1.2%
7Richmond city4,739+0.6%
8Arlington County4,392+1.5%
9Chesapeake city4,145+0.1%
10Norfolk city3,845-0.7%
11Alexandria city3,726+1.5%
12Newport News city2,813-1.4%
13Hanover County2,697+0.9%
14Roanoke city2,430+0.1%
15Albemarle County2,210+2.4%
16Spotsylvania County1,973+2%
17Hampton city1,831+0.1%
18Stafford County1,766+0.1%
19Lynchburg city1,764-0.2%
20Roanoke County1,753+0.6%
21Charlottesville city1,731+1.2%
22Fauquier County1,650+1.2%
23Montgomery County1,585+0.3%
24Fairfax city1,520+1.3%
25Bedford County1,436+0.9%
26James City County1,370+1%
27Portsmouth city1,352-2.7%
28Harrisonburg city1,307+0.7%
29Suffolk city1,257+3%
30Frederick County1,246+2.6%
31Manassas city1,207+3.1%
32Rockingham County1,194+0.7%
33Augusta County1,188+0.8%
34York County1,146+0.1%
35Winchester city1,144+1.7%
36Fredericksburg city1,141+0.4%
37Franklin County1,026+0.6%
38Danville city1,024-1.2%
39Washington County989-1.1%
40Campbell County959-0.5%
41Culpeper County862+1.9%
42Salem city831+0.5%
43Tazewell County822-2.1%
44Falls Church city745-0.8%
44Pittsylvania County745+0.1%
46Gloucester County725+0.1%
47Shenandoah County711-1.4%
48Henry County686-3%
49Staunton city685-0.4%
50Warren County674-1.5%
51Mecklenburg County661-0.2%
52Powhatan County611+1%
53Petersburg city610-0.5%
54Halifax County606-0.7%
55Botetourt County595+0.8%
55Goochland County595+0.8%
57Accomack County593+3.1%
58Wythe County567-1.9%
59Wise County563-0.4%
60Bristol city561-0.4%
60Isle of Wight County561-0.9%
62Orange County558+0.4%
63Waynesboro city552+1.1%
64Colonial Heights city543+3.2%
65Pulaski County516-4.1%
66Amherst County501-0.6%
67Louisa County477+3.9%
68Williamsburg city468-1.3%
69Prince Edward County465+0.6%
70Martinsville city461-2.1%
71Smyth County437-0.2%
72Lancaster County401-2.4%
73Hopewell city392-3.9%
74King George County387-1%
75Prince George County3860%
76Rockbridge County365-1.9%
77Russell County361-2.2%
78Buchanan County359-3%
79Carroll County3520%
80Fluvanna County343+2.7%
80Page County343-2.3%
82Nelson County338+0.3%
83New Kent County327-0.3%
84Caroline County316+1.6%
85Clarke County314+3.6%
86Dinwiddie County312-0.6%
87Greene County299+2%
88Floyd County289-1%
89King William County282+5.2%
90Galax city276+2.2%
91Middlesex County273+0.7%
92Essex County271+1.9%
93Manassas Park city270+2.7%
94Northumberland County269-4.6%
95Northampton County268-0.7%
96Westmoreland County265-1.9%
97Nottoway County264+1.9%
98Appomattox County262-0.8%
99Patrick County259+0.8%
100Amelia County252+2.9%
100Lexington city252-1.2%
102Franklin city247+0.8%
103Giles County241+2.6%
103Madison County241+3.4%
105Scott County239-1.6%
106Radford city238+0.8%
107Alleghany County235-2.1%
108Lee County234-4.1%
109Brunswick County223-1.3%
110Buckingham County218+0.9%
111Emporia city215-3.2%
112Norton city208+3%
113Covington city190+2.2%
114Southampton County188-6.5%
115Charlotte County183-7.6%
116Dickenson County182+1.7%
117Poquoson city178-3.3%
118Rappahannock County166+4.4%
119Lunenburg County163+4.5%
120Mathews County159-3.6%
121Richmond County155+4%
122Sussex County149-5.7%
123Grayson County125-8.1%
124Charles City County124-1.6%
124Cumberland County124+0.8%
126Bath County108+1.9%
127King and Queen County103-1%
128Buena Vista city990%
129Highland County83+1.2%
130Greensville County78-4.9%
131Bland County740%
132Surry County60-6.3%
133Craig County48+2.1%

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 Virginia by employer firms, 2015) [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 Virginia by employer firms, 2015. 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/virginia-counties?period=2015. 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 Virginia by employer firms, 2015. 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/virginia-counties?period=2015.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2025) Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties, Counties in Virginia by employer firms, 2015 [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/virginia-counties?period=2015 (Accessed: 11 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_virginia_by_2015,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties: Counties in Virginia by employer firms, 2015}},
  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/virginia-counties?period=2015. 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 Virginia by employer firms, 2015
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/virginia-counties?period=2015
Y2  - 2026/10/11
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firms/virginia-counties?period=2015.
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?

Fairfax County, with 22,026 in 2015, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest employer firms?

Craig County, with 48 in 2015.

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 Virginia: more rankings