Counties in Virginia by employer firms

Fairfax County had the highest employer firms of 133 counties in 2019, at 22,880. Craig County had the lowest, at 59. The median was 493 and the figure for Virginia was 138,709. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest22,880Fairfax County
Lowest59Craig County
Median493133 counties
Virginia138,709History

Map of counties, 2019

Accomack County: 553 countAlbemarle County: 2,292 countAlleghany County: 226 countAmelia County: 251 countAmherst County: 498 countAppomattox County: 260 countArlington County: 4,509 countAugusta County: 1,190 countBath County: 104 countBedford County: 1,462 countBland County: 71 countBotetourt County: 631 countBrunswick County: 214 countBuchanan County: 330 countBuckingham County: 217 countCampbell County: 987 countCaroline County: 327 countCarroll County: 357 countCharles City County: 129 countCharlotte County: 172 countChesterfield County: 5,776 countClarke County: 335 countCraig County: 59 countCulpeper County: 900 countCumberland County: 125 countDickenson County: 172 countDinwiddie County: 311 countEssex County: 262 countFairfax County: 22,880 countFauquier County: 1,688 countFloyd County: 293 countFluvanna County: 343 countFranklin County: 1,000 countFrederick County: 1,283 countGiles County: 238 countGloucester County: 742 countGoochland County: 628 countGrayson County: 140 countGreene County: 307 countGreensville County: 76 countHalifax County: 589 countHanover County: 2,820 countHenrico County: 6,929 countHenry County: 660 countHighland County: 73 countIsle of Wight County: 573 countJames City County: 1,395 countKing and Queen County: 102 countKing George County: 387 countKing William County: 315 countLancaster County: 385 countLee County: 214 countLoudoun County: 8,597 countLouisa County: 506 countLunenburg County: 144 countMadison County: 247 countMathews County: 167 countMecklenburg County: 670 countMiddlesex County: 267 countMontgomery County: 1,611 countNelson County: 318 countNew Kent County: 365 countNorthampton County: 265 countNorthumberland County: 261 countNottoway County: 267 countOrange County: 565 countPage County: 351 countPatrick County: 245 countPittsylvania County: 749 countPowhatan County: 638 countPrince Edward County: 459 countPrince George County: 395 countPrince William County: 6,526 countPulaski County: 514 countRappahannock County: 187 countRichmond County: 149 countRoanoke County: 1,720 countRockbridge County: 382 countRockingham County: 1,292 countRussell County: 353 countScott County: 212 countShenandoah County: 735 countSmyth County: 414 countSouthampton County: 186 countSpotsylvania County: 2,093 countStafford County: 1,912 countSurry County: 71 countSussex County: 156 countTazewell County: 789 countWarren County: 697 countWashington County: 946 countWestmoreland County: 261 countWise County: 493 countWythe County: 566 countYork County: 1,203 countAlexandria city: 3,648 countBristol city: 514 countBuena Vista city: 93 countCharlottesville city: 1,785 countChesapeake city: 4,334 countColonial Heights city: 527 countCovington city: 180 countDanville city: 1,017 countEmporia city: 210 countFairfax city: 1,502 countFalls Church city: 767 countFranklin city: 239 countFredericksburg city: 1,163 countGalax city: 283 countHampton city: 1,798 countHarrisonburg city: 1,371 countHopewell city: 386 countLexington city: 226 countLynchburg city: 1,759 countManassas city: 1,292 countManassas Park city: 280 countMartinsville city: 438 countNewport News city: 2,809 countNorfolk city: 3,936 countNorton city: 181 countPetersburg city: 616 countPoquoson city: 195 countPortsmouth city: 1,315 countRadford city: 236 countRichmond city: 4,970 countRoanoke city: 2,442 countSalem city: 847 countStaunton city: 701 countSuffolk city: 1,346 countVirginia Beach city: 8,341 countWaynesboro city: 568 countWilliamsburg city: 477 countWinchester city: 1,169 count
  • Under 200
  • 200 to 300
  • 300 to 500
  • 500 to 700
  • 700 to 1,600
  • 1,600 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

Fairfax County: 22,880 countFairfax County22,880Loudoun County: 8,597 countLoudoun County8,597Virginia Beach city: 8,341 countVirginia Beach city8,341Henrico County: 6,929 countHenrico County6,929Prince William County: 6,526 countPrince William County6,526Chesterfield County: 5,776 countChesterfield County5,776Richmond city: 4,970 countRichmond city4,970Arlington County: 4,509 countArlington County4,509Chesapeake city: 4,334 countChesapeake city4,334Norfolk city: 3,936 countNorfolk city3,936Alexandria city: 3,648 countAlexandria city3,648Hanover County: 2,820 countHanover County2,820Newport News city: 2,809 countNewport News city2,809Roanoke city: 2,442 countRoanoke city2,442Albemarle County: 2,292 countAlbemarle County2,292Spotsylvania County: 2,093 countSpotsylvania County2,093Stafford County: 1,912 countStafford County1,912Hampton city: 1,798 countHampton city1,798Charlottesville city: 1,785 countCharlottesville city1,785Lynchburg city: 1,759 countLynchburg city1,759Roanoke County: 1,720 countRoanoke County1,720Fauquier County: 1,688 countFauquier County1,688Montgomery County: 1,611 countMontgomery County1,611Fairfax city: 1,502 countFairfax city1,502Bedford County: 1,462 countBedford County1,462James City County: 1,395 countJames City County1,395Harrisonburg city: 1,371 countHarrisonburg city1,371Suffolk city: 1,346 countSuffolk city1,346Portsmouth city: 1,315 countPortsmouth city1,315Manassas city: 1,292 countManassas city1,292Rockingham County: 1,292 countRockingham County1,292Frederick County: 1,283 countFrederick County1,283York County: 1,203 countYork County1,203Augusta County: 1,190 countAugusta County1,190Winchester city: 1,169 countWinchester city1,169Fredericksburg city: 1,163 countFredericksburg city1,163Danville city: 1,017 countDanville city1,017Franklin County: 1,000 countFranklin County1,000Campbell County: 987 countCampbell County987Washington County: 946 countWashington County946Fairfax County: 22,880 countFairfax County22,880Loudoun County: 8,597 countLoudoun County8,597Virginia Beach city: 8,341 countVirginia Beach city8,341Henrico County: 6,929 countHenrico County6,929Prince William County: 6,526 countPrince William County6,526Chesterfield County: 5,776 countChesterfield County5,776Richmond city: 4,970 countRichmond city4,970Arlington County: 4,509 countArlington County4,509Chesapeake city: 4,334 countChesapeake city4,334Norfolk city: 3,936 countNorfolk city3,936Alexandria city: 3,648 countAlexandria city3,648Hanover County: 2,820 countHanover County2,820Newport News city: 2,809 countNewport News city2,809Roanoke city: 2,442 countRoanoke city2,442Albemarle County: 2,292 countAlbemarle County2,292Spotsylvania County: 2,093 countSpotsylvania County2,093Stafford County: 1,912 countStafford County1,912Hampton city: 1,798 countHampton city1,798Charlottesville city: 1,785 countCharlottesville city1,785Lynchburg city: 1,759 countLynchburg city1,759Roanoke County: 1,720 countRoanoke County1,720Fauquier County: 1,688 countFauquier County1,688Montgomery County: 1,611 countMontgomery County1,611Fairfax city: 1,502 countFairfax city1,502Bedford County: 1,462 countBedford County1,462James City County: 1,395 countJames City County1,395Harrisonburg city: 1,371 countHarrisonburg city1,371Suffolk city: 1,346 countSuffolk city1,346Portsmouth city: 1,315 countPortsmouth city1,315Manassas city: 1,292 countManassas city1,292Rockingham County: 1,292 countRockingham County1,292Frederick County: 1,283 countFrederick County1,283York County: 1,203 countYork County1,203Augusta County: 1,190 countAugusta County1,190Winchester city: 1,169 countWinchester city1,169Fredericksburg city: 1,163 countFredericksburg city1,163Danville city: 1,017 countDanville city1,017Franklin County: 1,000 countFranklin County1,000Campbell County: 987 countCampbell County987Washington County: 946 countWashington County946
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
1Fairfax County22,880+0.9%
2Loudoun County8,597+3.6%
3Virginia Beach city8,341+0.7%
4Henrico County6,929+1.1%
5Prince William County6,526+2.9%
6Chesterfield County5,776+1.3%
7Richmond city4,970+2.2%
8Arlington County4,509+1%
9Chesapeake city4,334+2%
10Norfolk city3,936+0.4%
11Alexandria city3,648+0.4%
12Hanover County2,820+2.6%
13Newport News city2,809-0.5%
14Roanoke city2,442+0.6%
15Albemarle County2,292+0.7%
16Spotsylvania County2,093+2%
17Stafford County1,912+1.3%
18Hampton city1,798+0.4%
19Charlottesville city1,785+1.6%
20Lynchburg city1,759-0.5%
21Roanoke County1,720+0.9%
22Fauquier County1,688+1%
23Montgomery County1,611+0.3%
24Fairfax city1,502+0.7%
25Bedford County1,462+2.2%
26James City County1,395+0.8%
27Harrisonburg city1,371-0.1%
28Suffolk city1,346+1.2%
29Portsmouth city1,315-2.2%
30Manassas city1,292+2.7%
30Rockingham County1,292+2.5%
32Frederick County1,283+0.8%
33York County1,203+2.1%
34Augusta County1,190+0.9%
35Winchester city1,169-0.5%
36Fredericksburg city1,163-0.3%
37Danville city1,017-1%
38Franklin County1,000-0.3%
39Campbell County9870%
40Washington County946+0.2%
41Culpeper County900+2.2%
42Salem city847+0.1%
43Tazewell County789-1.5%
44Falls Church city767-0.6%
45Pittsylvania County749+0.4%
46Gloucester County742+1.1%
47Shenandoah County735+1.8%
48Staunton city701+1.6%
49Warren County697+0.1%
50Mecklenburg County670+1.4%
51Henry County660+1.5%
52Powhatan County638+0.9%
53Botetourt County631+2.6%
54Goochland County628+1.3%
55Petersburg city616-0.8%
56Halifax County589+1%
57Isle of Wight County573-0.3%
58Waynesboro city568+2.5%
59Wythe County566+0.7%
60Orange County565+1.1%
61Accomack County553-2%
62Colonial Heights city527+0.4%
63Bristol city514-1.7%
63Pulaski County514+1%
65Louisa County506+3.7%
66Amherst County4980%
67Wise County493-2.4%
68Williamsburg city477-0.2%
69Prince Edward County459+2.9%
70Martinsville city438-2.7%
71Smyth County414-0.2%
72Prince George County3950%
73King George County387+2.1%
74Hopewell city386+0.3%
75Lancaster County385-2.8%
76Rockbridge County382+1.3%
77New Kent County365+3.1%
78Carroll County357+2.3%
79Russell County353-1.7%
80Page County351-0.3%
81Fluvanna County343+2.1%
82Clarke County335+3.4%
83Buchanan County330-1.2%
84Caroline County327+2.5%
85Nelson County318+0.3%
86King William County315+4%
87Dinwiddie County311-1%
88Greene County307+2.3%
89Floyd County2930%
90Galax city283+0.4%
91Manassas Park city280+2.2%
92Middlesex County267+4.3%
92Nottoway County267-1.5%
94Northampton County265+0.8%
95Essex County262-0.8%
96Northumberland County261-0.4%
96Westmoreland County261-2.6%
98Appomattox County260-2.3%
99Amelia County251+0.4%
100Madison County247+4.2%
101Patrick County245-0.8%
102Franklin city239-1.2%
103Giles County2380%
104Radford city236+0.9%
105Alleghany County2260%
105Lexington city226-0.4%
107Buckingham County217+2.4%
108Brunswick County214-1.8%
108Lee County214-0.5%
110Scott County212-3.2%
111Emporia city2100%
112Poquoson city195+2.6%
113Rappahannock County187-1.6%
114Southampton County186+1.6%
115Norton city181-2.7%
116Covington city180-2.2%
117Charlotte County172-1.7%
117Dickenson County172-1.1%
119Mathews County167+1.8%
120Sussex County156+2.6%
121Richmond County149-2.6%
122Lunenburg County144-6.5%
123Grayson County140+9.4%
124Charles City County1290%
125Cumberland County125+3.3%
126Bath County104-3.7%
127King and Queen County102-2.9%
128Buena Vista city93-2.1%
129Greensville County76-3.8%
130Highland County73-2.7%
131Bland County71-2.7%
131Surry County71+1.4%
133Craig County59+3.5%

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, 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 Virginia 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/virginia-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 Virginia 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/virginia-counties?period=2019.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2025) Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties, Counties in Virginia 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/virginia-counties?period=2019 (Accessed: 11 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_virginia_by_2019,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties: Counties in Virginia 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/virginia-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 Virginia 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/virginia-counties?period=2019
Y2  - 2026/10/11
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firms/virginia-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?

Fairfax County, with 22,880 in 2019, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest employer firms?

Craig County, with 59 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 Virginia: more rankings