Counties in West Virginia by employer firms

Kanawha County had the highest employer firms of 55 counties in 2014, at 3,731. Wirt County had the lowest, at 50. The median was 301 and the figure for West Virginia was 25,509. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest3,731Kanawha County
Lowest50Wirt County
Median30155 counties
West Virginia25,509History

Map of counties, 2014

Barbour County: 209 countBerkeley County: 1,279 countBoone County: 227 countBraxton County: 215 countBrooke County: 372 countCabell County: 1,801 countCalhoun County: 88 countClay County: 80 countDoddridge County: 69 countFayette County: 629 countGilmer County: 116 countGrant County: 209 countGreenbrier County: 746 countHampshire County: 268 countHancock County: 464 countHardy County: 216 countHarrison County: 1,441 countJackson County: 428 countJefferson County: 719 countKanawha County: 3,731 countLewis County: 326 countLincoln County: 167 countLogan County: 524 countMcDowell County: 218 countMarion County: 975 countMarshall County: 409 countMason County: 270 countMercer County: 983 countMineral County: 395 countMingo County: 342 countMonongalia County: 1,827 countMonroe County: 148 countMorgan County: 195 countNicholas County: 489 countOhio County: 1,149 countPendleton County: 117 countPleasants County: 112 countPocahontas County: 174 countPreston County: 435 countPutnam County: 1,005 countRaleigh County: 1,392 countRandolph County: 572 countRitchie County: 168 countRoane County: 199 countSummers County: 159 countTaylor County: 192 countTucker County: 150 countTyler County: 95 countUpshur County: 463 countWayne County: 524 countWebster County: 115 countWetzel County: 301 countWirt County: 50 countWood County: 1,640 countWyoming County: 228 count
  • Under 150
  • 150 to 210
  • 210 to 300
  • 300 to 460
  • 460 to 980
  • 980 and over
count, 2014. 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.

All counties, 2014

Kanawha County: 3,731 countKanawha County3,731Monongalia County: 1,827 countMonongalia County1,827Cabell County: 1,801 countCabell County1,801Wood County: 1,640 countWood County1,640Harrison County: 1,441 countHarrison County1,441Raleigh County: 1,392 countRaleigh County1,392Berkeley County: 1,279 countBerkeley County1,279Ohio County: 1,149 countOhio County1,149Putnam County: 1,005 countPutnam County1,005Mercer County: 983 countMercer County983Marion County: 975 countMarion County975Greenbrier County: 746 countGreenbrier County746Jefferson County: 719 countJefferson County719Fayette County: 629 countFayette County629Randolph County: 572 countRandolph County572Logan County: 524 countLogan County524Wayne County: 524 countWayne County524Nicholas County: 489 countNicholas County489Hancock County: 464 countHancock County464Upshur County: 463 countUpshur County463Preston County: 435 countPreston County435Jackson County: 428 countJackson County428Marshall County: 409 countMarshall County409Mineral County: 395 countMineral County395Brooke County: 372 countBrooke County372Mingo County: 342 countMingo County342Lewis County: 326 countLewis County326Wetzel County: 301 countWetzel County301Mason County: 270 countMason County270Hampshire County: 268 countHampshire County268Wyoming County: 228 countWyoming County228Boone County: 227 countBoone County227McDowell County: 218 countMcDowell County218Hardy County: 216 countHardy County216Braxton County: 215 countBraxton County215Barbour County: 209 countBarbour County209Grant County: 209 countGrant County209Roane County: 199 countRoane County199Morgan County: 195 countMorgan County195Taylor County: 192 countTaylor County192Pocahontas County: 174 countPocahontas County174Ritchie County: 168 countRitchie County168Lincoln County: 167 countLincoln County167Summers County: 159 countSummers County159Tucker County: 150 countTucker County150Monroe County: 148 countMonroe County148Pendleton County: 117 countPendleton County117Gilmer County: 116 countGilmer County116Webster County: 115 countWebster County115Pleasants County: 112 countPleasants County112Tyler County: 95 countTyler County95Calhoun County: 88 countCalhoun County88Clay County: 80 countClay County80Doddridge County: 69 countDoddridge County69Wirt County: 50 countWirt County50Kanawha County: 3,731 countKanawha County3,731Monongalia County: 1,827 countMonongalia County1,827Cabell County: 1,801 countCabell County1,801Wood County: 1,640 countWood County1,640Harrison County: 1,441 countHarrison County1,441Raleigh County: 1,392 countRaleigh County1,392Berkeley County: 1,279 countBerkeley County1,279Ohio County: 1,149 countOhio County1,149Putnam County: 1,005 countPutnam County1,005Mercer County: 983 countMercer County983Marion County: 975 countMarion County975Greenbrier County: 746 countGreenbrier County746Jefferson County: 719 countJefferson County719Fayette County: 629 countFayette County629Randolph County: 572 countRandolph County572Logan County: 524 countLogan County524Wayne County: 524 countWayne County524Nicholas County: 489 countNicholas County489Hancock County: 464 countHancock County464Upshur County: 463 countUpshur County463Preston County: 435 countPreston County435Jackson County: 428 countJackson County428Marshall County: 409 countMarshall County409Mineral County: 395 countMineral County395Brooke County: 372 countBrooke County372Mingo County: 342 countMingo County342Lewis County: 326 countLewis County326Wetzel County: 301 countWetzel County301Mason County: 270 countMason County270Hampshire County: 268 countHampshire County268Wyoming County: 228 countWyoming County228Boone County: 227 countBoone County227McDowell County: 218 countMcDowell County218Hardy County: 216 countHardy County216Braxton County: 215 countBraxton County215Barbour County: 209 countBarbour County209Grant County: 209 countGrant County209Roane County: 199 countRoane County199Morgan County: 195 countMorgan County195Taylor County: 192 countTaylor County192Pocahontas County: 174 countPocahontas County174Ritchie County: 168 countRitchie County168Lincoln County: 167 countLincoln County167Summers County: 159 countSummers County159Tucker County: 150 countTucker County150Monroe County: 148 countMonroe County148Pendleton County: 117 countPendleton County117Gilmer County: 116 countGilmer County116Webster County: 115 countWebster County115Pleasants County: 112 countPleasants County112Tyler County: 95 countTyler County95Calhoun County: 88 countCalhoun County88Clay County: 80 countClay County80Doddridge County: 69 countDoddridge County69Wirt County: 50 countWirt County50
count. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-11.

Full ranking

RankCounties2014
count
Change on 2013
1Kanawha County3,731-2.8%
2Monongalia County1,827+1.4%
3Cabell County1,801-1.6%
4Wood County1,640-1.1%
5Harrison County1,441-1.6%
6Raleigh County1,392-1.6%
7Berkeley County1,279+0.8%
8Ohio County1,149+0.1%
9Putnam County1,005+1.1%
10Mercer County983-3.2%
11Marion County975-0.7%
12Greenbrier County746-3.7%
13Jefferson County719-3.1%
14Fayette County629-3.8%
15Randolph County572-1.4%
16Logan County524-4.4%
16Wayne County524-3.5%
18Nicholas County489-2.4%
19Hancock County464-0.6%
20Upshur County463+1.3%
21Preston County435-0.7%
22Jackson County428-2.1%
23Marshall County409-1.4%
24Mineral County395+1.3%
25Brooke County372-2.6%
26Mingo County342-6.3%
27Lewis County326-1.2%
28Wetzel County301-2.9%
29Mason County270-4.3%
30Hampshire County268-3.6%
31Wyoming County228-4.2%
32Boone County227-2.6%
33McDowell County218-3.5%
34Hardy County216+1.4%
35Braxton County215-1.8%
36Barbour County209+3%
36Grant County209-1.4%
38Roane County199-2%
39Morgan County1950%
40Taylor County192-5.9%
41Pocahontas County174-2.2%
42Ritchie County168-2.9%
43Lincoln County167-1.2%
44Summers County159+3.9%
45Tucker County150+2%
46Monroe County148-5.1%
47Pendleton County117+0.9%
48Gilmer County116-1.7%
49Webster County115+2.7%
50Pleasants County112+2.8%
51Tyler County95-5%
52Calhoun County880%
53Clay County80-3.6%
54Doddridge County69+9.5%
55Wirt County50-7.4%

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 West Virginia by employer firms, 2014) [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 West Virginia by employer firms, 2014. 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/west-virginia-counties?period=2014. 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 West Virginia by employer firms, 2014. 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/west-virginia-counties?period=2014.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2025) Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties, Counties in West Virginia by employer firms, 2014 [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/west-virginia-counties?period=2014 (Accessed: 11 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_west_virginia_2014,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties: Counties in West Virginia by employer firms, 2014}},
  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/west-virginia-counties?period=2014. 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 West Virginia by employer firms, 2014
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/west-virginia-counties?period=2014
Y2  - 2026/10/11
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firms/west-virginia-counties?period=2014.
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?

Kanawha County, with 3,731 in 2014, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest employer firms?

Wirt County, with 50 in 2014.

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 West Virginia: more rankings