Counties in West Virginia by employer firms

Kanawha County had the highest employer firms of 55 counties in 2015, at 3,673. Wirt County had the lowest, at 44. The median was 297 and the figure for West Virginia was 25,256. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest3,673Kanawha County
Lowest44Wirt County
Median29755 counties
West Virginia25,256History

Map of counties, 2015

Barbour County: 204 countBerkeley County: 1,266 countBoone County: 220 countBraxton County: 218 countBrooke County: 367 countCabell County: 1,786 countCalhoun County: 82 countClay County: 74 countDoddridge County: 77 countFayette County: 621 countGilmer County: 119 countGrant County: 208 countGreenbrier County: 721 countHampshire County: 272 countHancock County: 450 countHardy County: 215 countHarrison County: 1,461 countJackson County: 428 countJefferson County: 736 countKanawha County: 3,673 countLewis County: 322 countLincoln County: 164 countLogan County: 508 countMcDowell County: 214 countMarion County: 961 countMarshall County: 394 countMason County: 281 countMercer County: 953 countMineral County: 380 countMingo County: 327 countMonongalia County: 1,846 countMonroe County: 152 countMorgan County: 200 countNicholas County: 499 countOhio County: 1,140 countPendleton County: 121 countPleasants County: 111 countPocahontas County: 178 countPreston County: 441 countPutnam County: 1,006 countRaleigh County: 1,379 countRandolph County: 577 countRitchie County: 166 countRoane County: 201 countSummers County: 153 countTaylor County: 190 countTucker County: 143 countTyler County: 95 countUpshur County: 451 countWayne County: 518 countWebster County: 115 countWetzel County: 297 countWirt County: 44 countWood County: 1,633 countWyoming County: 231 count
  • Under 140
  • 140 to 200
  • 200 to 300
  • 300 to 450
  • 450 to 960
  • 960 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.

All counties, 2015

Kanawha County: 3,673 countKanawha County3,673Monongalia County: 1,846 countMonongalia County1,846Cabell County: 1,786 countCabell County1,786Wood County: 1,633 countWood County1,633Harrison County: 1,461 countHarrison County1,461Raleigh County: 1,379 countRaleigh County1,379Berkeley County: 1,266 countBerkeley County1,266Ohio County: 1,140 countOhio County1,140Putnam County: 1,006 countPutnam County1,006Marion County: 961 countMarion County961Mercer County: 953 countMercer County953Jefferson County: 736 countJefferson County736Greenbrier County: 721 countGreenbrier County721Fayette County: 621 countFayette County621Randolph County: 577 countRandolph County577Wayne County: 518 countWayne County518Logan County: 508 countLogan County508Nicholas County: 499 countNicholas County499Upshur County: 451 countUpshur County451Hancock County: 450 countHancock County450Preston County: 441 countPreston County441Jackson County: 428 countJackson County428Marshall County: 394 countMarshall County394Mineral County: 380 countMineral County380Brooke County: 367 countBrooke County367Mingo County: 327 countMingo County327Lewis County: 322 countLewis County322Wetzel County: 297 countWetzel County297Mason County: 281 countMason County281Hampshire County: 272 countHampshire County272Wyoming County: 231 countWyoming County231Boone County: 220 countBoone County220Braxton County: 218 countBraxton County218Hardy County: 215 countHardy County215McDowell County: 214 countMcDowell County214Grant County: 208 countGrant County208Barbour County: 204 countBarbour County204Roane County: 201 countRoane County201Morgan County: 200 countMorgan County200Taylor County: 190 countTaylor County190Pocahontas County: 178 countPocahontas County178Ritchie County: 166 countRitchie County166Lincoln County: 164 countLincoln County164Summers County: 153 countSummers County153Monroe County: 152 countMonroe County152Tucker County: 143 countTucker County143Pendleton County: 121 countPendleton County121Gilmer County: 119 countGilmer County119Webster County: 115 countWebster County115Pleasants County: 111 countPleasants County111Tyler County: 95 countTyler County95Calhoun County: 82 countCalhoun County82Doddridge County: 77 countDoddridge County77Clay County: 74 countClay County74Wirt County: 44 countWirt County44Kanawha County: 3,673 countKanawha County3,673Monongalia County: 1,846 countMonongalia County1,846Cabell County: 1,786 countCabell County1,786Wood County: 1,633 countWood County1,633Harrison County: 1,461 countHarrison County1,461Raleigh County: 1,379 countRaleigh County1,379Berkeley County: 1,266 countBerkeley County1,266Ohio County: 1,140 countOhio County1,140Putnam County: 1,006 countPutnam County1,006Marion County: 961 countMarion County961Mercer County: 953 countMercer County953Jefferson County: 736 countJefferson County736Greenbrier County: 721 countGreenbrier County721Fayette County: 621 countFayette County621Randolph County: 577 countRandolph County577Wayne County: 518 countWayne County518Logan County: 508 countLogan County508Nicholas County: 499 countNicholas County499Upshur County: 451 countUpshur County451Hancock County: 450 countHancock County450Preston County: 441 countPreston County441Jackson County: 428 countJackson County428Marshall County: 394 countMarshall County394Mineral County: 380 countMineral County380Brooke County: 367 countBrooke County367Mingo County: 327 countMingo County327Lewis County: 322 countLewis County322Wetzel County: 297 countWetzel County297Mason County: 281 countMason County281Hampshire County: 272 countHampshire County272Wyoming County: 231 countWyoming County231Boone County: 220 countBoone County220Braxton County: 218 countBraxton County218Hardy County: 215 countHardy County215McDowell County: 214 countMcDowell County214Grant County: 208 countGrant County208Barbour County: 204 countBarbour County204Roane County: 201 countRoane County201Morgan County: 200 countMorgan County200Taylor County: 190 countTaylor County190Pocahontas County: 178 countPocahontas County178Ritchie County: 166 countRitchie County166Lincoln County: 164 countLincoln County164Summers County: 153 countSummers County153Monroe County: 152 countMonroe County152Tucker County: 143 countTucker County143Pendleton County: 121 countPendleton County121Gilmer County: 119 countGilmer County119Webster County: 115 countWebster County115Pleasants County: 111 countPleasants County111Tyler County: 95 countTyler County95Calhoun County: 82 countCalhoun County82Doddridge County: 77 countDoddridge County77Clay County: 74 countClay County74Wirt County: 44 countWirt County44
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
1Kanawha County3,673-1.6%
2Monongalia County1,846+1%
3Cabell County1,786-0.8%
4Wood County1,633-0.4%
5Harrison County1,461+1.4%
6Raleigh County1,379-0.9%
7Berkeley County1,266-1%
8Ohio County1,140-0.8%
9Putnam County1,006+0.1%
10Marion County961-1.4%
11Mercer County953-3.1%
12Jefferson County736+2.4%
13Greenbrier County721-3.4%
14Fayette County621-1.3%
15Randolph County577+0.9%
16Wayne County518-1.1%
17Logan County508-3.1%
18Nicholas County499+2%
19Upshur County451-2.6%
20Hancock County450-3%
21Preston County441+1.4%
22Jackson County4280%
23Marshall County394-3.7%
24Mineral County380-3.8%
25Brooke County367-1.3%
26Mingo County327-4.4%
27Lewis County322-1.2%
28Wetzel County297-1.3%
29Mason County281+4.1%
30Hampshire County272+1.5%
31Wyoming County231+1.3%
32Boone County220-3.1%
33Braxton County218+1.4%
34Hardy County215-0.5%
35McDowell County214-1.8%
36Grant County208-0.5%
37Barbour County204-2.4%
38Roane County201+1%
39Morgan County200+2.6%
40Taylor County190-1%
41Pocahontas County178+2.3%
42Ritchie County166-1.2%
43Lincoln County164-1.8%
44Summers County153-3.8%
45Monroe County152+2.7%
46Tucker County143-4.7%
47Pendleton County121+3.4%
48Gilmer County119+2.6%
49Webster County1150%
50Pleasants County111-0.9%
51Tyler County950%
52Calhoun County82-6.8%
53Doddridge County77+11.6%
54Clay County74-7.5%
55Wirt County44-12%

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, 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 West 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/west-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 West 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/west-virginia-counties?period=2015.

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, 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/west-virginia-counties?period=2015 (Accessed: 11 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_west_virginia_2015,
  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, 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/west-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 West 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/west-virginia-counties?period=2015
Y2  - 2026/10/11
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firms/west-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?

Kanawha County, with 3,673 in 2015, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest employer firms?

Wirt County, with 44 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 West Virginia: more rankings