Counties in West Virginia by employer firms

Kanawha County had the highest employer firms of 55 counties in 2020, at 3,373. Wirt County had the lowest, at 47. The median was 275 and the figure for West Virginia was 23,449. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest3,373Kanawha County
Lowest47Wirt County
Median27555 counties
West Virginia23,449History

Map of counties, 2020

Barbour County: 170 countBerkeley County: 1,314 countBoone County: 190 countBraxton County: 203 countBrooke County: 338 countCabell County: 1,694 countCalhoun County: 78 countClay County: 59 countDoddridge County: 68 countFayette County: 574 countGilmer County: 95 countGrant County: 207 countGreenbrier County: 705 countHampshire County: 263 countHancock County: 426 countHardy County: 224 countHarrison County: 1,384 countJackson County: 385 countJefferson County: 771 countKanawha County: 3,373 countLewis County: 297 countLincoln County: 128 countLogan County: 459 countMcDowell County: 166 countMarion County: 897 countMarshall County: 360 countMason County: 275 countMercer County: 902 countMineral County: 355 countMingo County: 292 countMonongalia County: 1,817 countMonroe County: 146 countMorgan County: 198 countNicholas County: 466 countOhio County: 1,031 countPendleton County: 118 countPleasants County: 104 countPocahontas County: 183 countPreston County: 423 countPutnam County: 955 countRaleigh County: 1,263 countRandolph County: 526 countRitchie County: 158 countRoane County: 176 countSummers County: 143 countTaylor County: 193 countTucker County: 136 countTyler County: 103 countUpshur County: 427 countWayne County: 481 countWebster County: 101 countWetzel County: 262 countWirt County: 47 countWood County: 1,503 countWyoming County: 220 count
  • Under 130
  • 130 to 190
  • 190 to 280
  • 280 to 430
  • 430 to 900
  • 900 and over
count, 2020. 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, 2020

Kanawha County: 3,373 countKanawha County3,373Monongalia County: 1,817 countMonongalia County1,817Cabell County: 1,694 countCabell County1,694Wood County: 1,503 countWood County1,503Harrison County: 1,384 countHarrison County1,384Berkeley County: 1,314 countBerkeley County1,314Raleigh County: 1,263 countRaleigh County1,263Ohio County: 1,031 countOhio County1,031Putnam County: 955 countPutnam County955Mercer County: 902 countMercer County902Marion County: 897 countMarion County897Jefferson County: 771 countJefferson County771Greenbrier County: 705 countGreenbrier County705Fayette County: 574 countFayette County574Randolph County: 526 countRandolph County526Wayne County: 481 countWayne County481Nicholas County: 466 countNicholas County466Logan County: 459 countLogan County459Upshur County: 427 countUpshur County427Hancock County: 426 countHancock County426Preston County: 423 countPreston County423Jackson County: 385 countJackson County385Marshall County: 360 countMarshall County360Mineral County: 355 countMineral County355Brooke County: 338 countBrooke County338Lewis County: 297 countLewis County297Mingo County: 292 countMingo County292Mason County: 275 countMason County275Hampshire County: 263 countHampshire County263Wetzel County: 262 countWetzel County262Hardy County: 224 countHardy County224Wyoming County: 220 countWyoming County220Grant County: 207 countGrant County207Braxton County: 203 countBraxton County203Morgan County: 198 countMorgan County198Taylor County: 193 countTaylor County193Boone County: 190 countBoone County190Pocahontas County: 183 countPocahontas County183Roane County: 176 countRoane County176Barbour County: 170 countBarbour County170McDowell County: 166 countMcDowell County166Ritchie County: 158 countRitchie County158Monroe County: 146 countMonroe County146Summers County: 143 countSummers County143Tucker County: 136 countTucker County136Lincoln County: 128 countLincoln County128Pendleton County: 118 countPendleton County118Pleasants County: 104 countPleasants County104Tyler County: 103 countTyler County103Webster County: 101 countWebster County101Gilmer County: 95 countGilmer County95Calhoun County: 78 countCalhoun County78Doddridge County: 68 countDoddridge County68Clay County: 59 countClay County59Wirt County: 47 countWirt County47Kanawha County: 3,373 countKanawha County3,373Monongalia County: 1,817 countMonongalia County1,817Cabell County: 1,694 countCabell County1,694Wood County: 1,503 countWood County1,503Harrison County: 1,384 countHarrison County1,384Berkeley County: 1,314 countBerkeley County1,314Raleigh County: 1,263 countRaleigh County1,263Ohio County: 1,031 countOhio County1,031Putnam County: 955 countPutnam County955Mercer County: 902 countMercer County902Marion County: 897 countMarion County897Jefferson County: 771 countJefferson County771Greenbrier County: 705 countGreenbrier County705Fayette County: 574 countFayette County574Randolph County: 526 countRandolph County526Wayne County: 481 countWayne County481Nicholas County: 466 countNicholas County466Logan County: 459 countLogan County459Upshur County: 427 countUpshur County427Hancock County: 426 countHancock County426Preston County: 423 countPreston County423Jackson County: 385 countJackson County385Marshall County: 360 countMarshall County360Mineral County: 355 countMineral County355Brooke County: 338 countBrooke County338Lewis County: 297 countLewis County297Mingo County: 292 countMingo County292Mason County: 275 countMason County275Hampshire County: 263 countHampshire County263Wetzel County: 262 countWetzel County262Hardy County: 224 countHardy County224Wyoming County: 220 countWyoming County220Grant County: 207 countGrant County207Braxton County: 203 countBraxton County203Morgan County: 198 countMorgan County198Taylor County: 193 countTaylor County193Boone County: 190 countBoone County190Pocahontas County: 183 countPocahontas County183Roane County: 176 countRoane County176Barbour County: 170 countBarbour County170McDowell County: 166 countMcDowell County166Ritchie County: 158 countRitchie County158Monroe County: 146 countMonroe County146Summers County: 143 countSummers County143Tucker County: 136 countTucker County136Lincoln County: 128 countLincoln County128Pendleton County: 118 countPendleton County118Pleasants County: 104 countPleasants County104Tyler County: 103 countTyler County103Webster County: 101 countWebster County101Gilmer County: 95 countGilmer County95Calhoun County: 78 countCalhoun County78Doddridge County: 68 countDoddridge County68Clay County: 59 countClay County59Wirt County: 47 countWirt County47
count. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-11.

Full ranking

RankCounties2020
count
Change on 2019
1Kanawha County3,373-1.7%
2Monongalia County1,817-0.8%
3Cabell County1,694-0.9%
4Wood County1,503-2.8%
5Harrison County1,384-3.2%
6Berkeley County1,314-1.6%
7Raleigh County1,263-3%
8Ohio County1,031-3.4%
9Putnam County955-1.2%
10Mercer County902-1.4%
11Marion County897-2.8%
12Jefferson County771+0.4%
13Greenbrier County705-0.6%
14Fayette County574-3.5%
15Randolph County526-4.7%
16Wayne County481-2%
17Nicholas County466-3.1%
18Logan County459-3.8%
19Upshur County427-3.6%
20Hancock County426-1.8%
21Preston County423-0.9%
22Jackson County385-2.5%
23Marshall County360-2.7%
24Mineral County355+0.9%
25Brooke County338+1.8%
26Lewis County297+2.1%
27Mingo County292-3%
28Mason County275+0.4%
29Hampshire County263-0.8%
30Wetzel County262-5.8%
31Hardy County224-0.9%
32Wyoming County220-2.7%
33Grant County207-1.9%
34Braxton County203-1.5%
35Morgan County198-1%
36Taylor County193+0.5%
37Boone County190-9.1%
38Pocahontas County183-0.5%
39Roane County176-3.3%
40Barbour County170-4.5%
41McDowell County166-7.3%
42Ritchie County158+0.6%
43Monroe County146-0.7%
44Summers County143-5.9%
45Tucker County136+1.5%
46Lincoln County128-3.8%
47Pendleton County118+1.7%
48Pleasants County104-1%
49Tyler County103-4.6%
50Webster County101-1%
51Gilmer County95-10.4%
52Calhoun County78+2.6%
53Doddridge County680%
54Clay County59-3.3%
55Wirt County47-7.8%

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, 2020) [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, 2020. 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=2020. 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, 2020. 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=2020.

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, 2020 [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=2020 (Accessed: 11 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_west_virginia_2020,
  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, 2020}},
  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=2020. 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, 2020
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=2020
Y2  - 2026/10/11
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firms/west-virginia-counties?period=2020.
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 3,373 in 2020, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest employer firms?

Wirt County, with 47 in 2020.

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