Data / Rankings / Establishment entry rate / Counties in California

Counties in California by establishment entry rate

Sierra County had the highest establishment entry rate of 58 counties in 2020, at 17.822%. Inyo County had the lowest, at 7.066%. The median was 10.357% and the figure for California was 11.614%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest17.822Sierra County
Lowest7.066Inyo County
Median10.35758 counties
California11.614History

Map of counties, 2020

Alameda County: 11.05 %Alpine County: 14.286 %Amador County: 9.033 %Butte County: 10.391 %Calaveras County: 10.86 %Colusa County: 9.051 %Contra Costa County: 10.944 %Del Norte County: 9.704 %El Dorado County: 12.489 %Fresno County: 10.111 %Glenn County: 10.609 %Humboldt County: 8.447 %Imperial County: 8.29 %Inyo County: 7.066 %Kern County: 10.705 %Kings County: 10.453 %Lake County: 9.198 %Lassen County: 9.497 %Los Angeles County: 12.821 %Madera County: 11.636 %Marin County: 9.545 %Mariposa County: 9.06 %Mendocino County: 9.39 %Merced County: 9.608 %Modoc County: 10.566 %Mono County: 12.086 %Monterey County: 9.601 %Napa County: 8.675 %Nevada County: 11.944 %Orange County: 12.041 %Placer County: 11.819 %Plumas County: 12.813 %Riverside County: 12.601 %Sacramento County: 11.42 %San Benito County: 10.565 %San Bernardino County: 12.281 %San Diego County: 11.706 %San Francisco County: 10.815 %San Joaquin County: 10.269 %San Luis Obispo County: 9.911 %San Mateo County: 10.173 %Santa Barbara County: 9.421 %Santa Clara County: 11.076 %Santa Cruz County: 10.358 %Shasta County: 10.1 %Sierra County: 17.822 %Siskiyou County: 10.459 %Solano County: 10.285 %Sonoma County: 9.555 %Stanislaus County: 10.01 %Sutter County: 11.792 %Tehama County: 9.356 %Trinity County: 10.256 %Tulare County: 10.322 %Tuolumne County: 9.52 %Ventura County: 10.356 %Yolo County: 10.273 %Yuba County: 10.561 %
  • Under 9.4
  • 9.4 to 10
  • 10 to 11
  • 11 to 12
  • 12 and over
%, 2020. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: establishment entry rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All counties, 2020

Sierra County: 17.822 %Sierra County17.822Alpine County: 14.286 %Alpine County14.286Los Angeles County: 12.821 %Los Angeles County12.821Plumas County: 12.813 %Plumas County12.813Riverside County: 12.601 %Riverside County12.601El Dorado County: 12.489 %El Dorado County12.489San Bernardino County: 12.281 %San Bernardino County12.281Mono County: 12.086 %Mono County12.086Orange County: 12.041 %Orange County12.041Nevada County: 11.944 %Nevada County11.944Placer County: 11.819 %Placer County11.819Sutter County: 11.792 %Sutter County11.792San Diego County: 11.706 %San Diego County11.706Madera County: 11.636 %Madera County11.636Sacramento County: 11.42 %Sacramento County11.42Santa Clara County: 11.076 %Santa Clara County11.076Alameda County: 11.05 %Alameda County11.05Contra Costa County: 10.944 %Contra Costa County10.944Calaveras County: 10.86 %Calaveras County10.86San Francisco County: 10.815 %San Francisco County10.815Kern County: 10.705 %Kern County10.705Glenn County: 10.609 %Glenn County10.609Modoc County: 10.566 %Modoc County10.566San Benito County: 10.565 %San Benito County10.565Yuba County: 10.561 %Yuba County10.561Siskiyou County: 10.459 %Siskiyou County10.459Kings County: 10.453 %Kings County10.453Butte County: 10.391 %Butte County10.391Santa Cruz County: 10.358 %Santa Cruz County10.358Ventura County: 10.356 %Ventura County10.356Tulare County: 10.322 %Tulare County10.322Solano County: 10.285 %Solano County10.285Yolo County: 10.273 %Yolo County10.273San Joaquin County: 10.269 %San Joaquin County10.269Trinity County: 10.256 %Trinity County10.256San Mateo County: 10.173 %San Mateo County10.173Fresno County: 10.111 %Fresno County10.111Shasta County: 10.1 %Shasta County10.1Stanislaus County: 10.01 %Stanislaus County10.01San Luis Obispo County: 9.911 %San Luis Obispo County9.911Del Norte County: 9.704 %Del Norte County9.704Merced County: 9.608 %Merced County9.608Monterey County: 9.601 %Monterey County9.601Sonoma County: 9.555 %Sonoma County9.555Marin County: 9.545 %Marin County9.545Tuolumne County: 9.52 %Tuolumne County9.52Lassen County: 9.497 %Lassen County9.497Santa Barbara County: 9.421 %Santa Barbara County9.421Mendocino County: 9.39 %Mendocino County9.39Tehama County: 9.356 %Tehama County9.356Lake County: 9.198 %Lake County9.198Mariposa County: 9.06 %Mariposa County9.06Colusa County: 9.051 %Colusa County9.051Amador County: 9.033 %Amador County9.033Napa County: 8.675 %Napa County8.675Humboldt County: 8.447 %Humboldt County8.447Imperial County: 8.29 %Imperial County8.29Inyo County: 7.066 %Inyo County7.066Sierra County: 17.822 %Sierra County17.822Alpine County: 14.286 %Alpine County14.286Los Angeles County: 12.821 %Los Angeles County12.821Plumas County: 12.813 %Plumas County12.813Riverside County: 12.601 %Riverside County12.601El Dorado County: 12.489 %El Dorado County12.489San Bernardino County: 12.281 %San Bernardino County12.281Mono County: 12.086 %Mono County12.086Orange County: 12.041 %Orange County12.041Nevada County: 11.944 %Nevada County11.944Placer County: 11.819 %Placer County11.819Sutter County: 11.792 %Sutter County11.792San Diego County: 11.706 %San Diego County11.706Madera County: 11.636 %Madera County11.636Sacramento County: 11.42 %Sacramento County11.42Santa Clara County: 11.076 %Santa Clara County11.076Alameda County: 11.05 %Alameda County11.05Contra Costa County: 10.944 %Contra Costa County10.944Calaveras County: 10.86 %Calaveras County10.86San Francisco County: 10.815 %San Francisco County10.815Kern County: 10.705 %Kern County10.705Glenn County: 10.609 %Glenn County10.609Modoc County: 10.566 %Modoc County10.566San Benito County: 10.565 %San Benito County10.565Yuba County: 10.561 %Yuba County10.561Siskiyou County: 10.459 %Siskiyou County10.459Kings County: 10.453 %Kings County10.453Butte County: 10.391 %Butte County10.391Santa Cruz County: 10.358 %Santa Cruz County10.358Ventura County: 10.356 %Ventura County10.356Tulare County: 10.322 %Tulare County10.322Solano County: 10.285 %Solano County10.285Yolo County: 10.273 %Yolo County10.273San Joaquin County: 10.269 %San Joaquin County10.269Trinity County: 10.256 %Trinity County10.256San Mateo County: 10.173 %San Mateo County10.173Fresno County: 10.111 %Fresno County10.111Shasta County: 10.1 %Shasta County10.1Stanislaus County: 10.01 %Stanislaus County10.01San Luis Obispo County: 9.911 %San Luis Obispo County9.911Del Norte County: 9.704 %Del Norte County9.704Merced County: 9.608 %Merced County9.608Monterey County: 9.601 %Monterey County9.601Sonoma County: 9.555 %Sonoma County9.555Marin County: 9.545 %Marin County9.545Tuolumne County: 9.52 %Tuolumne County9.52Lassen County: 9.497 %Lassen County9.497Santa Barbara County: 9.421 %Santa Barbara County9.421Mendocino County: 9.39 %Mendocino County9.39Tehama County: 9.356 %Tehama County9.356Lake County: 9.198 %Lake County9.198Mariposa County: 9.06 %Mariposa County9.06Colusa County: 9.051 %Colusa County9.051Amador County: 9.033 %Amador County9.033Napa County: 8.675 %Napa County8.675Humboldt County: 8.447 %Humboldt County8.447Imperial County: 8.29 %Imperial County8.29Inyo County: 7.066 %Inyo County7.066
%. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: establishment entry rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2020 (%)Change on 2019
1Sierra County17.822+2.77 pts
2Alpine County14.286+0.25 pts
3Los Angeles County12.821+1.02 pts
4Plumas County12.813+2.73 pts
5Riverside County12.601+0.96 pts
6El Dorado County12.489+0.39 pts
7San Bernardino County12.281+1.32 pts
8Mono County12.086+1.34 pts
9Orange County12.041+0.76 pts
10Nevada County11.944+0.7 pts
11Placer County11.819+0.18 pts
12Sutter County11.792+2.03 pts
13San Diego County11.706+0.45 pts
14Madera County11.636-0.08 pts
15Sacramento County11.42+0.21 pts
16Santa Clara County11.076+0.47 pts
17Alameda County11.05+0.61 pts
18Contra Costa County10.944-0.05 pts
19Calaveras County10.86+1.85 pts
20San Francisco County10.815+0.25 pts
21Kern County10.705+0.57 pts
22Glenn County10.609-1.88 pts
23Modoc County10.566+0.87 pts
24San Benito County10.565+2.19 pts
25Yuba County10.561-0.8 pts
26Siskiyou County10.459-0.6 pts
27Kings County10.453+1.11 pts
28Butte County10.391+2.25 pts
29Santa Cruz County10.358+1.21 pts
30Ventura County10.356+0.25 pts
31Tulare County10.322+0.83 pts
32Solano County10.285+0.5 pts
33Yolo County10.273-0.83 pts
34San Joaquin County10.269-0.42 pts
35Trinity County10.256+0.05 pts
36San Mateo County10.173+0.32 pts
37Fresno County10.111-0.11 pts
38Shasta County10.1+0.05 pts
39Stanislaus County10.01+0.29 pts
40San Luis Obispo County9.911+0.15 pts
41Del Norte County9.704+4.51 pts
42Merced County9.608-0.82 pts
43Monterey County9.601+0.89 pts
44Sonoma County9.555-0.25 pts
45Marin County9.545-0.51 pts
46Tuolumne County9.52+0.57 pts
47Lassen County9.497+2 pts
48Santa Barbara County9.421+0.74 pts
49Mendocino County9.39+0.37 pts
50Tehama County9.356-0.41 pts
51Lake County9.198-1.07 pts
52Mariposa County9.06-2.46 pts
53Colusa County9.051+0.05 pts
54Amador County9.033+0.04 pts
55Napa County8.675-0 pts
56Humboldt County8.447-0.04 pts
57Imperial County8.29-1.49 pts
58Inyo County7.066-2.17 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Establishments that opened during the year (employees in March of the year and none a year earlier), as a percentage of the average number of establishments in the two years. United States: Census Bureau Business Dynamics Statistics.

An establishment is a single physical location, so a new branch of an existing firm counts as an entry: this is not the rate of new firms. Not comparable with enterprise_birth_rate, which counts new enterprises in Europe. The year is the twelve months to March: 2023 compares March 2022 with March 2023.

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: establishment entry rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

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: establishment entry rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010 (Counties in California by establishment entry rate, 2020) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv

MLA 9

Business Dynamics Statistics: establishment entry rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010, Counties in California by establishment entry rate, 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/establishment-entry-rate/california-counties?period=2020. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2025. Business Dynamics Statistics: establishment entry rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Counties in California by establishment entry rate, 2020. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/establishment-entry-rate/california-counties?period=2020.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2025) Business Dynamics Statistics: establishment entry rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010, Counties in California by establishment entry rate, 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/establishment-entry-rate/california-counties?period=2020 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_california_by_2020,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Business Dynamics Statistics: establishment entry rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010: Counties in California by establishment entry rate, 2020}},
  year = {2025},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/establishment-entry-rate/california-counties?period=2020. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: establishment entry rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023\_st\_cty.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - Business Dynamics Statistics: establishment entry rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010: Counties in California by establishment entry rate, 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/establishment-entry-rate/california-counties?period=2020
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/establishment-entry-rate/california-counties?period=2020.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: establishment entry rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

Which county has the highest establishment entry rate?

Sierra County, with 17.822% in 2020, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest establishment entry rate?

Inyo County, with 7.066% 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: establishment entry rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Establishment entry rate: other rankings

Counties in California: more rankings