Data / Rankings / Establishment entry rate / Counties in North Carolina

Counties in North Carolina by establishment entry rate

Camden County had the highest establishment entry rate of 100 counties in 2016, at 16.749%. Hertford County had the lowest, at 5.198%. The median was 8.62% and the figure for North Carolina was 10.066%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest16.749Camden County
Lowest5.198Hertford County
Median8.62100 counties
North Carolina10.066History

Map of counties, 2016

Alamance County: 8.648 %Alexander County: 8.549 %Alleghany County: 8.658 %Anson County: 7.967 %Ashe County: 14.538 %Avery County: 8.255 %Beaufort County: 8.506 %Bertie County: 5.782 %Bladen County: 9.434 %Brunswick County: 12.307 %Buncombe County: 12.399 %Burke County: 5.622 %Cabarrus County: 11.212 %Caldwell County: 7.099 %Camden County: 16.749 %Carteret County: 8.556 %Caswell County: 8.796 %Catawba County: 8.281 %Chatham County: 10.073 %Cherokee County: 7.616 %Chowan County: 6.876 %Clay County: 8.933 %Cleveland County: 7.412 %Columbus County: 7.253 %Craven County: 8.21 %Cumberland County: 7.951 %Currituck County: 12.868 %Dare County: 10.13 %Davidson County: 8.476 %Davie County: 9.906 %Duplin County: 7.331 %Durham County: 11.939 %Edgecombe County: 6.748 %Forsyth County: 8.974 %Franklin County: 12.465 %Gaston County: 9.781 %Gates County: 11.06 %Graham County: 12.143 %Granville County: 8.974 %Greene County: 10.846 %Guilford County: 8.896 %Halifax County: 6.124 %Harnett County: 9.625 %Haywood County: 9.262 %Henderson County: 11.139 %Hertford County: 5.198 %Hoke County: 13.248 %Hyde County: 7.491 %Iredell County: 10.212 %Jackson County: 10.576 %Johnston County: 10.619 %Jones County: 16.102 %Lee County: 8.397 %Lenoir County: 6.132 %Lincoln County: 9.501 %McDowell County: 9.03 %Macon County: 8.816 %Madison County: 16.014 %Martin County: 10.676 %Mecklenburg County: 12.193 %Mitchell County: 8.219 %Montgomery County: 7.539 %Moore County: 8.592 %Nash County: 6.735 %New Hanover County: 9.943 %Northampton County: 7.171 %Onslow County: 7.989 %Orange County: 12.494 %Pamlico County: 5.556 %Pasquotank County: 8.839 %Pender County: 10.668 %Perquimans County: 8.556 %Person County: 6.847 %Pitt County: 9.275 %Polk County: 9.681 %Randolph County: 8.045 %Richmond County: 6.618 %Robeson County: 6.944 %Rockingham County: 8.485 %Rowan County: 8.483 %Rutherford County: 9.138 %Sampson County: 7.334 %Scotland County: 6.933 %Stanly County: 6.736 %Stokes County: 9.099 %Surry County: 7.021 %Swain County: 14.915 %Transylvania County: 7.79 %Tyrrell County: 8.163 %Union County: 12.718 %Vance County: 8.2 %Wake County: 11.774 %Warren County: 10.093 %Washington County: 6.321 %Watauga County: 10.901 %Wayne County: 7.77 %Wilkes County: 8.032 %Wilson County: 7.313 %Yadkin County: 7.209 %Yancey County: 7.899 %
  • Under 7.1
  • 7.1 to 8
  • 8 to 8.6
  • 8.6 to 9.6
  • 9.6 to 11
  • 11 and over
%, 2016. 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.

Top 40 counties, 2016

Camden County: 16.749 %Camden County16.749Jones County: 16.102 %Jones County16.102Madison County: 16.014 %Madison County16.014Swain County: 14.915 %Swain County14.915Ashe County: 14.538 %Ashe County14.538Hoke County: 13.248 %Hoke County13.248Currituck County: 12.868 %Currituck County12.868Union County: 12.718 %Union County12.718Orange County: 12.494 %Orange County12.494Franklin County: 12.465 %Franklin County12.465Buncombe County: 12.399 %Buncombe County12.399Brunswick County: 12.307 %Brunswick County12.307Mecklenburg County: 12.193 %Mecklenburg County12.193Graham County: 12.143 %Graham County12.143Durham County: 11.939 %Durham County11.939Wake County: 11.774 %Wake County11.774Cabarrus County: 11.212 %Cabarrus County11.212Henderson County: 11.139 %Henderson County11.139Gates County: 11.06 %Gates County11.06Watauga County: 10.901 %Watauga County10.901Greene County: 10.846 %Greene County10.846Martin County: 10.676 %Martin County10.676Pender County: 10.668 %Pender County10.668Johnston County: 10.619 %Johnston County10.619Jackson County: 10.576 %Jackson County10.576Iredell County: 10.212 %Iredell County10.212Dare County: 10.13 %Dare County10.13Warren County: 10.093 %Warren County10.093Chatham County: 10.073 %Chatham County10.073New Hanover County: 9.943 %New Hanover County9.943Davie County: 9.906 %Davie County9.906Gaston County: 9.781 %Gaston County9.781Polk County: 9.681 %Polk County9.681Harnett County: 9.625 %Harnett County9.625Lincoln County: 9.501 %Lincoln County9.501Bladen County: 9.434 %Bladen County9.434Pitt County: 9.275 %Pitt County9.275Haywood County: 9.262 %Haywood County9.262Rutherford County: 9.138 %Rutherford County9.138Stokes County: 9.099 %Stokes County9.099Camden County: 16.749 %Camden County16.749Jones County: 16.102 %Jones County16.102Madison County: 16.014 %Madison County16.014Swain County: 14.915 %Swain County14.915Ashe County: 14.538 %Ashe County14.538Hoke County: 13.248 %Hoke County13.248Currituck County: 12.868 %Currituck County12.868Union County: 12.718 %Union County12.718Orange County: 12.494 %Orange County12.494Franklin County: 12.465 %Franklin County12.465Buncombe County: 12.399 %Buncombe County12.399Brunswick County: 12.307 %Brunswick County12.307Mecklenburg County: 12.193 %Mecklenburg County12.193Graham County: 12.143 %Graham County12.143Durham County: 11.939 %Durham County11.939Wake County: 11.774 %Wake County11.774Cabarrus County: 11.212 %Cabarrus County11.212Henderson County: 11.139 %Henderson County11.139Gates County: 11.06 %Gates County11.06Watauga County: 10.901 %Watauga County10.901Greene County: 10.846 %Greene County10.846Martin County: 10.676 %Martin County10.676Pender County: 10.668 %Pender County10.668Johnston County: 10.619 %Johnston County10.619Jackson County: 10.576 %Jackson County10.576Iredell County: 10.212 %Iredell County10.212Dare County: 10.13 %Dare County10.13Warren County: 10.093 %Warren County10.093Chatham County: 10.073 %Chatham County10.073New Hanover County: 9.943 %New Hanover County9.943Davie County: 9.906 %Davie County9.906Gaston County: 9.781 %Gaston County9.781Polk County: 9.681 %Polk County9.681Harnett County: 9.625 %Harnett County9.625Lincoln County: 9.501 %Lincoln County9.501Bladen County: 9.434 %Bladen County9.434Pitt County: 9.275 %Pitt County9.275Haywood County: 9.262 %Haywood County9.262Rutherford County: 9.138 %Rutherford County9.138Stokes County: 9.099 %Stokes County9.099
%. 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

RankCounties2016 (%)Change on 2015
1Camden County16.749+5.47 pts
2Jones County16.102+5.58 pts
3Madison County16.014+5.94 pts
4Swain County14.915+2.44 pts
5Ashe County14.538+7.68 pts
6Hoke County13.248+4.17 pts
7Currituck County12.868+1.65 pts
8Union County12.718+1.36 pts
9Orange County12.494+2.38 pts
10Franklin County12.465+2.94 pts
11Buncombe County12.399+1.02 pts
12Brunswick County12.307+1.82 pts
13Mecklenburg County12.193-0.16 pts
14Graham County12.143+2.99 pts
15Durham County11.939+1.04 pts
16Wake County11.774+0.14 pts
17Cabarrus County11.212+0.96 pts
18Henderson County11.139+1.53 pts
19Gates County11.06+2.77 pts
20Watauga County10.901+1.74 pts
21Greene County10.846+1.34 pts
22Martin County10.676+6.42 pts
23Pender County10.668-1.47 pts
24Johnston County10.619+0.71 pts
25Jackson County10.576+1.44 pts
26Iredell County10.212-0.15 pts
27Dare County10.13-0.43 pts
28Warren County10.093+5.22 pts
29Chatham County10.073+0.01 pts
30New Hanover County9.943+0.49 pts
31Davie County9.906+0.1 pts
32Gaston County9.781+1.34 pts
33Polk County9.681-0.17 pts
34Harnett County9.625-0.88 pts
35Lincoln County9.501-0.31 pts
36Bladen County9.434+0.99 pts
37Pitt County9.275+1.43 pts
38Haywood County9.262-0.19 pts
39Rutherford County9.138+2.03 pts
40Stokes County9.099-0.47 pts
41McDowell County9.03+1.22 pts
42Forsyth County8.974+0.4 pts
42Granville County8.974-2.08 pts
44Clay County8.933-2.74 pts
45Guilford County8.896+0.42 pts
46Pasquotank County8.839+0.64 pts
47Macon County8.816-1.09 pts
48Caswell County8.796+2.33 pts
49Alleghany County8.658+1.67 pts
50Alamance County8.648+0.9 pts
51Moore County8.592-0.37 pts
52Carteret County8.556-1.35 pts
52Perquimans County8.556-1.12 pts
54Alexander County8.549+1 pts
55Beaufort County8.506-0.28 pts
56Rockingham County8.485+1.82 pts
57Rowan County8.483+0.25 pts
58Davidson County8.476+0.51 pts
59Lee County8.397-0.45 pts
60Catawba County8.281+1.64 pts
61Avery County8.255+0.29 pts
62Mitchell County8.219+0.23 pts
63Craven County8.21+0.38 pts
64Vance County8.2+1.7 pts
65Tyrrell County8.163n/a
66Randolph County8.045+0.99 pts
67Wilkes County8.032+0.7 pts
68Onslow County7.989-1.76 pts
69Anson County7.967-0.28 pts
70Cumberland County7.951-0.71 pts
71Yancey County7.899+2.97 pts
72Transylvania County7.79-1.27 pts
73Wayne County7.77-0.44 pts
74Cherokee County7.616-0.06 pts
75Montgomery County7.539+0.34 pts
76Hyde County7.491-0.69 pts
77Cleveland County7.412+0.91 pts
78Sampson County7.334+0.96 pts
79Duplin County7.331-0.83 pts
80Wilson County7.313+0.75 pts
81Columbus County7.253+0.67 pts
82Yadkin County7.209+0.76 pts
83Northampton County7.171+0.8 pts
84Caldwell County7.099+0.02 pts
85Surry County7.021-0.17 pts
86Robeson County6.944-0.06 pts
87Scotland County6.933+3.27 pts
88Chowan County6.876+1.83 pts
89Person County6.847-0.74 pts
90Edgecombe County6.748+0.76 pts
91Stanly County6.736-0.69 pts
92Nash County6.735-0.45 pts
93Richmond County6.618+0.14 pts
94Washington County6.321-3.82 pts
95Lenoir County6.132-0.09 pts
96Halifax County6.124+0.5 pts
97Bertie County5.782-1.6 pts
98Burke County5.622-0.74 pts
99Pamlico County5.556+0.04 pts
100Hertford County5.198-0.56 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 North Carolina by establishment entry rate, 2016) [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 North Carolina by establishment entry rate, 2016. 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/north-carolina-counties?period=2016. 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 North Carolina by establishment entry rate, 2016. 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/north-carolina-counties?period=2016.

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 North Carolina by establishment entry rate, 2016 [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/north-carolina-counties?period=2016 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_north_carolina_2016,
  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 North Carolina by establishment entry rate, 2016}},
  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/north-carolina-counties?period=2016. 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 North Carolina by establishment entry rate, 2016
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/north-carolina-counties?period=2016
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/establishment-entry-rate/north-carolina-counties?period=2016.
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?

Camden County, with 16.749% in 2016, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest establishment entry rate?

Hertford County, with 5.198% in 2016.

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 North Carolina: more rankings