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

Counties in North Carolina by establishment entry rate

Chatham County had the highest establishment entry rate of 100 counties in 2018, at 12.02%. Bertie County had the lowest, at 3.88%. The median was 8.414% and the figure for North Carolina was 9.537%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest12.02Chatham County
Lowest3.88Bertie County
Median8.414100 counties
North Carolina9.537History

Map of counties, 2018

Alamance County: 8.867 %Alexander County: 7.595 %Alleghany County: 10.132 %Anson County: 5.978 %Ashe County: 8.92 %Avery County: 10.476 %Beaufort County: 7.146 %Bertie County: 3.88 %Bladen County: 6.996 %Brunswick County: 11.405 %Buncombe County: 10.951 %Burke County: 8.66 %Cabarrus County: 9.786 %Caldwell County: 6.957 %Camden County: 5.882 %Carteret County: 8.214 %Caswell County: 7.727 %Catawba County: 8.438 %Chatham County: 12.02 %Cherokee County: 8.066 %Chowan County: 9.24 %Clay County: 9.045 %Cleveland County: 5.703 %Columbus County: 7.351 %Craven County: 8.291 %Cumberland County: 8.969 %Currituck County: 9.441 %Dare County: 10.387 %Davidson County: 7.49 %Davie County: 9.336 %Duplin County: 7.848 %Durham County: 10.438 %Edgecombe County: 7.626 %Forsyth County: 8.848 %Franklin County: 9.529 %Gaston County: 9.563 %Gates County: 4.425 %Graham County: 8.696 %Granville County: 9.478 %Greene County: 6.237 %Guilford County: 8.936 %Halifax County: 6.148 %Harnett County: 8.959 %Haywood County: 8.953 %Henderson County: 9.369 %Hertford County: 6.243 %Hoke County: 10.084 %Hyde County: 6.618 %Iredell County: 9.868 %Jackson County: 10.147 %Johnston County: 11.836 %Jones County: 5.556 %Lee County: 8.429 %Lenoir County: 6.829 %Lincoln County: 10.356 %McDowell County: 9.275 %Macon County: 9.047 %Madison County: 10.968 %Martin County: 7.22 %Mecklenburg County: 11.272 %Mitchell County: 7.012 %Montgomery County: 7.407 %Moore County: 9.485 %Nash County: 6.593 %New Hanover County: 10.577 %Northampton County: 8.714 %Onslow County: 8.399 %Orange County: 9.545 %Pamlico County: 5.081 %Pasquotank County: 8.095 %Pender County: 11.717 %Perquimans County: 6.044 %Person County: 10.559 %Pitt County: 7.932 %Polk County: 8.333 %Randolph County: 7.924 %Richmond County: 7.82 %Robeson County: 7.458 %Rockingham County: 6.728 %Rowan County: 7.59 %Rutherford County: 8.759 %Sampson County: 6.054 %Scotland County: 5.541 %Stanly County: 6.399 %Stokes County: 9.915 %Surry County: 6.589 %Swain County: 10.191 %Transylvania County: 9.994 %Tyrrell County: 5.442 %Union County: 11.658 %Vance County: 7.649 %Wake County: 10.848 %Warren County: 6.476 %Washington County: 5.714 %Watauga County: 10.051 %Wayne County: 6.854 %Wilkes County: 6.194 %Wilson County: 6.1 %Yadkin County: 8.993 %Yancey County: 7.578 %
  • Under 6.3
  • 6.3 to 7.5
  • 7.5 to 8.4
  • 8.4 to 9.2
  • 9.2 to 10
  • 10 and over
%, 2018. 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, 2018

Chatham County: 12.02 %Chatham County12.02Johnston County: 11.836 %Johnston County11.836Pender County: 11.717 %Pender County11.717Union County: 11.658 %Union County11.658Brunswick County: 11.405 %Brunswick County11.405Mecklenburg County: 11.272 %Mecklenburg County11.272Madison County: 10.968 %Madison County10.968Buncombe County: 10.951 %Buncombe County10.951Wake County: 10.848 %Wake County10.848New Hanover County: 10.577 %New Hanover County10.577Person County: 10.559 %Person County10.559Avery County: 10.476 %Avery County10.476Durham County: 10.438 %Durham County10.438Dare County: 10.387 %Dare County10.387Lincoln County: 10.356 %Lincoln County10.356Swain County: 10.191 %Swain County10.191Jackson County: 10.147 %Jackson County10.147Alleghany County: 10.132 %Alleghany County10.132Hoke County: 10.084 %Hoke County10.084Watauga County: 10.051 %Watauga County10.051Transylvania County: 9.994 %Transylvania County9.994Stokes County: 9.915 %Stokes County9.915Iredell County: 9.868 %Iredell County9.868Cabarrus County: 9.786 %Cabarrus County9.786Gaston County: 9.563 %Gaston County9.563Orange County: 9.545 %Orange County9.545Franklin County: 9.529 %Franklin County9.529Moore County: 9.485 %Moore County9.485Granville County: 9.478 %Granville County9.478Currituck County: 9.441 %Currituck County9.441Henderson County: 9.369 %Henderson County9.369Davie County: 9.336 %Davie County9.336McDowell County: 9.275 %McDowell County9.275Chowan County: 9.24 %Chowan County9.24Macon County: 9.047 %Macon County9.047Clay County: 9.045 %Clay County9.045Yadkin County: 8.993 %Yadkin County8.993Cumberland County: 8.969 %Cumberland County8.969Harnett County: 8.959 %Harnett County8.959Haywood County: 8.953 %Haywood County8.953Chatham County: 12.02 %Chatham County12.02Johnston County: 11.836 %Johnston County11.836Pender County: 11.717 %Pender County11.717Union County: 11.658 %Union County11.658Brunswick County: 11.405 %Brunswick County11.405Mecklenburg County: 11.272 %Mecklenburg County11.272Madison County: 10.968 %Madison County10.968Buncombe County: 10.951 %Buncombe County10.951Wake County: 10.848 %Wake County10.848New Hanover County: 10.577 %New Hanover County10.577Person County: 10.559 %Person County10.559Avery County: 10.476 %Avery County10.476Durham County: 10.438 %Durham County10.438Dare County: 10.387 %Dare County10.387Lincoln County: 10.356 %Lincoln County10.356Swain County: 10.191 %Swain County10.191Jackson County: 10.147 %Jackson County10.147Alleghany County: 10.132 %Alleghany County10.132Hoke County: 10.084 %Hoke County10.084Watauga County: 10.051 %Watauga County10.051Transylvania County: 9.994 %Transylvania County9.994Stokes County: 9.915 %Stokes County9.915Iredell County: 9.868 %Iredell County9.868Cabarrus County: 9.786 %Cabarrus County9.786Gaston County: 9.563 %Gaston County9.563Orange County: 9.545 %Orange County9.545Franklin County: 9.529 %Franklin County9.529Moore County: 9.485 %Moore County9.485Granville County: 9.478 %Granville County9.478Currituck County: 9.441 %Currituck County9.441Henderson County: 9.369 %Henderson County9.369Davie County: 9.336 %Davie County9.336McDowell County: 9.275 %McDowell County9.275Chowan County: 9.24 %Chowan County9.24Macon County: 9.047 %Macon County9.047Clay County: 9.045 %Clay County9.045Yadkin County: 8.993 %Yadkin County8.993Cumberland County: 8.969 %Cumberland County8.969Harnett County: 8.959 %Harnett County8.959Haywood County: 8.953 %Haywood County8.953
%. 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

RankCounties2018 (%)Change on 2017
1Chatham County12.02+1.02 pts
2Johnston County11.836-0.25 pts
3Pender County11.717+0.74 pts
4Union County11.658-0.35 pts
5Brunswick County11.405-0.83 pts
6Mecklenburg County11.272-1.39 pts
7Madison County10.968-1.09 pts
8Buncombe County10.951-0.84 pts
9Wake County10.848-1.11 pts
10New Hanover County10.577-0.53 pts
11Person County10.559+2.82 pts
12Avery County10.476+4.78 pts
13Durham County10.438-0.9 pts
14Dare County10.387+1.16 pts
15Lincoln County10.356-1.47 pts
16Swain County10.191-4.66 pts
17Jackson County10.147-0.55 pts
18Alleghany County10.132+2.76 pts
19Hoke County10.084-2.16 pts
20Watauga County10.051+1.2 pts
21Transylvania County9.994+0.97 pts
22Stokes County9.915-0.45 pts
23Iredell County9.868-0.45 pts
24Cabarrus County9.786-0.79 pts
25Gaston County9.563+0.86 pts
26Orange County9.545-0.31 pts
27Franklin County9.529-1.53 pts
28Moore County9.485+0.51 pts
29Granville County9.478+1.48 pts
30Currituck County9.441-1.52 pts
31Henderson County9.369-0.27 pts
32Davie County9.336+2.09 pts
33McDowell County9.275+3.28 pts
34Chowan County9.24+4.44 pts
35Macon County9.047-0.95 pts
36Clay County9.045+0.48 pts
37Yadkin County8.993+1.48 pts
38Cumberland County8.969+0.59 pts
39Harnett County8.959-2.07 pts
40Haywood County8.953-1.42 pts
41Guilford County8.936+0.25 pts
42Ashe County8.92+0.98 pts
43Alamance County8.867-0.09 pts
44Forsyth County8.848+0.3 pts
45Rutherford County8.759+2.06 pts
46Northampton County8.714+2.98 pts
47Graham County8.696-1.72 pts
48Burke County8.66+2.13 pts
49Catawba County8.438+1.93 pts
50Lee County8.429-0.25 pts
51Onslow County8.399-0.39 pts
52Polk County8.333-0.44 pts
53Craven County8.291-0.17 pts
54Carteret County8.214-1.78 pts
55Pasquotank County8.095+0.54 pts
56Cherokee County8.066+0.42 pts
57Pitt County7.932-0.36 pts
58Randolph County7.924+1.56 pts
59Duplin County7.848-0.46 pts
60Richmond County7.82+0.83 pts
61Caswell County7.727-2.85 pts
62Vance County7.649-0.45 pts
63Edgecombe County7.626+1.01 pts
64Alexander County7.595+0.11 pts
65Rowan County7.59-1.14 pts
66Yancey County7.578-4.11 pts
67Davidson County7.49-1.19 pts
68Robeson County7.458-0.99 pts
69Montgomery County7.407+0.38 pts
70Columbus County7.351-0.6 pts
71Martin County7.22+2.72 pts
72Beaufort County7.146+0.03 pts
73Mitchell County7.012-1.43 pts
74Bladen County6.996-0.23 pts
75Caldwell County6.957+1.29 pts
76Wayne County6.854-0.75 pts
77Lenoir County6.829+0.13 pts
78Rockingham County6.728+0.64 pts
79Hyde County6.618-1.53 pts
80Nash County6.593-1.21 pts
81Surry County6.589-0.75 pts
82Warren County6.476+1.21 pts
83Stanly County6.399-2.77 pts
84Hertford County6.243+1.24 pts
85Greene County6.237-2.55 pts
86Wilkes County6.194-0.73 pts
87Halifax County6.148+0.46 pts
88Wilson County6.1-0.77 pts
89Sampson County6.054-1.17 pts
90Perquimans County6.044-3.9 pts
91Anson County5.978-1.92 pts
92Camden County5.882-5.55 pts
93Washington County5.714+1.52 pts
94Cleveland County5.703-0.39 pts
95Jones County5.556-2.41 pts
96Scotland County5.541-1.4 pts
97Tyrrell County5.4420 pts
98Pamlico County5.081-5.93 pts
99Gates County4.425-9.67 pts
100Bertie County3.88-3.37 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, 2018) [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, 2018. 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=2018. 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, 2018. 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=2018.

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, 2018 [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=2018 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_north_carolina_2018,
  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, 2018}},
  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=2018. 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, 2018
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=2018
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/establishment-entry-rate/north-carolina-counties?period=2018.
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?

Chatham County, with 12.02% in 2018, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest establishment entry rate?

Bertie County, with 3.88% in 2018.

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