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

Counties in North Carolina by establishment entry rate

Hoke County had the highest establishment entry rate of 100 counties in 2022, at 17.52%. Hertford County had the lowest, at 6.272%. The median was 10.753% and the figure for North Carolina was 11.615%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest17.52Hoke County
Lowest6.272Hertford County
Median10.753100 counties
North Carolina11.615History

Map of counties, 2022

Alamance County: 9.775 %Alexander County: 8.129 %Alleghany County: 11.638 %Anson County: 7.5 %Ashe County: 9.932 %Avery County: 11.299 %Beaufort County: 8.666 %Bertie County: 6.452 %Bladen County: 9.804 %Brunswick County: 13.113 %Buncombe County: 12.407 %Burke County: 10.393 %Cabarrus County: 13.992 %Caldwell County: 8.629 %Camden County: 7.143 %Carteret County: 10.394 %Caswell County: 12.529 %Catawba County: 9.266 %Chatham County: 12.207 %Cherokee County: 10.82 %Chowan County: 8.657 %Clay County: 11.348 %Cleveland County: 9.279 %Columbus County: 10.826 %Craven County: 11.957 %Cumberland County: 11.283 %Currituck County: 11.067 %Dare County: 10.463 %Davidson County: 10.935 %Davie County: 11.862 %Duplin County: 8.005 %Durham County: 12.708 %Edgecombe County: 11.881 %Forsyth County: 10.775 %Franklin County: 12.739 %Gaston County: 10.811 %Gates County: 8.969 %Graham County: 8.997 %Granville County: 9.917 %Greene County: 9.665 %Guilford County: 11.026 %Halifax County: 8.902 %Harnett County: 12.171 %Haywood County: 10.491 %Henderson County: 11.251 %Hertford County: 6.272 %Hoke County: 17.52 %Hyde County: 12.261 %Iredell County: 11.629 %Jackson County: 13.48 %Johnston County: 12.5 %Jones County: 9.483 %Lee County: 10.858 %Lenoir County: 9.035 %Lincoln County: 11.458 %McDowell County: 9.692 %Macon County: 12.697 %Madison County: 15.111 %Martin County: 7.246 %Mecklenburg County: 13.422 %Mitchell County: 7.407 %Montgomery County: 11.076 %Moore County: 10.36 %Nash County: 8.016 %New Hanover County: 12.065 %Northampton County: 7.531 %Onslow County: 11.017 %Orange County: 12.765 %Pamlico County: 11.791 %Pasquotank County: 9.145 %Pender County: 12.997 %Perquimans County: 9.816 %Person County: 9.877 %Pitt County: 10.102 %Polk County: 11.074 %Randolph County: 11.701 %Richmond County: 9.626 %Robeson County: 9.186 %Rockingham County: 9.279 %Rowan County: 12.268 %Rutherford County: 9.896 %Sampson County: 11.309 %Scotland County: 6.65 %Stanly County: 8.882 %Stokes County: 10.218 %Surry County: 9.99 %Swain County: 15.182 %Transylvania County: 11.034 %Tyrrell County: 13.534 %Union County: 12.973 %Vance County: 8.739 %Wake County: 12.589 %Warren County: 13.578 %Washington County: 10 %Watauga County: 9.123 %Wayne County: 9.107 %Wilkes County: 6.614 %Wilson County: 9.417 %Yadkin County: 10.73 %Yancey County: 11.146 %
  • Under 8.9
  • 8.9 to 9.8
  • 9.8 to 11
  • 11 to 13
  • 13 and over
%, 2022. 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, 2022

Hoke County: 17.52 %Hoke County17.52Swain County: 15.182 %Swain County15.182Madison County: 15.111 %Madison County15.111Cabarrus County: 13.992 %Cabarrus County13.992Warren County: 13.578 %Warren County13.578Tyrrell County: 13.534 %Tyrrell County13.534Jackson County: 13.48 %Jackson County13.48Mecklenburg County: 13.422 %Mecklenburg County13.422Brunswick County: 13.113 %Brunswick County13.113Pender County: 12.997 %Pender County12.997Union County: 12.973 %Union County12.973Orange County: 12.765 %Orange County12.765Franklin County: 12.739 %Franklin County12.739Durham County: 12.708 %Durham County12.708Macon County: 12.697 %Macon County12.697Wake County: 12.589 %Wake County12.589Caswell County: 12.529 %Caswell County12.529Johnston County: 12.5 %Johnston County12.5Buncombe County: 12.407 %Buncombe County12.407Rowan County: 12.268 %Rowan County12.268Hyde County: 12.261 %Hyde County12.261Chatham County: 12.207 %Chatham County12.207Harnett County: 12.171 %Harnett County12.171New Hanover County: 12.065 %New Hanover County12.065Craven County: 11.957 %Craven County11.957Edgecombe County: 11.881 %Edgecombe County11.881Davie County: 11.862 %Davie County11.862Pamlico County: 11.791 %Pamlico County11.791Randolph County: 11.701 %Randolph County11.701Alleghany County: 11.638 %Alleghany County11.638Iredell County: 11.629 %Iredell County11.629Lincoln County: 11.458 %Lincoln County11.458Clay County: 11.348 %Clay County11.348Sampson County: 11.309 %Sampson County11.309Avery County: 11.299 %Avery County11.299Cumberland County: 11.283 %Cumberland County11.283Henderson County: 11.251 %Henderson County11.251Yancey County: 11.146 %Yancey County11.146Montgomery County: 11.076 %Montgomery County11.076Polk County: 11.074 %Polk County11.074Hoke County: 17.52 %Hoke County17.52Swain County: 15.182 %Swain County15.182Madison County: 15.111 %Madison County15.111Cabarrus County: 13.992 %Cabarrus County13.992Warren County: 13.578 %Warren County13.578Tyrrell County: 13.534 %Tyrrell County13.534Jackson County: 13.48 %Jackson County13.48Mecklenburg County: 13.422 %Mecklenburg County13.422Brunswick County: 13.113 %Brunswick County13.113Pender County: 12.997 %Pender County12.997Union County: 12.973 %Union County12.973Orange County: 12.765 %Orange County12.765Franklin County: 12.739 %Franklin County12.739Durham County: 12.708 %Durham County12.708Macon County: 12.697 %Macon County12.697Wake County: 12.589 %Wake County12.589Caswell County: 12.529 %Caswell County12.529Johnston County: 12.5 %Johnston County12.5Buncombe County: 12.407 %Buncombe County12.407Rowan County: 12.268 %Rowan County12.268Hyde County: 12.261 %Hyde County12.261Chatham County: 12.207 %Chatham County12.207Harnett County: 12.171 %Harnett County12.171New Hanover County: 12.065 %New Hanover County12.065Craven County: 11.957 %Craven County11.957Edgecombe County: 11.881 %Edgecombe County11.881Davie County: 11.862 %Davie County11.862Pamlico County: 11.791 %Pamlico County11.791Randolph County: 11.701 %Randolph County11.701Alleghany County: 11.638 %Alleghany County11.638Iredell County: 11.629 %Iredell County11.629Lincoln County: 11.458 %Lincoln County11.458Clay County: 11.348 %Clay County11.348Sampson County: 11.309 %Sampson County11.309Avery County: 11.299 %Avery County11.299Cumberland County: 11.283 %Cumberland County11.283Henderson County: 11.251 %Henderson County11.251Yancey County: 11.146 %Yancey County11.146Montgomery County: 11.076 %Montgomery County11.076Polk County: 11.074 %Polk County11.074
%. 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

RankCounties2022 (%)Change on 2021
1Hoke County17.52+3.56 pts
2Swain County15.182+1.34 pts
3Madison County15.111+1.84 pts
4Cabarrus County13.992+1.58 pts
5Warren County13.578+0.7 pts
6Tyrrell County13.534+5.66 pts
7Jackson County13.48+2.87 pts
8Mecklenburg County13.422+0.24 pts
9Brunswick County13.113+0.82 pts
10Pender County12.997-2.51 pts
11Union County12.973-0.78 pts
12Orange County12.765+1.59 pts
13Franklin County12.739-0.8 pts
14Durham County12.708+0.99 pts
15Macon County12.697+1.22 pts
16Wake County12.589-0.37 pts
17Caswell County12.529+2.18 pts
18Johnston County12.5+0.42 pts
19Buncombe County12.407-1.1 pts
20Rowan County12.268+2.97 pts
21Hyde County12.261-3.87 pts
22Chatham County12.207+0.72 pts
23Harnett County12.171+1.79 pts
24New Hanover County12.065+0.97 pts
25Craven County11.957+3.22 pts
26Edgecombe County11.881+2.93 pts
27Davie County11.862+2.75 pts
28Pamlico County11.791+0.52 pts
29Randolph County11.701+3.07 pts
30Alleghany County11.638+1.51 pts
31Iredell County11.629+0.12 pts
32Lincoln County11.458-0.21 pts
33Clay County11.348-0.01 pts
34Sampson County11.309+3.19 pts
35Avery County11.299-0.27 pts
36Cumberland County11.283+0.81 pts
37Henderson County11.251+0.38 pts
38Yancey County11.146+3.13 pts
39Montgomery County11.076+5.76 pts
40Polk County11.074+3.03 pts
41Currituck County11.067-0.33 pts
42Transylvania County11.034-2.49 pts
43Guilford County11.026+1.26 pts
44Onslow County11.017+0.19 pts
45Davidson County10.935+1.65 pts
46Lee County10.858+0.65 pts
47Columbus County10.826+2.49 pts
48Cherokee County10.82+0.12 pts
49Gaston County10.811-0.05 pts
50Forsyth County10.775+1.63 pts
51Yadkin County10.73+2.27 pts
52Haywood County10.491-0.61 pts
53Dare County10.463+0.01 pts
54Carteret County10.394+0.34 pts
55Burke County10.393+2.55 pts
56Moore County10.36+0.61 pts
57Stokes County10.218+1.93 pts
58Pitt County10.102-1.34 pts
59Washington County10+0.2 pts
60Surry County9.99+2.71 pts
61Ashe County9.932-1.45 pts
62Granville County9.917+0.39 pts
63Rutherford County9.896+2.12 pts
64Person County9.877+1.37 pts
65Perquimans County9.816+0.03 pts
66Bladen County9.804+1.63 pts
67Alamance County9.775+0.76 pts
68McDowell County9.692-2.16 pts
69Greene County9.665-8.87 pts
70Richmond County9.626+2.37 pts
71Jones County9.483-5.11 pts
72Wilson County9.417+0.01 pts
73Cleveland County9.279+0.49 pts
73Rockingham County9.279+0.83 pts
75Catawba County9.266+1.58 pts
76Robeson County9.186+0.49 pts
77Pasquotank County9.145+2.65 pts
78Watauga County9.123-0.83 pts
79Wayne County9.107+1.23 pts
80Lenoir County9.035+1.29 pts
81Graham County8.997-2.65 pts
82Gates County8.969+4.46 pts
83Halifax County8.902+1.02 pts
84Stanly County8.882+0.49 pts
85Vance County8.739+0.84 pts
86Beaufort County8.666+1.51 pts
87Chowan County8.657+1.24 pts
88Caldwell County8.629+1.45 pts
89Alexander County8.129-0.5 pts
90Nash County8.016-0.16 pts
91Duplin County8.005-1.16 pts
92Northampton County7.531-1.02 pts
93Anson County7.5-1.44 pts
94Mitchell County7.407-2.59 pts
95Martin County7.246-4.31 pts
96Camden County7.143-5.64 pts
97Scotland County6.65-2.99 pts
98Wilkes County6.614-1.25 pts
99Bertie County6.452-2.98 pts
100Hertford County6.272+2.33 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, 2022) [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, 2022. 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=2022. 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, 2022. 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=2022.

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, 2022 [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=2022 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_north_carolina_2022,
  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, 2022}},
  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=2022. 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, 2022
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=2022
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/establishment-entry-rate/north-carolina-counties?period=2022.
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?

Hoke County, with 17.52% in 2022, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest establishment entry rate?

Hertford County, with 6.272% in 2022.

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