Data / Rankings / Establishment entry rate / Counties in Virginia

Counties in Virginia by establishment entry rate

Rappahannock County had the highest establishment entry rate of 132 counties in 2015, at 14.067%. Alleghany County had the lowest, at 2.745%. The median was 8.157% and the figure for Virginia was 9.518%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest14.067Rappahannock County
Lowest2.745Alleghany County
Median8.157132 counties
Virginia9.518History

Map of counties, 2015

Accomack County: 9.132 %Albemarle County: 9.832 %Alleghany County: 2.745 %Amelia County: 10.196 %Amherst County: 6.852 %Appomattox County: 9.208 %Arlington County: 10.5 %Augusta County: 7.677 %Bath County: 9.259 %Bedford County: 8.573 %Bland County: 7.595 %Botetourt County: 10.135 %Brunswick County: 7.643 %Buchanan County: 4.288 %Buckingham County: 9.957 %Campbell County: 7.383 %Caroline County: 9.735 %Carroll County: 6.729 %Charles City County: 6.977 %Charlotte County: 4.975 %Chesterfield County: 9.551 %Clarke County: 11.146 %Craig County: 10.526 %Culpeper County: 9.377 %Cumberland County: 12.261 %Dickenson County: 9.62 %Dinwiddie County: 7.306 %Essex County: 8.772 %Fairfax County: 11.288 %Fauquier County: 8.758 %Floyd County: 8.518 %Fluvanna County: 11.175 %Franklin County: 8.625 %Frederick County: 10.077 %Giles County: 8.318 %Gloucester County: 8.397 %Goochland County: 7.344 %Grayson County: 6.593 %Greene County: 9.555 %Greensville County: 4.878 %Halifax County: 6.577 %Hanover County: 8.103 %Henrico County: 9.934 %Henry County: 6.057 %Highland County: 8.187 %Isle of Wight County: 7.137 %James City County: 8.719 %King and Queen County: 7.547 %King George County: 12.882 %King William County: 11.13 %Lancaster County: 5.594 %Lee County: 6.844 %Loudoun County: 13.778 %Louisa County: 12.436 %Lunenburg County: 11.976 %Madison County: 11.18 %Mathews County: 5.341 %Mecklenburg County: 7.032 %Middlesex County: 8.142 %Montgomery County: 7.329 %Nelson County: 7.236 %New Kent County: 8.26 %Northampton County: 7.586 %Northumberland County: 7.356 %Nottoway County: 9.155 %Orange County: 8.586 %Page County: 6.417 %Patrick County: 7.477 %Pittsylvania County: 8.712 %Powhatan County: 9.223 %Prince Edward County: 8.342 %Prince George County: 8.178 %Prince William County: 11.64 %Pulaski County: 5.965 %Rappahannock County: 14.067 %Richmond County: 9.581 %Roanoke County: 7.696 %Rockbridge County: 6.485 %Rockingham County: 7.554 %Russell County: 5.674 %Scott County: 5.405 %Shenandoah County: 6.628 %Smyth County: 6.66 %Southampton County: 3.365 %Spotsylvania County: 11.201 %Stafford County: 10.111 %Sussex County: 3.429 %Tazewell County: 5.596 %Warren County: 8.033 %Washington County: 7.105 %Westmoreland County: 6.632 %Wise County: 7.418 %Wythe County: 7.472 %York County: 8.73 %Alexandria city: 9.784 %Bristol city: 7.252 %Buena Vista city: 8.696 %Charlottesville city: 8.769 %Chesapeake city: 8.837 %Colonial Heights city: 7.993 %Covington city: 5.67 %Danville city: 4.682 %Emporia city: 4.219 %Fairfax city: 8.671 %Falls Church city: 8.269 %Franklin city: 6.178 %Fredericksburg city: 8.032 %Galax city: 4.778 %Hampton city: 8.561 %Harrisonburg city: 7.064 %Hopewell city: 5.821 %Lexington city: 6.343 %Lynchburg city: 8.035 %Manassas city: 10.518 %Manassas Park city: 11.503 %Martinsville city: 5.645 %Newport News city: 7.856 %Norfolk city: 7.803 %Norton city: 8.172 %Petersburg city: 7.295 %Poquoson city: 9.392 %Portsmouth city: 7.833 %Radford city: 8.048 %Richmond city: 9.365 %Roanoke city: 7.471 %Salem city: 6.67 %Staunton city: 8.35 %Suffolk city: 10.056 %Virginia Beach city: 10.401 %Waynesboro city: 8.425 %Williamsburg city: 8.286 %Winchester city: 9.214 %
  • Under 6.5
  • 6.5 to 7.4
  • 7.4 to 8.2
  • 8.2 to 8.8
  • 8.8 to 10
  • 10 and over
  • No data
%, 2015. Hatched areas have no value for this period. 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, 2015

Rappahannock County: 14.067 %Rappahannock County14.067Loudoun County: 13.778 %Loudoun County13.778King George County: 12.882 %King George County12.882Louisa County: 12.436 %Louisa County12.436Cumberland County: 12.261 %Cumberland County12.261Lunenburg County: 11.976 %Lunenburg County11.976Prince William County: 11.64 %Prince William County11.64Manassas Park city: 11.503 %Manassas Park city11.503Fairfax County: 11.288 %Fairfax County11.288Spotsylvania County: 11.201 %Spotsylvania County11.201Madison County: 11.18 %Madison County11.18Fluvanna County: 11.175 %Fluvanna County11.175Clarke County: 11.146 %Clarke County11.146King William County: 11.13 %King William County11.13Craig County: 10.526 %Craig County10.526Manassas city: 10.518 %Manassas city10.518Arlington County: 10.5 %Arlington County10.5Virginia Beach city: 10.401 %Virginia Beach city10.401Amelia County: 10.196 %Amelia County10.196Botetourt County: 10.135 %Botetourt County10.135Stafford County: 10.111 %Stafford County10.111Frederick County: 10.077 %Frederick County10.077Suffolk city: 10.056 %Suffolk city10.056Buckingham County: 9.957 %Buckingham County9.957Henrico County: 9.934 %Henrico County9.934Albemarle County: 9.832 %Albemarle County9.832Alexandria city: 9.784 %Alexandria city9.784Caroline County: 9.735 %Caroline County9.735Dickenson County: 9.62 %Dickenson County9.62Richmond County: 9.581 %Richmond County9.581Greene County: 9.555 %Greene County9.555Chesterfield County: 9.551 %Chesterfield County9.551Poquoson city: 9.392 %Poquoson city9.392Culpeper County: 9.377 %Culpeper County9.377Richmond city: 9.365 %Richmond city9.365Bath County: 9.259 %Bath County9.259Powhatan County: 9.223 %Powhatan County9.223Winchester city: 9.214 %Winchester city9.214Appomattox County: 9.208 %Appomattox County9.208Nottoway County: 9.155 %Nottoway County9.155Rappahannock County: 14.067 %Rappahannock County14.067Loudoun County: 13.778 %Loudoun County13.778King George County: 12.882 %King George County12.882Louisa County: 12.436 %Louisa County12.436Cumberland County: 12.261 %Cumberland County12.261Lunenburg County: 11.976 %Lunenburg County11.976Prince William County: 11.64 %Prince William County11.64Manassas Park city: 11.503 %Manassas Park city11.503Fairfax County: 11.288 %Fairfax County11.288Spotsylvania County: 11.201 %Spotsylvania County11.201Madison County: 11.18 %Madison County11.18Fluvanna County: 11.175 %Fluvanna County11.175Clarke County: 11.146 %Clarke County11.146King William County: 11.13 %King William County11.13Craig County: 10.526 %Craig County10.526Manassas city: 10.518 %Manassas city10.518Arlington County: 10.5 %Arlington County10.5Virginia Beach city: 10.401 %Virginia Beach city10.401Amelia County: 10.196 %Amelia County10.196Botetourt County: 10.135 %Botetourt County10.135Stafford County: 10.111 %Stafford County10.111Frederick County: 10.077 %Frederick County10.077Suffolk city: 10.056 %Suffolk city10.056Buckingham County: 9.957 %Buckingham County9.957Henrico County: 9.934 %Henrico County9.934Albemarle County: 9.832 %Albemarle County9.832Alexandria city: 9.784 %Alexandria city9.784Caroline County: 9.735 %Caroline County9.735Dickenson County: 9.62 %Dickenson County9.62Richmond County: 9.581 %Richmond County9.581Greene County: 9.555 %Greene County9.555Chesterfield County: 9.551 %Chesterfield County9.551Poquoson city: 9.392 %Poquoson city9.392Culpeper County: 9.377 %Culpeper County9.377Richmond city: 9.365 %Richmond city9.365Bath County: 9.259 %Bath County9.259Powhatan County: 9.223 %Powhatan County9.223Winchester city: 9.214 %Winchester city9.214Appomattox County: 9.208 %Appomattox County9.208Nottoway County: 9.155 %Nottoway County9.155
%. 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

RankCounties2015 (%)Change on 2014
1Rappahannock County14.067+2.19 pts
2Loudoun County13.778-0.27 pts
3King George County12.882+2.69 pts
4Louisa County12.436+5.88 pts
5Cumberland County12.261+4.71 pts
6Lunenburg County11.976-0.45 pts
7Prince William County11.64-0.71 pts
8Manassas Park city11.503+1.45 pts
9Fairfax County11.288+0.22 pts
10Spotsylvania County11.201+0.16 pts
11Madison County11.18+3.26 pts
12Fluvanna County11.175-0.19 pts
13Clarke County11.146+4.77 pts
14King William County11.13+4.44 pts
15Craig County10.526-2.66 pts
16Manassas city10.518-0.57 pts
17Arlington County10.5-0.44 pts
18Virginia Beach city10.401+0.38 pts
19Amelia County10.196+1.73 pts
20Botetourt County10.135+4.33 pts
21Stafford County10.111-1.26 pts
22Frederick County10.077+1.08 pts
23Suffolk city10.056+0.39 pts
24Buckingham County9.957+0.77 pts
25Henrico County9.934+0.67 pts
26Albemarle County9.832+0.59 pts
27Alexandria city9.784+0.35 pts
28Caroline County9.735-2.73 pts
29Dickenson County9.62+4.54 pts
30Richmond County9.581+2.93 pts
31Greene County9.555-2.55 pts
32Chesterfield County9.551-0.85 pts
33Poquoson city9.392-0.21 pts
34Culpeper County9.377+0.05 pts
35Richmond city9.365+1.08 pts
36Bath County9.259+4.67 pts
37Powhatan County9.223-0.83 pts
38Winchester city9.214+0.9 pts
39Appomattox County9.208-0.88 pts
40Nottoway County9.155+1.97 pts
41Accomack County9.132+2.27 pts
42Chesapeake city8.837+0.16 pts
43Essex County8.772+1.27 pts
44Charlottesville city8.769+0.34 pts
45Fauquier County8.758+0.63 pts
46York County8.73+0.4 pts
47James City County8.719-0.72 pts
48Pittsylvania County8.712+2.16 pts
49Buena Vista city8.696+2.98 pts
50Fairfax city8.671-0.12 pts
51Franklin County8.625-0.8 pts
52Orange County8.586+1.61 pts
53Bedford County8.573-0.21 pts
54Hampton city8.561+0.07 pts
55Floyd County8.518-1.7 pts
56Waynesboro city8.425+0.94 pts
57Gloucester County8.397+0.93 pts
58Staunton city8.35+0.39 pts
59Prince Edward County8.342+0.33 pts
60Giles County8.318-0.86 pts
61Williamsburg city8.286+1.09 pts
62Falls Church city8.269-0.75 pts
63New Kent County8.26-2.67 pts
64Highland County8.187+0.96 pts
65Prince George County8.178-1.22 pts
66Norton city8.172+2.62 pts
67Middlesex County8.142-0.71 pts
68Hanover County8.103-0.34 pts
69Radford city8.048+0.88 pts
70Lynchburg city8.035+0.65 pts
71Warren County8.033-0.25 pts
72Fredericksburg city8.032-0.92 pts
73Colonial Heights city7.993+1.34 pts
74Newport News city7.856-0.45 pts
75Portsmouth city7.833-1.06 pts
76Norfolk city7.803-0.09 pts
77Roanoke County7.696-0.05 pts
78Augusta County7.677+1.26 pts
79Brunswick County7.643+1.02 pts
80Bland County7.595-1.38 pts
81Northampton County7.586-0.98 pts
82Rockingham County7.554+2.1 pts
83King and Queen County7.547-8.88 pts
84Patrick County7.477+3.09 pts
85Wythe County7.472+0.39 pts
86Roanoke city7.471+1.14 pts
87Wise County7.418+2.67 pts
88Campbell County7.383+0.69 pts
89Northumberland County7.356-3.03 pts
90Goochland County7.344-1.54 pts
91Montgomery County7.329+0.52 pts
92Dinwiddie County7.306-1.53 pts
93Petersburg city7.295-0.33 pts
94Bristol city7.252+1.36 pts
95Nelson County7.236-3.6 pts
96Isle of Wight County7.137-2.68 pts
97Washington County7.105-1.94 pts
98Harrisonburg city7.064-0.85 pts
99Mecklenburg County7.032-0.25 pts
100Charles City County6.977-3.26 pts
101Amherst County6.852-0.55 pts
102Lee County6.844-1.36 pts
103Carroll County6.729-1.89 pts
104Salem city6.67+0.54 pts
105Smyth County6.66-2.68 pts
106Westmoreland County6.632-2.41 pts
107Shenandoah County6.628-0.92 pts
108Grayson County6.593-0.33 pts
109Halifax County6.577-0.23 pts
110Rockbridge County6.485-2.25 pts
111Page County6.417-3.18 pts
112Lexington city6.343-1.12 pts
113Franklin city6.178+0.44 pts
114Henry County6.057-1.3 pts
115Pulaski County5.965-2.56 pts
116Hopewell city5.821-2.34 pts
117Russell County5.674-2.63 pts
118Covington city5.67+3.62 pts
119Martinsville city5.645+1.74 pts
120Tazewell County5.596-0.22 pts
121Lancaster County5.594-1.83 pts
122Scott County5.405-0.33 pts
123Mathews County5.341-3.61 pts
124Charlotte County4.975-5.71 pts
125Greensville County4.878-8.46 pts
126Galax city4.778+0.7 pts
127Danville city4.682-0.6 pts
128Buchanan County4.288-1.88 pts
129Emporia city4.219-5.06 pts
130Sussex County3.429-6.15 pts
131Southampton County3.365-5.6 pts
132Alleghany County2.745-4.56 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. 1 counties with data in other periods have no value for 2015 and are left out rather than filled from another source. 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 Virginia by establishment entry rate, 2015) [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 Virginia by establishment entry rate, 2015. 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/virginia-counties?period=2015. 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 Virginia by establishment entry rate, 2015. 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/virginia-counties?period=2015.

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 Virginia by establishment entry rate, 2015 [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/virginia-counties?period=2015 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_virginia_by_2015,
  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 Virginia by establishment entry rate, 2015}},
  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/virginia-counties?period=2015. 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 Virginia by establishment entry rate, 2015
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/virginia-counties?period=2015
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/establishment-entry-rate/virginia-counties?period=2015.
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?

Rappahannock County, with 14.067% in 2015, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest establishment entry rate?

Alleghany County, with 2.745% in 2015.

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. 1 counties have no value for 2015 and are not ranked.

Establishment entry rate: other rankings

Counties in Virginia: more rankings