Data / Rankings / Establishment entry rate / Counties in Virginia

Counties in Virginia by establishment entry rate

Loudoun County had the highest establishment entry rate of 133 counties in 2017, at 12.936%. Lexington city had the lowest, at 2.317%. The median was 7.761% and the figure for Virginia was 9.043%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest12.936Loudoun County
Lowest2.317Lexington city
Median7.761133 counties
Virginia9.043History

Map of counties, 2017

Accomack County: 6.227 %Albemarle County: 9.612 %Alleghany County: 6.439 %Amelia County: 9.339 %Amherst County: 8.295 %Appomattox County: 8.633 %Arlington County: 8.651 %Augusta County: 7.034 %Bath County: 10.3 %Bedford County: 10.178 %Bland County: 3.727 %Botetourt County: 9.48 %Brunswick County: 7.002 %Buchanan County: 5.073 %Buckingham County: 7.343 %Campbell County: 8.272 %Caroline County: 10.888 %Carroll County: 7.619 %Charles City County: 6.498 %Charlotte County: 9.326 %Chesterfield County: 11.123 %Clarke County: 10.687 %Craig County: 9.615 %Culpeper County: 9.612 %Cumberland County: 9.375 %Dickenson County: 8.247 %Dinwiddie County: 12.27 %Essex County: 5.585 %Fairfax County: 9.834 %Fauquier County: 8.661 %Floyd County: 10.793 %Fluvanna County: 11.387 %Franklin County: 7.268 %Frederick County: 9.52 %Giles County: 7.183 %Gloucester County: 7.813 %Goochland County: 12.277 %Grayson County: 7.38 %Greene County: 11.429 %Greensville County: 8.589 %Halifax County: 6.798 %Hanover County: 8.498 %Henrico County: 9.09 %Henry County: 9.299 %Highland County: 4.79 %Isle of Wight County: 9.42 %James City County: 8.107 %King and Queen County: 8.333 %King George County: 7.559 %King William County: 8.668 %Lancaster County: 7.193 %Lee County: 3.868 %Loudoun County: 12.936 %Louisa County: 9.002 %Lunenburg County: 6.647 %Madison County: 10.246 %Mathews County: 5.698 %Mecklenburg County: 7.957 %Middlesex County: 7.368 %Montgomery County: 8.986 %Nelson County: 6.368 %New Kent County: 9.845 %Northampton County: 6.196 %Northumberland County: 5.787 %Nottoway County: 7.167 %Orange County: 7.873 %Page County: 8.684 %Patrick County: 8.955 %Pittsylvania County: 7.282 %Powhatan County: 10.386 %Prince Edward County: 6.307 %Prince George County: 7.176 %Prince William County: 10.988 %Pulaski County: 6.261 %Rappahannock County: 11.382 %Richmond County: 7.295 %Roanoke County: 6.97 %Rockbridge County: 6.633 %Rockingham County: 9.76 %Russell County: 7.47 %Scott County: 5.323 %Shenandoah County: 7.945 %Smyth County: 4.228 %Southampton County: 5.955 %Spotsylvania County: 10.971 %Stafford County: 12.173 %Surry County: 7.194 %Sussex County: 6.304 %Tazewell County: 6.31 %Warren County: 8.289 %Washington County: 6.766 %Westmoreland County: 10.526 %Wise County: 3.936 %Wythe County: 6.357 %York County: 8.995 %Alexandria city: 8.819 %Bristol city: 7.245 %Buena Vista city: 3.883 %Charlottesville city: 8.208 %Chesapeake city: 8.769 %Colonial Heights city: 7.327 %Covington city: 4.712 %Danville city: 6.377 %Emporia city: 6.794 %Fairfax city: 7.581 %Falls Church city: 9.079 %Franklin city: 7.101 %Fredericksburg city: 7.058 %Galax city: 3.322 %Hampton city: 7.05 %Harrisonburg city: 6.565 %Hopewell city: 5.496 %Lexington city: 2.317 %Lynchburg city: 7.027 %Manassas city: 11.579 %Manassas Park city: 12.797 %Martinsville city: 6.531 %Newport News city: 7.983 %Norfolk city: 7.761 %Norton city: 5.869 %Petersburg city: 8.084 %Poquoson city: 11.671 %Portsmouth city: 7.207 %Radford city: 7.031 %Richmond city: 9.547 %Roanoke city: 7.814 %Salem city: 5.796 %Staunton city: 7.338 %Suffolk city: 8.289 %Virginia Beach city: 9.186 %Waynesboro city: 7.364 %Williamsburg city: 7.537 %Winchester city: 6.562 %
  • Under 6.3
  • 6.3 to 7.1
  • 7.1 to 7.8
  • 7.8 to 8.7
  • 8.7 to 9.8
  • 9.8 and over
%, 2017. 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, 2017

Loudoun County: 12.936 %Loudoun County12.936Manassas Park city: 12.797 %Manassas Park city12.797Goochland County: 12.277 %Goochland County12.277Dinwiddie County: 12.27 %Dinwiddie County12.27Stafford County: 12.173 %Stafford County12.173Poquoson city: 11.671 %Poquoson city11.671Manassas city: 11.579 %Manassas city11.579Greene County: 11.429 %Greene County11.429Fluvanna County: 11.387 %Fluvanna County11.387Rappahannock County: 11.382 %Rappahannock County11.382Chesterfield County: 11.123 %Chesterfield County11.123Prince William County: 10.988 %Prince William County10.988Spotsylvania County: 10.971 %Spotsylvania County10.971Caroline County: 10.888 %Caroline County10.888Floyd County: 10.793 %Floyd County10.793Clarke County: 10.687 %Clarke County10.687Westmoreland County: 10.526 %Westmoreland County10.526Powhatan County: 10.386 %Powhatan County10.386Bath County: 10.3 %Bath County10.3Madison County: 10.246 %Madison County10.246Bedford County: 10.178 %Bedford County10.178New Kent County: 9.845 %New Kent County9.845Fairfax County: 9.834 %Fairfax County9.834Rockingham County: 9.76 %Rockingham County9.76Craig County: 9.615 %Craig County9.615Albemarle County: 9.612 %Albemarle County9.612Culpeper County: 9.612 %Culpeper County9.612Richmond city: 9.547 %Richmond city9.547Frederick County: 9.52 %Frederick County9.52Botetourt County: 9.48 %Botetourt County9.48Isle of Wight County: 9.42 %Isle of Wight County9.42Cumberland County: 9.375 %Cumberland County9.375Amelia County: 9.339 %Amelia County9.339Charlotte County: 9.326 %Charlotte County9.326Henry County: 9.299 %Henry County9.299Virginia Beach city: 9.186 %Virginia Beach city9.186Henrico County: 9.09 %Henrico County9.09Falls Church city: 9.079 %Falls Church city9.079Louisa County: 9.002 %Louisa County9.002York County: 8.995 %York County8.995Loudoun County: 12.936 %Loudoun County12.936Manassas Park city: 12.797 %Manassas Park city12.797Goochland County: 12.277 %Goochland County12.277Dinwiddie County: 12.27 %Dinwiddie County12.27Stafford County: 12.173 %Stafford County12.173Poquoson city: 11.671 %Poquoson city11.671Manassas city: 11.579 %Manassas city11.579Greene County: 11.429 %Greene County11.429Fluvanna County: 11.387 %Fluvanna County11.387Rappahannock County: 11.382 %Rappahannock County11.382Chesterfield County: 11.123 %Chesterfield County11.123Prince William County: 10.988 %Prince William County10.988Spotsylvania County: 10.971 %Spotsylvania County10.971Caroline County: 10.888 %Caroline County10.888Floyd County: 10.793 %Floyd County10.793Clarke County: 10.687 %Clarke County10.687Westmoreland County: 10.526 %Westmoreland County10.526Powhatan County: 10.386 %Powhatan County10.386Bath County: 10.3 %Bath County10.3Madison County: 10.246 %Madison County10.246Bedford County: 10.178 %Bedford County10.178New Kent County: 9.845 %New Kent County9.845Fairfax County: 9.834 %Fairfax County9.834Rockingham County: 9.76 %Rockingham County9.76Craig County: 9.615 %Craig County9.615Albemarle County: 9.612 %Albemarle County9.612Culpeper County: 9.612 %Culpeper County9.612Richmond city: 9.547 %Richmond city9.547Frederick County: 9.52 %Frederick County9.52Botetourt County: 9.48 %Botetourt County9.48Isle of Wight County: 9.42 %Isle of Wight County9.42Cumberland County: 9.375 %Cumberland County9.375Amelia County: 9.339 %Amelia County9.339Charlotte County: 9.326 %Charlotte County9.326Henry County: 9.299 %Henry County9.299Virginia Beach city: 9.186 %Virginia Beach city9.186Henrico County: 9.09 %Henrico County9.09Falls Church city: 9.079 %Falls Church city9.079Louisa County: 9.002 %Louisa County9.002York County: 8.995 %York County8.995
%. 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

RankCounties2017 (%)Change on 2016
1Loudoun County12.936+0.15 pts
2Manassas Park city12.797+3.59 pts
3Goochland County12.277+1.61 pts
4Dinwiddie County12.27+6.68 pts
5Stafford County12.173+0.06 pts
6Poquoson city11.671+1.2 pts
7Manassas city11.579-0.06 pts
8Greene County11.429+3.65 pts
9Fluvanna County11.387+4.12 pts
10Rappahannock County11.382-2.86 pts
11Chesterfield County11.123+1.72 pts
12Prince William County10.988-1.32 pts
13Spotsylvania County10.971+1.17 pts
14Caroline County10.888+0.65 pts
15Floyd County10.793-1.17 pts
16Clarke County10.687+0.09 pts
17Westmoreland County10.526+3.47 pts
18Powhatan County10.386+1.38 pts
19Bath County10.3+1.41 pts
20Madison County10.246+2.82 pts
21Bedford County10.178+2.02 pts
22New Kent County9.845-0.91 pts
23Fairfax County9.834-1.31 pts
24Rockingham County9.76+0.67 pts
25Craig County9.615-4.53 pts
26Albemarle County9.612-0.97 pts
26Culpeper County9.612-0.03 pts
28Richmond city9.547-0.27 pts
29Frederick County9.52+1.29 pts
30Botetourt County9.48-1.25 pts
31Isle of Wight County9.42+0.54 pts
32Cumberland County9.375-0.59 pts
33Amelia County9.3390 pts
34Charlotte County9.326+2.56 pts
35Henry County9.299+3.93 pts
36Virginia Beach city9.186-0.87 pts
37Henrico County9.09-0.23 pts
38Falls Church city9.079-0.84 pts
39Louisa County9.002+0.07 pts
40York County8.995+0.13 pts
41Montgomery County8.986+0.81 pts
42Patrick County8.955+2.24 pts
43Alexandria city8.819+0.25 pts
44Chesapeake city8.769-0.78 pts
45Page County8.684+0.58 pts
46King William County8.668-1.25 pts
47Fauquier County8.661-0.81 pts
48Arlington County8.651-1.74 pts
49Appomattox County8.633-0.87 pts
50Greensville County8.589-2.52 pts
51Hanover County8.498-0.41 pts
52King and Queen County8.333+1.73 pts
53Amherst County8.295-0.45 pts
54Suffolk city8.289-1.54 pts
54Warren County8.289-1.56 pts
56Campbell County8.272-0.22 pts
57Dickenson County8.247+0.61 pts
58Charlottesville city8.208-0.86 pts
59James City County8.107+0.17 pts
60Petersburg city8.084+0.81 pts
61Newport News city7.983-0.99 pts
62Mecklenburg County7.957+1.72 pts
63Shenandoah County7.945-1.25 pts
64Orange County7.873+0.69 pts
65Roanoke city7.814+0.63 pts
66Gloucester County7.813-1.14 pts
67Norfolk city7.761-0.97 pts
68Carroll County7.619-2.41 pts
69Fairfax city7.581-0.75 pts
70King George County7.559-2.06 pts
71Williamsburg city7.537-1.22 pts
72Russell County7.47+0.49 pts
73Grayson County7.38-3.9 pts
74Middlesex County7.368+0.75 pts
75Waynesboro city7.364-0.5 pts
76Buckingham County7.343-4.2 pts
77Staunton city7.338+0.07 pts
78Colonial Heights city7.327+0.17 pts
79Richmond County7.295+0.19 pts
80Pittsylvania County7.282-0.39 pts
81Franklin County7.268+0.19 pts
82Bristol city7.245+1.33 pts
83Portsmouth city7.207-2.68 pts
84Surry County7.194-10.45 pts
85Lancaster County7.193-1.21 pts
86Giles County7.183-0.34 pts
87Prince George County7.176-3.25 pts
88Nottoway County7.167-0.42 pts
89Franklin city7.101+2.02 pts
90Fredericksburg city7.058-3.51 pts
91Hampton city7.05-1.11 pts
92Augusta County7.034-1.27 pts
93Radford city7.031-2.04 pts
94Lynchburg city7.027-0.84 pts
95Brunswick County7.002+0.13 pts
96Roanoke County6.97-0.32 pts
97Halifax County6.798+0.34 pts
98Emporia city6.794+0.82 pts
99Washington County6.766-0.48 pts
100Lunenburg County6.647-0.45 pts
101Rockbridge County6.633-5 pts
102Harrisonburg city6.565-2.74 pts
103Winchester city6.562-3.18 pts
104Martinsville city6.531-1.4 pts
105Charles City County6.498-3.31 pts
106Alleghany County6.439-2.36 pts
107Danville city6.377-0.55 pts
108Nelson County6.368-3.92 pts
109Wythe County6.357-2.43 pts
110Tazewell County6.31-0.76 pts
111Prince Edward County6.307+0.13 pts
112Sussex County6.304-1.21 pts
113Pulaski County6.261-1.35 pts
114Accomack County6.227-1.28 pts
115Northampton County6.196-3.79 pts
116Southampton County5.955-2.91 pts
117Norton city5.869-1.06 pts
118Salem city5.796-3.63 pts
119Northumberland County5.787-2.06 pts
120Mathews County5.698-4.27 pts
121Essex County5.5850 pts
122Hopewell city5.496-1.81 pts
123Scott County5.323+1.26 pts
124Buchanan County5.073-1.41 pts
125Highland County4.79-1.02 pts
126Covington city4.712+2.15 pts
127Smyth County4.228-4.31 pts
128Wise County3.936-1.17 pts
129Buena Vista city3.883-3.85 pts
130Lee County3.868-4.19 pts
131Bland County3.727-5.02 pts
132Galax city3.322-3.37 pts
133Lexington city2.317-4.79 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 Virginia by establishment entry rate, 2017) [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, 2017. 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=2017. 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, 2017. 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=2017.

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, 2017 [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=2017 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_virginia_by_2017,
  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, 2017}},
  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=2017. 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, 2017
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=2017
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/establishment-entry-rate/virginia-counties?period=2017.
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?

Loudoun County, with 12.936% in 2017, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest establishment entry rate?

Lexington city, with 2.317% in 2017.

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 Virginia: more rankings