Data / Rankings / Establishment entry rate / Counties in Virginia

Counties in Virginia by establishment entry rate

Craig County had the highest establishment entry rate of 132 counties in 2018, at 12.727%. Lee County had the lowest, at 3.206%. The median was 7.303% and the figure for Virginia was 8.817%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest12.727Craig County
Lowest3.206Lee County
Median7.303132 counties
Virginia8.817History

Map of counties, 2018

Accomack County: 6.264 %Albemarle County: 9.474 %Alleghany County: 6.098 %Amelia County: 6.936 %Amherst County: 6.475 %Appomattox County: 6.486 %Arlington County: 9.609 %Augusta County: 5.834 %Bath County: 5.24 %Bedford County: 8.282 %Botetourt County: 9.313 %Brunswick County: 9.251 %Buchanan County: 6.575 %Buckingham County: 8.426 %Campbell County: 7.713 %Caroline County: 6.887 %Carroll County: 6.522 %Charles City County: 4.412 %Charlotte County: 7.273 %Chesterfield County: 10.124 %Clarke County: 6.344 %Craig County: 12.727 %Culpeper County: 8.616 %Cumberland County: 7.843 %Dickenson County: 6.789 %Dinwiddie County: 7.418 %Essex County: 6.69 %Fairfax County: 9.965 %Fauquier County: 8.345 %Floyd County: 7.744 %Fluvanna County: 7.792 %Franklin County: 7.87 %Frederick County: 8.872 %Giles County: 6.415 %Gloucester County: 9.079 %Goochland County: 8.556 %Grayson County: 8.24 %Greene County: 6.72 %Greensville County: 8.589 %Halifax County: 6.939 %Hanover County: 7.448 %Henrico County: 8.986 %Henry County: 6.081 %Highland County: 5 %Isle of Wight County: 11.707 %James City County: 9.574 %King and Queen County: 6.422 %King George County: 8.37 %King William County: 8.254 %Lancaster County: 6.125 %Lee County: 3.206 %Loudoun County: 12.464 %Louisa County: 9.884 %Lunenburg County: 6.769 %Madison County: 5.738 %Mathews County: 5.128 %Mecklenburg County: 7.93 %Middlesex County: 6.204 %Montgomery County: 6.851 %Nelson County: 5.706 %New Kent County: 11.57 %Northampton County: 5.585 %Northumberland County: 8.471 %Nottoway County: 6.154 %Orange County: 7.744 %Page County: 9.103 %Patrick County: 7.211 %Pittsylvania County: 6.533 %Powhatan County: 8.629 %Prince Edward County: 8.239 %Prince George County: 10.185 %Prince William County: 10.788 %Pulaski County: 7.131 %Rappahannock County: 11.64 %Richmond County: 5.556 %Roanoke County: 7.83 %Rockbridge County: 5.867 %Rockingham County: 8.649 %Russell County: 8.592 %Scott County: 4.678 %Shenandoah County: 6.129 %Smyth County: 6.934 %Southampton County: 4.061 %Spotsylvania County: 10.844 %Stafford County: 9.83 %Surry County: 11.348 %Sussex County: 6.857 %Tazewell County: 7.763 %Warren County: 6.957 %Washington County: 6.73 %Westmoreland County: 10.052 %Wise County: 4.948 %Wythe County: 6.156 %York County: 8.535 %Alexandria city: 8.006 %Bristol city: 4.322 %Buena Vista city: 6 %Charlottesville city: 8.102 %Chesapeake city: 8.779 %Colonial Heights city: 5.456 %Covington city: 3.714 %Danville city: 5.259 %Emporia city: 4.711 %Fairfax city: 8.278 %Falls Church city: 7.87 %Franklin city: 7.101 %Fredericksburg city: 7.333 %Galax city: 5.98 %Hampton city: 8.781 %Harrisonburg city: 6.269 %Hopewell city: 6.075 %Lexington city: 5.691 %Lynchburg city: 6.233 %Manassas city: 9.594 %Manassas Park city: 9.386 %Martinsville city: 6.571 %Newport News city: 7.863 %Norfolk city: 8.419 %Norton city: 3.271 %Petersburg city: 8.67 %Poquoson city: 5.699 %Portsmouth city: 8.447 %Radford city: 4.79 %Richmond city: 8.988 %Roanoke city: 7.226 %Salem city: 7.334 %Staunton city: 5.214 %Suffolk city: 10.174 %Virginia Beach city: 9.05 %Waynesboro city: 6.723 %Williamsburg city: 6.642 %Winchester city: 6.664 %
  • Under 5.8
  • 5.8 to 6.6
  • 6.6 to 7.3
  • 7.3 to 8.3
  • 8.3 to 9.1
  • 9.1 and over
  • No data
%, 2018. 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, 2018

Craig County: 12.727 %Craig County12.727Loudoun County: 12.464 %Loudoun County12.464Isle of Wight County: 11.707 %Isle of Wight County11.707Rappahannock County: 11.64 %Rappahannock County11.64New Kent County: 11.57 %New Kent County11.57Surry County: 11.348 %Surry County11.348Spotsylvania County: 10.844 %Spotsylvania County10.844Prince William County: 10.788 %Prince William County10.788Prince George County: 10.185 %Prince George County10.185Suffolk city: 10.174 %Suffolk city10.174Chesterfield County: 10.124 %Chesterfield County10.124Westmoreland County: 10.052 %Westmoreland County10.052Fairfax County: 9.965 %Fairfax County9.965Louisa County: 9.884 %Louisa County9.884Stafford County: 9.83 %Stafford County9.83Arlington County: 9.609 %Arlington County9.609Manassas city: 9.594 %Manassas city9.594James City County: 9.574 %James City County9.574Albemarle County: 9.474 %Albemarle County9.474Manassas Park city: 9.386 %Manassas Park city9.386Botetourt County: 9.313 %Botetourt County9.313Brunswick County: 9.251 %Brunswick County9.251Page County: 9.103 %Page County9.103Gloucester County: 9.079 %Gloucester County9.079Virginia Beach city: 9.05 %Virginia Beach city9.05Richmond city: 8.988 %Richmond city8.988Henrico County: 8.986 %Henrico County8.986Frederick County: 8.872 %Frederick County8.872Hampton city: 8.781 %Hampton city8.781Chesapeake city: 8.779 %Chesapeake city8.779Petersburg city: 8.67 %Petersburg city8.67Rockingham County: 8.649 %Rockingham County8.649Powhatan County: 8.629 %Powhatan County8.629Culpeper County: 8.616 %Culpeper County8.616Russell County: 8.592 %Russell County8.592Greensville County: 8.589 %Greensville County8.589Goochland County: 8.556 %Goochland County8.556York County: 8.535 %York County8.535Northumberland County: 8.471 %Northumberland County8.471Portsmouth city: 8.447 %Portsmouth city8.447Craig County: 12.727 %Craig County12.727Loudoun County: 12.464 %Loudoun County12.464Isle of Wight County: 11.707 %Isle of Wight County11.707Rappahannock County: 11.64 %Rappahannock County11.64New Kent County: 11.57 %New Kent County11.57Surry County: 11.348 %Surry County11.348Spotsylvania County: 10.844 %Spotsylvania County10.844Prince William County: 10.788 %Prince William County10.788Prince George County: 10.185 %Prince George County10.185Suffolk city: 10.174 %Suffolk city10.174Chesterfield County: 10.124 %Chesterfield County10.124Westmoreland County: 10.052 %Westmoreland County10.052Fairfax County: 9.965 %Fairfax County9.965Louisa County: 9.884 %Louisa County9.884Stafford County: 9.83 %Stafford County9.83Arlington County: 9.609 %Arlington County9.609Manassas city: 9.594 %Manassas city9.594James City County: 9.574 %James City County9.574Albemarle County: 9.474 %Albemarle County9.474Manassas Park city: 9.386 %Manassas Park city9.386Botetourt County: 9.313 %Botetourt County9.313Brunswick County: 9.251 %Brunswick County9.251Page County: 9.103 %Page County9.103Gloucester County: 9.079 %Gloucester County9.079Virginia Beach city: 9.05 %Virginia Beach city9.05Richmond city: 8.988 %Richmond city8.988Henrico County: 8.986 %Henrico County8.986Frederick County: 8.872 %Frederick County8.872Hampton city: 8.781 %Hampton city8.781Chesapeake city: 8.779 %Chesapeake city8.779Petersburg city: 8.67 %Petersburg city8.67Rockingham County: 8.649 %Rockingham County8.649Powhatan County: 8.629 %Powhatan County8.629Culpeper County: 8.616 %Culpeper County8.616Russell County: 8.592 %Russell County8.592Greensville County: 8.589 %Greensville County8.589Goochland County: 8.556 %Goochland County8.556York County: 8.535 %York County8.535Northumberland County: 8.471 %Northumberland County8.471Portsmouth city: 8.447 %Portsmouth city8.447
%. 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
1Craig County12.727+3.11 pts
2Loudoun County12.464-0.47 pts
3Isle of Wight County11.707+2.29 pts
4Rappahannock County11.64+0.26 pts
5New Kent County11.57+1.72 pts
6Surry County11.348+4.15 pts
7Spotsylvania County10.844-0.13 pts
8Prince William County10.788-0.2 pts
9Prince George County10.185+3.01 pts
10Suffolk city10.174+1.88 pts
11Chesterfield County10.124-1 pts
12Westmoreland County10.052-0.47 pts
13Fairfax County9.965+0.13 pts
14Louisa County9.884+0.88 pts
15Stafford County9.83-2.34 pts
16Arlington County9.609+0.96 pts
17Manassas city9.594-1.99 pts
18James City County9.574+1.47 pts
19Albemarle County9.474-0.14 pts
20Manassas Park city9.386-3.41 pts
21Botetourt County9.313-0.17 pts
22Brunswick County9.251+2.25 pts
23Page County9.103+0.42 pts
24Gloucester County9.079+1.27 pts
25Virginia Beach city9.05-0.14 pts
26Richmond city8.988-0.56 pts
27Henrico County8.986-0.1 pts
28Frederick County8.872-0.65 pts
29Hampton city8.781+1.73 pts
30Chesapeake city8.779+0.01 pts
31Petersburg city8.67+0.59 pts
32Rockingham County8.649-1.11 pts
33Powhatan County8.629-1.76 pts
34Culpeper County8.616-1 pts
35Russell County8.592+1.12 pts
36Greensville County8.5890 pts
37Goochland County8.556-3.72 pts
38York County8.535-0.46 pts
39Northumberland County8.471+2.68 pts
40Portsmouth city8.447+1.24 pts
41Buckingham County8.426+1.08 pts
42Norfolk city8.419+0.66 pts
43King George County8.37+0.81 pts
44Fauquier County8.345-0.32 pts
45Bedford County8.282-1.9 pts
46Fairfax city8.278+0.7 pts
47King William County8.254-0.41 pts
48Grayson County8.24+0.86 pts
49Prince Edward County8.239+1.93 pts
50Charlottesville city8.102-0.11 pts
51Alexandria city8.006-0.81 pts
52Mecklenburg County7.93-0.03 pts
53Falls Church city7.87-1.21 pts
53Franklin County7.87+0.6 pts
55Newport News city7.863-0.12 pts
56Cumberland County7.843-1.53 pts
57Roanoke County7.83+0.86 pts
58Fluvanna County7.792-3.6 pts
59Tazewell County7.763+1.45 pts
60Floyd County7.744-3.05 pts
60Orange County7.744-0.13 pts
62Campbell County7.713-0.56 pts
63Hanover County7.448-1.05 pts
64Dinwiddie County7.418-4.85 pts
65Salem city7.334+1.54 pts
66Fredericksburg city7.333+0.28 pts
67Charlotte County7.273-2.05 pts
68Roanoke city7.226-0.59 pts
69Patrick County7.211-1.74 pts
70Pulaski County7.131+0.87 pts
71Franklin city7.1010 pts
72Warren County6.957-1.33 pts
73Halifax County6.939+0.14 pts
74Amelia County6.936-2.4 pts
75Smyth County6.934+2.71 pts
76Caroline County6.887-4 pts
77Sussex County6.857+0.55 pts
78Montgomery County6.851-2.14 pts
79Dickenson County6.789-1.46 pts
80Lunenburg County6.769+0.12 pts
81Washington County6.73-0.04 pts
82Waynesboro city6.723-0.64 pts
83Greene County6.72-4.71 pts
84Essex County6.69+1.11 pts
85Winchester city6.664+0.1 pts
86Williamsburg city6.642-0.89 pts
87Buchanan County6.575+1.5 pts
88Martinsville city6.571+0.04 pts
89Pittsylvania County6.533-0.75 pts
90Carroll County6.522-1.1 pts
91Appomattox County6.486-2.15 pts
92Amherst County6.475-1.82 pts
93King and Queen County6.422-1.91 pts
94Giles County6.415-0.77 pts
95Clarke County6.344-4.34 pts
96Harrisonburg city6.269-0.3 pts
97Accomack County6.264+0.04 pts
98Lynchburg city6.233-0.79 pts
99Middlesex County6.204-1.16 pts
100Wythe County6.156-0.2 pts
101Nottoway County6.154-1.01 pts
102Shenandoah County6.129-1.82 pts
103Lancaster County6.125-1.07 pts
104Alleghany County6.098-0.34 pts
105Henry County6.081-3.22 pts
106Hopewell city6.075+0.58 pts
107Buena Vista city6+2.12 pts
108Galax city5.98+2.66 pts
109Rockbridge County5.867-0.77 pts
110Augusta County5.834-1.2 pts
111Madison County5.738-4.51 pts
112Nelson County5.706-0.66 pts
113Poquoson city5.699-5.97 pts
114Lexington city5.691+3.37 pts
115Northampton County5.585-0.61 pts
116Richmond County5.556-1.74 pts
117Colonial Heights city5.456-1.87 pts
118Danville city5.259-1.12 pts
119Bath County5.24-5.06 pts
120Staunton city5.214-2.12 pts
121Mathews County5.128-0.57 pts
122Highland County5+0.21 pts
123Wise County4.948+1.01 pts
124Radford city4.79-2.24 pts
125Emporia city4.711-2.08 pts
126Scott County4.678-0.65 pts
127Charles City County4.412-2.09 pts
128Bristol city4.322-2.92 pts
129Southampton County4.061-1.89 pts
130Covington city3.714-1 pts
131Norton city3.271-2.6 pts
132Lee County3.206-0.66 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 2018 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, 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 Virginia 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/virginia-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 Virginia 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/virginia-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 Virginia 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/virginia-counties?period=2018 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

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

Craig County, with 12.727% in 2018, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest establishment entry rate?

Lee County, with 3.206% 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. 1 counties have no value for 2018 and are not ranked.

Establishment entry rate: other rankings

Counties in Virginia: more rankings