Data / Rankings / Establishment entry rate / Counties in Virginia

Counties in Virginia by establishment entry rate

Grayson County had the highest establishment entry rate of 133 counties in 2019, at 15.054%. Covington city had the lowest, at 2.145%. The median was 8.139% and the figure for Virginia was 9.078%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest15.054Grayson County
Lowest2.145Covington city
Median8.139133 counties
Virginia9.078History

Map of counties, 2019

Accomack County: 5.951 %Albemarle County: 8.439 %Alleghany County: 4.517 %Amelia County: 6.923 %Amherst County: 6.361 %Appomattox County: 6.285 %Arlington County: 9.558 %Augusta County: 7.877 %Bath County: 7.339 %Bedford County: 9.284 %Bland County: 5.229 %Botetourt County: 8.139 %Brunswick County: 7.064 %Buchanan County: 6.974 %Buckingham County: 9.735 %Campbell County: 7.156 %Caroline County: 10.086 %Carroll County: 10.724 %Charles City County: 6.742 %Charlotte County: 7.916 %Chesterfield County: 9.835 %Clarke County: 10.164 %Craig County: 8.621 %Culpeper County: 9.82 %Cumberland County: 9.231 %Dickenson County: 5.836 %Dinwiddie County: 8.618 %Essex County: 9.319 %Fairfax County: 9.625 %Fauquier County: 8.574 %Floyd County: 9.38 %Fluvanna County: 10.873 %Franklin County: 8.129 %Frederick County: 8.488 %Giles County: 6.026 %Gloucester County: 8.728 %Goochland County: 8.578 %Grayson County: 15.054 %Greene County: 10.628 %Greensville County: 7.453 %Halifax County: 7.304 %Hanover County: 8.976 %Henrico County: 8.949 %Henry County: 7.176 %Highland County: 7.692 %Isle of Wight County: 9.639 %James City County: 10.098 %King and Queen County: 6.573 %King George County: 8.333 %King William County: 10.836 %Lancaster County: 6.295 %Lee County: 6.557 %Loudoun County: 12.316 %Louisa County: 11.353 %Lunenburg County: 5.145 %Madison County: 10.569 %Mathews County: 12.465 %Mecklenburg County: 7.713 %Middlesex County: 12.044 %Montgomery County: 8.608 %Nelson County: 10.303 %New Kent County: 11.26 %Northampton County: 8.042 %Northumberland County: 8.856 %Nottoway County: 8.29 %Orange County: 10.158 %Page County: 9.775 %Patrick County: 8.155 %Pittsylvania County: 7.89 %Powhatan County: 9.342 %Prince Edward County: 8.376 %Prince George County: 8.438 %Prince William County: 11.088 %Pulaski County: 7.634 %Rappahannock County: 8.466 %Richmond County: 6.231 %Roanoke County: 7.632 %Rockbridge County: 9.873 %Rockingham County: 8.395 %Russell County: 7.381 %Scott County: 4.79 %Shenandoah County: 8.37 %Smyth County: 6.725 %Southampton County: 7.614 %Spotsylvania County: 9.939 %Stafford County: 9.683 %Surry County: 12.162 %Sussex County: 7.821 %Tazewell County: 6.438 %Warren County: 8.479 %Washington County: 8.07 %Westmoreland County: 4.538 %Wise County: 7.237 %Wythe County: 8.102 %York County: 9.252 %Alexandria city: 8.927 %Bristol city: 6.344 %Buena Vista city: 7.179 %Charlottesville city: 8.882 %Chesapeake city: 9.773 %Colonial Heights city: 6.218 %Covington city: 2.145 %Danville city: 6.002 %Emporia city: 7.709 %Fairfax city: 8.28 %Falls Church city: 8.13 %Franklin city: 5.567 %Fredericksburg city: 7.273 %Galax city: 3.98 %Hampton city: 8.045 %Harrisonburg city: 6.502 %Hopewell city: 5.854 %Lexington city: 4.555 %Lynchburg city: 6.772 %Manassas city: 10.942 %Manassas Park city: 11.786 %Martinsville city: 2.508 %Newport News city: 7.945 %Norfolk city: 8.814 %Norton city: 8.411 %Petersburg city: 6.782 %Poquoson city: 12.69 %Portsmouth city: 7.712 %Radford city: 7.214 %Richmond city: 9.762 %Roanoke city: 6.86 %Salem city: 5.944 %Staunton city: 7.749 %Suffolk city: 8.724 %Virginia Beach city: 9.424 %Waynesboro city: 6.977 %Williamsburg city: 6.642 %Winchester city: 7.527 %
  • Under 6.4
  • 6.4 to 7.4
  • 7.4 to 8.1
  • 8.1 to 8.9
  • 8.9 to 9.9
  • 9.9 and over
%, 2019. 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, 2019

Grayson County: 15.054 %Grayson County15.054Poquoson city: 12.69 %Poquoson city12.69Mathews County: 12.465 %Mathews County12.465Loudoun County: 12.316 %Loudoun County12.316Surry County: 12.162 %Surry County12.162Middlesex County: 12.044 %Middlesex County12.044Manassas Park city: 11.786 %Manassas Park city11.786Louisa County: 11.353 %Louisa County11.353New Kent County: 11.26 %New Kent County11.26Prince William County: 11.088 %Prince William County11.088Manassas city: 10.942 %Manassas city10.942Fluvanna County: 10.873 %Fluvanna County10.873King William County: 10.836 %King William County10.836Carroll County: 10.724 %Carroll County10.724Greene County: 10.628 %Greene County10.628Madison County: 10.569 %Madison County10.569Nelson County: 10.303 %Nelson County10.303Clarke County: 10.164 %Clarke County10.164Orange County: 10.158 %Orange County10.158James City County: 10.098 %James City County10.098Caroline County: 10.086 %Caroline County10.086Spotsylvania County: 9.939 %Spotsylvania County9.939Rockbridge County: 9.873 %Rockbridge County9.873Chesterfield County: 9.835 %Chesterfield County9.835Culpeper County: 9.82 %Culpeper County9.82Page County: 9.775 %Page County9.775Chesapeake city: 9.773 %Chesapeake city9.773Richmond city: 9.762 %Richmond city9.762Buckingham County: 9.735 %Buckingham County9.735Stafford County: 9.683 %Stafford County9.683Isle of Wight County: 9.639 %Isle of Wight County9.639Fairfax County: 9.625 %Fairfax County9.625Arlington County: 9.558 %Arlington County9.558Virginia Beach city: 9.424 %Virginia Beach city9.424Floyd County: 9.38 %Floyd County9.38Powhatan County: 9.342 %Powhatan County9.342Essex County: 9.319 %Essex County9.319Bedford County: 9.284 %Bedford County9.284York County: 9.252 %York County9.252Cumberland County: 9.231 %Cumberland County9.231Grayson County: 15.054 %Grayson County15.054Poquoson city: 12.69 %Poquoson city12.69Mathews County: 12.465 %Mathews County12.465Loudoun County: 12.316 %Loudoun County12.316Surry County: 12.162 %Surry County12.162Middlesex County: 12.044 %Middlesex County12.044Manassas Park city: 11.786 %Manassas Park city11.786Louisa County: 11.353 %Louisa County11.353New Kent County: 11.26 %New Kent County11.26Prince William County: 11.088 %Prince William County11.088Manassas city: 10.942 %Manassas city10.942Fluvanna County: 10.873 %Fluvanna County10.873King William County: 10.836 %King William County10.836Carroll County: 10.724 %Carroll County10.724Greene County: 10.628 %Greene County10.628Madison County: 10.569 %Madison County10.569Nelson County: 10.303 %Nelson County10.303Clarke County: 10.164 %Clarke County10.164Orange County: 10.158 %Orange County10.158James City County: 10.098 %James City County10.098Caroline County: 10.086 %Caroline County10.086Spotsylvania County: 9.939 %Spotsylvania County9.939Rockbridge County: 9.873 %Rockbridge County9.873Chesterfield County: 9.835 %Chesterfield County9.835Culpeper County: 9.82 %Culpeper County9.82Page County: 9.775 %Page County9.775Chesapeake city: 9.773 %Chesapeake city9.773Richmond city: 9.762 %Richmond city9.762Buckingham County: 9.735 %Buckingham County9.735Stafford County: 9.683 %Stafford County9.683Isle of Wight County: 9.639 %Isle of Wight County9.639Fairfax County: 9.625 %Fairfax County9.625Arlington County: 9.558 %Arlington County9.558Virginia Beach city: 9.424 %Virginia Beach city9.424Floyd County: 9.38 %Floyd County9.38Powhatan County: 9.342 %Powhatan County9.342Essex County: 9.319 %Essex County9.319Bedford County: 9.284 %Bedford County9.284York County: 9.252 %York County9.252Cumberland County: 9.231 %Cumberland County9.231
%. 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

RankCounties2019 (%)Change on 2018
1Grayson County15.054+6.81 pts
2Poquoson city12.69+6.99 pts
3Mathews County12.465+7.34 pts
4Loudoun County12.316-0.15 pts
5Surry County12.162+0.81 pts
6Middlesex County12.044+5.84 pts
7Manassas Park city11.786+2.4 pts
8Louisa County11.353+1.47 pts
9New Kent County11.26-0.31 pts
10Prince William County11.088+0.3 pts
11Manassas city10.942+1.35 pts
12Fluvanna County10.873+3.08 pts
13King William County10.836+2.58 pts
14Carroll County10.724+4.2 pts
15Greene County10.628+3.91 pts
16Madison County10.569+4.83 pts
17Nelson County10.303+4.6 pts
18Clarke County10.164+3.82 pts
19Orange County10.158+2.41 pts
20James City County10.098+0.52 pts
21Caroline County10.086+3.2 pts
22Spotsylvania County9.939-0.9 pts
23Rockbridge County9.873+4.01 pts
24Chesterfield County9.835-0.29 pts
25Culpeper County9.82+1.2 pts
26Page County9.775+0.67 pts
27Chesapeake city9.773+0.99 pts
28Richmond city9.762+0.77 pts
29Buckingham County9.735+1.31 pts
30Stafford County9.683-0.15 pts
31Isle of Wight County9.639-2.07 pts
32Fairfax County9.625-0.34 pts
33Arlington County9.558-0.05 pts
34Virginia Beach city9.424+0.37 pts
35Floyd County9.38+1.64 pts
36Powhatan County9.342+0.71 pts
37Essex County9.319+2.63 pts
38Bedford County9.284+1 pts
39York County9.252+0.72 pts
40Cumberland County9.231+1.39 pts
41Hanover County8.976+1.53 pts
42Henrico County8.949-0.04 pts
43Alexandria city8.927+0.92 pts
44Charlottesville city8.882+0.78 pts
45Northumberland County8.856+0.38 pts
46Norfolk city8.814+0.39 pts
47Gloucester County8.728-0.35 pts
48Suffolk city8.724-1.45 pts
49Craig County8.621-4.11 pts
50Dinwiddie County8.618+1.2 pts
51Montgomery County8.608+1.76 pts
52Goochland County8.578+0.02 pts
53Fauquier County8.574+0.23 pts
54Frederick County8.488-0.38 pts
55Warren County8.479+1.52 pts
56Rappahannock County8.466-3.17 pts
57Albemarle County8.439-1.04 pts
58Prince George County8.438-1.75 pts
59Norton city8.411+5.14 pts
60Rockingham County8.395-0.25 pts
61Prince Edward County8.376+0.14 pts
62Shenandoah County8.37+2.24 pts
63King George County8.333-0.04 pts
64Nottoway County8.29+2.14 pts
65Fairfax city8.280 pts
66Patrick County8.155+0.94 pts
67Botetourt County8.139-1.17 pts
68Falls Church city8.13+0.26 pts
69Franklin County8.129+0.26 pts
70Wythe County8.102+1.95 pts
71Washington County8.07+1.34 pts
72Hampton city8.045-0.74 pts
73Northampton County8.042+2.46 pts
74Newport News city7.945+0.08 pts
75Charlotte County7.916+0.64 pts
76Pittsylvania County7.89+1.36 pts
77Augusta County7.877+2.04 pts
78Sussex County7.821+0.96 pts
79Staunton city7.749+2.53 pts
80Mecklenburg County7.713-0.22 pts
81Portsmouth city7.712-0.73 pts
82Emporia city7.709+3 pts
83Highland County7.692+2.69 pts
84Pulaski County7.634+0.5 pts
85Roanoke County7.632-0.2 pts
86Southampton County7.614+3.55 pts
87Winchester city7.527+0.86 pts
88Greensville County7.453-1.14 pts
89Russell County7.381-1.21 pts
90Bath County7.339+2.1 pts
91Halifax County7.304+0.37 pts
92Fredericksburg city7.273-0.06 pts
93Wise County7.237+2.29 pts
94Radford city7.214+2.42 pts
95Buena Vista city7.179+1.18 pts
96Henry County7.176+1.09 pts
97Campbell County7.156-0.56 pts
98Brunswick County7.064-2.19 pts
99Waynesboro city6.977+0.25 pts
100Buchanan County6.974+0.4 pts
101Amelia County6.923-0.01 pts
102Roanoke city6.86-0.37 pts
103Petersburg city6.782-1.89 pts
104Lynchburg city6.772+0.54 pts
105Charles City County6.742+2.33 pts
106Smyth County6.725-0.21 pts
107Williamsburg city6.6420 pts
108King and Queen County6.573+0.15 pts
109Lee County6.557+3.35 pts
110Harrisonburg city6.502+0.23 pts
111Tazewell County6.438-1.33 pts
112Amherst County6.361-0.11 pts
113Bristol city6.344+2.02 pts
114Lancaster County6.295+0.17 pts
115Appomattox County6.285-0.2 pts
116Richmond County6.231+0.67 pts
117Colonial Heights city6.218+0.76 pts
118Giles County6.026-0.39 pts
119Danville city6.002+0.74 pts
120Accomack County5.951-0.31 pts
121Salem city5.944-1.39 pts
122Hopewell city5.854-0.22 pts
123Dickenson County5.836-0.95 pts
124Franklin city5.567-1.53 pts
125Bland County5.229n/a
126Lunenburg County5.145-1.62 pts
127Scott County4.79+0.11 pts
128Lexington city4.555-1.14 pts
129Westmoreland County4.538-5.51 pts
130Alleghany County4.517-1.58 pts
131Galax city3.98-2 pts
132Martinsville city2.508-4.06 pts
133Covington city2.145-1.57 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, 2019) [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, 2019. 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=2019. 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, 2019. 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=2019.

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, 2019 [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=2019 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_virginia_by_2019,
  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, 2019}},
  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=2019. 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, 2019
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=2019
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/establishment-entry-rate/virginia-counties?period=2019.
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?

Grayson County, with 15.054% in 2019, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest establishment entry rate?

Covington city, with 2.145% in 2019.

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