Data / Rankings / Establishment exit rate / Counties in California

Counties in California by establishment exit rate

Sierra County had the highest establishment exit rate of 57 counties in 2017, at 15.686%. Kings County had the lowest, at 7.35%. The median was 9.283% and the figure for California was 9.776%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest15.686Sierra County
Lowest7.35Kings County
Median9.28357 counties
California9.776History

Map of counties, 2017

Alameda County: 9.647 %Amador County: 9.75 %Butte County: 8.637 %Calaveras County: 11.498 %Colusa County: 9.091 %Contra Costa County: 9.407 %Del Norte County: 7.527 %El Dorado County: 10.487 %Fresno County: 9.102 %Glenn County: 8 %Humboldt County: 8.62 %Imperial County: 8.917 %Inyo County: 9.091 %Kern County: 9.798 %Kings County: 7.35 %Lake County: 8.279 %Lassen County: 9.917 %Los Angeles County: 10.159 %Madera County: 10.37 %Marin County: 9.811 %Mariposa County: 12.195 %Mendocino County: 8.539 %Merced County: 8.675 %Modoc County: 11.552 %Mono County: 7.492 %Monterey County: 9.283 %Napa County: 8.409 %Nevada County: 10.463 %Orange County: 9.941 %Placer County: 9.176 %Plumas County: 8.912 %Riverside County: 9.429 %Sacramento County: 9.792 %San Benito County: 7.547 %San Bernardino County: 9.383 %San Diego County: 10.118 %San Francisco County: 10.379 %San Joaquin County: 8.382 %San Luis Obispo County: 9.467 %San Mateo County: 9.935 %Santa Barbara County: 9.303 %Santa Clara County: 10.342 %Santa Cruz County: 9.143 %Shasta County: 9.158 %Sierra County: 15.686 %Siskiyou County: 11.733 %Solano County: 9.229 %Sonoma County: 8.09 %Stanislaus County: 7.798 %Sutter County: 8.614 %Tehama County: 9.767 %Trinity County: 9.112 %Tulare County: 8.079 %Tuolumne County: 9.306 %Ventura County: 9.369 %Yolo County: 9.217 %Yuba County: 7.989 %
  • Under 8.3
  • 8.3 to 9
  • 9 to 9.3
  • 9.3 to 9.8
  • 9.8 to 10
  • 10 and over
  • No data
%, 2017. Hatched areas have no value for this period. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: establishment exit rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All counties, 2017

Sierra County: 15.686 %Sierra County15.686Mariposa County: 12.195 %Mariposa County12.195Siskiyou County: 11.733 %Siskiyou County11.733Modoc County: 11.552 %Modoc County11.552Calaveras County: 11.498 %Calaveras County11.498El Dorado County: 10.487 %El Dorado County10.487Nevada County: 10.463 %Nevada County10.463San Francisco County: 10.379 %San Francisco County10.379Madera County: 10.37 %Madera County10.37Santa Clara County: 10.342 %Santa Clara County10.342Los Angeles County: 10.159 %Los Angeles County10.159San Diego County: 10.118 %San Diego County10.118Orange County: 9.941 %Orange County9.941San Mateo County: 9.935 %San Mateo County9.935Lassen County: 9.917 %Lassen County9.917Marin County: 9.811 %Marin County9.811Kern County: 9.798 %Kern County9.798Sacramento County: 9.792 %Sacramento County9.792Tehama County: 9.767 %Tehama County9.767Amador County: 9.75 %Amador County9.75Alameda County: 9.647 %Alameda County9.647San Luis Obispo County: 9.467 %San Luis Obispo County9.467Riverside County: 9.429 %Riverside County9.429Contra Costa County: 9.407 %Contra Costa County9.407San Bernardino County: 9.383 %San Bernardino County9.383Ventura County: 9.369 %Ventura County9.369Tuolumne County: 9.306 %Tuolumne County9.306Santa Barbara County: 9.303 %Santa Barbara County9.303Monterey County: 9.283 %Monterey County9.283Solano County: 9.229 %Solano County9.229Yolo County: 9.217 %Yolo County9.217Placer County: 9.176 %Placer County9.176Shasta County: 9.158 %Shasta County9.158Santa Cruz County: 9.143 %Santa Cruz County9.143Trinity County: 9.112 %Trinity County9.112Fresno County: 9.102 %Fresno County9.102Colusa County: 9.091 %Colusa County9.091Inyo County: 9.091 %Inyo County9.091Imperial County: 8.917 %Imperial County8.917Plumas County: 8.912 %Plumas County8.912Merced County: 8.675 %Merced County8.675Butte County: 8.637 %Butte County8.637Humboldt County: 8.62 %Humboldt County8.62Sutter County: 8.614 %Sutter County8.614Mendocino County: 8.539 %Mendocino County8.539Napa County: 8.409 %Napa County8.409San Joaquin County: 8.382 %San Joaquin County8.382Lake County: 8.279 %Lake County8.279Sonoma County: 8.09 %Sonoma County8.09Tulare County: 8.079 %Tulare County8.079Glenn County: 8 %Glenn County8Yuba County: 7.989 %Yuba County7.989Stanislaus County: 7.798 %Stanislaus County7.798San Benito County: 7.547 %San Benito County7.547Del Norte County: 7.527 %Del Norte County7.527Mono County: 7.492 %Mono County7.492Kings County: 7.35 %Kings County7.35Sierra County: 15.686 %Sierra County15.686Mariposa County: 12.195 %Mariposa County12.195Siskiyou County: 11.733 %Siskiyou County11.733Modoc County: 11.552 %Modoc County11.552Calaveras County: 11.498 %Calaveras County11.498El Dorado County: 10.487 %El Dorado County10.487Nevada County: 10.463 %Nevada County10.463San Francisco County: 10.379 %San Francisco County10.379Madera County: 10.37 %Madera County10.37Santa Clara County: 10.342 %Santa Clara County10.342Los Angeles County: 10.159 %Los Angeles County10.159San Diego County: 10.118 %San Diego County10.118Orange County: 9.941 %Orange County9.941San Mateo County: 9.935 %San Mateo County9.935Lassen County: 9.917 %Lassen County9.917Marin County: 9.811 %Marin County9.811Kern County: 9.798 %Kern County9.798Sacramento County: 9.792 %Sacramento County9.792Tehama County: 9.767 %Tehama County9.767Amador County: 9.75 %Amador County9.75Alameda County: 9.647 %Alameda County9.647San Luis Obispo County: 9.467 %San Luis Obispo County9.467Riverside County: 9.429 %Riverside County9.429Contra Costa County: 9.407 %Contra Costa County9.407San Bernardino County: 9.383 %San Bernardino County9.383Ventura County: 9.369 %Ventura County9.369Tuolumne County: 9.306 %Tuolumne County9.306Santa Barbara County: 9.303 %Santa Barbara County9.303Monterey County: 9.283 %Monterey County9.283Solano County: 9.229 %Solano County9.229Yolo County: 9.217 %Yolo County9.217Placer County: 9.176 %Placer County9.176Shasta County: 9.158 %Shasta County9.158Santa Cruz County: 9.143 %Santa Cruz County9.143Trinity County: 9.112 %Trinity County9.112Fresno County: 9.102 %Fresno County9.102Colusa County: 9.091 %Colusa County9.091Inyo County: 9.091 %Inyo County9.091Imperial County: 8.917 %Imperial County8.917Plumas County: 8.912 %Plumas County8.912Merced County: 8.675 %Merced County8.675Butte County: 8.637 %Butte County8.637Humboldt County: 8.62 %Humboldt County8.62Sutter County: 8.614 %Sutter County8.614Mendocino County: 8.539 %Mendocino County8.539Napa County: 8.409 %Napa County8.409San Joaquin County: 8.382 %San Joaquin County8.382Lake County: 8.279 %Lake County8.279Sonoma County: 8.09 %Sonoma County8.09Tulare County: 8.079 %Tulare County8.079Glenn County: 8 %Glenn County8Yuba County: 7.989 %Yuba County7.989Stanislaus County: 7.798 %Stanislaus County7.798San Benito County: 7.547 %San Benito County7.547Del Norte County: 7.527 %Del Norte County7.527Mono County: 7.492 %Mono County7.492Kings County: 7.35 %Kings County7.35
%. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: establishment exit rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2017 (%)Change on 2016
1Sierra County15.686+7.84 pts
2Mariposa County12.195-9 pts
3Siskiyou County11.733+2.17 pts
4Modoc County11.552+0.95 pts
5Calaveras County11.498+1.87 pts
6El Dorado County10.487+0.83 pts
7Nevada County10.463+1.62 pts
8San Francisco County10.379+0.56 pts
9Madera County10.37+1.32 pts
10Santa Clara County10.342+0.51 pts
11Los Angeles County10.159+0.19 pts
12San Diego County10.118+0.61 pts
13Orange County9.941+0.32 pts
14San Mateo County9.935+0.48 pts
15Lassen County9.917+0.88 pts
16Marin County9.811+0.62 pts
17Kern County9.798+0.57 pts
18Sacramento County9.792+1.15 pts
19Tehama County9.767+1.35 pts
20Amador County9.75+2.44 pts
21Alameda County9.647+0.65 pts
22San Luis Obispo County9.467+1.08 pts
23Riverside County9.429-0.05 pts
24Contra Costa County9.407+0.64 pts
25San Bernardino County9.383+0.7 pts
26Ventura County9.369+0.63 pts
27Tuolumne County9.306-0.64 pts
28Santa Barbara County9.303+1.34 pts
29Monterey County9.283+1.59 pts
30Solano County9.229+1.42 pts
31Yolo County9.217+0.86 pts
32Placer County9.176+0.72 pts
33Shasta County9.158+0.39 pts
34Santa Cruz County9.143+0.27 pts
35Trinity County9.112+0.38 pts
36Fresno County9.102+0.76 pts
37Colusa County9.091+0.6 pts
37Inyo County9.091+2.75 pts
39Imperial County8.917+1.4 pts
40Plumas County8.912-3.59 pts
41Merced County8.675+0.83 pts
42Butte County8.637-0.2 pts
43Humboldt County8.62+1.46 pts
44Sutter County8.614-0.57 pts
45Mendocino County8.539-0.33 pts
46Napa County8.409+0.18 pts
47San Joaquin County8.382+0.62 pts
48Lake County8.279-1.09 pts
49Sonoma County8.09-0.5 pts
50Tulare County8.079+0.64 pts
51Glenn County8+0.91 pts
52Yuba County7.989-3.1 pts
53Stanislaus County7.798+0.22 pts
54San Benito County7.547-0.8 pts
55Del Norte County7.527-6.14 pts
56Mono County7.492-1.24 pts
57Kings County7.35-0.9 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Establishments that closed during the year (employees a year earlier and none in March of the year), as a percentage of the average number of establishments in the two years. United States: Census Bureau Business Dynamics Statistics.

Counts closed locations, including branches of firms that keep operating elsewhere, so it is not a firm failure rate. Not comparable with enterprise_death_rate, which counts enterprise deaths 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 2017 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 exit 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 exit rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010 (Counties in California by establishment exit 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 exit rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010, Counties in California by establishment exit 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-exit-rate/california-counties?period=2017. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2025. Business Dynamics Statistics: establishment exit rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Counties in California by establishment exit 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-exit-rate/california-counties?period=2017.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2025) Business Dynamics Statistics: establishment exit rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010, Counties in California by establishment exit 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-exit-rate/california-counties?period=2017 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_california_by_2017,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Business Dynamics Statistics: establishment exit rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010: Counties in California by establishment exit 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-exit-rate/california-counties?period=2017. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: establishment exit 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 exit rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010: Counties in California by establishment exit 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-exit-rate/california-counties?period=2017
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/establishment-exit-rate/california-counties?period=2017.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: establishment exit 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 exit rate?

Sierra County, with 15.686% in 2017, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest establishment exit rate?

Kings County, with 7.35% 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 exit rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Retrieved 2026-10-12. 1 counties have no value for 2017 and are not ranked.

Establishment exit rate: other rankings

Counties in California: more rankings