Data / Rankings / Establishment exit rate / Counties in North Carolina

Counties in North Carolina by establishment exit rate

Swain County had the highest establishment exit rate of 99 counties in 2012, at 13.93%. Greene County had the lowest, at 6.114%. The median was 9.081% and the figure for North Carolina was 9.296%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest13.93Swain County
Lowest6.114Greene County
Median9.08199 counties
North Carolina9.296History

Map of counties, 2012

Alamance County: 8.046 %Alexander County: 9.972 %Alleghany County: 10.799 %Anson County: 9.354 %Ashe County: 10.766 %Avery County: 13.501 %Beaufort County: 9.957 %Bertie County: 9.434 %Bladen County: 10.166 %Brunswick County: 10.578 %Buncombe County: 8.684 %Burke County: 7.282 %Cabarrus County: 9.927 %Caldwell County: 8.62 %Camden County: 12.308 %Carteret County: 9.172 %Caswell County: 12.975 %Catawba County: 8.146 %Chatham County: 9.784 %Cherokee County: 8.096 %Chowan County: 7.376 %Clay County: 13.055 %Cleveland County: 6.925 %Columbus County: 11.399 %Craven County: 8.434 %Cumberland County: 7.923 %Currituck County: 10.69 %Dare County: 10.923 %Davidson County: 8.602 %Davie County: 8.169 %Duplin County: 9.488 %Durham County: 9.215 %Edgecombe County: 9.309 %Forsyth County: 8.353 %Franklin County: 11.681 %Gaston County: 8.079 %Gates County: 6.78 %Graham County: 10.753 %Granville County: 8.082 %Greene County: 6.114 %Guilford County: 8.909 %Halifax County: 6.897 %Harnett County: 10.167 %Haywood County: 10.343 %Henderson County: 9.936 %Hertford County: 7.717 %Hoke County: 13.141 %Hyde County: 13.9 %Iredell County: 10.437 %Jackson County: 11.46 %Johnston County: 9.3 %Jones County: 12.598 %Lee County: 9.368 %Lenoir County: 7.022 %Lincoln County: 8.974 %McDowell County: 8.302 %Macon County: 10.462 %Madison County: 11.408 %Martin County: 9.944 %Mecklenburg County: 10.958 %Mitchell County: 7.08 %Montgomery County: 6.944 %Moore County: 8.626 %Nash County: 8.813 %New Hanover County: 9.679 %Northampton County: 10.405 %Onslow County: 9.8 %Orange County: 8.588 %Pamlico County: 11.468 %Pasquotank County: 8.764 %Pender County: 9.345 %Perquimans County: 13.671 %Person County: 8.108 %Pitt County: 8.384 %Polk County: 9.081 %Randolph County: 8.171 %Richmond County: 8.297 %Robeson County: 8.174 %Rockingham County: 8.824 %Rowan County: 7.91 %Rutherford County: 8.659 %Sampson County: 7.192 %Scotland County: 7.56 %Stanly County: 7.651 %Stokes County: 6.486 %Surry County: 6.993 %Swain County: 13.93 %Transylvania County: 9.328 %Union County: 10.272 %Vance County: 8.845 %Wake County: 9.73 %Warren County: 7.28 %Washington County: 6.897 %Watauga County: 10.755 %Wayne County: 7.888 %Wilkes County: 9.273 %Wilson County: 8.503 %Yadkin County: 8.742 %Yancey County: 7.309 %
  • Under 7.7
  • 7.7 to 8.4
  • 8.4 to 9.1
  • 9.1 to 9.9
  • 9.9 to 11
  • 11 and over
  • No data
%, 2012. 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.

Top 40 counties, 2012

Swain County: 13.93 %Swain County13.93Hyde County: 13.9 %Hyde County13.9Perquimans County: 13.671 %Perquimans County13.671Avery County: 13.501 %Avery County13.501Hoke County: 13.141 %Hoke County13.141Clay County: 13.055 %Clay County13.055Caswell County: 12.975 %Caswell County12.975Jones County: 12.598 %Jones County12.598Camden County: 12.308 %Camden County12.308Franklin County: 11.681 %Franklin County11.681Pamlico County: 11.468 %Pamlico County11.468Jackson County: 11.46 %Jackson County11.46Madison County: 11.408 %Madison County11.408Columbus County: 11.399 %Columbus County11.399Mecklenburg County: 10.958 %Mecklenburg County10.958Dare County: 10.923 %Dare County10.923Alleghany County: 10.799 %Alleghany County10.799Ashe County: 10.766 %Ashe County10.766Watauga County: 10.755 %Watauga County10.755Graham County: 10.753 %Graham County10.753Currituck County: 10.69 %Currituck County10.69Brunswick County: 10.578 %Brunswick County10.578Macon County: 10.462 %Macon County10.462Iredell County: 10.437 %Iredell County10.437Northampton County: 10.405 %Northampton County10.405Haywood County: 10.343 %Haywood County10.343Union County: 10.272 %Union County10.272Harnett County: 10.167 %Harnett County10.167Bladen County: 10.166 %Bladen County10.166Alexander County: 9.972 %Alexander County9.972Beaufort County: 9.957 %Beaufort County9.957Martin County: 9.944 %Martin County9.944Henderson County: 9.936 %Henderson County9.936Cabarrus County: 9.927 %Cabarrus County9.927Onslow County: 9.8 %Onslow County9.8Chatham County: 9.784 %Chatham County9.784Wake County: 9.73 %Wake County9.73New Hanover County: 9.679 %New Hanover County9.679Duplin County: 9.488 %Duplin County9.488Bertie County: 9.434 %Bertie County9.434Swain County: 13.93 %Swain County13.93Hyde County: 13.9 %Hyde County13.9Perquimans County: 13.671 %Perquimans County13.671Avery County: 13.501 %Avery County13.501Hoke County: 13.141 %Hoke County13.141Clay County: 13.055 %Clay County13.055Caswell County: 12.975 %Caswell County12.975Jones County: 12.598 %Jones County12.598Camden County: 12.308 %Camden County12.308Franklin County: 11.681 %Franklin County11.681Pamlico County: 11.468 %Pamlico County11.468Jackson County: 11.46 %Jackson County11.46Madison County: 11.408 %Madison County11.408Columbus County: 11.399 %Columbus County11.399Mecklenburg County: 10.958 %Mecklenburg County10.958Dare County: 10.923 %Dare County10.923Alleghany County: 10.799 %Alleghany County10.799Ashe County: 10.766 %Ashe County10.766Watauga County: 10.755 %Watauga County10.755Graham County: 10.753 %Graham County10.753Currituck County: 10.69 %Currituck County10.69Brunswick County: 10.578 %Brunswick County10.578Macon County: 10.462 %Macon County10.462Iredell County: 10.437 %Iredell County10.437Northampton County: 10.405 %Northampton County10.405Haywood County: 10.343 %Haywood County10.343Union County: 10.272 %Union County10.272Harnett County: 10.167 %Harnett County10.167Bladen County: 10.166 %Bladen County10.166Alexander County: 9.972 %Alexander County9.972Beaufort County: 9.957 %Beaufort County9.957Martin County: 9.944 %Martin County9.944Henderson County: 9.936 %Henderson County9.936Cabarrus County: 9.927 %Cabarrus County9.927Onslow County: 9.8 %Onslow County9.8Chatham County: 9.784 %Chatham County9.784Wake County: 9.73 %Wake County9.73New Hanover County: 9.679 %New Hanover County9.679Duplin County: 9.488 %Duplin County9.488Bertie County: 9.434 %Bertie County9.434
%. 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

RankCounties2012 (%)Change on 2011
1Swain County13.93+0.32 pts
2Hyde County13.9+1.78 pts
3Perquimans County13.671+7.28 pts
4Avery County13.501+4.44 pts
5Hoke County13.141+2.27 pts
6Clay County13.055-1.98 pts
7Caswell County12.975+3.33 pts
8Jones County12.598-1.14 pts
9Camden County12.308-0.19 pts
10Franklin County11.681+1.72 pts
11Pamlico County11.468+0.03 pts
12Jackson County11.46-2.53 pts
13Madison County11.408-2.98 pts
14Columbus County11.399+2.57 pts
15Mecklenburg County10.958-0.64 pts
16Dare County10.923-0.48 pts
17Alleghany County10.799-2.17 pts
18Ashe County10.766-1.97 pts
19Watauga County10.755+1.05 pts
20Graham County10.753-6.49 pts
21Currituck County10.69-0.12 pts
22Brunswick County10.578-2.75 pts
23Macon County10.462-0.21 pts
24Iredell County10.437-0.33 pts
25Northampton County10.405+1.16 pts
26Haywood County10.343-2.07 pts
27Union County10.272-2.65 pts
28Harnett County10.167-1.96 pts
29Bladen County10.166-0.04 pts
30Alexander County9.972-0.18 pts
31Beaufort County9.957+0.87 pts
32Martin County9.944-0.2 pts
33Henderson County9.936-1.18 pts
34Cabarrus County9.927-1.25 pts
35Onslow County9.8+1.09 pts
36Chatham County9.784-0.95 pts
37Wake County9.73-1.04 pts
38New Hanover County9.679-0.71 pts
39Duplin County9.488-0.24 pts
40Bertie County9.434+0.27 pts
41Lee County9.368-0.32 pts
42Anson County9.354-3.8 pts
43Pender County9.345-2.27 pts
44Transylvania County9.328-3.65 pts
45Edgecombe County9.309+1.01 pts
46Johnston County9.3-1.16 pts
47Wilkes County9.273+0.3 pts
48Durham County9.215-0.29 pts
49Carteret County9.172-2.94 pts
50Polk County9.081-1.74 pts
51Lincoln County8.974-2.14 pts
52Guilford County8.909-0.6 pts
53Vance County8.845+3.07 pts
54Rockingham County8.824-0.32 pts
55Nash County8.813+0.44 pts
56Pasquotank County8.764-0.74 pts
57Yadkin County8.742-0.85 pts
58Buncombe County8.684-0.98 pts
59Rutherford County8.659-1 pts
60Moore County8.626-0.98 pts
61Caldwell County8.62-1.3 pts
62Davidson County8.602-0.91 pts
63Orange County8.588-1.62 pts
64Wilson County8.503-0.35 pts
65Craven County8.434-1.45 pts
66Pitt County8.384-1.09 pts
67Forsyth County8.353-1.08 pts
68McDowell County8.302-0.88 pts
69Richmond County8.297-0.78 pts
70Robeson County8.174-1.23 pts
71Randolph County8.1710 pts
72Davie County8.169-2.12 pts
73Catawba County8.146-1.07 pts
74Person County8.108-2.63 pts
75Cherokee County8.096-1.9 pts
76Granville County8.082-3.15 pts
77Gaston County8.079-1.54 pts
78Alamance County8.046-0.39 pts
79Cumberland County7.923-1.54 pts
80Rowan County7.91-1.01 pts
81Wayne County7.888+0.05 pts
82Hertford County7.717-0.75 pts
83Stanly County7.651-1.93 pts
84Scotland County7.56-0.64 pts
85Chowan County7.376-1.82 pts
86Yancey County7.309-1.89 pts
87Burke County7.282-1.65 pts
88Warren County7.28-5.93 pts
89Sampson County7.192-0.54 pts
90Mitchell County7.08-1.24 pts
91Lenoir County7.022-2.63 pts
92Surry County6.993-1.63 pts
93Montgomery County6.944-2.67 pts
94Cleveland County6.925-1.47 pts
95Halifax County6.897-2.33 pts
95Washington County6.897-0.25 pts
97Gates County6.78-1.62 pts
98Stokes County6.486-5.09 pts
99Greene County6.114-4.85 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 2012 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 North Carolina by establishment exit rate, 2012) [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 North Carolina by establishment exit rate, 2012. 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/north-carolina-counties?period=2012. 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 North Carolina by establishment exit rate, 2012. 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/north-carolina-counties?period=2012.

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 North Carolina by establishment exit rate, 2012 [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/north-carolina-counties?period=2012 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_north_carolina_2012,
  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 North Carolina by establishment exit rate, 2012}},
  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/north-carolina-counties?period=2012. 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 North Carolina by establishment exit rate, 2012
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/north-carolina-counties?period=2012
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/establishment-exit-rate/north-carolina-counties?period=2012.
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?

Swain County, with 13.93% in 2012, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest establishment exit rate?

Greene County, with 6.114% in 2012.

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 2012 and are not ranked.

Establishment exit rate: other rankings

Counties in North Carolina: more rankings