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

Counties in North Carolina by establishment exit rate

Graham County had the highest establishment exit rate of 100 counties in 2016, at 13.571%. Tyrrell County had the lowest, at 4.082%. The median was 7.586% and the figure for North Carolina was 7.718%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest13.571Graham County
Lowest4.082Tyrrell County
Median7.586100 counties
North Carolina7.718History

Map of counties, 2016

Alamance County: 7.179 %Alexander County: 8.946 %Alleghany County: 6.926 %Anson County: 8.516 %Ashe County: 5.192 %Avery County: 6.84 %Beaufort County: 7.517 %Bertie County: 8.503 %Bladen County: 7.757 %Brunswick County: 7.928 %Buncombe County: 8.002 %Burke County: 6.672 %Cabarrus County: 7.675 %Caldwell County: 5.247 %Camden County: 9.852 %Carteret County: 7.667 %Caswell County: 9.722 %Catawba County: 6.499 %Chatham County: 8.3 %Cherokee County: 7.434 %Chowan County: 5.979 %Clay County: 10.422 %Cleveland County: 6.195 %Columbus County: 8 %Craven County: 7.904 %Cumberland County: 8.634 %Currituck County: 8.088 %Dare County: 7.787 %Davidson County: 6.805 %Davie County: 6.158 %Duplin County: 6.945 %Durham County: 8.397 %Edgecombe County: 4.908 %Forsyth County: 7.011 %Franklin County: 7.139 %Gaston County: 6.521 %Gates County: 8.295 %Graham County: 13.571 %Granville County: 7.13 %Greene County: 6.074 %Guilford County: 7.592 %Halifax County: 6.239 %Harnett County: 7.7 %Haywood County: 8.443 %Henderson County: 7.848 %Hertford County: 8.136 %Hoke County: 7.898 %Hyde County: 6.742 %Iredell County: 7.983 %Jackson County: 9.166 %Johnston County: 8.336 %Jones County: 5.932 %Lee County: 7.832 %Lenoir County: 7.271 %Lincoln County: 7.48 %McDowell County: 6.81 %Macon County: 6.868 %Madison County: 6.762 %Martin County: 7.117 %Mecklenburg County: 8.455 %Mitchell County: 7.306 %Montgomery County: 4.817 %Moore County: 7.469 %Nash County: 6.324 %New Hanover County: 7.611 %Northampton County: 8.765 %Onslow County: 8.416 %Orange County: 8.329 %Pamlico County: 6.481 %Pasquotank County: 8.25 %Pender County: 9.806 %Perquimans County: 6.417 %Person County: 5.573 %Pitt County: 7.002 %Polk County: 9.021 %Randolph County: 7.916 %Richmond County: 5.692 %Robeson County: 7.062 %Rockingham County: 6.635 %Rowan County: 6.728 %Rutherford County: 6.724 %Sampson County: 7.006 %Scotland County: 7.467 %Stanly County: 6.32 %Stokes County: 9.274 %Surry County: 7.858 %Swain County: 13.559 %Transylvania County: 7.656 %Tyrrell County: 4.082 %Union County: 7.918 %Vance County: 7.816 %Wake County: 8.243 %Warren County: 8.224 %Washington County: 8.578 %Watauga County: 7.838 %Wayne County: 7.325 %Wilkes County: 7.852 %Wilson County: 5.313 %Yadkin County: 7.579 %Yancey County: 6.104 %
  • Under 6.4
  • 6.4 to 7
  • 7 to 7.6
  • 7.6 to 7.9
  • 7.9 to 8.4
  • 8.4 and over
%, 2016. 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, 2016

Graham County: 13.571 %Graham County13.571Swain County: 13.559 %Swain County13.559Clay County: 10.422 %Clay County10.422Camden County: 9.852 %Camden County9.852Pender County: 9.806 %Pender County9.806Caswell County: 9.722 %Caswell County9.722Stokes County: 9.274 %Stokes County9.274Jackson County: 9.166 %Jackson County9.166Polk County: 9.021 %Polk County9.021Alexander County: 8.946 %Alexander County8.946Northampton County: 8.765 %Northampton County8.765Cumberland County: 8.634 %Cumberland County8.634Washington County: 8.578 %Washington County8.578Anson County: 8.516 %Anson County8.516Bertie County: 8.503 %Bertie County8.503Mecklenburg County: 8.455 %Mecklenburg County8.455Haywood County: 8.443 %Haywood County8.443Onslow County: 8.416 %Onslow County8.416Durham County: 8.397 %Durham County8.397Johnston County: 8.336 %Johnston County8.336Orange County: 8.329 %Orange County8.329Chatham County: 8.3 %Chatham County8.3Gates County: 8.295 %Gates County8.295Pasquotank County: 8.25 %Pasquotank County8.25Wake County: 8.243 %Wake County8.243Warren County: 8.224 %Warren County8.224Hertford County: 8.136 %Hertford County8.136Currituck County: 8.088 %Currituck County8.088Buncombe County: 8.002 %Buncombe County8.002Columbus County: 8 %Columbus County8Iredell County: 7.983 %Iredell County7.983Brunswick County: 7.928 %Brunswick County7.928Union County: 7.918 %Union County7.918Randolph County: 7.916 %Randolph County7.916Craven County: 7.904 %Craven County7.904Hoke County: 7.898 %Hoke County7.898Surry County: 7.858 %Surry County7.858Wilkes County: 7.852 %Wilkes County7.852Henderson County: 7.848 %Henderson County7.848Watauga County: 7.838 %Watauga County7.838Graham County: 13.571 %Graham County13.571Swain County: 13.559 %Swain County13.559Clay County: 10.422 %Clay County10.422Camden County: 9.852 %Camden County9.852Pender County: 9.806 %Pender County9.806Caswell County: 9.722 %Caswell County9.722Stokes County: 9.274 %Stokes County9.274Jackson County: 9.166 %Jackson County9.166Polk County: 9.021 %Polk County9.021Alexander County: 8.946 %Alexander County8.946Northampton County: 8.765 %Northampton County8.765Cumberland County: 8.634 %Cumberland County8.634Washington County: 8.578 %Washington County8.578Anson County: 8.516 %Anson County8.516Bertie County: 8.503 %Bertie County8.503Mecklenburg County: 8.455 %Mecklenburg County8.455Haywood County: 8.443 %Haywood County8.443Onslow County: 8.416 %Onslow County8.416Durham County: 8.397 %Durham County8.397Johnston County: 8.336 %Johnston County8.336Orange County: 8.329 %Orange County8.329Chatham County: 8.3 %Chatham County8.3Gates County: 8.295 %Gates County8.295Pasquotank County: 8.25 %Pasquotank County8.25Wake County: 8.243 %Wake County8.243Warren County: 8.224 %Warren County8.224Hertford County: 8.136 %Hertford County8.136Currituck County: 8.088 %Currituck County8.088Buncombe County: 8.002 %Buncombe County8.002Columbus County: 8 %Columbus County8Iredell County: 7.983 %Iredell County7.983Brunswick County: 7.928 %Brunswick County7.928Union County: 7.918 %Union County7.918Randolph County: 7.916 %Randolph County7.916Craven County: 7.904 %Craven County7.904Hoke County: 7.898 %Hoke County7.898Surry County: 7.858 %Surry County7.858Wilkes County: 7.852 %Wilkes County7.852Henderson County: 7.848 %Henderson County7.848Watauga County: 7.838 %Watauga County7.838
%. 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

RankCounties2016 (%)Change on 2015
1Graham County13.571+3.01 pts
2Swain County13.559+4.2 pts
3Clay County10.422+4.84 pts
4Camden County9.852-0.4 pts
5Pender County9.806+1.64 pts
6Caswell County9.722+3.72 pts
7Stokes County9.274+2.36 pts
8Jackson County9.166+0.51 pts
9Polk County9.021+2.08 pts
10Alexander County8.946+1.6 pts
11Northampton County8.765+3.98 pts
12Cumberland County8.634-0.08 pts
13Washington County8.578+4.89 pts
14Anson County8.516+0.82 pts
15Bertie County8.503+1.12 pts
16Mecklenburg County8.455-1.53 pts
17Haywood County8.443+0.48 pts
18Onslow County8.416+0.22 pts
19Durham County8.397-1.06 pts
20Johnston County8.336+0.01 pts
21Orange County8.329-0.69 pts
22Chatham County8.3+1.29 pts
23Gates County8.295-0.92 pts
24Pasquotank County8.25+1 pts
25Wake County8.243-0.72 pts
26Warren County8.224+1.86 pts
27Hertford County8.136+1.71 pts
28Currituck County8.088-1.23 pts
29Buncombe County8.002+0.08 pts
30Columbus County8+1.52 pts
31Iredell County7.983+0.2 pts
32Brunswick County7.928-1.23 pts
33Union County7.918-1.07 pts
34Randolph County7.916+0.65 pts
35Craven County7.904-0.84 pts
36Hoke County7.898-3 pts
37Surry County7.858+0.92 pts
38Wilkes County7.852+0.7 pts
39Henderson County7.848-0.11 pts
40Watauga County7.838-1.9 pts
41Lee County7.832+1.04 pts
42Vance County7.816-0.21 pts
43Dare County7.787-0.7 pts
44Bladen County7.757-0.9 pts
45Harnett County7.7-0.5 pts
46Cabarrus County7.675-1.26 pts
47Carteret County7.667+0.59 pts
48Transylvania County7.656-0.73 pts
49New Hanover County7.611+0.37 pts
50Guilford County7.592-0.87 pts
51Yadkin County7.579+1.13 pts
52Beaufort County7.517-0.47 pts
53Lincoln County7.48-0.69 pts
54Moore County7.469-0.76 pts
55Scotland County7.467+0.66 pts
56Cherokee County7.434+1.04 pts
57Wayne County7.325-0.09 pts
58Mitchell County7.306-0.37 pts
59Lenoir County7.271-0.42 pts
60Alamance County7.179-0.13 pts
61Franklin County7.139-2.74 pts
62Granville County7.13-1.16 pts
63Martin County7.117-1.17 pts
64Robeson County7.062+0.18 pts
65Forsyth County7.011-0.46 pts
66Sampson County7.006+0.96 pts
67Pitt County7.002-1.18 pts
68Duplin County6.945-0.05 pts
69Alleghany County6.926-0.06 pts
70Macon County6.868+0.55 pts
71Avery County6.84-3.93 pts
72McDowell County6.81-0.4 pts
73Davidson County6.805-0.6 pts
74Madison County6.762-3.31 pts
75Hyde County6.742-2.18 pts
76Rowan County6.728-1.33 pts
77Rutherford County6.724-1.69 pts
78Burke County6.672-1.17 pts
79Rockingham County6.635-0.86 pts
80Gaston County6.521-1.35 pts
81Catawba County6.499+0.09 pts
82Pamlico County6.481+0.5 pts
83Perquimans County6.417-4.34 pts
84Nash County6.324-1.53 pts
85Stanly County6.32-0.44 pts
86Halifax County6.239-0.65 pts
87Cleveland County6.195-0.37 pts
88Davie County6.158-3.92 pts
89Yancey County6.104-4.46 pts
90Greene County6.074+0.19 pts
91Chowan County5.979-1.44 pts
92Jones County5.932-8.1 pts
93Richmond County5.692-1.97 pts
94Person County5.573-0.56 pts
95Wilson County5.313-1.32 pts
96Caldwell County5.247-1.6 pts
97Ashe County5.192-4.03 pts
98Edgecombe County4.908-2.62 pts
99Montgomery County4.817-2.81 pts
100Tyrrell County4.082-6.58 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. 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, 2016) [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, 2016. 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=2016. 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, 2016. 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=2016.

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, 2016 [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=2016 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_north_carolina_2016,
  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, 2016}},
  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=2016. 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, 2016
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=2016
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/establishment-exit-rate/north-carolina-counties?period=2016.
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?

Graham County, with 13.571% in 2016, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest establishment exit rate?

Tyrrell County, with 4.082% in 2016.

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.

Establishment exit rate: other rankings

Counties in North Carolina: more rankings