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

Counties in North Carolina by establishment exit rate

Hyde County had the highest establishment exit rate of 99 counties in 2020, at 21.538%. Yancey County had the lowest, at 4.831%. The median was 8.159% and the figure for North Carolina was 8.611%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest21.538Hyde County
Lowest4.831Yancey County
Median8.15999 counties
North Carolina8.611History

Map of counties, 2020

Alamance County: 6.265 %Alexander County: 5.637 %Alleghany County: 7.522 %Anson County: 7.192 %Ashe County: 8.952 %Avery County: 5.974 %Beaufort County: 6.786 %Bertie County: 7.985 %Bladen County: 8.159 %Brunswick County: 8.745 %Buncombe County: 9.198 %Burke County: 7.083 %Cabarrus County: 8.408 %Caldwell County: 7.595 %Carteret County: 8.456 %Caswell County: 9.259 %Catawba County: 6.571 %Chatham County: 9.862 %Cherokee County: 10.594 %Chowan County: 7.059 %Clay County: 8.354 %Cleveland County: 7.033 %Columbus County: 7.906 %Craven County: 8.088 %Cumberland County: 8.694 %Currituck County: 8.93 %Dare County: 9.018 %Davidson County: 8.901 %Davie County: 8.56 %Duplin County: 7.965 %Durham County: 9.407 %Edgecombe County: 8.289 %Forsyth County: 7.973 %Franklin County: 9.694 %Gaston County: 8.637 %Gates County: 6.364 %Graham County: 10.922 %Granville County: 9.512 %Greene County: 7.787 %Guilford County: 8.061 %Halifax County: 7.589 %Harnett County: 7.799 %Haywood County: 7.865 %Henderson County: 8.554 %Hertford County: 5.455 %Hoke County: 8.664 %Hyde County: 21.538 %Iredell County: 8.811 %Jackson County: 7.705 %Johnston County: 8.112 %Jones County: 11.966 %Lee County: 7.492 %Lenoir County: 6.142 %Lincoln County: 8.611 %McDowell County: 7.862 %Macon County: 10.148 %Madison County: 8.791 %Martin County: 9.102 %Mecklenburg County: 9.806 %Mitchell County: 6.512 %Montgomery County: 6.465 %Moore County: 7.827 %Nash County: 8.008 %New Hanover County: 8.714 %Northampton County: 5.714 %Onslow County: 9.135 %Orange County: 10.149 %Pamlico County: 9.615 %Pasquotank County: 7.088 %Pender County: 9.533 %Perquimans County: 11.799 %Person County: 6.471 %Pitt County: 7.434 %Polk County: 9.945 %Randolph County: 7.204 %Richmond County: 8.267 %Robeson County: 7.248 %Rockingham County: 7.581 %Rowan County: 8.473 %Rutherford County: 7.906 %Sampson County: 7.452 %Scotland County: 5.027 %Stanly County: 5.28 %Stokes County: 8.146 %Surry County: 8.587 %Swain County: 10.87 %Transylvania County: 9.681 %Tyrrell County: 12.03 %Union County: 9.767 %Vance County: 7.282 %Wake County: 9.307 %Warren County: 11.006 %Washington County: 8.333 %Watauga County: 8.728 %Wayne County: 7.723 %Wilkes County: 7.062 %Wilson County: 7.108 %Yadkin County: 10.357 %Yancey County: 4.831 %
  • Under 7.1
  • 7.1 to 7.7
  • 7.7 to 8.2
  • 8.2 to 8.7
  • 8.7 to 9.7
  • 9.7 and over
  • No data
%, 2020. 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, 2020

Hyde County: 21.538 %Hyde County21.538Tyrrell County: 12.03 %Tyrrell County12.03Jones County: 11.966 %Jones County11.966Perquimans County: 11.799 %Perquimans County11.799Warren County: 11.006 %Warren County11.006Graham County: 10.922 %Graham County10.922Swain County: 10.87 %Swain County10.87Cherokee County: 10.594 %Cherokee County10.594Yadkin County: 10.357 %Yadkin County10.357Orange County: 10.149 %Orange County10.149Macon County: 10.148 %Macon County10.148Polk County: 9.945 %Polk County9.945Chatham County: 9.862 %Chatham County9.862Mecklenburg County: 9.806 %Mecklenburg County9.806Union County: 9.767 %Union County9.767Franklin County: 9.694 %Franklin County9.694Transylvania County: 9.681 %Transylvania County9.681Pamlico County: 9.615 %Pamlico County9.615Pender County: 9.533 %Pender County9.533Granville County: 9.512 %Granville County9.512Durham County: 9.407 %Durham County9.407Wake County: 9.307 %Wake County9.307Caswell County: 9.259 %Caswell County9.259Buncombe County: 9.198 %Buncombe County9.198Onslow County: 9.135 %Onslow County9.135Martin County: 9.102 %Martin County9.102Dare County: 9.018 %Dare County9.018Ashe County: 8.952 %Ashe County8.952Currituck County: 8.93 %Currituck County8.93Davidson County: 8.901 %Davidson County8.901Iredell County: 8.811 %Iredell County8.811Madison County: 8.791 %Madison County8.791Brunswick County: 8.745 %Brunswick County8.745Watauga County: 8.728 %Watauga County8.728New Hanover County: 8.714 %New Hanover County8.714Cumberland County: 8.694 %Cumberland County8.694Hoke County: 8.664 %Hoke County8.664Gaston County: 8.637 %Gaston County8.637Lincoln County: 8.611 %Lincoln County8.611Surry County: 8.587 %Surry County8.587Hyde County: 21.538 %Hyde County21.538Tyrrell County: 12.03 %Tyrrell County12.03Jones County: 11.966 %Jones County11.966Perquimans County: 11.799 %Perquimans County11.799Warren County: 11.006 %Warren County11.006Graham County: 10.922 %Graham County10.922Swain County: 10.87 %Swain County10.87Cherokee County: 10.594 %Cherokee County10.594Yadkin County: 10.357 %Yadkin County10.357Orange County: 10.149 %Orange County10.149Macon County: 10.148 %Macon County10.148Polk County: 9.945 %Polk County9.945Chatham County: 9.862 %Chatham County9.862Mecklenburg County: 9.806 %Mecklenburg County9.806Union County: 9.767 %Union County9.767Franklin County: 9.694 %Franklin County9.694Transylvania County: 9.681 %Transylvania County9.681Pamlico County: 9.615 %Pamlico County9.615Pender County: 9.533 %Pender County9.533Granville County: 9.512 %Granville County9.512Durham County: 9.407 %Durham County9.407Wake County: 9.307 %Wake County9.307Caswell County: 9.259 %Caswell County9.259Buncombe County: 9.198 %Buncombe County9.198Onslow County: 9.135 %Onslow County9.135Martin County: 9.102 %Martin County9.102Dare County: 9.018 %Dare County9.018Ashe County: 8.952 %Ashe County8.952Currituck County: 8.93 %Currituck County8.93Davidson County: 8.901 %Davidson County8.901Iredell County: 8.811 %Iredell County8.811Madison County: 8.791 %Madison County8.791Brunswick County: 8.745 %Brunswick County8.745Watauga County: 8.728 %Watauga County8.728New Hanover County: 8.714 %New Hanover County8.714Cumberland County: 8.694 %Cumberland County8.694Hoke County: 8.664 %Hoke County8.664Gaston County: 8.637 %Gaston County8.637Lincoln County: 8.611 %Lincoln County8.611Surry County: 8.587 %Surry County8.587
%. 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

RankCounties2020 (%)Change on 2019
1Hyde County21.538+17.21 pts
2Tyrrell County12.03+2.38 pts
3Jones County11.966-1.86 pts
4Perquimans County11.799+2.52 pts
5Warren County11.006+4.59 pts
6Graham County10.922+1.53 pts
7Swain County10.87+2.2 pts
8Cherokee County10.594+4.23 pts
9Yadkin County10.357+2.38 pts
10Orange County10.149+0.73 pts
11Macon County10.148+1.89 pts
12Polk County9.945-0.2 pts
13Chatham County9.862+1.82 pts
14Mecklenburg County9.806+0.82 pts
15Union County9.767+1.29 pts
16Franklin County9.694+1.91 pts
17Transylvania County9.681+1.76 pts
18Pamlico County9.615-2.35 pts
19Pender County9.533+1.51 pts
20Granville County9.512+2.14 pts
21Durham County9.407+1.18 pts
22Wake County9.307+0.78 pts
23Caswell County9.259-0.33 pts
24Buncombe County9.198+1.17 pts
25Onslow County9.135+2.57 pts
26Martin County9.102+3.4 pts
27Dare County9.018+1.27 pts
28Ashe County8.952-1.69 pts
29Currituck County8.93+0.31 pts
30Davidson County8.901+1.14 pts
31Iredell County8.811+0.81 pts
32Madison County8.791-0.99 pts
33Brunswick County8.745-0.06 pts
34Watauga County8.728+1.12 pts
35New Hanover County8.714+0.65 pts
36Cumberland County8.694+1.42 pts
37Hoke County8.664+0.22 pts
38Gaston County8.637+0.93 pts
39Lincoln County8.611+1.17 pts
40Surry County8.587+0.31 pts
41Davie County8.56+0.6 pts
42Henderson County8.554-0.06 pts
43Rowan County8.473+1.47 pts
44Carteret County8.456+0.17 pts
45Cabarrus County8.408+0.35 pts
46Clay County8.354+0.04 pts
47Washington County8.333+0.14 pts
48Edgecombe County8.289+1.68 pts
49Richmond County8.267+1.89 pts
50Bladen County8.159+3.12 pts
51Stokes County8.146+2.53 pts
52Johnston County8.112+0.37 pts
53Craven County8.088+1.52 pts
54Guilford County8.061+0.46 pts
55Nash County8.008+2.72 pts
56Bertie County7.985+0.07 pts
57Forsyth County7.973+0.08 pts
58Duplin County7.965+0.99 pts
59Columbus County7.906+0.15 pts
59Rutherford County7.906-0.85 pts
61Haywood County7.865-0.23 pts
62McDowell County7.862+2.22 pts
63Moore County7.827+1.15 pts
64Harnett County7.799-0.38 pts
65Greene County7.787+1.63 pts
66Wayne County7.723+1.31 pts
67Jackson County7.705+0.08 pts
68Caldwell County7.595+0.73 pts
69Halifax County7.589+0.5 pts
70Rockingham County7.581+0.16 pts
71Alleghany County7.522-0.42 pts
72Lee County7.492+0.94 pts
73Sampson County7.452+0.55 pts
74Pitt County7.434+0.42 pts
75Vance County7.282-0.27 pts
76Robeson County7.248+0.19 pts
77Randolph County7.204+0.19 pts
78Anson County7.192-2.69 pts
79Wilson County7.108+1.27 pts
80Pasquotank County7.088+1.01 pts
81Burke County7.083+0.49 pts
82Wilkes County7.062-1.04 pts
83Chowan County7.059+0.88 pts
84Cleveland County7.033+1.99 pts
85Beaufort County6.786-0.68 pts
86Catawba County6.571+0.02 pts
87Mitchell County6.512+0.02 pts
88Person County6.471+1.49 pts
89Montgomery County6.465-0.16 pts
90Gates County6.364+1.76 pts
91Alamance County6.265-0.73 pts
92Lenoir County6.142-0.09 pts
93Avery County5.974-2.08 pts
94Northampton County5.714+0.32 pts
95Alexander County5.637-1.97 pts
96Hertford County5.455+0.78 pts
97Stanly County5.28-0.66 pts
98Scotland County5.027-1.45 pts
99Yancey County4.831-1.72 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 2020 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, 2020) [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, 2020. 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=2020. 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, 2020. 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=2020.

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, 2020 [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=2020 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_north_carolina_2020,
  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, 2020}},
  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=2020. 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, 2020
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=2020
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/establishment-exit-rate/north-carolina-counties?period=2020.
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?

Hyde County, with 21.538% in 2020, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest establishment exit rate?

Yancey County, with 4.831% in 2020.

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 2020 and are not ranked.

Establishment exit rate: other rankings

Counties in North Carolina: more rankings