Data / Rankings / Job creation rate / Counties in Missouri

Counties in Missouri by job creation rate

Hickory County had the highest job creation rate of 115 counties in 2016, at 23.598%. Douglas County had the lowest, at 5.987%. The median was 10.972% and the figure for Missouri was 12.069%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest23.598Hickory County
Lowest5.987Douglas County
Median10.972115 counties
Missouri12.069History

Map of counties, 2016

Adair County: 8.93 %Andrew County: 13.266 %Atchison County: 12.48 %Audrain County: 7.786 %Barry County: 9.345 %Barton County: 12.958 %Bates County: 13.618 %Benton County: 12.244 %Bollinger County: 13.504 %Boone County: 12.523 %Buchanan County: 11.2 %Butler County: 11.309 %Caldwell County: 20.27 %Callaway County: 7.497 %Camden County: 14.294 %Cape Girardeau County: 10.341 %Carroll County: 8.69 %Carter County: 14.358 %Cass County: 13.664 %Cedar County: 13.785 %Chariton County: 8.63 %Christian County: 14.965 %Clark County: 9.578 %Clay County: 11.953 %Clinton County: 15.073 %Cole County: 11.851 %Cooper County: 10.383 %Crawford County: 9.863 %Dade County: 8.889 %Dallas County: 8.74 %Daviess County: 14.286 %DeKalb County: 8.878 %Dent County: 11.295 %Douglas County: 5.987 %Dunklin County: 6.56 %Franklin County: 10.828 %Gasconade County: 9.94 %Gentry County: 13.194 %Greene County: 11.695 %Grundy County: 7.649 %Harrison County: 8.155 %Henry County: 10.066 %Hickory County: 23.598 %Holt County: 7.162 %Howard County: 9.089 %Howell County: 8.555 %Iron County: 10.887 %Jackson County: 11.801 %Jasper County: 9.79 %Jefferson County: 14.466 %Johnson County: 15.196 %Knox County: 8.681 %Laclede County: 13.696 %Lafayette County: 12.215 %Lawrence County: 16.482 %Lewis County: 7.018 %Lincoln County: 14.855 %Linn County: 8.074 %Livingston County: 8.549 %McDonald County: 9.541 %Macon County: 10.914 %Madison County: 10.038 %Maries County: 10.343 %Marion County: 7.955 %Mercer County: 18.583 %Miller County: 14.639 %Mississippi County: 17.029 %Moniteau County: 10.603 %Monroe County: 7.28 %Montgomery County: 16.957 %Morgan County: 13.773 %New Madrid County: 11.592 %Newton County: 7.526 %Nodaway County: 9.646 %Oregon County: 11.63 %Osage County: 16.275 %Ozark County: 16.728 %Pemiscot County: 9.581 %Perry County: 7.488 %Pettis County: 9.329 %Phelps County: 12.065 %Pike County: 7.852 %Platte County: 15.236 %Polk County: 14.892 %Pulaski County: 9.931 %Putnam County: 12.49 %Ralls County: 8.612 %Randolph County: 10.146 %Ray County: 8.328 %Reynolds County: 8.95 %Ripley County: 11.457 %St. Charles County: 12.705 %St. Clair County: 10.972 %Ste. Genevieve County: 10.18 %St. Francois County: 10.78 %St. Louis County: 12.829 %Saline County: 7.225 %Schuyler County: 18.803 %Scotland County: 9.748 %Scott County: 9.977 %Shannon County: 14.715 %Shelby County: 9.045 %Stoddard County: 10.642 %Stone County: 13.076 %Sullivan County: 8.63 %Taney County: 15.426 %Texas County: 14.835 %Vernon County: 9.25 %Warren County: 12.779 %Washington County: 12.557 %Wayne County: 14.627 %Webster County: 14.551 %Worth County: 8.05 %Wright County: 11.166 %St. Louis city: 11.05 %
  • Under 8.6
  • 8.6 to 9.7
  • 9.7 to 11
  • 11 to 13
  • 13 to 15
  • 15 and over
%, 2016. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2016

Hickory County: 23.598 %Hickory County23.598Caldwell County: 20.27 %Caldwell County20.27Schuyler County: 18.803 %Schuyler County18.803Mercer County: 18.583 %Mercer County18.583Mississippi County: 17.029 %Mississippi County17.029Montgomery County: 16.957 %Montgomery County16.957Ozark County: 16.728 %Ozark County16.728Lawrence County: 16.482 %Lawrence County16.482Osage County: 16.275 %Osage County16.275Taney County: 15.426 %Taney County15.426Platte County: 15.236 %Platte County15.236Johnson County: 15.196 %Johnson County15.196Clinton County: 15.073 %Clinton County15.073Christian County: 14.965 %Christian County14.965Polk County: 14.892 %Polk County14.892Lincoln County: 14.855 %Lincoln County14.855Texas County: 14.835 %Texas County14.835Shannon County: 14.715 %Shannon County14.715Miller County: 14.639 %Miller County14.639Wayne County: 14.627 %Wayne County14.627Webster County: 14.551 %Webster County14.551Jefferson County: 14.466 %Jefferson County14.466Carter County: 14.358 %Carter County14.358Camden County: 14.294 %Camden County14.294Daviess County: 14.286 %Daviess County14.286Cedar County: 13.785 %Cedar County13.785Morgan County: 13.773 %Morgan County13.773Laclede County: 13.696 %Laclede County13.696Cass County: 13.664 %Cass County13.664Bates County: 13.618 %Bates County13.618Bollinger County: 13.504 %Bollinger County13.504Andrew County: 13.266 %Andrew County13.266Gentry County: 13.194 %Gentry County13.194Stone County: 13.076 %Stone County13.076Barton County: 12.958 %Barton County12.958St. Louis County: 12.829 %St. Louis County12.829Warren County: 12.779 %Warren County12.779St. Charles County: 12.705 %St. Charles County12.705Washington County: 12.557 %Washington County12.557Boone County: 12.523 %Boone County12.523Hickory County: 23.598 %Hickory County23.598Caldwell County: 20.27 %Caldwell County20.27Schuyler County: 18.803 %Schuyler County18.803Mercer County: 18.583 %Mercer County18.583Mississippi County: 17.029 %Mississippi County17.029Montgomery County: 16.957 %Montgomery County16.957Ozark County: 16.728 %Ozark County16.728Lawrence County: 16.482 %Lawrence County16.482Osage County: 16.275 %Osage County16.275Taney County: 15.426 %Taney County15.426Platte County: 15.236 %Platte County15.236Johnson County: 15.196 %Johnson County15.196Clinton County: 15.073 %Clinton County15.073Christian County: 14.965 %Christian County14.965Polk County: 14.892 %Polk County14.892Lincoln County: 14.855 %Lincoln County14.855Texas County: 14.835 %Texas County14.835Shannon County: 14.715 %Shannon County14.715Miller County: 14.639 %Miller County14.639Wayne County: 14.627 %Wayne County14.627Webster County: 14.551 %Webster County14.551Jefferson County: 14.466 %Jefferson County14.466Carter County: 14.358 %Carter County14.358Camden County: 14.294 %Camden County14.294Daviess County: 14.286 %Daviess County14.286Cedar County: 13.785 %Cedar County13.785Morgan County: 13.773 %Morgan County13.773Laclede County: 13.696 %Laclede County13.696Cass County: 13.664 %Cass County13.664Bates County: 13.618 %Bates County13.618Bollinger County: 13.504 %Bollinger County13.504Andrew County: 13.266 %Andrew County13.266Gentry County: 13.194 %Gentry County13.194Stone County: 13.076 %Stone County13.076Barton County: 12.958 %Barton County12.958St. Louis County: 12.829 %St. Louis County12.829Warren County: 12.779 %Warren County12.779St. Charles County: 12.705 %St. Charles County12.705Washington County: 12.557 %Washington County12.557Boone County: 12.523 %Boone County12.523
%. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2016 (%)Change on 2015
1Hickory County23.598-0.64 pts
2Caldwell County20.27+3.05 pts
3Schuyler County18.803+5.8 pts
4Mercer County18.583+2.56 pts
5Mississippi County17.029+6.38 pts
6Montgomery County16.957+5.89 pts
7Ozark County16.728-5.32 pts
8Lawrence County16.482+7.32 pts
9Osage County16.275+2.1 pts
10Taney County15.426+3.85 pts
11Platte County15.236+3.5 pts
12Johnson County15.196+4.67 pts
13Clinton County15.073+2.24 pts
14Christian County14.965-0.64 pts
15Polk County14.892+6.91 pts
16Lincoln County14.855+3.7 pts
17Texas County14.835+3.99 pts
18Shannon County14.715+0.03 pts
19Miller County14.639+1.79 pts
20Wayne County14.627+2.54 pts
21Webster County14.551+1.81 pts
22Jefferson County14.466+2.73 pts
23Carter County14.358+3.14 pts
24Camden County14.294-0.14 pts
25Daviess County14.2860 pts
26Cedar County13.785+1.15 pts
27Morgan County13.773+1.94 pts
28Laclede County13.696+3.32 pts
29Cass County13.664+1.82 pts
30Bates County13.618+2.58 pts
31Bollinger County13.504+1.2 pts
32Andrew County13.266+1.4 pts
33Gentry County13.194-1.15 pts
34Stone County13.076+0.07 pts
35Barton County12.958+3.67 pts
36St. Louis County12.829-0.54 pts
37Warren County12.779+1.71 pts
38St. Charles County12.705-0.97 pts
39Washington County12.557+1.83 pts
40Boone County12.523+0.28 pts
41Putnam County12.49-1.47 pts
42Atchison County12.48+0.89 pts
43Benton County12.244-0.14 pts
44Lafayette County12.215-0.23 pts
45Phelps County12.065+3.05 pts
46Clay County11.953-2.5 pts
47Cole County11.851-1.84 pts
48Jackson County11.801+0.06 pts
49Greene County11.695-1.72 pts
50Oregon County11.63-2.28 pts
51New Madrid County11.592+3.3 pts
52Ripley County11.457-1.18 pts
53Butler County11.309+1.07 pts
54Dent County11.295+1.44 pts
55Buchanan County11.2-0.99 pts
56Wright County11.166-0.14 pts
57St. Louis city11.05-5.43 pts
58St. Clair County10.972-3.88 pts
59Macon County10.914-2.78 pts
60Iron County10.887-2.27 pts
61Franklin County10.828-0.67 pts
62St. Francois County10.78+0.56 pts
63Stoddard County10.642+2.08 pts
64Moniteau County10.603+2.08 pts
65Cooper County10.383-0.05 pts
66Maries County10.343-3.2 pts
67Cape Girardeau County10.341+1.26 pts
68Ste. Genevieve County10.18-2.19 pts
69Randolph County10.146-0.01 pts
70Henry County10.066+1.13 pts
71Madison County10.038-4.42 pts
72Scott County9.977-1.06 pts
73Gasconade County9.94-1.1 pts
74Pulaski County9.931-0.07 pts
75Crawford County9.863+0.2 pts
76Jasper County9.79-3.35 pts
77Scotland County9.748-10.05 pts
78Nodaway County9.646-4.47 pts
79Pemiscot County9.581+1.31 pts
80Clark County9.578-3.24 pts
81McDonald County9.541-0.33 pts
82Barry County9.345-0.83 pts
83Pettis County9.329+0.8 pts
84Vernon County9.25+0.58 pts
85Howard County9.089+0.35 pts
86Shelby County9.045-1.36 pts
87Reynolds County8.95+3.09 pts
88Adair County8.93+0.54 pts
89Dade County8.889+1.75 pts
90DeKalb County8.878-3.23 pts
91Dallas County8.74-3.08 pts
92Carroll County8.69-3.33 pts
93Knox County8.681-0.51 pts
94Chariton County8.63-3.6 pts
94Sullivan County8.63-17.89 pts
96Ralls County8.612+2.54 pts
97Howell County8.555-0.98 pts
98Livingston County8.549-2.88 pts
99Ray County8.328-8.32 pts
100Harrison County8.155+0.81 pts
101Linn County8.074-3.62 pts
102Worth County8.05-4.6 pts
103Marion County7.955-1.65 pts
104Pike County7.852-1.63 pts
105Audrain County7.786-3.16 pts
106Grundy County7.649-2.49 pts
107Newton County7.526-3.48 pts
108Callaway County7.497+0.32 pts
109Perry County7.488-3.56 pts
110Monroe County7.28-2.19 pts
111Saline County7.225-0.88 pts
112Holt County7.162-9.5 pts
113Lewis County7.018-3.22 pts
114Dunklin County6.56-3.48 pts
115Douglas County5.987-1.47 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Jobs added at opening and expanding establishments during the year, as a percentage of average employment in the two years. United States: Census Bureau Business Dynamics Statistics.

A gross flow: jobs lost elsewhere are not subtracted, so the net change is this rate minus job_destruction_rate. Not the same as payroll job growth from the monthly employment surveys. 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: job creation 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: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010 (Counties in Missouri by job creation 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: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010, Counties in Missouri by job creation 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/job-creation-rate/missouri-counties?period=2016. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2025. Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Counties in Missouri by job creation 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/job-creation-rate/missouri-counties?period=2016.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2025) Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010, Counties in Missouri by job creation 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/job-creation-rate/missouri-counties?period=2016 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_missouri_by_2016,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010: Counties in Missouri by job creation 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/job-creation-rate/missouri-counties?period=2016. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation 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: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010: Counties in Missouri by job creation 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/job-creation-rate/missouri-counties?period=2016
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-creation-rate/missouri-counties?period=2016.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation 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 job creation rate?

Hickory County, with 23.598% in 2016, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest job creation rate?

Douglas County, with 5.987% 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: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Job creation rate: other rankings

Counties in Missouri: more rankings