County Business Patterns: your industry in your county
Reviewed Sep 28, 2026 U.S. Census Bureau, BLS and SBA public data files How we verify
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County Business Patterns is the U.S. Census Bureau's yearly count of employer businesses, jobs and payroll by county and industry; the 2023 edition came out June 26, 2025. We add BLS pay and survival, solo businesses and SBA loans, from official files retrieved September 28, 2026.
Headline finding
55.5% of employer establishments had fewer than 5 employees in 2023. 4,639,648 of the 8,361,340 establishments in the County Business Patterns county records (sums computed by InterObservers from the Census Bureau files). (Source: Census County Business Patterns)
What the national data shows
- There were 3.6 solo businesses with no employees (nonemployer businesses) for every employer establishment. 30,427,807 businesses without paid employees in the 2023 Nonemployer Statistics county records, against 8,361,340 employer establishments (both sums computed by InterObservers). Nonemployer counts follow the mailing address of the business. (Source: Census Nonemployer Statistics)
- Five-year survival of new private establishments ranged from 45.7% in information to 61.8% in agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting. Establishments that opened in the year ended March 2020; 51.4% of all new private establishments of that cohort were still open five years later (BLS Business Employment Dynamics). (Source: BLS Business Employment Dynamics)
- Among the 6 sectors that BLS discloses in all 50 states and DC, average annual pay per private job in 2025 ranged from $43,458 in retail trade to $166,048 in management of companies and enterprises. Employment-weighted averages of the state figures of the BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, computed by InterObservers; the average mixes full-time and part-time jobs. All private industries: $79,094. (Source: BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages)
- Among closed SBA 7(a) loans approved in FY2016 to FY2020, 12.1% were charged off in arts, entertainment, and recreation, against 2.5% in management of companies and enterprises. Charge-off rate of closed loans, computed by InterObservers from the SBA 7(a) FOIA file as charged off / (charged off + paid in full); active loans are not counted, so it is not a default probability. All sectors: 8.8% of 195,302 closed loans. Sectors with at least 100 closed loans. (Source: SBA 7(a) loan data)
Your county and industry
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County Business Patterns by industry: United States
How many employer establishments each industry sector has (Census County Business Patterns 2023), how many people they employ and how small they are, how many solo businesses compete with them (Census Nonemployer Statistics 2023), what private jobs paid in 2025 (BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages) and how many new establishments are still open after 1 and 5 years (BLS Business Employment Dynamics).
All industries, farming, mining, utilities, construction and manufacturing (6 rows)
| Industry | Employer establishments (Census, 2023) | Employees, mid-March (Census, 2023) | Share with fewer than 5 employees | Solo businesses, no employees (Census, 2023) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 8,361,340 | 139,831,737 | 55.5% | 30,427,807 |
| Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting (NAICS 11) | 21,586 | 153,973 | at least 67.4% | 255,687 |
| Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction (NAICS 21) | 21,897 | 529,025 | at least 45.8% | 69,046 |
| Utilities (NAICS 22) | 18,911 | 641,855 | at least 36.8% | 16,690 |
| Construction (NAICS 23) | 814,471 | 7,659,051 | at least 65.8% | 2,917,626 |
| Manufacturing (NAICS 31-33) | 284,159 | 12,325,212 | at least 35.8% | 406,393 |
| Industry | Average yearly pay per job (BLS, 2025) | Still open after 1 year (BLS) | Still open after 5 years (BLS) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | $79,094 | 77.9% | 51.4% |
| Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting (NAICS 11) | $48,416* | 85.7% | 61.8% |
| Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction (NAICS 21) | $136,552* | 77.7% | 48.5% |
| Utilities (NAICS 22) | $142,815* | 76.9% | 61.6% |
| Construction (NAICS 23) | $85,242* | 79.7% | 56.5% |
| Manufacturing (NAICS 31-33) | $89,326* | 80.1% | 58.4% |
Trade, transportation and information (4 rows)
| Industry | Employer establishments (Census, 2023) | Employees, mid-March (Census, 2023) | Share with fewer than 5 employees | Solo businesses, no employees (Census, 2023) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wholesale Trade (NAICS 42) | 381,824 | 6,234,448 | at least 50.6% | 458,214 |
| Retail Trade (NAICS 44-45) | 1,043,339 | 16,046,061 | at least 43.9% | 2,081,467 |
| Transportation and Warehousing (NAICS 48-49) | 290,994 | 6,547,334 | at least 62.4% | 4,057,102 |
| Information (NAICS 51) | 160,064 | 3,805,141 | at least 58.1% | 398,853 |
| Industry | Average yearly pay per job (BLS, 2025) | Still open after 1 year (BLS) | Still open after 5 years (BLS) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wholesale Trade (NAICS 42) | $106,651* | 79.5% | 51.2% |
| Retail Trade (NAICS 44-45) | $43,458 | 84.4% | 59.8% |
| Transportation and Warehousing (NAICS 48-49) | $69,139* | 77.0% | 52.7% |
| Information (NAICS 51) | $201,711* | 71.6% | 45.7% |
Finance, real estate, professional and business services (5 rows)
| Industry | Employer establishments (Census, 2023) | Employees, mid-March (Census, 2023) | Share with fewer than 5 employees | Solo businesses, no employees (Census, 2023) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finance and Insurance (NAICS 52) | 469,226 | 6,990,802 | at least 61.1% | 805,408 |
| Real Estate and Rental and Leasing (NAICS 53) | 469,141 | 2,390,804 | at least 78.0% | 3,170,522 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (NAICS 54) | 989,029 | 10,400,785 | at least 71.4% | 4,075,707 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises (NAICS 55) | 48,318 | 3,827,869 | at least 35.4% | not published by Census |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services (NAICS 56) | 450,664 | 13,450,601 | at least 60.2% | 2,905,391 |
| Industry | Average yearly pay per job (BLS, 2025) | Still open after 1 year (BLS) | Still open after 5 years (BLS) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finance and Insurance (NAICS 52) | $153,178* | 79.2% | 53.8% |
| Real Estate and Rental and Leasing (NAICS 53) | $80,189* | 81.0% | 57.9% |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (NAICS 54) | $135,280 | 74.5% | 50.8% |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises (NAICS 55) | $166,048 | 80.5% | 52.1% |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services (NAICS 56) | $59,961 | 75.7% | 51.5% |
Education, health care, leisure and other services (5 rows)
| Industry | Employer establishments (Census, 2023) | Employees, mid-March (Census, 2023) | Share with fewer than 5 employees | Solo businesses, no employees (Census, 2023) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Educational Services (NAICS 61) | 117,014 | 3,906,166 | at least 47.6% | 893,129 |
| Health Care and Social Assistance (NAICS 62) | 1,003,320 | 22,062,215 | at least 47.1% | 2,303,832 |
| Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (NAICS 71) | 165,630 | 2,484,444 | at least 60.3% | 1,737,578 |
| Accommodation and Food Services (NAICS 72) | 784,778 | 14,603,575 | at least 30.0% | 664,166 |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) (NAICS 81) | 807,757 | 5,616,356 | at least 63.5% | 3,206,387 |
| Industry | Average yearly pay per job (BLS, 2025) | Still open after 1 year (BLS) | Still open after 5 years (BLS) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Educational Services (NAICS 61) | $65,875 | 78.4% | 58.2% |
| Health Care and Social Assistance (NAICS 62) | $66,522 | 82.1% | 52.6% |
| Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (NAICS 71) | $52,273* | 78.4% | 57.1% |
| Accommodation and Food Services (NAICS 72) | $30,694* | 85.3% | 59.3% |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) (NAICS 81) | $54,635* | 82.6% | 60.0% |
* Not a national figure: BLS suppresses this sector's pay in some states, so the average covers only the states where BLS discloses it (Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting: 34 of 51; Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction: 33 of 51; Utilities: 37 of 51; Construction: 34 of 51; Manufacturing: 45 of 51; Wholesale Trade: 44 of 51; Transportation and Warehousing: 42 of 51; Information: 30 of 51; Finance and Insurance: 46 of 51; Real Estate and Rental and Leasing: 46 of 51; Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation: 46 of 51; Accommodation and Food Services: 46 of 51; Other Services (except Public Administration): 44 of 51).
Establishments, employees, size shares and solo businesses are sums of the county records computed by InterObservers (Census does not release cells with fewer than 3 establishments, so the sums can be a little below the national tables; "at least" marks a share where some counties' size classes are flagged "N"). Average pay: employment-weighted from the state figures of BLS QCEW, private ownership, computed by InterObservers. Survival: BLS Business Employment Dynamics Table 7, establishments that opened in the year ended March 2024 (1 year) and March 2020 (5 years). Sector 55 has no solo business figures in Nonemployer Statistics.
Establishments and survival by state
All industries. Survival is for private establishments that opened in the year ended March 2024 (1 year) and March 2020 (5 years). Each state name opens its employment rulebook.
Northeast (9 states)
| State | Employer establishments (Census, 2023) | Solo businesses, no employees (Census, 2023) | Still open after 1 year (BLS) | Still open after 5 years (BLS) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Connecticut | 89,234 | 326,020 | 78.2% | 51.1% |
| Maine | 43,345 | 127,173 | 76.9% | 54.9% |
| Massachusetts | 183,767 | 633,439 | 76.4% | 52.7% |
| New Hampshire | 39,298 | 116,209 | 75.1% | 47.7% |
| New Jersey | 237,968 | 883,628 | 79.3% | 50.5% |
| New York | 541,313 | 1,985,320 | 79.6% | 51.9% |
| Pennsylvania | 307,065 | 955,359 | 78.8% | 57.1% |
| Rhode Island | 29,510 | 95,241 | 77.9% | 48.1% |
| Vermont | 20,841 | 65,028 | 75.9% | 46.6% |
Midwest (12 states)
| State | Employer establishments (Census, 2023) | Solo businesses, no employees (Census, 2023) | Still open after 1 year (BLS) | Still open after 5 years (BLS) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois | 322,415 | 1,120,413 | 79.7% | 55.6% |
| Indiana | 155,692 | 486,290 | 79.5% | 54.3% |
| Iowa | 83,321 | 228,781 | 80.2% | 53.7% |
| Kansas | 76,139 | 219,072 | 76.4% | 47.4% |
| Michigan | 229,564 | 815,013 | 77.6% | 55.0% |
| Minnesota | 154,455 | 453,181 | 79.4% | 54.9% |
| Missouri | 151,475 | 485,486 | 74.1% | 42.9% |
| Nebraska | 56,503 | 154,971 | 78.8% | 50.9% |
| North Dakota | 25,402 | 60,342 | 79.1% | 54.4% |
| Ohio | 255,049 | 909,227 | 78.7% | 54.4% |
| South Dakota | 29,106 | 75,686 | 78.5% | 52.7% |
| Wisconsin | 144,774 | 397,269 | 79.5% | 52.4% |
South (16 states and DC)
| State | Employer establishments (Census, 2023) | Solo businesses, no employees (Census, 2023) | Still open after 1 year (BLS) | Still open after 5 years (BLS) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 105,720 | 388,978 | 77.1% | 51.4% |
| Arkansas | 70,452 | 244,688 | 76.6% | 48.0% |
| Delaware | 29,706 | 93,022 | 72.8% | 48.1% |
| District of Columbia | 23,801 | 64,986 | 67.1% | 42.4% |
| Florida | 645,575 | 3,117,327 | 76.0% | 49.5% |
| Georgia | 261,320 | 1,163,944 | 75.1% | 49.9% |
| Kentucky | 94,402 | 335,592 | 78.7% | 54.1% |
| Louisiana | 108,561 | 418,516 | 80.4% | 52.9% |
| Maryland | 142,967 | 599,050 | 75.5% | 50.1% |
| Mississippi | 60,465 | 253,350 | 77.9% | 53.5% |
| North Carolina | 258,169 | 920,236 | 76.1% | 54.2% |
| Oklahoma | 96,402 | 327,441 | 73.5% | 50.2% |
| South Carolina | 122,958 | 445,689 | 82.3% | 55.9% |
| Tennessee | 150,129 | 649,168 | 70.7% | 46.4% |
| Texas | 670,877 | 3,092,631 | 78.4% | 52.5% |
| Virginia | 210,842 | 740,321 | 76.0% | 48.8% |
| West Virginia | 35,839 | 94,681 | 76.3% | 53.6% |
West (13 states)
| State | Employer establishments (Census, 2023) | Solo businesses, no employees (Census, 2023) | Still open after 1 year (BLS) | Still open after 5 years (BLS) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | 22,178 | 61,337 | 74.4% | 50.8% |
| Arizona | 162,845 | 598,126 | 79.0% | 52.1% |
| California | 1,029,689 | 3,537,469 | 80.3% | 53.7% |
| Colorado | 182,486 | 607,592 | 75.9% | 48.5% |
| Hawaii | 32,910 | 120,655 | 77.1% | 51.0% |
| Idaho | 58,100 | 165,145 | 76.6% | 45.6% |
| Montana | 42,566 | 109,660 | 78.3% | 53.0% |
| Nevada | 77,297 | 299,815 | 75.9% | 47.6% |
| New Mexico | 44,861 | 140,015 | 77.0% | 46.3% |
| Oregon | 122,451 | 329,262 | 73.3% | 45.8% |
| Utah | 95,494 | 304,287 | 76.3% | 49.7% |
| Washington | 202,177 | 545,903 | 82.5% | 42.2% |
| Wyoming | 23,865 | 65,773 | 75.2% | 47.5% |
Sources: Census County Business Patterns and Nonemployer Statistics 2023 (sums of the county records computed by InterObservers), BLS Business Employment Dynamics state tables.
Method, period and caveats
These figures are general information, not financial or tax advice.
Period and n: County Business Patterns 2023 (released June 26, 2025, 2017 NAICS) and Nonemployer Statistics 2023 (released May 15, 2025, 2022 NAICS), 3,192 county records with an all-industries row; BLS QCEW 2025 annual averages, private ownership, 50 states and DC; BLS BED survival with data through March 2025; SBA 7(a) loans as of June 30, 2026 (64,096 7(a) loans approved in FY2025). All retrieved September 28, 2026.
- Who CBP counts. Employer establishments (single physical locations) with paid employees in mid-March.
“The series excludes data on self-employed individuals, employees of private households, railroad employees, agricultural production employees, and most government employees.”
- Cells that are not released.
Size classes flagged "N" (not available or not comparable) are shown as not disclosed, so disclosed size classes can add up to less than the establishment count. The "100 or more" class is our sum of the published 100-249, 250-499, 500-999 and 1,000+ classes; when the published size classes do not add up to the establishment count (a class flagged "N" left some out), that sum is a lower bound and the card says "at least".“Beginning with reference year 2017, a cell is only published if it contains three or more establishments. In all other cases, the cell is not included in the release (i.e., it is dropped from publication).”
- Noise. Census employment, payroll and nonemployer receipts carry noise infusion; the card marks figures with the high-noise flag (J: 5% or more).
“Noise Infusion is a method of disclosure avoidance in which data values for each establishment are perturbed prior to table creation by applying a random noise multiplier to the magnitude data (i.e., characteristics such as first-quarter payroll, annual payroll, and number of employees) for each establishment.”
- Nonemployer businesses.
“Statistics are available for businesses that have no paid employees, are subject to federal income taxes, and have receipts of $1,000 or more ($1 or more for the Construction sector).”
Receipts flagged "S" are withheld and shown as not disclosed.“Most geography codes come from the business mailing address identified from administrative records. Because this address may not match the physical location of the business, the resulting geography codes do not always indicate where business operations occur.”
- Pay. The Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) covers employers in the unemployment insurance system.
“QCEW excludes proprietors, the unincorporated self-employed, unpaid family members, certain farm and domestic workers from having to report employment data, and railroad workers covered by the railroad unemployment insurance system.”
Average pay mixes full-time and part-time jobs.“Suppressed data fields are published with an "N" in the disclosure code field. Only establishment counts are disclosed for these cells, based on approval from this Federal Register Notice, while all other data items for the cell are suppressed (zero-filled).”
- Survival.
BLS publishes state survival for all private industries only, so the card shows the state figure for all industries and the national figure for the sector.“Age and survival data are measured at the establishment level.”
- SBA loans. 7(a) loans approved in FY2025 (count and median loan) and the charge-off rate of closed loans approved in FY2016 to FY2020, computed by InterObservers as charged off / (charged off + paid in full). Active loans are exempt from disclosure and not counted, so the rate is not a default probability. Cells with fewer than 10 loans are not shown. Loans are counted by the state of the project (the SBA file's ProjectState field, “State where project occurs” in the SBA data dictionary), not by the borrower's address.
- Industry codes. CBP uses 2017 NAICS, NES and QCEW use 2022 NAICS. Sectors match; below the sector a code is joined only when its official title is the same in both versions, otherwise the card says "not comparable" (retail trade 44-45 and information 51 changed most). BLS suppresses pay for some county industries; we do not keep suppressed 4-digit county rows, so a 4-digit industry without a BLS figure reads "not disclosed".
How the Desk handles sources and computed figures: methodology.
Download the data
County by industry figures are in the small JSON files the tool loads: one per state (for example Texas, with its counties, survival and SBA figures) and one per county (for example Travis County, Texas). The same data is in the Employer Desk API.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023 and Nonemployer Statistics 2023; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, QCEW and Business Employment Dynamics; U.S. Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA. Sums, shares and rates marked as computed are InterObservers' own. Free to reuse with attribution and a link to this page.
Questions people ask
What is County Business Patterns?
An annual series from the U.S. Census Bureau with the number of employer establishments, mid-March employment, annual payroll and establishments by employee size class, for every county and industry (NAICS). The latest edition covers 2023 and was released June 26, 2025. It leaves out businesses without paid employees; those are counted by Nonemployer Statistics.
How do I check market saturation for my industry in my county?
Pick your state, county and industry in the tool above. It shows how many employer establishments and solo businesses (nonemployers) are in that industry in the county, how big they are, what the jobs pay on average and how many new establishments in the state survive. The data counts competitors; it does not measure demand, so compare it with the population and spending you serve.
Why does the tool say "not disclosed"?
Agencies withhold some figures so that a single business cannot be identified. BLS suppresses employment and pay for some county industries (it still publishes the establishment count), Census does not publish size classes flagged "N" or receipts flagged "S", and cells with fewer than 3 establishments are not released at all. The tool never fills them with an estimate.
Why do County Business Patterns and the BLS pay data count different numbers of establishments?
They measure different things at different times: County Business Patterns (CBP) 2023 counts establishments and mid-March employees from Census business records, while the BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) 2025 averages the establishments and jobs reported by employers covered by unemployment insurance over the year. QCEW here is private ownership only. Use CBP for the count and size of businesses and QCEW for pay.
Why do some industries say "not comparable"?
County Business Patterns uses 2017 NAICS codes, while Nonemployer Statistics and QCEW use 2022 NAICS. Retail trade (44-45) and a few other industries were reorganized in 2022, so the same code can mean a different industry. We join a code only when its official title is the same in both versions; otherwise the tool says "not comparable" instead of guessing.
Sources (8)
- U.S. Census Bureau: County Business Patterns 2023
- U.S. Census Bureau: CBP methodology
- U.S. Census Bureau: Nonemployer Statistics 2023
- U.S. Census Bureau: NES methodology
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: QCEW 2025 annual averages
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: QCEW overview
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Business Employment Dynamics, establishment age and survival
- U.S. Small Business Administration: 7(a) and 504 FOIA data
Checked Sep 28, 2026 · How we verify every rule · Report an error
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