Applications filed in Virginia, 2025
138,762
highest year in the series; last complete calendar year
Virginia application data
Virginia Business Applications by County
A source-backed view of Employer Identification Number applications across Virginia, with statewide monthly data and annual county detail.
Last updated September 23, 2026 · statewide through August 2026 · county data through 2025
Virginia application monitor
Source connection status
Public datasets connected
U.S. Census Bureau Business Formation Statistics monthly state and national series, plus Annual Business Applications by County.
2025 record
138,762
Virginia business applications
2026 year to date
104,325
+11.7% vs January–August 2025
Statewide monthly data through August 2026
Annual county data through 2025
133 counties and cities tracked
U.S. Census Bureau Business Formation Statistics
Direct answer
What’s happening to business formation in Virginia? Virginians filed 138,762 new business applications in 2025 — the highest year since the U.S. Census Bureau began tracking this in 2004, and roughly 2.0× the average year before 2020 (70,815). April 2026 set the highest single month in the series at 15,555. Through January–August 2026, applications are running +11.7% against the same months of 2025. These are applications for an Employer Identification Number, which measure business initiation — not every application becomes an operating business. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Formation Statistics, data through August 2026.
Statewide overview
Virginia business applications at a glance
Monthly statewide and national figures are paired with the latest annual county release.
Public datasets connected
U.S. Census Bureau Business Formation Statistics monthly state and national series, plus Annual Business Applications by County.
Record single month
15,555
April 2026, highest since records began in 2004 (previous: March 2021, 15,366)
2026 year to date (8 months)
104,325
+11.7% against January–August 2025 (93,416)
Last 12 months (September 2025–August 2026)
149,671
+15.4% against the 12 months before it (129,683)
Growth since 2019, complete years
Virginia +57.7%
2019 to 2025; United States +62.1% over the same years
Counties and cities tracked
133
annual county file, currently through 2025
2026 figures are year to date and cover 8 of 12 months, so they are not a full year and Census may revise them. Nationally, applications are +13.5% over the same months (4,345,310 against 3,826,844) — Virginia has tracked the national trend closely rather than outpaced it. Since 2019 the U.S. is up +62.1% against Virginia’s +57.7%. Data here runs through August 2026, released September 11, 2026; the next Census release is October 14, 2026.
Reading the data
What these numbers mean if you are starting a Virginia business
Short factual answers, drawn only from the Census series cited on this page.
Is business formation in Virginia still growing?
Yes, on the latest data. January–August 2026 brought 104,325 business applications against 93,416 in January–August 2025, +11.7%. Across the last 12 published months (September 2025–August 2026) Virginia recorded 149,671 applications, +15.4% against the 12 months before that.
Is this a Virginia trend or a national one?
National. United States applications are +13.5% over the same 8 months, and since 2019 the national series is up +62.1% against Virginia's +57.7%. Virginia has tracked the national pattern rather than outpaced it.
Do these numbers mean more competition for a new business?
Not directly. Business applications count applications for an Employer Identification Number, which mark business initiation. The Census Bureau measures actual employer business formations in a separate series published on a longer delay, so this data cannot say how many of these applications became operating businesses in your market.
Do the monthly swings say anything about when to file?
No. These series are not seasonally adjusted, so month-to-month differences partly reflect normal seasonal patterns rather than changing conditions. For scale: the highest month in the series is April 2026 at 15,555 applications, and the most recent month, August 2026, recorded 11,652 (+5.2% against August 2025).
Where in Virginia is application activity growing fastest?
Among the largest localities, Henrico County grew fastest, +161.7% between 2019 and 2025. County figures are annual and carry statistical noise added for disclosure avoidance, so treat locality growth rates as approximations — more so for smaller localities.
Source for every figure above: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Formation Statistics, statewide and national data through August 2026 and county data through 2025. These are readings of public data, not legal, tax, or financial advice, and not statements about Launch Bridge. For Virginia LLC filing fees, state processing times and what Launch Bridge charges, see the Virginia LLC formation guide.
Month by month
Virginia business applications by month, through August 2026
The last 24 published months, alongside the same month a year earlier. This is the part of the page that changes with each Census release.
Monthly data table
Newest month first. Year-over-year change compares each month with the same month a year earlier.
| Month | Applications | Same month, prior year | Year-over-year change |
|---|---|---|---|
| August 2026 | 11,652 | 11,077 | +5.2% |
| July 2026 | 13,906 | 14,339 | -3.0% |
| June 2026 | 11,744 | 10,210 | +15.0% |
| May 2026 | 12,420 | 10,132 | +22.6% |
| April 2026series high | 15,555 | 13,626 | +14.2% |
| March 2026 | 13,210 | 11,695 | +13.0% |
| February 2026 | 12,494 | 10,208 | +22.4% |
| January 2026 | 13,344 | 12,129 | +10.0% |
| December 2025 | 11,354 | 7,533 | +50.7% |
| November 2025 | 10,174 | 8,745 | +16.3% |
| October 2025 | 12,955 | 11,016 | +17.6% |
| September 2025 | 10,863 | 8,973 | +21.1% |
| August 2025 | 11,077 | 9,105 | +21.7% |
| July 2025 | 14,339 | 11,328 | +26.6% |
| June 2025 | 10,210 | 9,317 | +9.6% |
| May 2025 | 10,132 | 12,245 | -17.3% |
| April 2025 | 13,626 | 10,842 | +25.7% |
| March 2025 | 11,695 | 11,067 | +5.7% |
| February 2025 | 10,208 | 11,286 | -9.6% |
| January 2025 | 12,129 | 14,929 | -18.8% |
| December 2024 | 7,533 | 7,108 | +6.0% |
| November 2024 | 8,745 | 10,268 | -14.8% |
| October 2024 | 11,016 | 9,852 | +11.8% |
| September 2024 | 8,973 | 10,765 | -16.6% |
Figures are as published by the Census Bureau on September 11, 2026. The Bureau revises the series at its annual update, so recent months can change; 2026 is an incomplete year covering 8 of 12 months. No month is estimated here — a month appears only once Census has published it. Next scheduled release: October 14, 2026.
Long-term view
Virginia business applications by year, 2005–2025
Complete calendar years only. 2026 is still in progress and is shown month by month above.
Annual chart data
Accessible data-table equivalent for the column chart.
| Year | Applications | Year | Applications |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 63,698 | 2016 | 75,200 |
| 2006 | 67,455 | 2017 | 81,143 |
| 2007 | 67,657 | 2018 | 86,550 |
| 2008 | 65,921 | 2019 | 88,000 |
| 2009 | 62,682 | 2020 | 107,106 |
| 2010 | 61,098 | 2021 | 131,082 |
| 2011 | 64,230 | 2022 | 123,702 |
| 2012 | 67,231 | 2023 | 131,413 |
| 2013 | 68,436 | 2024 | 126,386 |
| 2014 | 70,549 | 2025 | 138,762 |
| 2015 | 72,369 |
County comparison
Top 10 counties and cities by applications, 2025
Where growth is happening
Virginia's application growth is not concentrated in Northern Virginia. Northern Virginia's share of statewide applications fell from 36.8% in 2019 to 33.2% in 2025 — the region is still growing, but more slowly than the rest of the Commonwealth. The fastest-growing large localities since 2019 are Henrico (+162%), Suffolk (+80%), Roanoke County (+79%), Frederick County (+76%), and Lynchburg, Portsmouth, Norfolk and Roanoke city (all about +74%).
County data table
2019 and 2025 annual business applications for the listed localities.
| County | 2019 | 2025 | Growth | Share of state | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fairfax County | 14,239 | 19,666 | +38.1% | 14.2% | #1 → #1 |
| Henrico County | 4,158 | 10,881 | +161.7% | 7.8% | #5 → #2 |
| Prince William County | 5,746 | 8,555 | +48.9% | 6.2% | #3 → #3 |
| Loudoun County | 5,548 | 8,077 | +45.6% | 5.8% | #4 → #4 |
| Virginia Beach city | 5,818 | 7,424 | +27.6% | 5.3% | #2 → #5 |
| Chesterfield County | 4,118 | 6,273 | +52.3% | 4.5% | #6 → #6 |
| Richmond city | 3,334 | 4,748 | +42.4% | 3.4% | #7 → #7 |
| Norfolk city | 2,677 | 4,651 | +73.7% | 3.4% | #9 → #8 |
| Arlington County | 2,889 | 4,280 | +48.1% | 3.1% | #8 → #9 |
| Chesapeake city | 2,589 | 4,032 | +55.7% | 2.9% | #10 → #10 |
| Alexandria city | 2,424 | 3,396 | +40.1% | 2.4% | #11 → #11 |
| Statewide for reference | 87,932 | 138,774 | +57.8% | county-file totals | — |
Statewide totals from the county file (138,774 for 2025) differ slightly from the monthly state series (138,762) because the county data has statistical noise added for disclosure avoidance.
Founder categories
Founder-category reporting framework
No category counts exist in the connected public datasets. Category views remain unpopulated until source-backed records or privacy-safe anonymized intake aggregates are available.
Data coming soon
Launch Bridge anonymized intake trends are not yet connected. No founder-category count, percentage, ranking, or growth claim is published.
Planned taxonomy
ConsultingGovernment contractingLocal servicesReal estateE-commerceHome servicesProfessional servicesCreator businessesHealth and wellnessTechnology services
These labels are a reporting framework, not a ranking or claim about current Virginia activity.
Local context
County-by-county takeaways
Each takeaway below is limited to the supplied 2019 and 2025 county figures and rank changes.
Fairfax County
Virginia's largest source of business applications, 19,666 in 2025 (14.2% of the state). Grew 38% since 2019, below the statewide 57.8%.
Henrico County
The fastest-growing large locality in Virginia: up 162% since 2019, rising from 5th to 2nd in the state. Growth was progressive rather than a single-year jump (+35% in 2020, +23% in 2021, +21% in 2024, +37% in 2025).
Henrico's increase is an outlier against the statewide trend and is worth interpreting cautiously; this data does not explain the cause.
Prince William County
8,555 in 2025, up 49% since 2019, holding 3rd.
Loudoun County
8,077 in 2025, up 46% since 2019, holding 4th.
Arlington County
4,280 in 2025, up 48% since 2019.
Alexandria
3,396 in 2025, up 40% since 2019.
Richmond
4,748 in 2025, up 42% since 2019.
Virginia Beach
7,424 in 2025, up 28% since 2019 — the slowest growth among the top ten, slipping from 2nd to 5th.
Norfolk
4,651 in 2025, up 74% since 2019, the fastest growth among the top ten after Henrico.
Chesapeake
4,032 in 2025, up 56% since 2019.
Chesterfield County
6,273 in 2025, up 52% since 2019.
Practical context
What this means for Virginia founders
These points are practical business-setup considerations rather than statistical findings or category claims.
1
Formalizing a side business into an LLC can help separate an emerging venture from personal activity.
2
Local service businesses are an important category to measure because they serve immediate community demand.
3
Government contracting and consulting are relevant Northern Virginia opportunities for founders to research and validate.
4
Faster setup matters when a founder needs to invoice, accept payments, or present a credible business presence.
5
Business setup is more than paperwork; founders also need websites, payments, branding, and customer acquisition.
Responsible analysis
How Launch Bridge uses this data
Launch Bridge uses public business application trends to understand where Virginia founders may need business setup support. Founder-category, startup-timeline, and requested-service trends remain unpublished until enough anonymized Launch Bridge intake data exists for responsible aggregate reporting.
Privacy note
Launch Bridge does not publish personal founder information, private business details, addresses, EINs, or customer-specific intake data, and we do not sell customer information. Any future intake-based trends are aggregated and anonymized.
Source standards
Methodology
Statewide and national figures: monthly, not seasonally adjusted, current through August 2026 (released September 11, 2026). Annual totals on this page are the sum of the 12 published months of a complete calendar year, so they match the monthly series exactly.
Revisions and completeness: the Census Bureau revises these series at its annual update, so recently published months can change. 2026 covers 8 of 12 months and is labelled year to date everywhere it appears; nothing on this page annualizes, projects or fills in a month Census has not published.
County figures: annual only, through 2025, released ~6 months after year end — so the county view lags the statewide view.
The Census Bureau's June 10, 2026 county release applies differentially private geometric noise for disclosure avoidance. County counts are therefore approximations rather than exact figures, and the effect is proportionally larger for smaller localities. Growth rates for small counties should be treated with particular caution.
Business applications measure applications for an Employer Identification Number. They indicate business initiation, not completed business formation. The Census Bureau tracks actual employer business formations separately, on a longer delay.
Launch Bridge is not a government agency and is not endorsed by any government entity. This page provides general information, not legal, tax, or financial advice.
Questions & answers
Virginia business application data FAQ
What is business formation data?
Business Formation Statistics track business applications for an Employer Identification Number and related measures over time. Business applications indicate business initiation; they do not show that every applicant became an operating employer business.
What does this page track?
This page tracks Virginia business applications by year and locality using public U.S. Census Bureau Business Formation Statistics. Founder-category reporting remains unpopulated until source-backed category data or privacy-safe anonymized Launch Bridge intake trends are connected.
How often is this page updated?
Monthly. Statewide and national data is current through August 2026, released by the Census Bureau on September 11, 2026; the next scheduled release is October 14, 2026. This page was last refreshed on September 23, 2026. County data is annual and was last released June 10, 2026.
Is 2026 data final?
No. 2026 figures cover 8 of 12 months (January–August 2026) and are not a full year. The Census Bureau also revises the series when it publishes its annual update, so recent months can change. Only 2025 and earlier appear as annual totals on this page.
Does this mean 138,762 businesses started in Virginia in 2025?
No. These are applications for an Employer Identification Number (EIN), which measure business initiation. Not every application becomes an operating employer business.
Are the county numbers exact?
No. The Census Bureau adds statistical noise to county-level figures to protect confidentiality. Treat them as close approximations, especially for smaller localities.
Does Launch Bridge publish customer data?
No. Launch Bridge does not publish private customer details, and we do not sell customer information. Any future intake-based insights must be aggregated and anonymized.
Can this data help me decide what business to start?
It can show where business application activity is increasing, but it should not replace personal research, legal advice, tax advice, financial advice, or market validation.
Is Launch Bridge a law firm?
No. Launch Bridge provides business setup assistance and is not a law firm or a substitute for legal, tax, or financial advice.
From insight to launch
Start your Virginia business with Launch Bridge
If you are ready to turn an idea into an operating Virginia business, Launch Bridge helps with LLC formation, EIN guidance, website setup, branding, Stripe-ready checkout, and a starter marketing plan.
Launch Bridge provides business setup assistance and is not a law firm or a substitute for legal, tax, or financial advice.