Okeechobee County business data / Original analysis
Okeechobee County has fewer accounting and bookkeeping offices per business than Martin, St. Lucie or Highlands counties
How many accounting and bookkeeping offices does Okeechobee County have for its businesses, and how does that compare with three of the counties around it? We counted them in the U.S. Census Bureau's County Business Patterns for every year from 2018 to 2023.
The lowest rate of the four counties
Okeechobee County had 15 accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping and payroll establishments in 2023, for 922 employer businesses. That is 16.27 per 1,000 businesses, the lowest of the four counties we looked at.
Martin County had 17.97 per 1,000 businesses, St. Lucie County 19.47 and Highlands County 20.11.
The count barely moved while businesses grew
Okeechobee County had 16 of these offices in 2018 and 15 in 2023. Its employer businesses grew 9.6% over the same years, from 841 to 922, so the rate fell from 19.02 to 16.27.
Bookkeeping and other accounting establishments, the Census code that includes bookkeeping services, went from 5 to 4.
What this means for an Okeechobee County business
With so few offices in the county, many local owners will work with a bookkeeper who isn't down the street. That works when the routine is clear.
- Ask whether your accounts are reconciled every month, and by what date you'll see a profit and loss statement.
- Find out what your tax preparer receives at year end, and in what state the books arrive.
- Settle how you'll send receipts and statements, and how quickly you'll get a reply.
How we got these numbers
We downloaded the Census Bureau's County Business Patterns county files for each year from 2018 to 2023 and read the rows for Okeechobee County (FIPS 12093), St. Lucie County (FIPS 12111), Highlands County (FIPS 12055) and Martin County (FIPS 12085), Florida. We used the employer establishment count (est) for NAICS 5412, the accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping and payroll services group, and 541219 Other Accounting Services, the code that includes bookkeeping services. The fewer-than-five-employees figures come from the file's n<5 column.
Industry establishments ÷ all employer establishments in the county × 1,000
For example, Okeechobee County in 2023: 15 ÷ 922 × 1,000 = 16.27. Percentage changes compare 2018 with 2023 and are rounded to one decimal place.
The 2023 County Business Patterns release is the latest the Census Bureau's dataset directory listed when we checked on October 10, 2026. These are 2023 counts, not 2026 counts.
What this study does not measure
- Self-employed accountants and bookkeepers. County Business Patterns covers businesses with paid employees. Sole proprietors with no staff are not in these counts.
- Companies. An establishment is one business location. A firm with two offices counts twice.
- Where clients are. Firms are counted where they are located. A firm may serve clients in other counties or states.
- Demand, quality or prices. These are counts of business locations only.
- Small numbers. With counts this small, one office opening or closing moves the rate noticeably, so read single-year changes with care.
Every county, industry and year
| Year | County | Industry | Establishments | Fewer than 5 employees | All businesses | Per 1,000 businesses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Okeechobee County | All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll | 16 | 10 | 841 | 19.02 |
| 2018 | Okeechobee County | Bookkeeping and other accounting | 5 | 3 | 841 | 5.95 |
| 2018 | St. Lucie County | All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll | 115 | 91 | 5,950 | 19.33 |
| 2018 | St. Lucie County | Bookkeeping and other accounting | 49 | 41 | 5,950 | 8.24 |
| 2018 | Highlands County | All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll | 39 | 22 | 1,944 | 20.06 |
| 2018 | Highlands County | Bookkeeping and other accounting | 9 | 6 | 1,944 | 4.63 |
| 2018 | Martin County | All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll | 111 | 88 | 5,657 | 19.62 |
| 2018 | Martin County | Bookkeeping and other accounting | 48 | 41 | 5,657 | 8.49 |
| 2019 | Okeechobee County | All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll | 15 | 9 | 836 | 17.94 |
| 2019 | Okeechobee County | Bookkeeping and other accounting | 5 | 4 | 836 | 5.98 |
| 2019 | St. Lucie County | All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll | 110 | 84 | 6,124 | 17.96 |
| 2019 | St. Lucie County | Bookkeeping and other accounting | 45 | 36 | 6,124 | 7.35 |
| 2019 | Highlands County | All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll | 37 | 20 | 1,959 | 18.89 |
| 2019 | Highlands County | Bookkeeping and other accounting | 10 | 8 | 1,959 | 5.10 |
| 2019 | Martin County | All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll | 107 | 84 | 5,784 | 18.50 |
| 2019 | Martin County | Bookkeeping and other accounting | 46 | 38 | 5,784 | 7.95 |
| 2020 | Okeechobee County | All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll | 16 | 12 | 839 | 19.07 |
| 2020 | Okeechobee County | Bookkeeping and other accounting | 6 | 5 | 839 | 7.15 |
| 2020 | St. Lucie County | All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll | 126 | 98 | 6,407 | 19.67 |
| 2020 | St. Lucie County | Bookkeeping and other accounting | 51 | 41 | 6,407 | 7.96 |
| 2020 | Highlands County | All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll | 36 | 17 | 1,994 | 18.05 |
| 2020 | Highlands County | Bookkeeping and other accounting | 9 | 6 | 1,994 | 4.51 |
| 2020 | Martin County | All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll | 108 | 87 | 5,808 | 18.60 |
| 2020 | Martin County | Bookkeeping and other accounting | 46 | 40 | 5,808 | 7.92 |
| 2021 | Okeechobee County | All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll | 17 | 13 | 870 | 19.54 |
| 2021 | Okeechobee County | Bookkeeping and other accounting | 5 | 4 | 870 | 5.75 |
| 2021 | St. Lucie County | All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll | 133 | 102 | 6,758 | 19.68 |
| 2021 | St. Lucie County | Bookkeeping and other accounting | 57 | 48 | 6,758 | 8.43 |
| 2021 | Highlands County | All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll | 36 | 20 | 2,044 | 17.61 |
| 2021 | Highlands County | Bookkeeping and other accounting | 9 | 6 | 2,044 | 4.40 |
| 2021 | Martin County | All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll | 114 | 90 | 6,045 | 18.86 |
| 2021 | Martin County | Bookkeeping and other accounting | 50 | 44 | 6,045 | 8.27 |
| 2022 | Okeechobee County | All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll | 15 | 11 | 906 | 16.56 |
| 2022 | Okeechobee County | Bookkeeping and other accounting | 5 | 4 | 906 | 5.52 |
| 2022 | St. Lucie County | All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll | 133 | 103 | 7,121 | 18.68 |
| 2022 | St. Lucie County | Bookkeeping and other accounting | 56 | 46 | 7,121 | 7.86 |
| 2022 | Highlands County | All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll | 44 | 27 | 2,111 | 20.84 |
| 2022 | Highlands County | Bookkeeping and other accounting | 12 | 9 | 2,111 | 5.68 |
| 2022 | Martin County | All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll | 118 | 94 | 6,296 | 18.74 |
| 2022 | Martin County | Bookkeeping and other accounting | 49 | 42 | 6,296 | 7.78 |
| 2023 | Okeechobee County | All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll | 15 | 10 | 922 | 16.27 |
| 2023 | Okeechobee County | Bookkeeping and other accounting | 4 | 3 | 922 | 4.34 |
| 2023 | St. Lucie County | All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll | 142 | 112 | 7,292 | 19.47 |
| 2023 | St. Lucie County | Bookkeeping and other accounting | 64 | 55 | 7,292 | 8.78 |
| 2023 | Highlands County | All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll | 43 | 27 | 2,138 | 20.11 |
| 2023 | Highlands County | Bookkeeping and other accounting | 13 | 9 | 2,138 | 6.08 |
| 2023 | Martin County | All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll | 115 | 93 | 6,400 | 17.97 |
| 2023 | Martin County | Bookkeeping and other accounting | 49 | 44 | 6,400 | 7.66 |
The CSV download has the same rows with the Census industry codes and county codes.
Sources and update record
U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns county files (ZIP), one per year: 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023. Release list: County Business Patterns datasets.
October 10, 2026: first publication. When the Census Bureau releases a newer year, this page is recalculated and reviewed before any figure changes. Spotted an error? Tell us.