Counties in Michigan by business establishments (QCEW)

Oakland County had the highest business establishments (QCEW) of 83 counties in 2014, at 38,175. Keweenaw County had the lowest, at 75. The median was 810 and the figure for Michigan was 236,461. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest38,175Oakland County
Median81083 counties
Michigan236,461History

Map of counties, 2014

Alcona County: 206 countAlger County: 236 countAllegan County: 2,155 countAlpena County: 752 countAntrim County: 528 countArenac County: 324 countBaraga County: 236 countBarry County: 838 countBay County: 2,198 countBenzie County: 449 countBerrien County: 3,602 countBranch County: 760 countCalhoun County: 2,402 countCass County: 737 countCharlevoix County: 810 countCheboygan County: 799 countChippewa County: 827 countClare County: 526 countClinton County: 1,154 countCrawford County: 294 countDelta County: 1,060 countDickinson County: 885 countEaton County: 1,784 countEmmet County: 1,384 countGenesee County: 7,036 countGladwin County: 404 countGogebic County: 430 countGrand Traverse County: 3,191 countGratiot County: 735 countHillsdale County: 802 countHoughton County: 894 countHuron County: 980 countIngham County: 6,104 countIonia County: 919 countIosco County: 569 countIron County: 373 countIsabella County: 1,340 countJackson County: 2,727 countKalamazoo County: 5,116 countKalkaska County: 332 countKent County: 13,934 countKeweenaw County: 75 countLake County: 159 countLapeer County: 1,468 countLeelanau County: 663 countLenawee County: 1,799 countLivingston County: 4,203 countLuce County: 183 countMackinac County: 484 countMacomb County: 17,211 countManistee County: 543 countMarquette County: 1,622 countMason County: 722 countMecosta County: 683 countMenominee County: 480 countMidland County: 2,195 countMissaukee County: 309 countMonroe County: 2,249 countMontcalm County: 992 countMontmorency County: 218 countMuskegon County: 2,974 countNewaygo County: 785 countOakland County: 38,175 countOceana County: 582 countOgemaw County: 533 countOntonagon County: 189 countOsceola County: 441 countOscoda County: 199 countOtsego County: 694 countOttawa County: 5,535 countPresque Isle County: 362 countRoscommon County: 535 countSaginaw County: 4,062 countSt. Clair County: 2,921 countSt. Joseph County: 2,286 countSanilac County: 874 countSchoolcraft County: 227 countShiawassee County: 1,098 countTuscola County: 864 countVan Buren County: 1,369 countWashtenaw County: 8,100 countWayne County: 30,501 countWexford County: 788 count
  • Under 400
  • 400 to 600
  • 600 to 800
  • 800 to 1,400
  • 1,400 to 2,900
  • 2,900 and over
count, 2014. Source: BLS, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2014

Oakland County: 38,175 countOakland County38,175Wayne County: 30,501 countWayne County30,501Macomb County: 17,211 countMacomb County17,211Kent County: 13,934 countKent County13,934Washtenaw County: 8,100 countWashtenaw County8,100Genesee County: 7,036 countGenesee County7,036Ingham County: 6,104 countIngham County6,104Ottawa County: 5,535 countOttawa County5,535Kalamazoo County: 5,116 countKalamazoo County5,116Livingston County: 4,203 countLivingston County4,203Saginaw County: 4,062 countSaginaw County4,062Berrien County: 3,602 countBerrien County3,602Grand Traverse County: 3,191 countGrand Traverse County3,191Muskegon County: 2,974 countMuskegon County2,974St. Clair County: 2,921 countSt. Clair County2,921Jackson County: 2,727 countJackson County2,727Calhoun County: 2,402 countCalhoun County2,402St. Joseph County: 2,286 countSt. Joseph County2,286Monroe County: 2,249 countMonroe County2,249Bay County: 2,198 countBay County2,198Midland County: 2,195 countMidland County2,195Allegan County: 2,155 countAllegan County2,155Lenawee County: 1,799 countLenawee County1,799Eaton County: 1,784 countEaton County1,784Marquette County: 1,622 countMarquette County1,622Lapeer County: 1,468 countLapeer County1,468Emmet County: 1,384 countEmmet County1,384Van Buren County: 1,369 countVan Buren County1,369Isabella County: 1,340 countIsabella County1,340Clinton County: 1,154 countClinton County1,154Shiawassee County: 1,098 countShiawassee County1,098Delta County: 1,060 countDelta County1,060Montcalm County: 992 countMontcalm County992Huron County: 980 countHuron County980Ionia County: 919 countIonia County919Houghton County: 894 countHoughton County894Dickinson County: 885 countDickinson County885Sanilac County: 874 countSanilac County874Tuscola County: 864 countTuscola County864Barry County: 838 countBarry County838Oakland County: 38,175 countOakland County38,175Wayne County: 30,501 countWayne County30,501Macomb County: 17,211 countMacomb County17,211Kent County: 13,934 countKent County13,934Washtenaw County: 8,100 countWashtenaw County8,100Genesee County: 7,036 countGenesee County7,036Ingham County: 6,104 countIngham County6,104Ottawa County: 5,535 countOttawa County5,535Kalamazoo County: 5,116 countKalamazoo County5,116Livingston County: 4,203 countLivingston County4,203Saginaw County: 4,062 countSaginaw County4,062Berrien County: 3,602 countBerrien County3,602Grand Traverse County: 3,191 countGrand Traverse County3,191Muskegon County: 2,974 countMuskegon County2,974St. Clair County: 2,921 countSt. Clair County2,921Jackson County: 2,727 countJackson County2,727Calhoun County: 2,402 countCalhoun County2,402St. Joseph County: 2,286 countSt. Joseph County2,286Monroe County: 2,249 countMonroe County2,249Bay County: 2,198 countBay County2,198Midland County: 2,195 countMidland County2,195Allegan County: 2,155 countAllegan County2,155Lenawee County: 1,799 countLenawee County1,799Eaton County: 1,784 countEaton County1,784Marquette County: 1,622 countMarquette County1,622Lapeer County: 1,468 countLapeer County1,468Emmet County: 1,384 countEmmet County1,384Van Buren County: 1,369 countVan Buren County1,369Isabella County: 1,340 countIsabella County1,340Clinton County: 1,154 countClinton County1,154Shiawassee County: 1,098 countShiawassee County1,098Delta County: 1,060 countDelta County1,060Montcalm County: 992 countMontcalm County992Huron County: 980 countHuron County980Ionia County: 919 countIonia County919Houghton County: 894 countHoughton County894Dickinson County: 885 countDickinson County885Sanilac County: 874 countSanilac County874Tuscola County: 864 countTuscola County864Barry County: 838 countBarry County838
count. Source: BLS, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2014
count
Change on 2013
1Oakland County38,175-0.5%
2Wayne County30,501-2.9%
3Macomb County17,211-1%
4Kent County13,934-1.2%
5Washtenaw County8,100-2%
6Genesee County7,036-2.1%
7Ingham County6,104-3%
8Ottawa County5,535-0.9%
9Kalamazoo County5,116-3.3%
10Livingston County4,203+1.5%
11Saginaw County4,062-2.9%
12Berrien County3,602-2.8%
13Grand Traverse County3,191-1.2%
14Muskegon County2,974-2.2%
15St. Clair County2,921-4%
16Jackson County2,727-3.4%
17Calhoun County2,402-3.4%
18St. Joseph County2,286+29.5%
19Monroe County2,249-2%
20Bay County2,198-2.9%
21Midland County2,195+13%
22Allegan County2,1550%
23Lenawee County1,799-1.4%
24Eaton County1,784-0.7%
25Marquette County1,622-2.3%
26Lapeer County1,468-1.5%
27Emmet County1,384-2.7%
28Van Buren County1,369-2.9%
29Isabella County1,340-1.4%
30Clinton County1,154-2%
31Shiawassee County1,098-3.2%
32Delta County1,060-3.1%
33Montcalm County992-3%
34Huron County980-3.4%
35Ionia County919+0.7%
36Houghton County894-4.1%
37Dickinson County885-2.6%
38Sanilac County874-1.4%
39Tuscola County864-2.8%
40Barry County838-2.7%
41Chippewa County827-2.5%
42Charlevoix County810-1.9%
43Hillsdale County802-5.6%
44Cheboygan County799-5.2%
45Wexford County788-1.5%
46Newaygo County785-1.8%
47Branch County760-1.4%
48Alpena County752-4.8%
49Cass County737-4.5%
50Gratiot County735-0.9%
51Mason County722-2%
52Otsego County694-2.5%
53Mecosta County683-0.9%
54Leelanau County6630%
55Oceana County582-3.2%
56Iosco County569-1.2%
57Manistee County543-3.7%
58Roscommon County535-3.8%
59Ogemaw County533-4.3%
60Antrim County528-3.5%
61Clare County526-4.4%
62Mackinac County484-3.4%
63Menominee County480-3.8%
64Benzie County449-2.4%
65Osceola County441-0.5%
66Gogebic County430-4%
67Gladwin County404-4%
68Iron County373-1.8%
69Presque Isle County362-5.2%
70Kalkaska County332-0.9%
71Arenac County324-5.3%
72Missaukee County309+0.3%
73Crawford County294-3.3%
74Alger County236-5.2%
74Baraga County236-3.7%
76Schoolcraft County227-6.2%
77Montmorency County218-6%
78Alcona County206-4.2%
79Oscoda County199-3.9%
80Ontonagon County189-6.4%
81Luce County183-1.1%
82Lake County159-2.5%
83Keweenaw County750%

Other periods

About this ranking

Average number of establishments with jobs covered by unemployment insurance during the year, all industries, private and government, from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. An establishment is a single place of business, such as a factory, store or office; a company with several locations has several.

Counts places of business, not firms: for firms use employer_firms. Changes in how large employers report their locations can move the count without any change in activity.

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. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2014/a/industry/10.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. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2026). Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties (Counties in Michigan by business establishments (QCEW), 2014) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2014/a/industry/10.csv

MLA 9

Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties, Counties in Michigan by business establishments (QCEW), 2014. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2014/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/michigan-counties?period=2014. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2026. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Counties in Michigan by business establishments (QCEW), 2014. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2014/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/michigan-counties?period=2014.

Harvard

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2026) Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties, Counties in Michigan by business establishments (QCEW), 2014 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2014/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/michigan-counties?period=2014 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_michigan_by_2014,
  author = {{U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics}},
  title = {{Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties: Counties in Michigan by business establishments (QCEW), 2014}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2014/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/michigan-counties?period=2014. Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2014/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
TI  - Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties: Counties in Michigan by business establishments (QCEW), 2014
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2014/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/michigan-counties?period=2014
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/michigan-counties?period=2014.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2014/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  - 
Embed this chart

Paste this code into a web page or a blog post. The chart shows the latest figures as they are published, with the source and a link back to this page.

Sites that read oEmbed links, such as WordPress, can show the chart when you paste the link to this page.

Use this data in your AI agent

Invokely serves this figure to AI assistants through MCP and to code through a REST API, with the source and citation attached. Ask your assistant:

Rank Counties in Michigan by business establishments (QCEW) using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"establishments_qcew","level":"province","within":"Michigan","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=establishments_qcew&level=province&within=Michigan&limit=10

Connect Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor in one step. The trial answers 25 calls a day without an account.

Questions

Which county has the highest business establishments (QCEW)?

Oakland County, with 38,175 in 2014, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest business establishments (QCEW)?

Keweenaw County, with 75 in 2014.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Business establishments (QCEW): other rankings

Counties in Michigan: more rankings