Counties in Michigan by business establishments (QCEW)

Oakland County had the highest business establishments (QCEW) of 83 counties in 2019, at 42,214. Keweenaw County had the lowest, at 74. The median was 827 and the figure for Michigan was 261,511. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest42,214Oakland County
Median82783 counties
Michigan261,511History

Map of counties, 2019

Alcona County: 185 countAlger County: 241 countAllegan County: 2,376 countAlpena County: 808 countAntrim County: 574 countArenac County: 325 countBaraga County: 212 countBarry County: 921 countBay County: 2,111 countBenzie County: 471 countBerrien County: 3,697 countBranch County: 827 countCalhoun County: 2,360 countCass County: 798 countCharlevoix County: 823 countCheboygan County: 793 countChippewa County: 813 countClare County: 547 countClinton County: 1,303 countCrawford County: 283 countDelta County: 1,037 countDickinson County: 842 countEaton County: 1,989 countEmmet County: 1,467 countGenesee County: 7,185 countGladwin County: 410 countGogebic County: 400 countGrand Traverse County: 3,471 countGratiot County: 732 countHillsdale County: 801 countHoughton County: 887 countHuron County: 982 countIngham County: 6,436 countIonia County: 1,055 countIosco County: 594 countIron County: 362 countIsabella County: 1,323 countJackson County: 2,781 countKalamazoo County: 5,356 countKalkaska County: 328 countKent County: 15,837 countKeweenaw County: 74 countLake County: 158 countLapeer County: 1,612 countLeelanau County: 727 countLenawee County: 1,836 countLivingston County: 4,844 countLuce County: 190 countMackinac County: 463 countMacomb County: 18,746 countManistee County: 566 countMarquette County: 1,625 countMason County: 711 countMecosta County: 658 countMenominee County: 470 countMidland County: 3,475 countMissaukee County: 350 countMonroe County: 2,293 countMontcalm County: 1,032 countMontmorency County: 200 countMuskegon County: 2,970 countNewaygo County: 812 countOakland County: 42,214 countOceana County: 577 countOgemaw County: 543 countOntonagon County: 173 countOsceola County: 460 countOscoda County: 195 countOtsego County: 753 countOttawa County: 6,132 countPresque Isle County: 327 countRoscommon County: 551 countSaginaw County: 4,003 countSt. Clair County: 2,965 countSt. Joseph County: 5,283 countSanilac County: 863 countSchoolcraft County: 230 countShiawassee County: 1,139 countTuscola County: 850 countVan Buren County: 1,418 countWashtenaw County: 8,967 countWayne County: 34,334 countWexford County: 840 count
  • Under 300
  • 300 to 600
  • 600 to 800
  • 800 to 1,400
  • 1,400 to 3,500
  • 3,500 and over
count, 2019. 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, 2019

Oakland County: 42,214 countOakland County42,214Wayne County: 34,334 countWayne County34,334Macomb County: 18,746 countMacomb County18,746Kent County: 15,837 countKent County15,837Washtenaw County: 8,967 countWashtenaw County8,967Genesee County: 7,185 countGenesee County7,185Ingham County: 6,436 countIngham County6,436Ottawa County: 6,132 countOttawa County6,132Kalamazoo County: 5,356 countKalamazoo County5,356St. Joseph County: 5,283 countSt. Joseph County5,283Livingston County: 4,844 countLivingston County4,844Saginaw County: 4,003 countSaginaw County4,003Berrien County: 3,697 countBerrien County3,697Midland County: 3,475 countMidland County3,475Grand Traverse County: 3,471 countGrand Traverse County3,471Muskegon County: 2,970 countMuskegon County2,970St. Clair County: 2,965 countSt. Clair County2,965Jackson County: 2,781 countJackson County2,781Allegan County: 2,376 countAllegan County2,376Calhoun County: 2,360 countCalhoun County2,360Monroe County: 2,293 countMonroe County2,293Bay County: 2,111 countBay County2,111Eaton County: 1,989 countEaton County1,989Lenawee County: 1,836 countLenawee County1,836Marquette County: 1,625 countMarquette County1,625Lapeer County: 1,612 countLapeer County1,612Emmet County: 1,467 countEmmet County1,467Van Buren County: 1,418 countVan Buren County1,418Isabella County: 1,323 countIsabella County1,323Clinton County: 1,303 countClinton County1,303Shiawassee County: 1,139 countShiawassee County1,139Ionia County: 1,055 countIonia County1,055Delta County: 1,037 countDelta County1,037Montcalm County: 1,032 countMontcalm County1,032Huron County: 982 countHuron County982Barry County: 921 countBarry County921Houghton County: 887 countHoughton County887Sanilac County: 863 countSanilac County863Tuscola County: 850 countTuscola County850Dickinson County: 842 countDickinson County842Oakland County: 42,214 countOakland County42,214Wayne County: 34,334 countWayne County34,334Macomb County: 18,746 countMacomb County18,746Kent County: 15,837 countKent County15,837Washtenaw County: 8,967 countWashtenaw County8,967Genesee County: 7,185 countGenesee County7,185Ingham County: 6,436 countIngham County6,436Ottawa County: 6,132 countOttawa County6,132Kalamazoo County: 5,356 countKalamazoo County5,356St. Joseph County: 5,283 countSt. Joseph County5,283Livingston County: 4,844 countLivingston County4,844Saginaw County: 4,003 countSaginaw County4,003Berrien County: 3,697 countBerrien County3,697Midland County: 3,475 countMidland County3,475Grand Traverse County: 3,471 countGrand Traverse County3,471Muskegon County: 2,970 countMuskegon County2,970St. Clair County: 2,965 countSt. Clair County2,965Jackson County: 2,781 countJackson County2,781Allegan County: 2,376 countAllegan County2,376Calhoun County: 2,360 countCalhoun County2,360Monroe County: 2,293 countMonroe County2,293Bay County: 2,111 countBay County2,111Eaton County: 1,989 countEaton County1,989Lenawee County: 1,836 countLenawee County1,836Marquette County: 1,625 countMarquette County1,625Lapeer County: 1,612 countLapeer County1,612Emmet County: 1,467 countEmmet County1,467Van Buren County: 1,418 countVan Buren County1,418Isabella County: 1,323 countIsabella County1,323Clinton County: 1,303 countClinton County1,303Shiawassee County: 1,139 countShiawassee County1,139Ionia County: 1,055 countIonia County1,055Delta County: 1,037 countDelta County1,037Montcalm County: 1,032 countMontcalm County1,032Huron County: 982 countHuron County982Barry County: 921 countBarry County921Houghton County: 887 countHoughton County887Sanilac County: 863 countSanilac County863Tuscola County: 850 countTuscola County850Dickinson County: 842 countDickinson County842
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

RankCounties2019
count
Change on 2018
1Oakland County42,214+6.3%
2Wayne County34,334+9.5%
3Macomb County18,746+6.1%
4Kent County15,837+7.7%
5Washtenaw County8,967+8.5%
6Genesee County7,185+4.9%
7Ingham County6,436+7.2%
8Ottawa County6,132+7%
9Kalamazoo County5,356+6.7%
10St. Joseph County5,283+2.1%
11Livingston County4,844+4%
12Saginaw County4,003+3.1%
13Berrien County3,697+8.1%
14Midland County3,475+8.4%
15Grand Traverse County3,471+5.6%
16Muskegon County2,970+5.1%
17St. Clair County2,965+5.8%
18Jackson County2,781+5.5%
19Allegan County2,376+7.9%
20Calhoun County2,360+5.5%
21Monroe County2,293+7.4%
22Bay County2,111+1.9%
23Eaton County1,989+6.4%
24Lenawee County1,836+5.1%
25Marquette County1,625+3.5%
26Lapeer County1,612+5.7%
27Emmet County1,467+5.9%
28Van Buren County1,418+5.3%
29Isabella County1,323+3%
30Clinton County1,303+6.7%
31Shiawassee County1,139+5.6%
32Ionia County1,055+5%
33Delta County1,037+3.9%
34Montcalm County1,032+5.2%
35Huron County982+2.8%
36Barry County921+5.7%
37Houghton County887+3.6%
38Sanilac County863+2.9%
39Tuscola County850+4.7%
40Dickinson County842+1.8%
41Wexford County840+6.2%
42Branch County827+5.6%
43Charlevoix County823+5.2%
44Chippewa County813+2.3%
45Newaygo County812+4.8%
46Alpena County808+3.1%
47Hillsdale County801+4.6%
48Cass County798+9%
49Cheboygan County793+3.7%
50Otsego County753+6.1%
51Gratiot County732+4%
52Leelanau County727+6.6%
53Mason County711+3.6%
54Mecosta County658+3.8%
55Iosco County594+5.5%
56Oceana County577+6.1%
57Antrim County574+9.3%
58Manistee County566+6.4%
59Roscommon County551+9.3%
60Clare County547+6.4%
61Ogemaw County543+5.6%
62Benzie County471+5.8%
63Menominee County470+2.2%
64Mackinac County463+2.9%
65Osceola County460+3.4%
66Gladwin County410+8.5%
67Gogebic County400+3.9%
68Iron County362+3.4%
69Missaukee County350+2.3%
70Kalkaska County328+4.8%
71Presque Isle County327-0.9%
72Arenac County325+7.3%
73Crawford County283+5.2%
74Alger County241+10%
75Schoolcraft County2300%
76Baraga County212+2.4%
77Montmorency County200+2%
78Oscoda County195+2.6%
79Luce County190+3.3%
80Alcona County185+5.7%
81Ontonagon County173+3.6%
82Lake County158+3.9%
83Keweenaw County74+1.4%

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/2019/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), 2019) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2019/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), 2019. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2019/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/michigan-counties?period=2019. 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), 2019. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2019/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/michigan-counties?period=2019.

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), 2019 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2019/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/michigan-counties?period=2019 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_michigan_by_2019,
  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), 2019}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2019/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/michigan-counties?period=2019. 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/2019/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), 2019
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2019/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/michigan-counties?period=2019
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/michigan-counties?period=2019.
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/2019/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  - 
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Questions

Which county has the highest business establishments (QCEW)?

Oakland County, with 42,214 in 2019, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest business establishments (QCEW)?

Keweenaw County, with 74 in 2019.

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