Data / Rankings / Business establishments (QCEW) / Counties in Michigan

Counties in Michigan by business establishments (QCEW)

Oakland County had the highest business establishments (QCEW) of 83 counties in 2020, at 42,914. Keweenaw County had the lowest, at 78. The median was 851 and the figure for Michigan was 267,166. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest42,914Oakland County
Lowest78Keweenaw County
Median85183 counties
Michigan267,166History

Map of counties, 2020

Alcona County: 202 countAlger County: 249 countAllegan County: 2,463 countAlpena County: 847 countAntrim County: 584 countArenac County: 336 countBaraga County: 216 countBarry County: 987 countBay County: 2,102 countBenzie County: 486 countBerrien County: 3,819 countBranch County: 851 countCalhoun County: 2,453 countCass County: 839 countCharlevoix County: 821 countCheboygan County: 805 countChippewa County: 818 countClare County: 562 countClinton County: 1,354 countCrawford County: 291 countDelta County: 1,038 countDickinson County: 855 countEaton County: 2,010 countEmmet County: 1,493 countGenesee County: 7,264 countGladwin County: 426 countGogebic County: 401 countGrand Traverse County: 3,550 countGratiot County: 753 countHillsdale County: 830 countHoughton County: 892 countHuron County: 1,000 countIngham County: 6,560 countIonia County: 1,067 countIosco County: 600 countIron County: 380 countIsabella County: 1,345 countJackson County: 2,936 countKalamazoo County: 5,795 countKalkaska County: 339 countKent County: 16,281 countKeweenaw County: 78 countLake County: 163 countLapeer County: 1,645 countLeelanau County: 766 countLenawee County: 1,879 countLivingston County: 4,807 countLuce County: 187 countMackinac County: 475 countMacomb County: 19,116 countManistee County: 576 countMarquette County: 1,643 countMason County: 716 countMecosta County: 668 countMenominee County: 483 countMidland County: 2,676 countMissaukee County: 358 countMonroe County: 2,380 countMontcalm County: 1,052 countMontmorency County: 209 countMuskegon County: 2,999 countNewaygo County: 824 countOakland County: 42,914 countOceana County: 587 countOgemaw County: 558 countOntonagon County: 179 countOsceola County: 462 countOscoda County: 199 countOtsego County: 772 countOttawa County: 6,305 countPresque Isle County: 336 countRoscommon County: 567 countSaginaw County: 4,033 countSt. Clair County: 2,980 countSt. Joseph County: 3,038 countSanilac County: 879 countSchoolcraft County: 234 countShiawassee County: 1,156 countTuscola County: 855 countVan Buren County: 1,492 countWashtenaw County: 9,257 countWayne County: 35,598 countWexford County: 863 count
  • Under 400
  • 400 to 600
  • 600 to 900
  • 900 to 1,400
  • 1,400 to 3,000
  • 3,000 and over
count, 2020. 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, 2020

Oakland County: 42,914 countOakland County42,914Wayne County: 35,598 countWayne County35,598Macomb County: 19,116 countMacomb County19,116Kent County: 16,281 countKent County16,281Washtenaw County: 9,257 countWashtenaw County9,257Genesee County: 7,264 countGenesee County7,264Ingham County: 6,560 countIngham County6,560Ottawa County: 6,305 countOttawa County6,305Kalamazoo County: 5,795 countKalamazoo County5,795Livingston County: 4,807 countLivingston County4,807Saginaw County: 4,033 countSaginaw County4,033Berrien County: 3,819 countBerrien County3,819Grand Traverse County: 3,550 countGrand Traverse County3,550St. Joseph County: 3,038 countSt. Joseph County3,038Muskegon County: 2,999 countMuskegon County2,999St. Clair County: 2,980 countSt. Clair County2,980Jackson County: 2,936 countJackson County2,936Midland County: 2,676 countMidland County2,676Allegan County: 2,463 countAllegan County2,463Calhoun County: 2,453 countCalhoun County2,453Monroe County: 2,380 countMonroe County2,380Bay County: 2,102 countBay County2,102Eaton County: 2,010 countEaton County2,010Lenawee County: 1,879 countLenawee County1,879Lapeer County: 1,645 countLapeer County1,645Marquette County: 1,643 countMarquette County1,643Emmet County: 1,493 countEmmet County1,493Van Buren County: 1,492 countVan Buren County1,492Clinton County: 1,354 countClinton County1,354Isabella County: 1,345 countIsabella County1,345Shiawassee County: 1,156 countShiawassee County1,156Ionia County: 1,067 countIonia County1,067Montcalm County: 1,052 countMontcalm County1,052Delta County: 1,038 countDelta County1,038Huron County: 1,000 countHuron County1,000Barry County: 987 countBarry County987Houghton County: 892 countHoughton County892Sanilac County: 879 countSanilac County879Wexford County: 863 countWexford County863Dickinson County: 855 countDickinson County855Oakland County: 42,914 countOakland County42,914Wayne County: 35,598 countWayne County35,598Macomb County: 19,116 countMacomb County19,116Kent County: 16,281 countKent County16,281Washtenaw County: 9,257 countWashtenaw County9,257Genesee County: 7,264 countGenesee County7,264Ingham County: 6,560 countIngham County6,560Ottawa County: 6,305 countOttawa County6,305Kalamazoo County: 5,795 countKalamazoo County5,795Livingston County: 4,807 countLivingston County4,807Saginaw County: 4,033 countSaginaw County4,033Berrien County: 3,819 countBerrien County3,819Grand Traverse County: 3,550 countGrand Traverse County3,550St. Joseph County: 3,038 countSt. Joseph County3,038Muskegon County: 2,999 countMuskegon County2,999St. Clair County: 2,980 countSt. Clair County2,980Jackson County: 2,936 countJackson County2,936Midland County: 2,676 countMidland County2,676Allegan County: 2,463 countAllegan County2,463Calhoun County: 2,453 countCalhoun County2,453Monroe County: 2,380 countMonroe County2,380Bay County: 2,102 countBay County2,102Eaton County: 2,010 countEaton County2,010Lenawee County: 1,879 countLenawee County1,879Lapeer County: 1,645 countLapeer County1,645Marquette County: 1,643 countMarquette County1,643Emmet County: 1,493 countEmmet County1,493Van Buren County: 1,492 countVan Buren County1,492Clinton County: 1,354 countClinton County1,354Isabella County: 1,345 countIsabella County1,345Shiawassee County: 1,156 countShiawassee County1,156Ionia County: 1,067 countIonia County1,067Montcalm County: 1,052 countMontcalm County1,052Delta County: 1,038 countDelta County1,038Huron County: 1,000 countHuron County1,000Barry County: 987 countBarry County987Houghton County: 892 countHoughton County892Sanilac County: 879 countSanilac County879Wexford County: 863 countWexford County863Dickinson County: 855 countDickinson County855
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

RankCounties2020
count		Change on 2019
1Oakland County42,914+1.7%
2Wayne County35,598+3.7%
3Macomb County19,116+2%
4Kent County16,281+2.8%
5Washtenaw County9,257+3.2%
6Genesee County7,264+1.1%
7Ingham County6,560+1.9%
8Ottawa County6,305+2.8%
9Kalamazoo County5,795+8.2%
10Livingston County4,807-0.8%
11Saginaw County4,033+0.7%
12Berrien County3,819+3.3%
13Grand Traverse County3,550+2.3%
14St. Joseph County3,038-42.5%
15Muskegon County2,999+1%
16St. Clair County2,980+0.5%
17Jackson County2,936+5.6%
18Midland County2,676-23%
19Allegan County2,463+3.7%
20Calhoun County2,453+3.9%
21Monroe County2,380+3.8%
22Bay County2,102-0.4%
23Eaton County2,010+1.1%
24Lenawee County1,879+2.3%
25Lapeer County1,645+2%
26Marquette County1,643+1.1%
27Emmet County1,493+1.8%
28Van Buren County1,492+5.2%
29Clinton County1,354+3.9%
30Isabella County1,345+1.7%
31Shiawassee County1,156+1.5%
32Ionia County1,067+1.1%
33Montcalm County1,052+1.9%
34Delta County1,038+0.1%
35Huron County1,000+1.8%
36Barry County987+7.2%
37Houghton County892+0.6%
38Sanilac County879+1.9%
39Wexford County863+2.7%
40Dickinson County855+1.5%
40Tuscola County855+0.6%
42Branch County851+2.9%
43Alpena County847+4.8%
44Cass County839+5.1%
45Hillsdale County830+3.6%
46Newaygo County824+1.5%
47Charlevoix County821-0.2%
48Chippewa County818+0.6%
49Cheboygan County805+1.5%
50Otsego County772+2.5%
51Leelanau County766+5.4%
52Gratiot County753+2.9%
53Mason County716+0.7%
54Mecosta County668+1.5%
55Iosco County600+1%
56Oceana County587+1.7%
57Antrim County584+1.7%
58Manistee County576+1.8%
59Roscommon County567+2.9%
60Clare County562+2.7%
61Ogemaw County558+2.8%
62Benzie County486+3.2%
63Menominee County483+2.8%
64Mackinac County475+2.6%
65Osceola County462+0.4%
66Gladwin County426+3.9%
67Gogebic County401+0.3%
68Iron County380+5%
69Missaukee County358+2.3%
70Kalkaska County339+3.4%
71Arenac County336+3.4%
71Presque Isle County336+2.8%
73Crawford County291+2.8%
74Alger County249+3.3%
75Schoolcraft County234+1.7%
76Baraga County216+1.9%
77Montmorency County209+4.5%
78Alcona County202+9.2%
79Oscoda County199+2.1%
80Luce County187-1.6%
81Ontonagon County179+3.5%
82Lake County163+3.2%
83Keweenaw County78+5.4%

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/2020/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), 2020) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2020/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), 2020. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2020/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/michigan-counties?period=2020. 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), 2020. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2020/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/michigan-counties?period=2020.

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), 2020 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2020/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/michigan-counties?period=2020 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_michigan_by_2020,
  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), 2020}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2020/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/michigan-counties?period=2020. 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/2020/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), 2020
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2020/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/michigan-counties?period=2020
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/michigan-counties?period=2020.
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/2020/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Rank Counties in Michigan by business establishments (QCEW) using official data, and cite the source.
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Questions

Which county has the highest business establishments (QCEW)?

Oakland County, with 42,914 in 2020, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest business establishments (QCEW)?

Keweenaw County, with 78 in 2020.

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