Counties in Michigan by business establishments (QCEW)

Oakland County had the highest business establishments (QCEW) of 83 counties in 2023, at 47,995. Keweenaw County had the lowest, at 93. The median was 961 and the figure for Michigan was 323,687. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest47,995Oakland County
Median96183 counties
Michigan323,687History

Map of counties, 2023

Alcona County: 232 countAlger County: 287 countAllegan County: 2,878 countAlpena County: 978 countAntrim County: 661 countArenac County: 385 countBaraga County: 226 countBarry County: 1,124 countBay County: 2,352 countBenzie County: 534 countBerrien County: 4,452 countBranch County: 947 countCalhoun County: 2,850 countCass County: 999 countCharlevoix County: 955 countCheboygan County: 918 countChippewa County: 921 countClare County: 673 countClinton County: 1,566 countCrawford County: 306 countDelta County: 1,139 countDickinson County: 927 countEaton County: 2,307 countEmmet County: 1,695 countGenesee County: 7,987 countGladwin County: 487 countGogebic County: 453 countGrand Traverse County: 4,039 countGratiot County: 856 countHillsdale County: 952 countHoughton County: 1,039 countHuron County: 1,109 countIngham County: 7,495 countIonia County: 1,172 countIosco County: 682 countIron County: 431 countIsabella County: 1,495 countJackson County: 3,387 countKalamazoo County: 6,586 countKalkaska County: 409 countKent County: 19,034 countKeweenaw County: 93 countLake County: 200 countLapeer County: 1,881 countLeelanau County: 929 countLenawee County: 2,143 countLivingston County: 5,300 countLuce County: 203 countMackinac County: 556 countMacomb County: 21,655 countManistee County: 658 countMarquette County: 1,852 countMason County: 777 countMecosta County: 745 countMenominee County: 542 countMidland County: 4,327 countMissaukee County: 416 countMonroe County: 2,735 countMontcalm County: 1,186 countMontmorency County: 258 countMuskegon County: 3,376 countNewaygo County: 943 countOakland County: 47,995 countOceana County: 641 countOgemaw County: 678 countOntonagon County: 208 countOsceola County: 513 countOscoda County: 217 countOtsego County: 882 countOttawa County: 7,248 countPresque Isle County: 383 countRoscommon County: 642 countSaginaw County: 4,369 countSt. Clair County: 3,428 countSt. Joseph County: 3,064 countSanilac County: 961 countSchoolcraft County: 262 countShiawassee County: 1,258 countTuscola County: 961 countVan Buren County: 1,753 countWashtenaw County: 10,655 countWayne County: 40,343 countWexford County: 982 count
  • Under 400
  • 400 to 700
  • 700 to 1,000
  • 1,000 to 1,700
  • 1,700 to 3,600
  • 3,600 and over
count, 2023. 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, 2023

Oakland County: 47,995 countOakland County47,995Wayne County: 40,343 countWayne County40,343Macomb County: 21,655 countMacomb County21,655Kent County: 19,034 countKent County19,034Washtenaw County: 10,655 countWashtenaw County10,655Genesee County: 7,987 countGenesee County7,987Ingham County: 7,495 countIngham County7,495Ottawa County: 7,248 countOttawa County7,248Kalamazoo County: 6,586 countKalamazoo County6,586Livingston County: 5,300 countLivingston County5,300Berrien County: 4,452 countBerrien County4,452Saginaw County: 4,369 countSaginaw County4,369Midland County: 4,327 countMidland County4,327Grand Traverse County: 4,039 countGrand Traverse County4,039St. Clair County: 3,428 countSt. Clair County3,428Jackson County: 3,387 countJackson County3,387Muskegon County: 3,376 countMuskegon County3,376St. Joseph County: 3,064 countSt. Joseph County3,064Allegan County: 2,878 countAllegan County2,878Calhoun County: 2,850 countCalhoun County2,850Monroe County: 2,735 countMonroe County2,735Bay County: 2,352 countBay County2,352Eaton County: 2,307 countEaton County2,307Lenawee County: 2,143 countLenawee County2,143Lapeer County: 1,881 countLapeer County1,881Marquette County: 1,852 countMarquette County1,852Van Buren County: 1,753 countVan Buren County1,753Emmet County: 1,695 countEmmet County1,695Clinton County: 1,566 countClinton County1,566Isabella County: 1,495 countIsabella County1,495Shiawassee County: 1,258 countShiawassee County1,258Montcalm County: 1,186 countMontcalm County1,186Ionia County: 1,172 countIonia County1,172Delta County: 1,139 countDelta County1,139Barry County: 1,124 countBarry County1,124Huron County: 1,109 countHuron County1,109Houghton County: 1,039 countHoughton County1,039Cass County: 999 countCass County999Wexford County: 982 countWexford County982Alpena County: 978 countAlpena County978Oakland County: 47,995 countOakland County47,995Wayne County: 40,343 countWayne County40,343Macomb County: 21,655 countMacomb County21,655Kent County: 19,034 countKent County19,034Washtenaw County: 10,655 countWashtenaw County10,655Genesee County: 7,987 countGenesee County7,987Ingham County: 7,495 countIngham County7,495Ottawa County: 7,248 countOttawa County7,248Kalamazoo County: 6,586 countKalamazoo County6,586Livingston County: 5,300 countLivingston County5,300Berrien County: 4,452 countBerrien County4,452Saginaw County: 4,369 countSaginaw County4,369Midland County: 4,327 countMidland County4,327Grand Traverse County: 4,039 countGrand Traverse County4,039St. Clair County: 3,428 countSt. Clair County3,428Jackson County: 3,387 countJackson County3,387Muskegon County: 3,376 countMuskegon County3,376St. Joseph County: 3,064 countSt. Joseph County3,064Allegan County: 2,878 countAllegan County2,878Calhoun County: 2,850 countCalhoun County2,850Monroe County: 2,735 countMonroe County2,735Bay County: 2,352 countBay County2,352Eaton County: 2,307 countEaton County2,307Lenawee County: 2,143 countLenawee County2,143Lapeer County: 1,881 countLapeer County1,881Marquette County: 1,852 countMarquette County1,852Van Buren County: 1,753 countVan Buren County1,753Emmet County: 1,695 countEmmet County1,695Clinton County: 1,566 countClinton County1,566Isabella County: 1,495 countIsabella County1,495Shiawassee County: 1,258 countShiawassee County1,258Montcalm County: 1,186 countMontcalm County1,186Ionia County: 1,172 countIonia County1,172Delta County: 1,139 countDelta County1,139Barry County: 1,124 countBarry County1,124Huron County: 1,109 countHuron County1,109Houghton County: 1,039 countHoughton County1,039Cass County: 999 countCass County999Wexford County: 982 countWexford County982Alpena County: 978 countAlpena County978
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

RankCounties2023
count
Change on 2022
1Oakland County47,995+6.7%
2Wayne County40,343+7.7%
3Macomb County21,655+6.7%
4Kent County19,034+7.9%
5Washtenaw County10,655+7.1%
6Genesee County7,987+6.2%
7Ingham County7,495+7.3%
8Ottawa County7,248+7%
9Kalamazoo County6,586+7%
10Livingston County5,300+6.8%
11Berrien County4,452+8.2%
12Saginaw County4,369+5.4%
13Midland County4,327+13.7%
14Grand Traverse County4,039+6.8%
15St. Clair County3,428+8.5%
16Jackson County3,387+6.6%
17Muskegon County3,376+6.3%
18St. Joseph County3,064+3.3%
19Allegan County2,878+7.4%
20Calhoun County2,850+8.2%
21Monroe County2,735+8.1%
22Bay County2,352+6.3%
23Eaton County2,307+6.9%
24Lenawee County2,143+6.9%
25Lapeer County1,881+7.5%
26Marquette County1,852+7.5%
27Van Buren County1,753+7.9%
28Emmet County1,695+6.8%
29Clinton County1,566+7.3%
30Isabella County1,495+5.1%
31Shiawassee County1,258+6.3%
32Montcalm County1,186+7.3%
33Ionia County1,172+5.5%
34Delta County1,139+5.5%
35Barry County1,124+6.4%
36Huron County1,109+6.3%
37Houghton County1,039+7.1%
38Cass County999+9.1%
39Wexford County982+5.1%
40Alpena County978+6.7%
41Sanilac County961+6.9%
41Tuscola County961+6.8%
43Charlevoix County955+6.5%
44Hillsdale County952+7.1%
45Branch County947+6.8%
46Newaygo County943+7.2%
47Leelanau County929+6.5%
48Dickinson County927+4.7%
49Chippewa County921+5.4%
50Cheboygan County918+6.4%
51Otsego County882+7.6%
52Gratiot County856+7.4%
53Mason County777+5.6%
54Mecosta County745+6%
55Iosco County682+7.2%
56Ogemaw County678+10.2%
57Clare County673+10%
58Antrim County661+7.1%
59Manistee County658+5.8%
60Roscommon County642+6.1%
61Oceana County641+7.4%
62Mackinac County556+8.2%
63Menominee County542+5.7%
64Benzie County534+5.5%
65Osceola County513+6.4%
66Gladwin County487+7.7%
67Gogebic County453+8.6%
68Iron County431+5.4%
69Missaukee County416+8.6%
70Kalkaska County409+8.8%
71Arenac County385+8.5%
72Presque Isle County383+5.5%
73Crawford County306+5.9%
74Alger County287+5.9%
75Schoolcraft County262+4.8%
76Montmorency County258+8.9%
77Alcona County232+5.9%
78Baraga County226+4.6%
79Oscoda County217+2.4%
80Ontonagon County208+9.5%
81Luce County203+7.4%
82Lake County200+8.7%
83Keweenaw County93+5.7%

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/2023/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), 2023) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2023/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), 2023. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2023/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/michigan-counties?period=2023. 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), 2023. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2023/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/michigan-counties?period=2023.

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), 2023 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2023/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/michigan-counties?period=2023 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_michigan_by_2023,
  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), 2023}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2023/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/michigan-counties?period=2023. 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/2023/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), 2023
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2023/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/michigan-counties?period=2023
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/michigan-counties?period=2023.
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/2023/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 47,995 in 2023, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest business establishments (QCEW)?

Keweenaw County, with 93 in 2023.

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