Counties in Michigan by employer firm births, 2023

Oakland County had the highest employer firm births of 82 counties in 2023, at 2,150. Baraga County had the lowest, at 5. The median was 42 and the figure for Michigan was 11,814. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest2,150Oakland County
Median4282 counties
Michigan11,814History

Map of counties, 2023

Alcona County: 13 countAlger County: 8 countAllegan County: 136 countAlpena County: 50 countAntrim County: 28 countArenac County: 31 countBaraga County: 5 countBarry County: 46 countBay County: 93 countBenzie County: 24 countBerrien County: 151 countBranch County: 31 countCalhoun County: 105 countCass County: 55 countCharlevoix County: 42 countCheboygan County: 41 countChippewa County: 32 countClare County: 30 countClinton County: 71 countCrawford County: 9 countDelta County: 42 countDickinson County: 27 countEaton County: 101 countEmmet County: 73 countGenesee County: 379 countGladwin County: 16 countGogebic County: 26 countGrand Traverse County: 198 countGratiot County: 39 countHillsdale County: 42 countHoughton County: 49 countHuron County: 32 countIngham County: 327 countIonia County: 40 countIosco County: 21 countIron County: 22 countIsabella County: 58 countJackson County: 127 countKalamazoo County: 272 countKalkaska County: 22 countKent County: 898 countLake County: 8 countLapeer County: 90 countLeelanau County: 34 countLenawee County: 74 countLivingston County: 233 countLuce County: 7 countMackinac County: 15 countMacomb County: 1,139 countManistee County: 27 countMarquette County: 59 countMason County: 40 countMecosta County: 32 countMenominee County: 19 countMidland County: 85 countMissaukee County: 17 countMonroe County: 109 countMontcalm County: 44 countMontmorency County: 11 countMuskegon County: 136 countNewaygo County: 47 countOakland County: 2,150 countOceana County: 23 countOgemaw County: 35 countOntonagon County: 7 countOsceola County: 20 countOscoda County: 7 countOtsego County: 38 countOttawa County: 343 countPresque Isle County: 17 countRoscommon County: 30 countSaginaw County: 175 countSt. Clair County: 132 countSt. Joseph County: 50 countSanilac County: 38 countSchoolcraft County: 14 countShiawassee County: 69 countTuscola County: 36 countVan Buren County: 71 countWashtenaw County: 429 countWayne County: 2,076 countWexford County: 42 count
  • Under 20
  • 20 to 30
  • 30 to 40
  • 40 to 70
  • 70 to 140
  • 140 and over
  • No data
count, 2023. Hatched areas have no value for this period. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics by firm age: employer firms of age zero, all covered industries, nation, states and counties from 1978. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2023

Oakland County: 2,150 countOakland County2,150Wayne County: 2,076 countWayne County2,076Macomb County: 1,139 countMacomb County1,139Kent County: 898 countKent County898Washtenaw County: 429 countWashtenaw County429Genesee County: 379 countGenesee County379Ottawa County: 343 countOttawa County343Ingham County: 327 countIngham County327Kalamazoo County: 272 countKalamazoo County272Livingston County: 233 countLivingston County233Grand Traverse County: 198 countGrand Traverse County198Saginaw County: 175 countSaginaw County175Berrien County: 151 countBerrien County151Allegan County: 136 countAllegan County136Muskegon County: 136 countMuskegon County136St. Clair County: 132 countSt. Clair County132Jackson County: 127 countJackson County127Monroe County: 109 countMonroe County109Calhoun County: 105 countCalhoun County105Eaton County: 101 countEaton County101Bay County: 93 countBay County93Lapeer County: 90 countLapeer County90Midland County: 85 countMidland County85Lenawee County: 74 countLenawee County74Emmet County: 73 countEmmet County73Clinton County: 71 countClinton County71Van Buren County: 71 countVan Buren County71Shiawassee County: 69 countShiawassee County69Marquette County: 59 countMarquette County59Isabella County: 58 countIsabella County58Cass County: 55 countCass County55Alpena County: 50 countAlpena County50St. Joseph County: 50 countSt. Joseph County50Houghton County: 49 countHoughton County49Newaygo County: 47 countNewaygo County47Barry County: 46 countBarry County46Montcalm County: 44 countMontcalm County44Charlevoix County: 42 countCharlevoix County42Delta County: 42 countDelta County42Hillsdale County: 42 countHillsdale County42Oakland County: 2,150 countOakland County2,150Wayne County: 2,076 countWayne County2,076Macomb County: 1,139 countMacomb County1,139Kent County: 898 countKent County898Washtenaw County: 429 countWashtenaw County429Genesee County: 379 countGenesee County379Ottawa County: 343 countOttawa County343Ingham County: 327 countIngham County327Kalamazoo County: 272 countKalamazoo County272Livingston County: 233 countLivingston County233Grand Traverse County: 198 countGrand Traverse County198Saginaw County: 175 countSaginaw County175Berrien County: 151 countBerrien County151Allegan County: 136 countAllegan County136Muskegon County: 136 countMuskegon County136St. Clair County: 132 countSt. Clair County132Jackson County: 127 countJackson County127Monroe County: 109 countMonroe County109Calhoun County: 105 countCalhoun County105Eaton County: 101 countEaton County101Bay County: 93 countBay County93Lapeer County: 90 countLapeer County90Midland County: 85 countMidland County85Lenawee County: 74 countLenawee County74Emmet County: 73 countEmmet County73Clinton County: 71 countClinton County71Van Buren County: 71 countVan Buren County71Shiawassee County: 69 countShiawassee County69Marquette County: 59 countMarquette County59Isabella County: 58 countIsabella County58Cass County: 55 countCass County55Alpena County: 50 countAlpena County50St. Joseph County: 50 countSt. Joseph County50Houghton County: 49 countHoughton County49Newaygo County: 47 countNewaygo County47Barry County: 46 countBarry County46Montcalm County: 44 countMontcalm County44Charlevoix County: 42 countCharlevoix County42Delta County: 42 countDelta County42Hillsdale County: 42 countHillsdale County42
count. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics by firm age: employer firms of age zero, all covered industries, nation, states and counties from 1978. Retrieved 2026-10-22.

Full ranking

RankCounties2023
count
Change on 2022
1Oakland County2,150-3.2%
2Wayne County2,076-1.5%
3Macomb County1,139-2.2%
4Kent County898-1.9%
5Washtenaw County429-7.5%
6Genesee County379+3%
7Ottawa County343+7.5%
8Ingham County327+3.2%
9Kalamazoo County272+6.7%
10Livingston County233-6%
11Grand Traverse County198+10.6%
12Saginaw County175+13.6%
13Berrien County151+2%
14Allegan County136+1.5%
14Muskegon County136-11.1%
16St. Clair County132-9%
17Jackson County127+0.8%
18Monroe County109+3.8%
19Calhoun County105-3.7%
20Eaton County101+3.1%
21Bay County93-8.8%
22Lapeer County90+38.5%
23Midland County85-12.4%
24Lenawee County74-3.9%
25Emmet County73-17%
26Clinton County71-15.5%
26Van Buren County71-11.3%
28Shiawassee County69+6.2%
29Marquette County59-25.3%
30Isabella County58+7.4%
31Cass County55+22.2%
32Alpena County50+16.3%
32St. Joseph County50-7.4%
34Houghton County49+28.9%
35Newaygo County47+27%
36Barry County46-14.8%
37Montcalm County44-20%
38Charlevoix County42-2.3%
38Delta County42+20%
38Hillsdale County42-26.3%
38Wexford County42-4.5%
42Cheboygan County41+64%
43Ionia County40-11.1%
43Mason County40+48.1%
45Gratiot County39+56%
46Otsego County38+2.7%
46Sanilac County38+8.6%
48Tuscola County36-18.2%
49Ogemaw County35+20.7%
50Leelanau County34-29.2%
51Chippewa County32-13.5%
51Huron County32-8.6%
51Mecosta County32-20%
54Arenac County31+93.8%
54Branch County31-22.5%
56Clare County30+20%
56Roscommon County30+11.1%
58Antrim County28-28.2%
59Dickinson County27-12.9%
59Manistee County27-10%
61Gogebic County26+44.4%
62Benzie County24-40%
63Oceana County23+15%
64Iron County22+29.4%
64Kalkaska County22-15.4%
66Iosco County21+5%
67Osceola County20-16.7%
68Menominee County19+35.7%
69Missaukee County17+6.3%
69Presque Isle County17-5.6%
71Gladwin County16+23.1%
72Mackinac County15-25%
73Schoolcraft County14+7.7%
74Alcona County13+116.7%
75Montmorency County110%
76Crawford County9-47.1%
77Alger County8-42.9%
77Lake County8-55.6%
79Luce County70%
79Ontonagon County7-50%
79Oscoda County7+16.7%
82Baraga County5-28.6%

Other periods

About this ranking

New employer firms: firms of age zero in March of the year, meaning that every establishment of the firm had its first employees during the previous twelve months. United States: Census Bureau Business Dynamics Statistics, which calls these firms startups.

A firm counts only when it has employees, so a business without staff is not a birth, and a new branch, merger or change of ownership of an existing firm is not a birth either. Not the same as business_applications (requests for an employer number) or enterprise_births (European business demography). The year is the twelve months to March: 2023 compares March 2022 with March 2023.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the counties are compared on one definition. 1 counties with data in other periods have no value for 2023 and are left out rather than filled from another source. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics by firm age: employer firms of age zero, all covered industries, nation, states and counties from 1978. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty_fac.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-22.

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. Census Bureau. (2025). Business Dynamics Statistics by firm age: employer firms of age zero, all covered industries, nation, states and counties from 1978 (Counties in Michigan by employer firm births, 2023) [Data set]. Retrieved October 22, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty_fac.csv

MLA 9

Business Dynamics Statistics by firm age: employer firms of age zero, all covered industries, nation, states and counties from 1978, Counties in Michigan by employer firm births, 2023. U.S. Census Bureau, 25 Sept. 2025, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty_fac.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firm-births/michigan-counties. Accessed 22 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2025. Business Dynamics Statistics by firm age: employer firms of age zero, all covered industries, nation, states and counties from 1978. Counties in Michigan by employer firm births, 2023. Dataset. Accessed October 22, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty_fac.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firm-births/michigan-counties.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2025) Business Dynamics Statistics by firm age: employer firms of age zero, all covered industries, nation, states and counties from 1978, Counties in Michigan by employer firm births, 2023 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty_fac.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firm-births/michigan-counties (Accessed: 22 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_michigan_by_2023,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Business Dynamics Statistics by firm age: employer firms of age zero, all covered industries, nation, states and counties from 1978: Counties in Michigan by employer firm births, 2023}},
  year = {2025},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty_fac.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-22},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firm-births/michigan-counties. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics by firm age: employer firms of age zero, all covered industries, nation, states and counties from 1978. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023\_st\_cty\_fac.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-22.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - Business Dynamics Statistics by firm age: employer firms of age zero, all covered industries, nation, states and counties from 1978: Counties in Michigan by employer firm births, 2023
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/09/25
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty_fac.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firm-births/michigan-counties
Y2  - 2026/10/22
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firm-births/michigan-counties.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics by firm age: employer firms of age zero, all covered industries, nation, states and counties from 1978. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty_fac.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-22.
ER  - 
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Rank Counties in Michigan by employer firm births using official data, and cite the source.
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Questions

Which county has the highest employer firm births?

Oakland County, with 2,150 in 2023, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest employer firm births?

Baraga County, with 5 in 2023.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics by firm age: employer firms of age zero, all covered industries, nation, states and counties from 1978. Retrieved 2026-10-22. 1 counties have no value for 2023 and are not ranked.

Employer firm births: other rankings

Counties in Michigan: more rankings