Counties in Michigan by employer firm births

Oakland County had the highest employer firm births of 82 counties in 2013, at 1,986. Oscoda County had the lowest, at 3. The median was 31 and the figure for Michigan was 9,968. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest1,986Oakland County
Median3182 counties
Michigan9,968History

Map of counties, 2013

Alcona County: 11 countAlger County: 8 countAllegan County: 99 countAlpena County: 19 countAntrim County: 19 countArenac County: 14 countBaraga County: 4 countBarry County: 45 countBay County: 69 countBenzie County: 18 countBerrien County: 114 countBranch County: 30 countCalhoun County: 88 countCass County: 30 countCharlevoix County: 34 countCheboygan County: 26 countChippewa County: 32 countClare County: 23 countClinton County: 69 countCrawford County: 9 countDelta County: 31 countDickinson County: 32 countEaton County: 98 countEmmet County: 59 countGenesee County: 313 countGladwin County: 15 countGogebic County: 9 countGrand Traverse County: 159 countGratiot County: 30 countHillsdale County: 33 countHoughton County: 19 countHuron County: 24 countIngham County: 256 countIonia County: 48 countIosco County: 23 countIron County: 12 countIsabella County: 42 countJackson County: 90 countKalamazoo County: 198 countKalkaska County: 18 countKent County: 677 countLake County: 5 countLapeer County: 83 countLeelanau County: 30 countLenawee County: 64 countLivingston County: 247 countLuce County: 5 countMackinac County: 17 countMacomb County: 1,089 countManistee County: 23 countMarquette County: 38 countMason County: 25 countMecosta County: 29 countMenominee County: 13 countMidland County: 98 countMissaukee County: 21 countMonroe County: 102 countMontcalm County: 36 countMontmorency County: 9 countMuskegon County: 112 countNewaygo County: 35 countOakland County: 1,986 countOceana County: 12 countOgemaw County: 23 countOntonagon County: 7 countOsceola County: 12 countOscoda County: 3 countOtsego County: 27 countOttawa County: 255 countPresque Isle County: 13 countRoscommon County: 20 countSaginaw County: 138 countSt. Clair County: 129 countSt. Joseph County: 30 countSanilac County: 24 countSchoolcraft County: 9 countShiawassee County: 50 countTuscola County: 33 countVan Buren County: 40 countWashtenaw County: 411 countWayne County: 1,693 countWexford County: 42 count
  • Under 10
  • 10 to 20
  • 20 to 30
  • 30 to 50
  • 50 to 110
  • 110 and over
  • No data
count, 2013. 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, 2013

Oakland County: 1,986 countOakland County1,986Wayne County: 1,693 countWayne County1,693Macomb County: 1,089 countMacomb County1,089Kent County: 677 countKent County677Washtenaw County: 411 countWashtenaw County411Genesee County: 313 countGenesee County313Ingham County: 256 countIngham County256Ottawa County: 255 countOttawa County255Livingston County: 247 countLivingston County247Kalamazoo County: 198 countKalamazoo County198Grand Traverse County: 159 countGrand Traverse County159Saginaw County: 138 countSaginaw County138St. Clair County: 129 countSt. Clair County129Berrien County: 114 countBerrien County114Muskegon County: 112 countMuskegon County112Monroe County: 102 countMonroe County102Allegan County: 99 countAllegan County99Eaton County: 98 countEaton County98Midland County: 98 countMidland County98Jackson County: 90 countJackson County90Calhoun County: 88 countCalhoun County88Lapeer County: 83 countLapeer County83Bay County: 69 countBay County69Clinton County: 69 countClinton County69Lenawee County: 64 countLenawee County64Emmet County: 59 countEmmet County59Shiawassee County: 50 countShiawassee County50Ionia County: 48 countIonia County48Barry County: 45 countBarry County45Isabella County: 42 countIsabella County42Wexford County: 42 countWexford County42Van Buren County: 40 countVan Buren County40Marquette County: 38 countMarquette County38Montcalm County: 36 countMontcalm County36Newaygo County: 35 countNewaygo County35Charlevoix County: 34 countCharlevoix County34Hillsdale County: 33 countHillsdale County33Tuscola County: 33 countTuscola County33Chippewa County: 32 countChippewa County32Dickinson County: 32 countDickinson County32Oakland County: 1,986 countOakland County1,986Wayne County: 1,693 countWayne County1,693Macomb County: 1,089 countMacomb County1,089Kent County: 677 countKent County677Washtenaw County: 411 countWashtenaw County411Genesee County: 313 countGenesee County313Ingham County: 256 countIngham County256Ottawa County: 255 countOttawa County255Livingston County: 247 countLivingston County247Kalamazoo County: 198 countKalamazoo County198Grand Traverse County: 159 countGrand Traverse County159Saginaw County: 138 countSaginaw County138St. Clair County: 129 countSt. Clair County129Berrien County: 114 countBerrien County114Muskegon County: 112 countMuskegon County112Monroe County: 102 countMonroe County102Allegan County: 99 countAllegan County99Eaton County: 98 countEaton County98Midland County: 98 countMidland County98Jackson County: 90 countJackson County90Calhoun County: 88 countCalhoun County88Lapeer County: 83 countLapeer County83Bay County: 69 countBay County69Clinton County: 69 countClinton County69Lenawee County: 64 countLenawee County64Emmet County: 59 countEmmet County59Shiawassee County: 50 countShiawassee County50Ionia County: 48 countIonia County48Barry County: 45 countBarry County45Isabella County: 42 countIsabella County42Wexford County: 42 countWexford County42Van Buren County: 40 countVan Buren County40Marquette County: 38 countMarquette County38Montcalm County: 36 countMontcalm County36Newaygo County: 35 countNewaygo County35Charlevoix County: 34 countCharlevoix County34Hillsdale County: 33 countHillsdale County33Tuscola County: 33 countTuscola County33Chippewa County: 32 countChippewa County32Dickinson County: 32 countDickinson County32
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

RankCounties2013
count
Change on 2012
1Oakland County1,986-0.6%
2Wayne County1,693-4.3%
3Macomb County1,089+2.4%
4Kent County677-1.3%
5Washtenaw County411+1.5%
6Genesee County313-12.1%
7Ingham County256-5.5%
8Ottawa County255+1.6%
9Livingston County247+19.9%
10Kalamazoo County198-3.4%
11Grand Traverse County159+5.3%
12Saginaw County138-0.7%
13St. Clair County129+21.7%
14Berrien County114-13.6%
15Muskegon County112-6.7%
16Monroe County102+3%
17Allegan County99+8.8%
18Eaton County98+14%
18Midland County98+55.6%
20Jackson County90-19.6%
21Calhoun County88-3.3%
22Lapeer County83+18.6%
23Bay County69-15.9%
23Clinton County69+15%
25Lenawee County64-29.7%
26Emmet County59-1.7%
27Shiawassee County50+11.1%
28Ionia County48+45.5%
29Barry County45+18.4%
30Isabella County42-17.6%
30Wexford County42+20%
32Van Buren County40-14.9%
33Marquette County38-38.7%
34Montcalm County36-21.7%
35Newaygo County35+9.4%
36Charlevoix County34+9.7%
37Hillsdale County33+6.5%
37Tuscola County33+65%
39Chippewa County32+28%
39Dickinson County32+33.3%
41Delta County31-3.1%
42Branch County30+20%
42Cass County30+30.4%
42Gratiot County30+15.4%
42Leelanau County30+15.4%
42St. Joseph County30-11.8%
47Mecosta County29+7.4%
48Otsego County27+58.8%
49Cheboygan County26+18.2%
50Mason County25+4.2%
51Huron County24-17.2%
51Sanilac County24-29.4%
53Clare County23-8%
53Iosco County23-4.2%
53Manistee County23+27.8%
53Ogemaw County23+35.3%
57Missaukee County21+162.5%
58Roscommon County20+53.8%
59Alpena County19-13.6%
59Antrim County19-24%
59Houghton County19-48.6%
62Benzie County18-25%
62Kalkaska County18+20%
64Mackinac County17+6.3%
65Gladwin County15-6.3%
66Arenac County14-17.6%
67Menominee County13-13.3%
67Presque Isle County13+30%
69Iron County12-14.3%
69Oceana County12-50%
69Osceola County12-33.3%
72Alcona County11+120%
73Crawford County9+50%
73Gogebic County9-10%
73Montmorency County9+80%
73Schoolcraft County9-18.2%
77Alger County8+33.3%
78Ontonagon County7+40%
79Lake County5+66.7%
79Luce County50%
81Baraga County4-50%
82Oscoda County3-40%

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 2013 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, 2013) [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, 2013. 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?period=2013. 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, 2013. 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?period=2013.

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, 2013 [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?period=2013 (Accessed: 22 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_michigan_by_2013,
  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, 2013}},
  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?period=2013. 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, 2013
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?period=2013
Y2  - 2026/10/22
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firm-births/michigan-counties?period=2013.
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 1,986 in 2013, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest employer firm births?

Oscoda County, with 3 in 2013.

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 2013 and are not ranked.

Employer firm births: other rankings

Counties in Michigan: more rankings