Counties in Michigan by employer firm births

Oakland County had the highest employer firm births of 81 counties in 2014, at 1,947. Alger County had the lowest, at 4. The median was 30 and the figure for Michigan was 9,934. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest1,947Oakland County
Median3081 counties
Michigan9,934History

Map of counties, 2014

Alcona County: 9 countAlger County: 4 countAllegan County: 98 countAlpena County: 30 countAntrim County: 17 countArenac County: 8 countBaraga County: 9 countBarry County: 38 countBay County: 74 countBenzie County: 15 countBerrien County: 129 countBranch County: 27 countCalhoun County: 83 countCass County: 28 countCharlevoix County: 29 countCheboygan County: 31 countChippewa County: 23 countClare County: 17 countClinton County: 54 countCrawford County: 13 countDelta County: 28 countDickinson County: 21 countEaton County: 87 countEmmet County: 37 countGenesee County: 349 countGladwin County: 17 countGogebic County: 8 countGrand Traverse County: 152 countGratiot County: 30 countHillsdale County: 25 countHoughton County: 27 countHuron County: 30 countIngham County: 257 countIonia County: 47 countIosco County: 16 countIron County: 16 countIsabella County: 45 countJackson County: 130 countKalamazoo County: 206 countKalkaska County: 16 countKent County: 672 countLake County: 7 countLapeer County: 81 countLeelanau County: 26 countLenawee County: 83 countLivingston County: 209 countMackinac County: 23 countMacomb County: 1,040 countManistee County: 19 countMarquette County: 60 countMason County: 19 countMecosta County: 32 countMenominee County: 12 countMidland County: 144 countMissaukee County: 18 countMonroe County: 89 countMontcalm County: 44 countMontmorency County: 9 countMuskegon County: 107 countNewaygo County: 26 countOakland County: 1,947 countOceana County: 19 countOgemaw County: 15 countOntonagon County: 10 countOsceola County: 21 countOscoda County: 12 countOtsego County: 23 countOttawa County: 286 countPresque Isle County: 12 countRoscommon County: 23 countSaginaw County: 170 countSt. Clair County: 116 countSt. Joseph County: 57 countSanilac County: 39 countSchoolcraft County: 7 countShiawassee County: 55 countTuscola County: 32 countVan Buren County: 41 countWashtenaw County: 391 countWayne County: 1,623 countWexford County: 40 count
  • Under 20
  • 20 to 30
  • 30 to 50
  • 50 to 130
  • 130 and over
  • No data
count, 2014. 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, 2014

Oakland County: 1,947 countOakland County1,947Wayne County: 1,623 countWayne County1,623Macomb County: 1,040 countMacomb County1,040Kent County: 672 countKent County672Washtenaw County: 391 countWashtenaw County391Genesee County: 349 countGenesee County349Ottawa County: 286 countOttawa County286Ingham County: 257 countIngham County257Livingston County: 209 countLivingston County209Kalamazoo County: 206 countKalamazoo County206Saginaw County: 170 countSaginaw County170Grand Traverse County: 152 countGrand Traverse County152Midland County: 144 countMidland County144Jackson County: 130 countJackson County130Berrien County: 129 countBerrien County129St. Clair County: 116 countSt. Clair County116Muskegon County: 107 countMuskegon County107Allegan County: 98 countAllegan County98Monroe County: 89 countMonroe County89Eaton County: 87 countEaton County87Calhoun County: 83 countCalhoun County83Lenawee County: 83 countLenawee County83Lapeer County: 81 countLapeer County81Bay County: 74 countBay County74Marquette County: 60 countMarquette County60St. Joseph County: 57 countSt. Joseph County57Shiawassee County: 55 countShiawassee County55Clinton County: 54 countClinton County54Ionia County: 47 countIonia County47Isabella County: 45 countIsabella County45Montcalm County: 44 countMontcalm County44Van Buren County: 41 countVan Buren County41Wexford County: 40 countWexford County40Sanilac County: 39 countSanilac County39Barry County: 38 countBarry County38Emmet County: 37 countEmmet County37Mecosta County: 32 countMecosta County32Tuscola County: 32 countTuscola County32Cheboygan County: 31 countCheboygan County31Alpena County: 30 countAlpena County30Oakland County: 1,947 countOakland County1,947Wayne County: 1,623 countWayne County1,623Macomb County: 1,040 countMacomb County1,040Kent County: 672 countKent County672Washtenaw County: 391 countWashtenaw County391Genesee County: 349 countGenesee County349Ottawa County: 286 countOttawa County286Ingham County: 257 countIngham County257Livingston County: 209 countLivingston County209Kalamazoo County: 206 countKalamazoo County206Saginaw County: 170 countSaginaw County170Grand Traverse County: 152 countGrand Traverse County152Midland County: 144 countMidland County144Jackson County: 130 countJackson County130Berrien County: 129 countBerrien County129St. Clair County: 116 countSt. Clair County116Muskegon County: 107 countMuskegon County107Allegan County: 98 countAllegan County98Monroe County: 89 countMonroe County89Eaton County: 87 countEaton County87Calhoun County: 83 countCalhoun County83Lenawee County: 83 countLenawee County83Lapeer County: 81 countLapeer County81Bay County: 74 countBay County74Marquette County: 60 countMarquette County60St. Joseph County: 57 countSt. Joseph County57Shiawassee County: 55 countShiawassee County55Clinton County: 54 countClinton County54Ionia County: 47 countIonia County47Isabella County: 45 countIsabella County45Montcalm County: 44 countMontcalm County44Van Buren County: 41 countVan Buren County41Wexford County: 40 countWexford County40Sanilac County: 39 countSanilac County39Barry County: 38 countBarry County38Emmet County: 37 countEmmet County37Mecosta County: 32 countMecosta County32Tuscola County: 32 countTuscola County32Cheboygan County: 31 countCheboygan County31Alpena County: 30 countAlpena County30
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

RankCounties2014
count
Change on 2013
1Oakland County1,947-2%
2Wayne County1,623-4.1%
3Macomb County1,040-4.5%
4Kent County672-0.7%
5Washtenaw County391-4.9%
6Genesee County349+11.5%
7Ottawa County286+12.2%
8Ingham County257+0.4%
9Livingston County209-15.4%
10Kalamazoo County206+4%
11Saginaw County170+23.2%
12Grand Traverse County152-4.4%
13Midland County144+46.9%
14Jackson County130+44.4%
15Berrien County129+13.2%
16St. Clair County116-10.1%
17Muskegon County107-4.5%
18Allegan County98-1%
19Monroe County89-12.7%
20Eaton County87-11.2%
21Calhoun County83-5.7%
21Lenawee County83+29.7%
23Lapeer County81-2.4%
24Bay County74+7.2%
25Marquette County60+57.9%
26St. Joseph County57+90%
27Shiawassee County55+10%
28Clinton County54-21.7%
29Ionia County47-2.1%
30Isabella County45+7.1%
31Montcalm County44+22.2%
32Van Buren County41+2.5%
33Wexford County40-4.8%
34Sanilac County39+62.5%
35Barry County38-15.6%
36Emmet County37-37.3%
37Mecosta County32+10.3%
37Tuscola County32-3%
39Cheboygan County31+19.2%
40Alpena County30+57.9%
40Gratiot County300%
40Huron County30+25%
43Charlevoix County29-14.7%
44Cass County28-6.7%
44Delta County28-9.7%
46Branch County27-10%
46Houghton County27+42.1%
48Leelanau County26-13.3%
48Newaygo County26-25.7%
50Hillsdale County25-24.2%
51Chippewa County23-28.1%
51Mackinac County23+35.3%
51Otsego County23-14.8%
51Roscommon County23+15%
55Dickinson County21-34.4%
55Osceola County21+75%
57Manistee County19-17.4%
57Mason County19-24%
57Oceana County19+58.3%
60Missaukee County18-14.3%
61Antrim County17-10.5%
61Clare County17-26.1%
61Gladwin County17+13.3%
64Iosco County16-30.4%
64Iron County16+33.3%
64Kalkaska County16-11.1%
67Benzie County15-16.7%
67Ogemaw County15-34.8%
69Crawford County13+44.4%
70Menominee County12-7.7%
70Oscoda County12+300%
70Presque Isle County12-7.7%
73Ontonagon County10+42.9%
74Alcona County9-18.2%
74Baraga County9+125%
74Montmorency County90%
77Arenac County8-42.9%
77Gogebic County8-11.1%
79Lake County7+40%
79Schoolcraft County7-22.2%
81Alger County4-50%

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. 2 counties with data in other periods have no value for 2014 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, 2014) [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, 2014. 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=2014. 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, 2014. 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=2014.

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, 2014 [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=2014 (Accessed: 22 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_michigan_by_2014,
  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, 2014}},
  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=2014. 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, 2014
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=2014
Y2  - 2026/10/22
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firm-births/michigan-counties?period=2014.
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 1,947 in 2014, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest employer firm births?

Alger County, with 4 in 2014.

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. 2 counties have no value for 2014 and are not ranked.

Employer firm births: other rankings

Counties in Michigan: more rankings