Counties in Michigan by employer firm births

Oakland County had the highest employer firm births of 82 counties in 2022, at 2,220. Oscoda County had the lowest, at 6. The median was 42 and the figure for Michigan was 11,975. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest2,220Oakland County
Median4282 counties
Michigan11,975History

Map of counties, 2022

Alcona County: 6 countAlger County: 14 countAllegan County: 134 countAlpena County: 43 countAntrim County: 39 countArenac County: 16 countBaraga County: 7 countBarry County: 54 countBay County: 102 countBenzie County: 40 countBerrien County: 148 countBranch County: 40 countCalhoun County: 109 countCass County: 45 countCharlevoix County: 43 countCheboygan County: 25 countChippewa County: 37 countClare County: 25 countClinton County: 84 countCrawford County: 17 countDelta County: 35 countDickinson County: 31 countEaton County: 98 countEmmet County: 88 countGenesee County: 368 countGladwin County: 13 countGogebic County: 18 countGrand Traverse County: 179 countGratiot County: 25 countHillsdale County: 57 countHoughton County: 38 countHuron County: 35 countIngham County: 317 countIonia County: 45 countIosco County: 20 countIron County: 17 countIsabella County: 54 countJackson County: 126 countKalamazoo County: 255 countKalkaska County: 26 countKent County: 915 countLake County: 18 countLapeer County: 65 countLeelanau County: 48 countLenawee County: 77 countLivingston County: 248 countLuce County: 7 countMackinac County: 20 countMacomb County: 1,165 countManistee County: 30 countMarquette County: 79 countMason County: 27 countMecosta County: 40 countMenominee County: 14 countMidland County: 97 countMissaukee County: 16 countMonroe County: 105 countMontcalm County: 55 countMontmorency County: 11 countMuskegon County: 153 countNewaygo County: 37 countOakland County: 2,220 countOceana County: 20 countOgemaw County: 29 countOntonagon County: 14 countOsceola County: 24 countOscoda County: 6 countOtsego County: 37 countOttawa County: 319 countPresque Isle County: 18 countRoscommon County: 27 countSaginaw County: 154 countSt. Clair County: 145 countSt. Joseph County: 54 countSanilac County: 35 countSchoolcraft County: 13 countShiawassee County: 65 countTuscola County: 44 countVan Buren County: 80 countWashtenaw County: 464 countWayne County: 2,107 countWexford County: 44 count
  • Under 20
  • 20 to 30
  • 30 to 40
  • 40 to 70
  • 70 to 150
  • 150 and over
  • No data
count, 2022. 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, 2022

Oakland County: 2,220 countOakland County2,220Wayne County: 2,107 countWayne County2,107Macomb County: 1,165 countMacomb County1,165Kent County: 915 countKent County915Washtenaw County: 464 countWashtenaw County464Genesee County: 368 countGenesee County368Ottawa County: 319 countOttawa County319Ingham County: 317 countIngham County317Kalamazoo County: 255 countKalamazoo County255Livingston County: 248 countLivingston County248Grand Traverse County: 179 countGrand Traverse County179Saginaw County: 154 countSaginaw County154Muskegon County: 153 countMuskegon County153Berrien County: 148 countBerrien County148St. Clair County: 145 countSt. Clair County145Allegan County: 134 countAllegan County134Jackson County: 126 countJackson County126Calhoun County: 109 countCalhoun County109Monroe County: 105 countMonroe County105Bay County: 102 countBay County102Eaton County: 98 countEaton County98Midland County: 97 countMidland County97Emmet County: 88 countEmmet County88Clinton County: 84 countClinton County84Van Buren County: 80 countVan Buren County80Marquette County: 79 countMarquette County79Lenawee County: 77 countLenawee County77Lapeer County: 65 countLapeer County65Shiawassee County: 65 countShiawassee County65Hillsdale County: 57 countHillsdale County57Montcalm County: 55 countMontcalm County55Barry County: 54 countBarry County54Isabella County: 54 countIsabella County54St. Joseph County: 54 countSt. Joseph County54Leelanau County: 48 countLeelanau County48Cass County: 45 countCass County45Ionia County: 45 countIonia County45Tuscola County: 44 countTuscola County44Wexford County: 44 countWexford County44Alpena County: 43 countAlpena County43Oakland County: 2,220 countOakland County2,220Wayne County: 2,107 countWayne County2,107Macomb County: 1,165 countMacomb County1,165Kent County: 915 countKent County915Washtenaw County: 464 countWashtenaw County464Genesee County: 368 countGenesee County368Ottawa County: 319 countOttawa County319Ingham County: 317 countIngham County317Kalamazoo County: 255 countKalamazoo County255Livingston County: 248 countLivingston County248Grand Traverse County: 179 countGrand Traverse County179Saginaw County: 154 countSaginaw County154Muskegon County: 153 countMuskegon County153Berrien County: 148 countBerrien County148St. Clair County: 145 countSt. Clair County145Allegan County: 134 countAllegan County134Jackson County: 126 countJackson County126Calhoun County: 109 countCalhoun County109Monroe County: 105 countMonroe County105Bay County: 102 countBay County102Eaton County: 98 countEaton County98Midland County: 97 countMidland County97Emmet County: 88 countEmmet County88Clinton County: 84 countClinton County84Van Buren County: 80 countVan Buren County80Marquette County: 79 countMarquette County79Lenawee County: 77 countLenawee County77Lapeer County: 65 countLapeer County65Shiawassee County: 65 countShiawassee County65Hillsdale County: 57 countHillsdale County57Montcalm County: 55 countMontcalm County55Barry County: 54 countBarry County54Isabella County: 54 countIsabella County54St. Joseph County: 54 countSt. Joseph County54Leelanau County: 48 countLeelanau County48Cass County: 45 countCass County45Ionia County: 45 countIonia County45Tuscola County: 44 countTuscola County44Wexford County: 44 countWexford County44Alpena County: 43 countAlpena County43
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

RankCounties2022
count
Change on 2021
1Oakland County2,220+10.7%
2Wayne County2,107+5.6%
3Macomb County1,165+17.4%
4Kent County915+12.8%
5Washtenaw County464+23.4%
6Genesee County368+1.9%
7Ottawa County319+10%
8Ingham County317+13.6%
9Kalamazoo County255+10.9%
10Livingston County248+41.7%
11Grand Traverse County179+4.7%
12Saginaw County154+5.5%
13Muskegon County153+24.4%
14Berrien County148+26.5%
15St. Clair County145+5.8%
16Allegan County134+21.8%
17Jackson County126-0.8%
18Calhoun County109+34.6%
19Monroe County105+4%
20Bay County102+39.7%
21Eaton County98-7.5%
22Midland County97+51.6%
23Emmet County88+31.3%
24Clinton County84+35.5%
25Van Buren County80+70.2%
26Marquette County79+23.4%
27Lenawee County77-4.9%
28Lapeer County65-14.5%
28Shiawassee County65+58.5%
30Hillsdale County57+78.1%
31Montcalm County55+25%
32Barry County54+28.6%
32Isabella County54+10.2%
32St. Joseph County54+31.7%
35Leelanau County48+17.1%
36Cass County45+21.6%
36Ionia County45+18.4%
38Tuscola County44+10%
38Wexford County44-6.4%
40Alpena County43+87%
40Charlevoix County43-17.3%
42Benzie County40+207.7%
42Branch County40+17.6%
42Mecosta County40+48.1%
45Antrim County39+8.3%
46Houghton County38+5.6%
47Chippewa County37+37%
47Newaygo County37+54.2%
47Otsego County37+42.3%
50Delta County35-20.5%
50Huron County35+20.7%
50Sanilac County35+2.9%
53Dickinson County31+93.8%
54Manistee County30+100%
55Ogemaw County29+81.3%
56Mason County27-12.9%
56Roscommon County27+12.5%
58Kalkaska County26+52.9%
59Cheboygan County25-35.9%
59Clare County25+31.6%
59Gratiot County25-10.7%
62Osceola County24+14.3%
63Iosco County20-23.1%
63Mackinac County20+66.7%
63Oceana County20+17.6%
66Gogebic County18+38.5%
66Lake County18+200%
66Presque Isle County18+80%
69Crawford County17-10.5%
69Iron County170%
71Arenac County16+100%
71Missaukee County16-20%
73Alger County14+133.3%
73Menominee County14-12.5%
73Ontonagon County14+366.7%
76Gladwin County13-27.8%
76Schoolcraft County13+225%
78Montmorency County11+22.2%
79Baraga County70%
79Luce County7-12.5%
81Alcona County6+100%
81Oscoda County6-40%

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 2022 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, 2022) [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, 2022. 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=2022. 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, 2022. 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=2022.

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, 2022 [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=2022 (Accessed: 22 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_michigan_by_2022,
  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, 2022}},
  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=2022. 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, 2022
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=2022
Y2  - 2026/10/22
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firm-births/michigan-counties?period=2022.
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 2,220 in 2022, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest employer firm births?

Oscoda County, with 6 in 2022.

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 2022 and are not ranked.

Employer firm births: other rankings

Counties in Michigan: more rankings