Counties in Michigan by employer firms, 2023

Oakland County had the highest employer firms of 83 counties in 2023, at 29,009. Keweenaw County had the lowest, at 38. The median was 676 and the figure for Michigan was 155,861. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest29,009Oakland County
Median67683 counties
Michigan155,861History

Map of counties, 2023

Alcona County: 135 countAlger County: 161 countAllegan County: 2,124 countAlpena County: 682 countAntrim County: 460 countArenac County: 262 countBaraga County: 154 countBarry County: 803 countBay County: 1,611 countBenzie County: 379 countBerrien County: 2,711 countBranch County: 684 countCalhoun County: 1,927 countCass County: 669 countCharlevoix County: 687 countCheboygan County: 543 countChippewa County: 589 countClare County: 443 countClinton County: 1,195 countCrawford County: 272 countDelta County: 832 countDickinson County: 669 countEaton County: 1,722 countEmmet County: 1,249 countGenesee County: 5,641 countGladwin County: 347 countGogebic County: 295 countGrand Traverse County: 2,927 countGratiot County: 592 countHillsdale County: 651 countHoughton County: 721 countHuron County: 676 countIngham County: 4,833 countIonia County: 766 countIosco County: 457 countIron County: 294 countIsabella County: 1,105 countJackson County: 2,309 countKalamazoo County: 4,380 countKalkaska County: 305 countKent County: 12,886 countKeweenaw County: 38 countLake County: 133 countLapeer County: 1,412 countLeelanau County: 585 countLenawee County: 1,445 countLivingston County: 3,532 countLuce County: 134 countMackinac County: 304 countMacomb County: 14,965 countManistee County: 452 countMarquette County: 1,337 countMason County: 614 countMecosta County: 607 countMenominee County: 378 countMidland County: 1,441 countMissaukee County: 265 countMonroe County: 1,916 countMontcalm County: 878 countMontmorency County: 153 countMuskegon County: 2,393 countNewaygo County: 666 countOakland County: 29,009 countOceana County: 348 countOgemaw County: 442 countOntonagon County: 135 countOsceola County: 365 countOscoda County: 156 countOtsego County: 694 countOttawa County: 5,490 countPresque Isle County: 255 countRoscommon County: 414 countSaginaw County: 3,142 countSt. Clair County: 2,339 countSt. Joseph County: 885 countSanilac County: 654 countSchoolcraft County: 171 countShiawassee County: 990 countTuscola County: 671 countVan Buren County: 1,056 countWashtenaw County: 6,602 countWayne County: 24,387 countWexford County: 765 count
  • Under 300
  • 300 to 500
  • 500 to 700
  • 700 to 1,100
  • 1,100 to 2,400
  • 2,400 and over
count, 2023. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2023

Oakland County: 29,009 countOakland County29,009Wayne County: 24,387 countWayne County24,387Macomb County: 14,965 countMacomb County14,965Kent County: 12,886 countKent County12,886Washtenaw County: 6,602 countWashtenaw County6,602Genesee County: 5,641 countGenesee County5,641Ottawa County: 5,490 countOttawa County5,490Ingham County: 4,833 countIngham County4,833Kalamazoo County: 4,380 countKalamazoo County4,380Livingston County: 3,532 countLivingston County3,532Saginaw County: 3,142 countSaginaw County3,142Grand Traverse County: 2,927 countGrand Traverse County2,927Berrien County: 2,711 countBerrien County2,711Muskegon County: 2,393 countMuskegon County2,393St. Clair County: 2,339 countSt. Clair County2,339Jackson County: 2,309 countJackson County2,309Allegan County: 2,124 countAllegan County2,124Calhoun County: 1,927 countCalhoun County1,927Monroe County: 1,916 countMonroe County1,916Eaton County: 1,722 countEaton County1,722Bay County: 1,611 countBay County1,611Lenawee County: 1,445 countLenawee County1,445Midland County: 1,441 countMidland County1,441Lapeer County: 1,412 countLapeer County1,412Marquette County: 1,337 countMarquette County1,337Emmet County: 1,249 countEmmet County1,249Clinton County: 1,195 countClinton County1,195Isabella County: 1,105 countIsabella County1,105Van Buren County: 1,056 countVan Buren County1,056Shiawassee County: 990 countShiawassee County990St. Joseph County: 885 countSt. Joseph County885Montcalm County: 878 countMontcalm County878Delta County: 832 countDelta County832Barry County: 803 countBarry County803Ionia County: 766 countIonia County766Wexford County: 765 countWexford County765Houghton County: 721 countHoughton County721Otsego County: 694 countOtsego County694Charlevoix County: 687 countCharlevoix County687Branch County: 684 countBranch County684Oakland County: 29,009 countOakland County29,009Wayne County: 24,387 countWayne County24,387Macomb County: 14,965 countMacomb County14,965Kent County: 12,886 countKent County12,886Washtenaw County: 6,602 countWashtenaw County6,602Genesee County: 5,641 countGenesee County5,641Ottawa County: 5,490 countOttawa County5,490Ingham County: 4,833 countIngham County4,833Kalamazoo County: 4,380 countKalamazoo County4,380Livingston County: 3,532 countLivingston County3,532Saginaw County: 3,142 countSaginaw County3,142Grand Traverse County: 2,927 countGrand Traverse County2,927Berrien County: 2,711 countBerrien County2,711Muskegon County: 2,393 countMuskegon County2,393St. Clair County: 2,339 countSt. Clair County2,339Jackson County: 2,309 countJackson County2,309Allegan County: 2,124 countAllegan County2,124Calhoun County: 1,927 countCalhoun County1,927Monroe County: 1,916 countMonroe County1,916Eaton County: 1,722 countEaton County1,722Bay County: 1,611 countBay County1,611Lenawee County: 1,445 countLenawee County1,445Midland County: 1,441 countMidland County1,441Lapeer County: 1,412 countLapeer County1,412Marquette County: 1,337 countMarquette County1,337Emmet County: 1,249 countEmmet County1,249Clinton County: 1,195 countClinton County1,195Isabella County: 1,105 countIsabella County1,105Van Buren County: 1,056 countVan Buren County1,056Shiawassee County: 990 countShiawassee County990St. Joseph County: 885 countSt. Joseph County885Montcalm County: 878 countMontcalm County878Delta County: 832 countDelta County832Barry County: 803 countBarry County803Ionia County: 766 countIonia County766Wexford County: 765 countWexford County765Houghton County: 721 countHoughton County721Otsego County: 694 countOtsego County694Charlevoix County: 687 countCharlevoix County687Branch County: 684 countBranch County684
count. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-11.

Full ranking

RankCounties2023
count
Change on 2022
1Oakland County29,009+0.6%
2Wayne County24,387+2.2%
3Macomb County14,965+1.2%
4Kent County12,886+1.4%
5Washtenaw County6,602+0.6%
6Genesee County5,641+0.9%
7Ottawa County5,490+3%
8Ingham County4,833+1.5%
9Kalamazoo County4,380+1%
10Livingston County3,532+0.1%
11Saginaw County3,142+0.2%
12Grand Traverse County2,927+1.6%
13Berrien County2,711+1%
14Muskegon County2,393+0.7%
15St. Clair County2,339-0.6%
16Jackson County2,309+1.1%
17Allegan County2,124+2.2%
18Calhoun County1,927+1%
19Monroe County1,916+1.9%
20Eaton County1,722+0.8%
21Bay County1,611+1.1%
22Lenawee County1,445+0.6%
23Midland County1,441-0.4%
24Lapeer County1,412-1.1%
25Marquette County1,337+0.1%
26Emmet County1,249+0.7%
27Clinton County1,195-0.2%
28Isabella County1,105+1.2%
29Van Buren County1,056+1.2%
30Shiawassee County990+3.6%
31St. Joseph County885-0.7%
32Montcalm County878+1.2%
33Delta County832+2.6%
34Barry County803+2%
35Ionia County766+0.4%
36Wexford County765+0.4%
37Houghton County721+1.1%
38Otsego County694+0.4%
39Charlevoix County687+3%
40Branch County684+0.9%
41Alpena County682+1.6%
42Huron County676+0.7%
43Tuscola County671+1.1%
44Cass County669+3.4%
44Dickinson County669-0.7%
46Newaygo County666+0.9%
47Sanilac County654+1.2%
48Hillsdale County651-0.6%
49Mason County614+2.5%
50Mecosta County607-0.5%
51Gratiot County592+1.4%
52Chippewa County589-2%
53Leelanau County585+0.9%
54Cheboygan County543+1.5%
55Antrim County460+2%
56Iosco County457-1.9%
57Manistee County452+0.4%
58Clare County443+4.7%
59Ogemaw County442+5%
60Roscommon County414+3.2%
61Benzie County3790%
62Menominee County378-1%
63Osceola County365+0.3%
64Oceana County348+1.8%
65Gladwin County347+1.5%
66Kalkaska County305-1.3%
67Mackinac County304+4.5%
68Gogebic County295+0.7%
69Iron County294+3.2%
70Crawford County272+0.4%
71Missaukee County2650%
72Arenac County262+6.9%
73Presque Isle County255-0.8%
74Schoolcraft County171-1.7%
75Alger County161+0.6%
76Oscoda County156-5.5%
77Baraga County154+9.2%
78Montmorency County153-3.8%
79Alcona County135+1.5%
79Ontonagon County135+2.3%
81Luce County134+0.8%
82Lake County1330%
83Keweenaw County38+5.6%

Other periods

About this ranking

Number of firms in the private nonfarm sectors covered by the US Census Bureau Business Dynamics Statistics. Establishments under common ownership form one firm.

Excludes nonemployer businesses. Differs from active_companies, the INE DIRCE count, which includes businesses without employees.

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. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-11.

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: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties (Counties in Michigan by employer firms, 2023) [Data set]. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv

MLA 9

Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties, Counties in Michigan by employer firms, 2023. U.S. Census Bureau, 25 Sept. 2025, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firms/michigan-counties. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2025. Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. Counties in Michigan by employer firms, 2023. Dataset. Accessed October 11, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firms/michigan-counties.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2025) Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties, Counties in Michigan by employer firms, 2023 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firms/michigan-counties (Accessed: 11 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_michigan_by_2023,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties: Counties in Michigan by employer firms, 2023}},
  year = {2025},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-11},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firms/michigan-counties. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023\_st\_cty.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-11.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties: Counties in Michigan by employer firms, 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.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firms/michigan-counties
Y2  - 2026/10/11
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firms/michigan-counties.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
ER  - 
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Questions

Which county has the highest employer firms?

Oakland County, with 29,009 in 2023, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest employer firms?

Keweenaw County, with 38 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: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-11.

Employer firms: other rankings

Counties in Michigan: more rankings