Counties in Michigan by employer firms

Oakland County had the highest employer firms of 83 counties in 2013, at 28,135. Keweenaw County had the lowest, at 33. The median was 678 and the figure for Michigan was 151,231. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest28,135Oakland County
Median67883 counties
Michigan151,231History

Map of counties, 2013

Alcona County: 150 countAlger County: 175 countAllegan County: 1,864 countAlpena County: 675 countAntrim County: 423 countArenac County: 252 countBaraga County: 176 countBarry County: 763 countBay County: 1,795 countBenzie County: 344 countBerrien County: 2,828 countBranch County: 678 countCalhoun County: 2,056 countCass County: 641 countCharlevoix County: 603 countCheboygan County: 513 countChippewa County: 635 countClare County: 411 countClinton County: 1,094 countCrawford County: 263 countDelta County: 898 countDickinson County: 772 countEaton County: 1,673 countEmmet County: 1,174 countGenesee County: 5,716 countGladwin County: 324 countGogebic County: 347 countGrand Traverse County: 2,733 countGratiot County: 611 countHillsdale County: 678 countHoughton County: 711 countHuron County: 748 countIngham County: 4,842 countIonia County: 716 countIosco County: 500 countIron County: 296 countIsabella County: 1,134 countJackson County: 2,362 countKalamazoo County: 4,337 countKalkaska County: 291 countKent County: 11,417 countKeweenaw County: 33 countLake County: 125 countLapeer County: 1,338 countLeelanau County: 538 countLenawee County: 1,492 countLivingston County: 3,304 countLuce County: 133 countMackinac County: 285 countMacomb County: 14,154 countManistee County: 454 countMarquette County: 1,338 countMason County: 622 countMecosta County: 642 countMenominee County: 397 countMidland County: 1,451 countMissaukee County: 237 countMonroe County: 1,919 countMontcalm County: 825 countMontmorency County: 155 countMuskegon County: 2,441 countNewaygo County: 672 countOakland County: 28,135 countOceana County: 366 countOgemaw County: 448 countOntonagon County: 145 countOsceola County: 335 countOscoda County: 164 countOtsego County: 666 countOttawa County: 4,667 countPresque Isle County: 266 countRoscommon County: 415 countSaginaw County: 3,408 countSt. Clair County: 2,436 countSt. Joseph County: 903 countSanilac County: 674 countSchoolcraft County: 193 countShiawassee County: 982 countTuscola County: 685 countVan Buren County: 985 countWashtenaw County: 6,240 countWayne County: 22,827 countWexford County: 716 count
  • Under 300
  • 300 to 500
  • 500 to 700
  • 700 to 1,100
  • 1,100 to 2,400
  • 2,400 and over
count, 2013. 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, 2013

Oakland County: 28,135 countOakland County28,135Wayne County: 22,827 countWayne County22,827Macomb County: 14,154 countMacomb County14,154Kent County: 11,417 countKent County11,417Washtenaw County: 6,240 countWashtenaw County6,240Genesee County: 5,716 countGenesee County5,716Ingham County: 4,842 countIngham County4,842Ottawa County: 4,667 countOttawa County4,667Kalamazoo County: 4,337 countKalamazoo County4,337Saginaw County: 3,408 countSaginaw County3,408Livingston County: 3,304 countLivingston County3,304Berrien County: 2,828 countBerrien County2,828Grand Traverse County: 2,733 countGrand Traverse County2,733Muskegon County: 2,441 countMuskegon County2,441St. Clair County: 2,436 countSt. Clair County2,436Jackson County: 2,362 countJackson County2,362Calhoun County: 2,056 countCalhoun County2,056Monroe County: 1,919 countMonroe County1,919Allegan County: 1,864 countAllegan County1,864Bay County: 1,795 countBay County1,795Eaton County: 1,673 countEaton County1,673Lenawee County: 1,492 countLenawee County1,492Midland County: 1,451 countMidland County1,451Lapeer County: 1,338 countLapeer County1,338Marquette County: 1,338 countMarquette County1,338Emmet County: 1,174 countEmmet County1,174Isabella County: 1,134 countIsabella County1,134Clinton County: 1,094 countClinton County1,094Van Buren County: 985 countVan Buren County985Shiawassee County: 982 countShiawassee County982St. Joseph County: 903 countSt. Joseph County903Delta County: 898 countDelta County898Montcalm County: 825 countMontcalm County825Dickinson County: 772 countDickinson County772Barry County: 763 countBarry County763Huron County: 748 countHuron County748Ionia County: 716 countIonia County716Wexford County: 716 countWexford County716Houghton County: 711 countHoughton County711Tuscola County: 685 countTuscola County685Oakland County: 28,135 countOakland County28,135Wayne County: 22,827 countWayne County22,827Macomb County: 14,154 countMacomb County14,154Kent County: 11,417 countKent County11,417Washtenaw County: 6,240 countWashtenaw County6,240Genesee County: 5,716 countGenesee County5,716Ingham County: 4,842 countIngham County4,842Ottawa County: 4,667 countOttawa County4,667Kalamazoo County: 4,337 countKalamazoo County4,337Saginaw County: 3,408 countSaginaw County3,408Livingston County: 3,304 countLivingston County3,304Berrien County: 2,828 countBerrien County2,828Grand Traverse County: 2,733 countGrand Traverse County2,733Muskegon County: 2,441 countMuskegon County2,441St. Clair County: 2,436 countSt. Clair County2,436Jackson County: 2,362 countJackson County2,362Calhoun County: 2,056 countCalhoun County2,056Monroe County: 1,919 countMonroe County1,919Allegan County: 1,864 countAllegan County1,864Bay County: 1,795 countBay County1,795Eaton County: 1,673 countEaton County1,673Lenawee County: 1,492 countLenawee County1,492Midland County: 1,451 countMidland County1,451Lapeer County: 1,338 countLapeer County1,338Marquette County: 1,338 countMarquette County1,338Emmet County: 1,174 countEmmet County1,174Isabella County: 1,134 countIsabella County1,134Clinton County: 1,094 countClinton County1,094Van Buren County: 985 countVan Buren County985Shiawassee County: 982 countShiawassee County982St. Joseph County: 903 countSt. Joseph County903Delta County: 898 countDelta County898Montcalm County: 825 countMontcalm County825Dickinson County: 772 countDickinson County772Barry County: 763 countBarry County763Huron County: 748 countHuron County748Ionia County: 716 countIonia County716Wexford County: 716 countWexford County716Houghton County: 711 countHoughton County711Tuscola County: 685 countTuscola County685
count. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-11.

Full ranking

RankCounties2013
count
Change on 2012
1Oakland County28,135+0.7%
2Wayne County22,827-0.2%
3Macomb County14,154+1.2%
4Kent County11,4170%
5Washtenaw County6,240+0.3%
6Genesee County5,716-1.7%
7Ingham County4,842-0.1%
8Ottawa County4,667+0.8%
9Kalamazoo County4,337-0.1%
10Saginaw County3,408-0.1%
11Livingston County3,304+2.1%
12Berrien County2,828-2.3%
13Grand Traverse County2,733+0.7%
14Muskegon County2,441-0.9%
15St. Clair County2,436-0.2%
16Jackson County2,362-1.2%
17Calhoun County2,056-1.6%
18Monroe County1,919-0.7%
19Allegan County1,864+0.3%
20Bay County1,795-1.1%
21Eaton County1,673-0.4%
22Lenawee County1,492-0.7%
23Midland County1,451+1.4%
24Lapeer County1,338+1.4%
24Marquette County1,338-1.8%
26Emmet County1,174+1.8%
27Isabella County1,134-0.8%
28Clinton County1,094+0.5%
29Van Buren County985-3.7%
30Shiawassee County9820%
31St. Joseph County903-3.4%
32Delta County898-0.9%
33Montcalm County825-0.6%
34Dickinson County772-0.8%
35Barry County763-1%
36Huron County748-0.7%
37Ionia County716+0.3%
37Wexford County716+4.4%
39Houghton County711-1.8%
40Tuscola County685-2.8%
41Branch County678+0.1%
41Hillsdale County678-0.3%
43Alpena County675-0.9%
44Sanilac County674-2%
45Newaygo County672+0.1%
46Otsego County666+1.5%
47Mecosta County642-0.6%
48Cass County641-2%
49Chippewa County635+1.6%
50Mason County622-1.3%
51Gratiot County611+0.7%
52Charlevoix County603-1.5%
53Leelanau County538+0.4%
54Cheboygan County513-0.2%
55Iosco County500+2.7%
56Manistee County454-0.2%
57Ogemaw County448-3%
58Antrim County423-3.2%
59Roscommon County415+1%
60Clare County411-0.5%
61Menominee County397-3.4%
62Oceana County366-5.9%
63Gogebic County347-0.9%
64Benzie County344-1.1%
65Osceola County335-1.8%
66Gladwin County324-2.7%
67Iron County296-1%
68Kalkaska County2910%
69Mackinac County285-0.7%
70Presque Isle County266-3.3%
71Crawford County263-1.5%
72Arenac County252-0.4%
73Missaukee County237+4.4%
74Schoolcraft County193+3.2%
75Baraga County176-3.3%
76Alger County175-1.7%
77Oscoda County164-2.4%
78Montmorency County155+3.3%
79Alcona County150-4.5%
80Ontonagon County145-5.8%
81Luce County1330%
82Lake County125-6%
83Keweenaw County33-10.8%

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

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2025) Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties, Counties in Michigan by employer firms, 2013 [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?period=2013 (Accessed: 11 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_michigan_by_2013,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties: Counties in Michigan by employer firms, 2013}},
  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?period=2013. 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, 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.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firms/michigan-counties?period=2013
Y2  - 2026/10/11
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firms/michigan-counties?period=2013.
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 28,135 in 2013, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest employer firms?

Keweenaw County, with 33 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: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-11.

Employer firms: other rankings

Counties in Michigan: more rankings