Counties in Michigan by employer firms

Oakland County had the highest employer firms of 83 counties in 2014, at 28,278. Keweenaw County had the lowest, at 36. The median was 670 and the figure for Michigan was 151,171. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest28,278Oakland County
Median67083 counties
Michigan151,171History

Map of counties, 2014

Alcona County: 153 countAlger County: 178 countAllegan County: 1,884 countAlpena County: 670 countAntrim County: 415 countArenac County: 245 countBaraga County: 181 countBarry County: 750 countBay County: 1,766 countBenzie County: 339 countBerrien County: 2,804 countBranch County: 687 countCalhoun County: 2,027 countCass County: 634 countCharlevoix County: 582 countCheboygan County: 506 countChippewa County: 628 countClare County: 404 countClinton County: 1,102 countCrawford County: 263 countDelta County: 888 countDickinson County: 747 countEaton County: 1,666 countEmmet County: 1,157 countGenesee County: 5,684 countGladwin County: 325 countGogebic County: 337 countGrand Traverse County: 2,759 countGratiot County: 598 countHillsdale County: 665 countHoughton County: 712 countHuron County: 724 countIngham County: 4,796 countIonia County: 723 countIosco County: 464 countIron County: 301 countIsabella County: 1,112 countJackson County: 2,348 countKalamazoo County: 4,353 countKalkaska County: 291 countKent County: 11,491 countKeweenaw County: 36 countLake County: 125 countLapeer County: 1,341 countLeelanau County: 537 countLenawee County: 1,493 countLivingston County: 3,326 countLuce County: 135 countMackinac County: 291 countMacomb County: 14,268 countManistee County: 444 countMarquette County: 1,339 countMason County: 614 countMecosta County: 637 countMenominee County: 392 countMidland County: 1,520 countMissaukee County: 247 countMonroe County: 1,884 countMontcalm County: 828 countMontmorency County: 153 countMuskegon County: 2,429 countNewaygo County: 663 countOakland County: 28,278 countOceana County: 366 countOgemaw County: 445 countOntonagon County: 145 countOsceola County: 338 countOscoda County: 164 countOtsego County: 656 countOttawa County: 4,759 countPresque Isle County: 265 countRoscommon County: 416 countSaginaw County: 3,381 countSt. Clair County: 2,413 countSt. Joseph County: 912 countSanilac County: 664 countSchoolcraft County: 193 countShiawassee County: 987 countTuscola County: 679 countVan Buren County: 982 countWashtenaw County: 6,305 countWayne County: 22,767 countWexford County: 708 count
  • Under 300
  • 300 to 500
  • 500 to 700
  • 700 to 1,100
  • 1,100 to 2,400
  • 2,400 and over
count, 2014. 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, 2014

Oakland County: 28,278 countOakland County28,278Wayne County: 22,767 countWayne County22,767Macomb County: 14,268 countMacomb County14,268Kent County: 11,491 countKent County11,491Washtenaw County: 6,305 countWashtenaw County6,305Genesee County: 5,684 countGenesee County5,684Ingham County: 4,796 countIngham County4,796Ottawa County: 4,759 countOttawa County4,759Kalamazoo County: 4,353 countKalamazoo County4,353Saginaw County: 3,381 countSaginaw County3,381Livingston County: 3,326 countLivingston County3,326Berrien County: 2,804 countBerrien County2,804Grand Traverse County: 2,759 countGrand Traverse County2,759Muskegon County: 2,429 countMuskegon County2,429St. Clair County: 2,413 countSt. Clair County2,413Jackson County: 2,348 countJackson County2,348Calhoun County: 2,027 countCalhoun County2,027Allegan County: 1,884 countAllegan County1,884Monroe County: 1,884 countMonroe County1,884Bay County: 1,766 countBay County1,766Eaton County: 1,666 countEaton County1,666Midland County: 1,520 countMidland County1,520Lenawee County: 1,493 countLenawee County1,493Lapeer County: 1,341 countLapeer County1,341Marquette County: 1,339 countMarquette County1,339Emmet County: 1,157 countEmmet County1,157Isabella County: 1,112 countIsabella County1,112Clinton County: 1,102 countClinton County1,102Shiawassee County: 987 countShiawassee County987Van Buren County: 982 countVan Buren County982St. Joseph County: 912 countSt. Joseph County912Delta County: 888 countDelta County888Montcalm County: 828 countMontcalm County828Barry County: 750 countBarry County750Dickinson County: 747 countDickinson County747Huron County: 724 countHuron County724Ionia County: 723 countIonia County723Houghton County: 712 countHoughton County712Wexford County: 708 countWexford County708Branch County: 687 countBranch County687Oakland County: 28,278 countOakland County28,278Wayne County: 22,767 countWayne County22,767Macomb County: 14,268 countMacomb County14,268Kent County: 11,491 countKent County11,491Washtenaw County: 6,305 countWashtenaw County6,305Genesee County: 5,684 countGenesee County5,684Ingham County: 4,796 countIngham County4,796Ottawa County: 4,759 countOttawa County4,759Kalamazoo County: 4,353 countKalamazoo County4,353Saginaw County: 3,381 countSaginaw County3,381Livingston County: 3,326 countLivingston County3,326Berrien County: 2,804 countBerrien County2,804Grand Traverse County: 2,759 countGrand Traverse County2,759Muskegon County: 2,429 countMuskegon County2,429St. Clair County: 2,413 countSt. Clair County2,413Jackson County: 2,348 countJackson County2,348Calhoun County: 2,027 countCalhoun County2,027Allegan County: 1,884 countAllegan County1,884Monroe County: 1,884 countMonroe County1,884Bay County: 1,766 countBay County1,766Eaton County: 1,666 countEaton County1,666Midland County: 1,520 countMidland County1,520Lenawee County: 1,493 countLenawee County1,493Lapeer County: 1,341 countLapeer County1,341Marquette County: 1,339 countMarquette County1,339Emmet County: 1,157 countEmmet County1,157Isabella County: 1,112 countIsabella County1,112Clinton County: 1,102 countClinton County1,102Shiawassee County: 987 countShiawassee County987Van Buren County: 982 countVan Buren County982St. Joseph County: 912 countSt. Joseph County912Delta County: 888 countDelta County888Montcalm County: 828 countMontcalm County828Barry County: 750 countBarry County750Dickinson County: 747 countDickinson County747Huron County: 724 countHuron County724Ionia County: 723 countIonia County723Houghton County: 712 countHoughton County712Wexford County: 708 countWexford County708Branch County: 687 countBranch County687
count. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-11.

Full ranking

RankCounties2014
count
Change on 2013
1Oakland County28,278+0.5%
2Wayne County22,767-0.3%
3Macomb County14,268+0.8%
4Kent County11,491+0.6%
5Washtenaw County6,305+1%
6Genesee County5,684-0.6%
7Ingham County4,796-1%
8Ottawa County4,759+2%
9Kalamazoo County4,353+0.4%
10Saginaw County3,381-0.8%
11Livingston County3,326+0.7%
12Berrien County2,804-0.8%
13Grand Traverse County2,759+1%
14Muskegon County2,429-0.5%
15St. Clair County2,413-0.9%
16Jackson County2,348-0.6%
17Calhoun County2,027-1.4%
18Allegan County1,884+1.1%
18Monroe County1,884-1.8%
20Bay County1,766-1.6%
21Eaton County1,666-0.4%
22Midland County1,520+4.8%
23Lenawee County1,493+0.1%
24Lapeer County1,341+0.2%
25Marquette County1,339+0.1%
26Emmet County1,157-1.4%
27Isabella County1,112-1.9%
28Clinton County1,102+0.7%
29Shiawassee County987+0.5%
30Van Buren County982-0.3%
31St. Joseph County912+1%
32Delta County888-1.1%
33Montcalm County828+0.4%
34Barry County750-1.7%
35Dickinson County747-3.2%
36Huron County724-3.2%
37Ionia County723+1%
38Houghton County712+0.1%
39Wexford County708-1.1%
40Branch County687+1.3%
41Tuscola County679-0.9%
42Alpena County670-0.7%
43Hillsdale County665-1.9%
44Sanilac County664-1.5%
45Newaygo County663-1.3%
46Otsego County656-1.5%
47Mecosta County637-0.8%
48Cass County634-1.1%
49Chippewa County628-1.1%
50Mason County614-1.3%
51Gratiot County598-2.1%
52Charlevoix County582-3.5%
53Leelanau County537-0.2%
54Cheboygan County506-1.4%
55Iosco County464-7.2%
56Ogemaw County445-0.7%
57Manistee County444-2.2%
58Roscommon County416+0.2%
59Antrim County415-1.9%
60Clare County404-1.7%
61Menominee County392-1.3%
62Oceana County3660%
63Benzie County339-1.5%
64Osceola County338+0.9%
65Gogebic County337-2.9%
66Gladwin County325+0.3%
67Iron County301+1.7%
68Kalkaska County2910%
68Mackinac County291+2.1%
70Presque Isle County265-0.4%
71Crawford County2630%
72Missaukee County247+4.2%
73Arenac County245-2.8%
74Schoolcraft County1930%
75Baraga County181+2.8%
76Alger County178+1.7%
77Oscoda County1640%
78Alcona County153+2%
78Montmorency County153-1.3%
80Ontonagon County1450%
81Luce County135+1.5%
82Lake County1250%
83Keweenaw County36+9.1%

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, 2014) [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, 2014. 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=2014. 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, 2014. 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=2014.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2025) Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties, Counties in Michigan by employer firms, 2014 [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=2014 (Accessed: 11 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_michigan_by_2014,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties: Counties in Michigan by employer firms, 2014}},
  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=2014. 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, 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.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firms/michigan-counties?period=2014
Y2  - 2026/10/11
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firms/michigan-counties?period=2014.
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 28,278 in 2014, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest employer firms?

Keweenaw County, with 36 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: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-11.

Employer firms: other rankings

Counties in Michigan: more rankings