Counties in Michigan by employer firms

Oakland County had the highest employer firms of 83 counties in 2019, at 28,670. Keweenaw County had the lowest, at 43. The median was 681 and the figure for Michigan was 153,178. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest28,670Oakland County
Median68183 counties
Michigan153,178History

Map of counties, 2019

Alcona County: 142 countAlger County: 173 countAllegan County: 2,018 countAlpena County: 681 countAntrim County: 436 countArenac County: 242 countBaraga County: 157 countBarry County: 779 countBay County: 1,649 countBenzie County: 368 countBerrien County: 2,765 countBranch County: 665 countCalhoun County: 1,922 countCass County: 638 countCharlevoix County: 622 countCheboygan County: 528 countChippewa County: 600 countClare County: 423 countClinton County: 1,161 countCrawford County: 262 countDelta County: 833 countDickinson County: 695 countEaton County: 1,714 countEmmet County: 1,219 countGenesee County: 5,652 countGladwin County: 339 countGogebic County: 305 countGrand Traverse County: 2,860 countGratiot County: 591 countHillsdale County: 654 countHoughton County: 718 countHuron County: 698 countIngham County: 4,737 countIonia County: 737 countIosco County: 466 countIron County: 281 countIsabella County: 1,084 countJackson County: 2,340 countKalamazoo County: 4,360 countKalkaska County: 302 countKent County: 12,234 countKeweenaw County: 43 countLake County: 123 countLapeer County: 1,417 countLeelanau County: 552 countLenawee County: 1,482 countLivingston County: 3,514 countLuce County: 141 countMackinac County: 297 countMacomb County: 14,690 countManistee County: 449 countMarquette County: 1,328 countMason County: 626 countMecosta County: 600 countMenominee County: 381 countMidland County: 1,473 countMissaukee County: 248 countMonroe County: 1,893 countMontcalm County: 839 countMontmorency County: 156 countMuskegon County: 2,403 countNewaygo County: 686 countOakland County: 28,670 countOceana County: 351 countOgemaw County: 449 countOntonagon County: 134 countOsceola County: 346 countOscoda County: 160 countOtsego County: 695 countOttawa County: 5,181 countPresque Isle County: 255 countRoscommon County: 401 countSaginaw County: 3,266 countSt. Clair County: 2,372 countSt. Joseph County: 889 countSanilac County: 646 countSchoolcraft County: 180 countShiawassee County: 954 countTuscola County: 673 countVan Buren County: 1,041 countWashtenaw County: 6,512 countWayne County: 23,440 countWexford County: 734 count
  • Under 300
  • 300 to 500
  • 500 to 700
  • 700 to 1,100
  • 1,100 to 2,400
  • 2,400 and over
count, 2019. 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, 2019

Oakland County: 28,670 countOakland County28,670Wayne County: 23,440 countWayne County23,440Macomb County: 14,690 countMacomb County14,690Kent County: 12,234 countKent County12,234Washtenaw County: 6,512 countWashtenaw County6,512Genesee County: 5,652 countGenesee County5,652Ottawa County: 5,181 countOttawa County5,181Ingham County: 4,737 countIngham County4,737Kalamazoo County: 4,360 countKalamazoo County4,360Livingston County: 3,514 countLivingston County3,514Saginaw County: 3,266 countSaginaw County3,266Grand Traverse County: 2,860 countGrand Traverse County2,860Berrien County: 2,765 countBerrien County2,765Muskegon County: 2,403 countMuskegon County2,403St. Clair County: 2,372 countSt. Clair County2,372Jackson County: 2,340 countJackson County2,340Allegan County: 2,018 countAllegan County2,018Calhoun County: 1,922 countCalhoun County1,922Monroe County: 1,893 countMonroe County1,893Eaton County: 1,714 countEaton County1,714Bay County: 1,649 countBay County1,649Lenawee County: 1,482 countLenawee County1,482Midland County: 1,473 countMidland County1,473Lapeer County: 1,417 countLapeer County1,417Marquette County: 1,328 countMarquette County1,328Emmet County: 1,219 countEmmet County1,219Clinton County: 1,161 countClinton County1,161Isabella County: 1,084 countIsabella County1,084Van Buren County: 1,041 countVan Buren County1,041Shiawassee County: 954 countShiawassee County954St. Joseph County: 889 countSt. Joseph County889Montcalm County: 839 countMontcalm County839Delta County: 833 countDelta County833Barry County: 779 countBarry County779Ionia County: 737 countIonia County737Wexford County: 734 countWexford County734Houghton County: 718 countHoughton County718Huron County: 698 countHuron County698Dickinson County: 695 countDickinson County695Otsego County: 695 countOtsego County695Oakland County: 28,670 countOakland County28,670Wayne County: 23,440 countWayne County23,440Macomb County: 14,690 countMacomb County14,690Kent County: 12,234 countKent County12,234Washtenaw County: 6,512 countWashtenaw County6,512Genesee County: 5,652 countGenesee County5,652Ottawa County: 5,181 countOttawa County5,181Ingham County: 4,737 countIngham County4,737Kalamazoo County: 4,360 countKalamazoo County4,360Livingston County: 3,514 countLivingston County3,514Saginaw County: 3,266 countSaginaw County3,266Grand Traverse County: 2,860 countGrand Traverse County2,860Berrien County: 2,765 countBerrien County2,765Muskegon County: 2,403 countMuskegon County2,403St. Clair County: 2,372 countSt. Clair County2,372Jackson County: 2,340 countJackson County2,340Allegan County: 2,018 countAllegan County2,018Calhoun County: 1,922 countCalhoun County1,922Monroe County: 1,893 countMonroe County1,893Eaton County: 1,714 countEaton County1,714Bay County: 1,649 countBay County1,649Lenawee County: 1,482 countLenawee County1,482Midland County: 1,473 countMidland County1,473Lapeer County: 1,417 countLapeer County1,417Marquette County: 1,328 countMarquette County1,328Emmet County: 1,219 countEmmet County1,219Clinton County: 1,161 countClinton County1,161Isabella County: 1,084 countIsabella County1,084Van Buren County: 1,041 countVan Buren County1,041Shiawassee County: 954 countShiawassee County954St. Joseph County: 889 countSt. Joseph County889Montcalm County: 839 countMontcalm County839Delta County: 833 countDelta County833Barry County: 779 countBarry County779Ionia County: 737 countIonia County737Wexford County: 734 countWexford County734Houghton County: 718 countHoughton County718Huron County: 698 countHuron County698Dickinson County: 695 countDickinson County695Otsego County: 695 countOtsego County695
count. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-11.

Full ranking

RankCounties2019
count
Change on 2018
1Oakland County28,670-0.1%
2Wayne County23,440+0.1%
3Macomb County14,690-0.8%
4Kent County12,234-0.2%
5Washtenaw County6,512+0.9%
6Genesee County5,652-0.7%
7Ottawa County5,181+2.8%
8Ingham County4,737-0.9%
9Kalamazoo County4,360-0.3%
10Livingston County3,514+0.1%
11Saginaw County3,266+0.3%
12Grand Traverse County2,860+0.9%
13Berrien County2,765+0.4%
14Muskegon County2,403+0.2%
15St. Clair County2,372-0.8%
16Jackson County2,340+1.7%
17Allegan County2,018+1.6%
18Calhoun County1,922-1.7%
19Monroe County1,893-0.1%
20Eaton County1,714+1.5%
21Bay County1,649-2.3%
22Lenawee County1,482+0.5%
23Midland County1,473-6.8%
24Lapeer County1,417-0.3%
25Marquette County1,328+0.5%
26Emmet County1,219+0.4%
27Clinton County1,161+0.6%
28Isabella County1,084-0.4%
29Van Buren County1,041+0.7%
30Shiawassee County954-1.1%
31St. Joseph County889-0.9%
32Montcalm County839+1.3%
33Delta County833-1.5%
34Barry County779+1.4%
35Ionia County737-0.8%
36Wexford County734+0.1%
37Houghton County718+1.4%
38Huron County698-1%
39Dickinson County6950%
39Otsego County695+3.1%
41Newaygo County686+0.9%
42Alpena County681-1.3%
43Tuscola County673-0.4%
44Branch County665-4.2%
45Hillsdale County654+1.7%
46Sanilac County646-1.8%
47Cass County6380%
48Mason County626+2.5%
49Charlevoix County622+1.5%
50Chippewa County600-2.4%
50Mecosta County600-0.8%
52Gratiot County591-0.5%
53Leelanau County552-1.8%
54Cheboygan County528+1.9%
55Iosco County466-2.7%
56Manistee County449+1.6%
56Ogemaw County449+2.5%
58Antrim County436+0.7%
59Clare County423-1.6%
60Roscommon County401+0.3%
61Menominee County381-2.1%
62Benzie County368+0.8%
63Oceana County351-4.4%
64Osceola County346-2%
65Gladwin County339+2.1%
66Gogebic County305-1%
67Kalkaska County3020%
68Mackinac County297-2.3%
69Iron County281+1.1%
70Crawford County262-0.4%
71Presque Isle County255-3%
72Missaukee County248-2.7%
73Arenac County242+1.3%
74Schoolcraft County180-1.1%
75Alger County173-2.3%
76Oscoda County160-0.6%
77Baraga County157-1.3%
78Montmorency County156-3.7%
79Alcona County1420%
80Luce County141+2.9%
81Ontonagon County134+2.3%
82Lake County123-1.6%
83Keweenaw County43-2.3%

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, 2019) [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, 2019. 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=2019. 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, 2019. 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=2019.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2025) Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties, Counties in Michigan by employer firms, 2019 [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=2019 (Accessed: 11 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_michigan_by_2019,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties: Counties in Michigan by employer firms, 2019}},
  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=2019. 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, 2019
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=2019
Y2  - 2026/10/11
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firms/michigan-counties?period=2019.
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 28,670 in 2019, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest employer firms?

Keweenaw County, with 43 in 2019.

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