Data / Rankings / Job creation rate / Counties in Michigan

Counties in Michigan by job creation rate

Lake County had the highest job creation rate of 83 counties in 2021, at 32.612%. Baraga County had the lowest, at 5.849%. The median was 9.992% and the figure for Michigan was 10.22%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest32.612Lake County
Lowest5.849Baraga County
Median9.99283 counties
Michigan10.22History

Map of counties, 2021

Alcona County: 13.584 %Alger County: 8.691 %Allegan County: 8.145 %Alpena County: 8.368 %Antrim County: 9.958 %Arenac County: 10.399 %Baraga County: 5.849 %Barry County: 8.593 %Bay County: 9.588 %Benzie County: 10.869 %Berrien County: 17.82 %Branch County: 9.26 %Calhoun County: 8.177 %Cass County: 10.557 %Charlevoix County: 11.724 %Cheboygan County: 17.386 %Chippewa County: 7.55 %Clare County: 15.629 %Clinton County: 11.554 %Crawford County: 14.868 %Delta County: 10.13 %Dickinson County: 10.45 %Eaton County: 9.77 %Emmet County: 9.992 %Genesee County: 10.867 %Gladwin County: 14.188 %Gogebic County: 9.231 %Grand Traverse County: 9.576 %Gratiot County: 9.003 %Hillsdale County: 8.408 %Houghton County: 9.52 %Huron County: 9.02 %Ingham County: 9.846 %Ionia County: 10.18 %Iosco County: 11.576 %Iron County: 9.576 %Isabella County: 8.76 %Jackson County: 9.153 %Kalamazoo County: 9.415 %Kalkaska County: 12.238 %Kent County: 9.802 %Keweenaw County: 22.078 %Lake County: 32.612 %Lapeer County: 10.48 %Leelanau County: 11.519 %Lenawee County: 12.53 %Livingston County: 11.098 %Luce County: 8.541 %Mackinac County: 10.755 %Macomb County: 10.23 %Manistee County: 7.578 %Marquette County: 11.466 %Mason County: 8.747 %Mecosta County: 10.926 %Menominee County: 11.529 %Midland County: 9.453 %Missaukee County: 15.888 %Monroe County: 9.972 %Montcalm County: 10.347 %Montmorency County: 10.014 %Muskegon County: 9.984 %Newaygo County: 8 %Oakland County: 10.639 %Oceana County: 10.331 %Ogemaw County: 9.952 %Ontonagon County: 14.976 %Osceola County: 13.805 %Oscoda County: 16.501 %Otsego County: 10.796 %Ottawa County: 7.988 %Presque Isle County: 11.409 %Roscommon County: 12.627 %Saginaw County: 7.001 %St. Clair County: 9.897 %St. Joseph County: 10.629 %Sanilac County: 6.862 %Schoolcraft County: 9.983 %Shiawassee County: 8.728 %Tuscola County: 8.435 %Van Buren County: 9.035 %Washtenaw County: 8.325 %Wayne County: 10.151 %Wexford County: 8.358 %
  • Under 8.5
  • 8.5 to 9.5
  • 9.5 to 10
  • 10 to 11
  • 11 to 12
  • 12 and over
%, 2021. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2021

Lake County: 32.612 %Lake County32.612Keweenaw County: 22.078 %Keweenaw County22.078Berrien County: 17.82 %Berrien County17.82Cheboygan County: 17.386 %Cheboygan County17.386Oscoda County: 16.501 %Oscoda County16.501Missaukee County: 15.888 %Missaukee County15.888Clare County: 15.629 %Clare County15.629Ontonagon County: 14.976 %Ontonagon County14.976Crawford County: 14.868 %Crawford County14.868Gladwin County: 14.188 %Gladwin County14.188Osceola County: 13.805 %Osceola County13.805Alcona County: 13.584 %Alcona County13.584Roscommon County: 12.627 %Roscommon County12.627Lenawee County: 12.53 %Lenawee County12.53Kalkaska County: 12.238 %Kalkaska County12.238Charlevoix County: 11.724 %Charlevoix County11.724Iosco County: 11.576 %Iosco County11.576Clinton County: 11.554 %Clinton County11.554Menominee County: 11.529 %Menominee County11.529Leelanau County: 11.519 %Leelanau County11.519Marquette County: 11.466 %Marquette County11.466Presque Isle County: 11.409 %Presque Isle County11.409Livingston County: 11.098 %Livingston County11.098Mecosta County: 10.926 %Mecosta County10.926Benzie County: 10.869 %Benzie County10.869Genesee County: 10.867 %Genesee County10.867Otsego County: 10.796 %Otsego County10.796Mackinac County: 10.755 %Mackinac County10.755Oakland County: 10.639 %Oakland County10.639St. Joseph County: 10.629 %St. Joseph County10.629Cass County: 10.557 %Cass County10.557Lapeer County: 10.48 %Lapeer County10.48Dickinson County: 10.45 %Dickinson County10.45Arenac County: 10.399 %Arenac County10.399Montcalm County: 10.347 %Montcalm County10.347Oceana County: 10.331 %Oceana County10.331Macomb County: 10.23 %Macomb County10.23Ionia County: 10.18 %Ionia County10.18Wayne County: 10.151 %Wayne County10.151Delta County: 10.13 %Delta County10.13Lake County: 32.612 %Lake County32.612Keweenaw County: 22.078 %Keweenaw County22.078Berrien County: 17.82 %Berrien County17.82Cheboygan County: 17.386 %Cheboygan County17.386Oscoda County: 16.501 %Oscoda County16.501Missaukee County: 15.888 %Missaukee County15.888Clare County: 15.629 %Clare County15.629Ontonagon County: 14.976 %Ontonagon County14.976Crawford County: 14.868 %Crawford County14.868Gladwin County: 14.188 %Gladwin County14.188Osceola County: 13.805 %Osceola County13.805Alcona County: 13.584 %Alcona County13.584Roscommon County: 12.627 %Roscommon County12.627Lenawee County: 12.53 %Lenawee County12.53Kalkaska County: 12.238 %Kalkaska County12.238Charlevoix County: 11.724 %Charlevoix County11.724Iosco County: 11.576 %Iosco County11.576Clinton County: 11.554 %Clinton County11.554Menominee County: 11.529 %Menominee County11.529Leelanau County: 11.519 %Leelanau County11.519Marquette County: 11.466 %Marquette County11.466Presque Isle County: 11.409 %Presque Isle County11.409Livingston County: 11.098 %Livingston County11.098Mecosta County: 10.926 %Mecosta County10.926Benzie County: 10.869 %Benzie County10.869Genesee County: 10.867 %Genesee County10.867Otsego County: 10.796 %Otsego County10.796Mackinac County: 10.755 %Mackinac County10.755Oakland County: 10.639 %Oakland County10.639St. Joseph County: 10.629 %St. Joseph County10.629Cass County: 10.557 %Cass County10.557Lapeer County: 10.48 %Lapeer County10.48Dickinson County: 10.45 %Dickinson County10.45Arenac County: 10.399 %Arenac County10.399Montcalm County: 10.347 %Montcalm County10.347Oceana County: 10.331 %Oceana County10.331Macomb County: 10.23 %Macomb County10.23Ionia County: 10.18 %Ionia County10.18Wayne County: 10.151 %Wayne County10.151Delta County: 10.13 %Delta County10.13
%. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2021 (%)Change on 2020
1Lake County32.612+20.46 pts
2Keweenaw County22.078+6.36 pts
3Berrien County17.82+9.46 pts
4Cheboygan County17.386+4.9 pts
5Oscoda County16.501+3.02 pts
6Missaukee County15.888+3.04 pts
7Clare County15.629+4.8 pts
8Ontonagon County14.976+2.16 pts
9Crawford County14.868+8.07 pts
10Gladwin County14.188+0.09 pts
11Osceola County13.805+3.03 pts
12Alcona County13.584+4.49 pts
13Roscommon County12.627+2.65 pts
14Lenawee County12.53+4.95 pts
15Kalkaska County12.238+0.48 pts
16Charlevoix County11.724+1.39 pts
17Iosco County11.576+1.29 pts
18Clinton County11.554+1.52 pts
19Menominee County11.529+2.79 pts
20Leelanau County11.519-0.7 pts
21Marquette County11.466+1.67 pts
22Presque Isle County11.409-3.59 pts
23Livingston County11.098+0.85 pts
24Mecosta County10.926+2.61 pts
25Benzie County10.869-2.9 pts
26Genesee County10.867+0.3 pts
27Otsego County10.796+0.83 pts
28Mackinac County10.755-6.96 pts
29Oakland County10.639-0.87 pts
30St. Joseph County10.629+3.6 pts
31Cass County10.557+2.21 pts
32Lapeer County10.48-1.65 pts
33Dickinson County10.45+3.21 pts
34Arenac County10.399-3.42 pts
35Montcalm County10.347+0.39 pts
36Oceana County10.331-0.76 pts
37Macomb County10.23-0.5 pts
38Ionia County10.18+1.44 pts
39Wayne County10.151-2.32 pts
40Delta County10.13+1.9 pts
41Montmorency County10.014-1.84 pts
42Emmet County9.992+2.02 pts
43Muskegon County9.984+0.61 pts
44Schoolcraft County9.983-0.75 pts
45Monroe County9.972-1.74 pts
46Antrim County9.958-6.24 pts
47Ogemaw County9.952-0.42 pts
48St. Clair County9.897+0.76 pts
49Ingham County9.846-0.12 pts
50Kent County9.802-0.37 pts
51Eaton County9.77+1.76 pts
52Bay County9.588+1.08 pts
53Grand Traverse County9.576-0.02 pts
53Iron County9.576+0.32 pts
55Houghton County9.52-0.82 pts
56Midland County9.453-4.62 pts
57Kalamazoo County9.415+1.12 pts
58Branch County9.26-1.09 pts
59Gogebic County9.231+1.32 pts
60Jackson County9.153-1.58 pts
61Van Buren County9.035+0.18 pts
62Huron County9.02+0.29 pts
63Gratiot County9.003+0.01 pts
64Isabella County8.76-0.12 pts
65Mason County8.747+0.53 pts
66Shiawassee County8.728-1.42 pts
67Alger County8.691-8.94 pts
68Barry County8.593+1.21 pts
69Luce County8.541-1.45 pts
70Tuscola County8.435+0.61 pts
71Hillsdale County8.408+0.59 pts
72Alpena County8.368-0.69 pts
73Wexford County8.358-2.68 pts
74Washtenaw County8.325-0.48 pts
75Calhoun County8.177+0.83 pts
76Allegan County8.145+0.12 pts
77Newaygo County8-5.14 pts
78Ottawa County7.988-1.62 pts
79Manistee County7.578-1.54 pts
80Chippewa County7.55-0.7 pts
81Saginaw County7.001-0.79 pts
82Sanilac County6.862-2.44 pts
83Baraga County5.849-6.39 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Jobs added at opening and expanding establishments during the year, as a percentage of average employment in the two years. United States: Census Bureau Business Dynamics Statistics.

A gross flow: jobs lost elsewhere are not subtracted, so the net change is this rate minus job_destruction_rate. Not the same as payroll job growth from the monthly employment surveys. 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. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

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: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010 (Counties in Michigan by job creation rate, 2021) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv

MLA 9

Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010, Counties in Michigan by job creation rate, 2021. 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/job-creation-rate/michigan-counties?period=2021. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2025. Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Counties in Michigan by job creation rate, 2021. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-creation-rate/michigan-counties?period=2021.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2025) Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010, Counties in Michigan by job creation rate, 2021 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-creation-rate/michigan-counties?period=2021 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_michigan_by_2021,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010: Counties in Michigan by job creation rate, 2021}},
  year = {2025},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-creation-rate/michigan-counties?period=2021. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023\_st\_cty.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010: Counties in Michigan by job creation rate, 2021
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/job-creation-rate/michigan-counties?period=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-creation-rate/michigan-counties?period=2021.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

Which county has the highest job creation rate?

Lake County, with 32.612% in 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest job creation rate?

Baraga County, with 5.849% in 2021.

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: job creation rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Job creation rate: other rankings

Counties in Michigan: more rankings