Counties in Michigan by wages and salaries paid

Oakland County had the highest wages and salaries paid of 83 counties in 2021, at $54.34 billion. Keweenaw County had the lowest, at $14.26 million. The median was $625.34 million and the figure for Michigan was $262.51 billion. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest54,342.5Oakland County
Lowest14.3Keweenaw County
Median625.383 counties
Michigan262,514History

Map of counties, 2021

Alcona County: 78.2 USD millionAlger County: 115.4 USD millionAllegan County: 2,255.4 USD millionAlpena County: 554.2 USD millionAntrim County: 217.9 USD millionArenac County: 173.3 USD millionBaraga County: 126.2 USD millionBarry County: 635.9 USD millionBay County: 1,874.5 USD millionBenzie County: 192.8 USD millionBerrien County: 3,440.2 USD millionBranch County: 726.3 USD millionCalhoun County: 3,288.1 USD millionCass County: 484.8 USD millionCharlevoix County: 566.3 USD millionCheboygan County: 286.9 USD millionChippewa County: 577.6 USD millionClare County: 325.3 USD millionClinton County: 910.6 USD millionCrawford County: 204.6 USD millionDelta County: 667.8 USD millionDickinson County: 808.8 USD millionEaton County: 2,416.2 USD millionEmmet County: 938.2 USD millionGenesee County: 7,088.5 USD millionGladwin County: 184.3 USD millionGogebic County: 228.7 USD millionGrand Traverse County: 2,813 USD millionGratiot County: 633.7 USD millionHillsdale County: 634.6 USD millionHoughton County: 625.3 USD millionHuron County: 520.3 USD millionIngham County: 8,915.2 USD millionIonia County: 795.7 USD millionIosco County: 457.9 USD millionIron County: 149.3 USD millionIsabella County: 1,308.2 USD millionJackson County: 3,265.2 USD millionKalamazoo County: 7,515.8 USD millionKalkaska County: 257.4 USD millionKent County: 24,013.6 USD millionKeweenaw County: 14.3 USD millionLake County: 86.2 USD millionLapeer County: 1,015.7 USD millionLeelanau County: 306.5 USD millionLenawee County: 1,320.1 USD millionLivingston County: 3,404.8 USD millionLuce County: 72.7 USD millionMackinac County: 201.5 USD millionMacomb County: 22,020.7 USD millionManistee County: 339 USD millionMarquette County: 1,349.8 USD millionMason County: 498.4 USD millionMecosta County: 632.8 USD millionMenominee County: 315.9 USD millionMidland County: 2,561.4 USD millionMissaukee County: 164.3 USD millionMonroe County: 2,238 USD millionMontcalm County: 726.9 USD millionMontmorency County: 82.6 USD millionMuskegon County: 3,053.7 USD millionNewaygo County: 583.3 USD millionOakland County: 54,342.5 USD millionOceana County: 285.8 USD millionOgemaw County: 253 USD millionOntonagon County: 48.1 USD millionOsceola County: 396 USD millionOscoda County: 56.5 USD millionOtsego County: 535.5 USD millionOttawa County: 7,192.5 USD millionPresque Isle County: 121.7 USD millionRoscommon County: 232.1 USD millionSaginaw County: 4,405.5 USD millionSt. Clair County: 2,492.9 USD millionSt. Joseph County: 995 USD millionSanilac County: 471.3 USD millionSchoolcraft County: 126.4 USD millionShiawassee County: 789.7 USD millionTuscola County: 546.4 USD millionVan Buren County: 1,118.8 USD millionWashtenaw County: 13,953.2 USD millionWayne County: 51,232.5 USD millionWexford County: 658.9 USD million
  • Under 200
  • 200 to 300
  • 300 to 600
  • 600 to 1,000
  • 1,000 to 3,100
  • 3,100 and over
USD million, 2021. Source: BEA, CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2021

Oakland County: 54,342.5 USD millionOakland County54,342.5Wayne County: 51,232.5 USD millionWayne County51,232.5Kent County: 24,013.6 USD millionKent County24,013.6Macomb County: 22,020.7 USD millionMacomb County22,020.7Washtenaw County: 13,953.2 USD millionWashtenaw County13,953.2Ingham County: 8,915.2 USD millionIngham County8,915.2Kalamazoo County: 7,515.8 USD millionKalamazoo County7,515.8Ottawa County: 7,192.5 USD millionOttawa County7,192.5Genesee County: 7,088.5 USD millionGenesee County7,088.5Saginaw County: 4,405.5 USD millionSaginaw County4,405.5Berrien County: 3,440.2 USD millionBerrien County3,440.2Livingston County: 3,404.8 USD millionLivingston County3,404.8Calhoun County: 3,288.1 USD millionCalhoun County3,288.1Jackson County: 3,265.2 USD millionJackson County3,265.2Muskegon County: 3,053.7 USD millionMuskegon County3,053.7Grand Traverse County: 2,813 USD millionGrand Traverse County2,813Midland County: 2,561.4 USD millionMidland County2,561.4St. Clair County: 2,492.9 USD millionSt. Clair County2,492.9Eaton County: 2,416.2 USD millionEaton County2,416.2Allegan County: 2,255.4 USD millionAllegan County2,255.4Monroe County: 2,238 USD millionMonroe County2,238Bay County: 1,874.5 USD millionBay County1,874.5Marquette County: 1,349.8 USD millionMarquette County1,349.8Lenawee County: 1,320.1 USD millionLenawee County1,320.1Isabella County: 1,308.2 USD millionIsabella County1,308.2Van Buren County: 1,118.8 USD millionVan Buren County1,118.8Lapeer County: 1,015.7 USD millionLapeer County1,015.7St. Joseph County: 995 USD millionSt. Joseph County995Emmet County: 938.2 USD millionEmmet County938.2Clinton County: 910.6 USD millionClinton County910.6Dickinson County: 808.8 USD millionDickinson County808.8Ionia County: 795.7 USD millionIonia County795.7Shiawassee County: 789.7 USD millionShiawassee County789.7Montcalm County: 726.9 USD millionMontcalm County726.9Branch County: 726.3 USD millionBranch County726.3Delta County: 667.8 USD millionDelta County667.8Wexford County: 658.9 USD millionWexford County658.9Barry County: 635.9 USD millionBarry County635.9Hillsdale County: 634.6 USD millionHillsdale County634.6Gratiot County: 633.7 USD millionGratiot County633.7Oakland County: 54,342.5 USD millionOakland County54,342.5Wayne County: 51,232.5 USD millionWayne County51,232.5Kent County: 24,013.6 USD millionKent County24,013.6Macomb County: 22,020.7 USD millionMacomb County22,020.7Washtenaw County: 13,953.2 USD millionWashtenaw County13,953.2Ingham County: 8,915.2 USD millionIngham County8,915.2Kalamazoo County: 7,515.8 USD millionKalamazoo County7,515.8Ottawa County: 7,192.5 USD millionOttawa County7,192.5Genesee County: 7,088.5 USD millionGenesee County7,088.5Saginaw County: 4,405.5 USD millionSaginaw County4,405.5Berrien County: 3,440.2 USD millionBerrien County3,440.2Livingston County: 3,404.8 USD millionLivingston County3,404.8Calhoun County: 3,288.1 USD millionCalhoun County3,288.1Jackson County: 3,265.2 USD millionJackson County3,265.2Muskegon County: 3,053.7 USD millionMuskegon County3,053.7Grand Traverse County: 2,813 USD millionGrand Traverse County2,813Midland County: 2,561.4 USD millionMidland County2,561.4St. Clair County: 2,492.9 USD millionSt. Clair County2,492.9Eaton County: 2,416.2 USD millionEaton County2,416.2Allegan County: 2,255.4 USD millionAllegan County2,255.4Monroe County: 2,238 USD millionMonroe County2,238Bay County: 1,874.5 USD millionBay County1,874.5Marquette County: 1,349.8 USD millionMarquette County1,349.8Lenawee County: 1,320.1 USD millionLenawee County1,320.1Isabella County: 1,308.2 USD millionIsabella County1,308.2Van Buren County: 1,118.8 USD millionVan Buren County1,118.8Lapeer County: 1,015.7 USD millionLapeer County1,015.7St. Joseph County: 995 USD millionSt. Joseph County995Emmet County: 938.2 USD millionEmmet County938.2Clinton County: 910.6 USD millionClinton County910.6Dickinson County: 808.8 USD millionDickinson County808.8Ionia County: 795.7 USD millionIonia County795.7Shiawassee County: 789.7 USD millionShiawassee County789.7Montcalm County: 726.9 USD millionMontcalm County726.9Branch County: 726.3 USD millionBranch County726.3Delta County: 667.8 USD millionDelta County667.8Wexford County: 658.9 USD millionWexford County658.9Barry County: 635.9 USD millionBarry County635.9Hillsdale County: 634.6 USD millionHillsdale County634.6Gratiot County: 633.7 USD millionGratiot County633.7
USD million. Source: BEA, CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2021
USD million
Change on 2020
1Oakland County54,342.5+8.3%
2Wayne County51,232.5+6.2%
3Kent County24,013.6+8.1%
4Macomb County22,020.7+13.1%
5Washtenaw County13,953.2+6.7%
6Ingham County8,915.2+6%
7Kalamazoo County7,515.8+8.8%
8Ottawa County7,192.5+8.6%
9Genesee County7,088.5+7%
10Saginaw County4,405.5+8%
11Berrien County3,440.2+5.4%
12Livingston County3,404.8+9.4%
13Calhoun County3,288.1+6.3%
14Jackson County3,265.2+9.6%
15Muskegon County3,053.7+9.3%
16Grand Traverse County2,813+9.8%
17Midland County2,561.4+6.7%
18St. Clair County2,492.9+7.1%
19Eaton County2,416.2+9.5%
20Allegan County2,255.4+5.6%
21Monroe County2,238+5.9%
22Bay County1,874.5+8.5%
23Marquette County1,349.8+10.4%
24Lenawee County1,320.1+10.8%
25Isabella County1,308.2+9.2%
26Van Buren County1,118.8+4.9%
27Lapeer County1,015.7+11.3%
28St. Joseph County995+6.1%
29Emmet County938.2+10.3%
30Clinton County910.6+11.3%
31Dickinson County808.8+13.8%
32Ionia County795.7+8.6%
33Shiawassee County789.7+10.7%
34Montcalm County726.9+7.2%
35Branch County726.3+9.5%
36Delta County667.8+6.1%
37Wexford County658.9+10%
38Barry County635.9+6.4%
39Hillsdale County634.6+9.6%
40Gratiot County633.7+1.5%
41Mecosta County632.8+6.5%
42Houghton County625.3+11.6%
43Newaygo County583.3+6.8%
44Chippewa County577.6+10.6%
45Charlevoix County566.3+15.8%
46Alpena County554.2+9.8%
47Tuscola County546.4+4.7%
48Otsego County535.5+11.6%
49Huron County520.3+5.9%
50Mason County498.4+8.8%
51Cass County484.8+10.1%
52Sanilac County471.3+7.4%
53Iosco County457.9+13.4%
54Osceola County396+5.5%
55Manistee County339+7.9%
56Clare County325.3+6.2%
57Menominee County315.9+9.6%
58Leelanau County306.5+15.1%
59Cheboygan County286.9+16.3%
60Oceana County285.8+3.4%
61Kalkaska County257.4+10.7%
62Ogemaw County253+14.3%
63Roscommon County232.1+5.7%
64Gogebic County228.7+1.2%
65Antrim County217.9+6.6%
66Crawford County204.6+7.8%
67Mackinac County201.5+17.9%
68Benzie County192.8+14.4%
69Gladwin County184.3+2.9%
70Arenac County173.3+3.1%
71Missaukee County164.3+10.8%
72Iron County149.3-0.3%
73Schoolcraft County126.4+6%
74Baraga County126.2+9.3%
75Presque Isle County121.7+1.5%
76Alger County115.4+12.5%
77Lake County86.2+4.7%
78Montmorency County82.6-7.2%
79Alcona County78.2+5.8%
80Luce County72.7+5.5%
81Oscoda County56.5+19.8%
82Ontonagon County48.1+5.8%
83Keweenaw County14.3-3.1%

Other periods

About this ranking

Total wages and salaries paid to employees for jobs located in a place, including tips, bonuses and pay in kind, before deductions, in millions of current US dollars. United States: Bureau of Economic Analysis regional accounts, table SAINC4 line 50 for the nation and states and CAINC4 line 50 for counties.

Counted where the jobs are, not where the workers live, so places with many commuters coming in can pay more in wages than their residents receive in personal income (the District of Columbia does). Excludes employer contributions to pensions, insurance and social security, and the income of the self-employed.

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. Bureau of Economic Analysis. CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents. https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAINC4.zip. 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. Bureau of Economic Analysis. (2026). CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents (Counties in Michigan by wages and salaries paid, 2021) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAINC4.zip

MLA 9

CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents, Counties in Michigan by wages and salaries paid, 2021. U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, 5 Feb. 2026, https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAINC4.zip. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/wages-and-salaries/michigan-counties?period=2021. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. 2026. CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents. Counties in Michigan by wages and salaries paid, 2021. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAINC4.zip. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/wages-and-salaries/michigan-counties?period=2021.

Harvard

U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (2026) CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents, Counties in Michigan by wages and salaries paid, 2021 [Dataset]. Available at: https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAINC4.zip, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/wages-and-salaries/michigan-counties?period=2021 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_michigan_by_2021,
  author = {{U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis}},
  title = {{CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents: Counties in Michigan by wages and salaries paid, 2021}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAINC4.zip},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/wages-and-salaries/michigan-counties?period=2021. Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents. https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAINC4.zip. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
TI  - CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents: Counties in Michigan by wages and salaries paid, 2021
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/02/05
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAINC4.zip
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/wages-and-salaries/michigan-counties?period=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/wages-and-salaries/michigan-counties?period=2021.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents. https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/CAINC4.zip. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  - 
Embed this chart

Paste this code into a web page or a blog post. The chart shows the latest figures as they are published, with the source and a link back to this page.

Sites that read oEmbed links, such as WordPress, can show the chart when you paste the link to this page.

Use this data in your AI agent

Invokely serves this figure to AI assistants through MCP and to code through a REST API, with the source and citation attached. Ask your assistant:

Rank Counties in Michigan by wages and salaries paid using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"wages_and_salaries","level":"province","within":"Michigan","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=wages_and_salaries&level=province&within=Michigan&limit=10

Connect Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor in one step. The trial answers 25 calls a day without an account.

Questions

Which county has the highest wages and salaries paid?

Oakland County, with $54.34 billion in 2021, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Which county has the lowest wages and salaries paid?

Keweenaw County, with $14.26 million in 2021.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAINC4: personal income by major component, wages and salaries (published in thousands of dollars, shown in millions), individual counties and county equivalents. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Wages and salaries paid: other rankings

Counties in Michigan: more rankings