Counties with the highest unemployment in Michigan
Counties with the highest unemployment in Michigan
Unemployment rates are rising across U.S. metropolitan areas, provoking alarm across the nation and likely leading to interest rate cuts in September.
As of July, unemployment rates increased in 350 out of 389 U.S. metros areas—including 47 of the 51 largest metros, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
To get a glimpse of regional variations in employment, Stacker compiled a list of counties with the highest unemployment rates in Michigan, using BLS data. Counties are ranked by their preliminary unemployment rate in July 2024, with initial ties broken by the number of unemployed people within that county, though some ties may remain. County-level unemployment rates are not seasonally adjusted.
The national unemployment rate remains relatively low at 4.3%. Still, it's up substantially from 3.5% during the same month last year and has climbed to the highest rate since November 2021. By comparison, unemployment rates surged to 10% in October 2009 during the Great Recession, and a full recovery took years. At the height of the brief COVID-19 recession in April 2020, unemployment hit 14.7%.
The Federal Reserve has shifted its focus from curbing inflation to unemployment, indicating plans to cut interest rates in the coming weeks and months to alleviate economic strain and avoid further job losses.
Since last year, unemployment has spiked in over half of states—a signal often indicating a looming recession, as Piper Sandler Chief Global Economist Nancy Lazar told Business Insider. These jobless rates, paired with layoffs among major U.S. employers like Google and Tesla, have sparked concern among Americans. Minus a major economic blow, economists continue to forecast that the U.S. is tracking toward an incremental slowdown in growth known as a "soft landing."
To get a better idea of your community's current economy, read on to see the counties with the highest unemployment in Michigan.
#50. Missaukee County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.7%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 7,404 people (424 unemployed)
#49. Shiawassee County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.7%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 34,069 people (1,939 unemployed)
#48. St. Clair County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.7%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 78,183 people (4,468 unemployed)
#47. Otsego County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.8%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 12,384 people (721 unemployed)
#46. Lapeer County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.8%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 42,300 people (2,469 unemployed)
#45. Dickinson County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 5.9%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 12,440 people (739 unemployed)
#44. Sanilac County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 20,705 people (1,248 unemployed)
#43. Montcalm County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 29,960 people (1,787 unemployed)
#42. Ionia County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 1.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 33,139 people (1,973 unemployed)
#41. Bay County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 51,129 people (3,047 unemployed)
#40. Muskegon County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 82,681 people (4,981 unemployed)
#39. Manistee County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.1%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 10,822 people (665 unemployed)
#38. Delta County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.1%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 17,444 people (1,064 unemployed)
#37. Gratiot County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.1%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 18,266 people (1,108 unemployed)
#36. Chippewa County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.2%
--- 1-month change: No change
--- 1-year change: Up 0.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 16,913 people (1,048 unemployed)
#35. Hillsdale County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.2%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 21,380 people (1,333 unemployed)
#34. Isabella County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.2%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 33,072 people (2,061 unemployed)
#33. Macomb County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.2%
--- 1-month change: Up 1.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 2.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 465,622 people (28,948 unemployed)
#32. Tuscola County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.3%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 24,941 people (1,580 unemployed)
#31. St. Joseph County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.3%
--- 1-month change: Up 1.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 29,102 people (1,824 unemployed)
#30. Calhoun County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.3%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 63,231 people (3,984 unemployed)
#29. Iron County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,950 people (316 unemployed)
#28. Oceana County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 12,961 people (834 unemployed)
#27. Wexford County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 1.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 15,733 people (1,003 unemployed)
#26. Keweenaw County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.5%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 942 people (61 unemployed)
#25. Luce County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.5%
--- 1-month change: Down 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,308 people (151 unemployed)
#24. Gogebic County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.5%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,860 people (383 unemployed)
#23. Iosco County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.5%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 11,351 people (736 unemployed)
#22. Saginaw County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.5%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 86,003 people (5,607 unemployed)
#21. Genesee County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.5%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 190,365 people (12,338 unemployed)
#20. Lenawee County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.7%
--- 1-month change: Up 1.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 46,760 people (3,153 unemployed)
#19. Crawford County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.8%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,055 people (412 unemployed)
#18. Ogemaw County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.8%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.6 percentage points
- Total labor force: 9,027 people (617 unemployed)
#17. Monroe County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.8%
--- 1-month change: Up 1.7 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 2.4 percentage points
- Total labor force: 80,566 people (5,515 unemployed)
#16. Gladwin County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 6.9%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 10,868 people (746 unemployed)
#15. Baraga County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.1%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,389 people (240 unemployed)
#14. Mecosta County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.1%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.9 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.3 percentage points
- Total labor force: 19,189 people (1,354 unemployed)
#13. Arenac County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.2%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 6,542 people (469 unemployed)
#12. Alger County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.3%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.1 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.8 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,745 people (272 unemployed)
#11. Schoolcraft County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,507 people (261 unemployed)
#10. Osceola County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.4%
--- 1-month change: Up 2.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 2.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 13,213 people (976 unemployed)
#9. Presque Isle County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.6%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.2 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.5 percentage points
- Total labor force: 5,484 people (415 unemployed)
#8. Roscommon County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.8%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 9,847 people (770 unemployed)
#7. Lake County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 7.9%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.8 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 4,324 people (341 unemployed)
#6. Ontonagon County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 8.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 0.9 percentage points
- Total labor force: 2,187 people (176 unemployed)
#5. Montmorency County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 8.0%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.4 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,362 people (269 unemployed)
#4. Alcona County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 8.1%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.6 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.1 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,972 people (320 unemployed)
#3. Clare County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 8.2%
--- 1-month change: Up 1.3 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.7 percentage points
- Total labor force: 12,170 people (1,002 unemployed)
#2. Wayne County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 8.2%
--- 1-month change: Up 2.0 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 3.2 percentage points
- Total labor force: 840,526 people (69,009 unemployed)
#1. Oscoda County
- July unemployment rate (preliminary): 8.3%
--- 1-month change: Up 0.5 percentage points
--- 1-year change: Up 1.0 percentage points
- Total labor force: 3,133 people (261 unemployed)
This story features data reporting and writing by Paxtyn Merten and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 50 states.