The largest employers in the Detroit region include Ford Motor Company, Stellantis, General Motors, and University of Michigan, totaling more than 164,400 full-time employees in 2022. The city of Detroit’s largest employers include Rocket Companies Inc, Stellantis, the city of Detroit, and Henry Ford Health, employing a total of 41,630 full-time individuals in 2022.
The Detroit region employs over 2.2 million people spread across 11 counties.
It is home to 34 colleges and universities and more than 387,000 businesses including 10 of Michigan’s Fortune 500 companies with headquarters in the state. The primary industries in the Detroit region are health services (14% of employment), government (12%), manufacturing (12%), and retail trade (10%).
Top Employers
Largest Detroit Employers
| Company | Full-Time Employees in City of Detroit (July 2022) |
| Rocket Companies Inc. | 14,109 |
| Stellantis NV | 10,861 |
| City of Detroit | 8,942 |
| Henry Ford Health System | 7,718 |
| U.S. Government | 6,673 |
| Detroit Public Schools Community District | 6,665 |
| Detroit Medical Center | 6,415 |
| Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan/Blue Care Network | 5,469 |
| Ilitch Holdings Inc. | 5,034 |
| DTE Energy Co. | 4,794 |
Largest Southeast Michigan Employers
| Company | City | Full-Time Employees in SE MI (July 2022) |
| Ford Motor Co. | Dearborn | 47,750 |
| Stellantis NV | Auburn Hills | 42,444 |
| General Motors Co. | Detroit | 38,600 |
| University of Michigan | Ann Arbor | 35,620 |
| Corewell Health | N/A | 21,674 |
| U.S. Government | Detroit | 19,953 |
| Henry Ford Health System | Detroit | 17,469 |
| Rocket Companies Inc. | Detroit | 14,109 |
| Trinity Health Michigan | Livonia | 13,186 |
| Ascension Michigan | Warren | 12,085 |
Total Employed Workforce
In 2021, 2.23 million individuals were employed in the Detroit region. The average salary in the region was $66,031 which is slightly lower than the national average of $67,610.
Employment by County
Much of employment in the Detroit region is concentrated across four major counties. In 2021, the Detroit region counties making up most of the employment were Oakland (31.3%), Wayne (30.8%), Macomb (14.2%), and Washtenaw (9.3%) counties.
New Jobs
Since 2017, financial activities added 10,799 new jobs in the Detroit region, more than any other industry in the region. The leisure and hospitality industry experienced the largest decrease in net new jobs, declining by 47,889 new jobs since 2017.
Average Salary by Industry
In 2021, the annual average salary for the Detroit region was $66,031 slightly lower than the national average. With an average annual salary of $97,457, the information industry led among all industries in the region, followed by financial activities ($90,538), professional business services ($88,185), and manufacturing ($74,135). The lowest paid industry in the region is leisure and hospitality with an average annual salary of $26,554.
Learn about the region’s economics, workforce and talent, industry clusters and more.
For additional information, contact the Data and Research team.
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