Profile: Industry Trends
Please note, most of these updates are for the time period of 2010-2020. Therefore, the effects of the COVID pandemic and economic recession are reflected in this report.
The Detroit region employs over 2.15 million people in industries spread across 11 counties.
The primary industries in the Detroit region are:
- Trade, Transportation, & Utilities – 19% of employment
- Professional and Business Services – 18%
- Health Services and Private Education – 16%
- Government – 13%
- Manufacturing – 12%
Between 2010 and 2020, all Detroit industrial sectors except Leisure & Hospitality, Government, and Information experienced growth. The fastest growing sectors by employment during this 10-year period were Construction (+40.4% growth), Financial Activities (+18.6%), and Professional & Business Services (+17.4%).
The Construction and Financial Activities sectors in the Detroit region grew faster than the national industry trends of (+31.2%) and (+10.9%), respectively. The Professional and Business Services sector in the Detroit region grew slower than the national industry trend of (+21.6%).
Most employment in the Detroit region is concentrated across five major counties, though the combined employment in the less dense counties is also significant. Oakland County leads with 673,379 jobs and 34% of regional employment. Wayne County nearly equals Oakland County with its 665,889 jobs and 34% of regional employment. The next largest counties by employment are Macomb County with 15% of regional jobs, Washtenaw County with 10%, and Genesse County with 6%.
Employment declined in Lenawee County (-11%), Shiawassee County (-9.5%), St. Clair County (-4%), Genesee County (-3.9%), and Monroe County (-0.4%) between 2010 and 2020. These job losses were compensated for by employment growth in the remaining 6 counties. By growth rate, employment increases were largest in Livingston County (+35%), Oakland County (+10.2%), Washtenaw County (+8.5%), and Macomb County (+8.4%).
The largest increases in raw employment were in Oakland County and Macomb County, adding over 62,237 jobs and 23,226 jobs respectively.
