Profile: Industry Trends
The Detroit region employs over 2.3 million people in industries spread across 11 counties.
The primary industries in the Detroit region are:
- Trade, Transportation, & Utilities – 18% of employment
- Professional and Business Services – 18%
- Health Services and Private Education – 16%
- Manufacturing – 13%
- Government – 12%
Between 2008 and 2018, all Detroit industrial sectors except Government and Information experience growth. The fastest growing sectors by employment during this 10-year period were Natural Resources and Mining (+16.5% growth), Professional and Business Services (+14.7%), and Construction (+13.3%).
The Construction and Natural Resources sectors in the Detroit region grew faster than the national industry trends of +1.4% and +2.9%, respectively. The Professional and Business Services sector grew slower than its national industry rate of +17.8 percent.
Most employment in the Detroit region is concentrated across four major counties, though the combined employment in less dense counties is also significant. Oakland County leads with 737,266 jobs and 31% of regional employment. Wayne County nearly ties Oakland with its 724,880 jobs and 31% of regional employment. The next largest counties by employment are Macomb County with 14% of regional jobs and Bastrop County with 9%.
Employment declined in Genesee, Lenawee, Shiawassee, and St. Clair counties between 2008 and 2018. These job losses were compensated by employment growth in the remaining seven countries. By growth rate, employment gains were greatest in Livingston County (+35.3%), Washtenaw County (+14.1%), Oakland County (+9.9%), and Lapeer County (+5.5%). However, Oakland County experienced the largest increase in raw employment by adding over 66,400 jobs.
