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Bars in Michigan

How many bars exist per person present (residents + daytime workers) across the 17 Michigan counties we cover, by ZIP code, compared with the U.S. average. Data: Census ZBP 2023 + ACS 2024 + BLS QCEW.

Includes: Bars & taverns · Pubs & brewpubs (drinking-focused) · Cocktail & wine bars · Taprooms. Counted together because official statistics use one 722410 code.

State verdict (covered counties): Below the U.S. rate — 65% of the U.S. rate

Counties covered

in Michigan

Bars

605

establishments (2023)

Per 10,000 present

0.7

residents + 0.5×workers

U.S. average

1.0

per 10,000 present

State index

65%

vs. U.S.

Residents

7,548,988

in covered counties

Workers

3,065,765

jobs in covered counties

Coverage. This page aggregates only the 17 Michigan counties BizGapMap covers — not the whole state. Counts and the index reflect those counties. The aggregate index uses only ZIP cells Census published, so it is a lower bound. Density is a supply-side signal: it counts existing bars and the people present, not foot traffic, income, rent, or whether locals want more.

Counties in Michigan

City	County	Bars	Residents	Workers	Per 10k	Index	Verdict
Muskegon	Muskegon County	27–43	176,982	51,435	1.3	132–210%	Range spans bands
Saginaw	Saginaw County	27–61	187,091	76,238	1.2	119–251%	Range spans bands
Detroit	Wayne County	198–286	1,792,362	640,223	0.9	91–124%	Range spans bands
Grand Rapids	Kent County	72–136	682,712	378,816	0.8	82–127%	Range spans bands
Jackson	Jackson County	15–45	159,537	50,099	0.8	81–231%	Range spans bands
Monroe	Monroe County	14–38	162,298	38,038	0.8	77–208%	Range spans bands
Warren	Macomb County	68–118	878,672	296,871	0.7	66–104%	Range spans bands
Battle Creek	Calhoun County	10–30	134,378	48,040	0.6	63–175%	Range spans bands
Flint	Genesee County	30–80	422,436	114,470	0.6	62–136%	Range spans bands
Port Huron	St. Clair County	11–53	161,718	41,633	0.6	60–266%	Range spans bands
Saint Joseph	Berrien County	10–52	163,620	53,561	0.5	52–271%	Range spans bands
Ann Arbor	Washtenaw County	21–55	355,204	154,405	0.5	48–103%	Range spans bands
East Lansing	Ingham County	14–50	264,810	98,776	0.4	44–133%	Range spans bands
Auburn Hills	Oakland County	65–207	1,282,834	727,774	0.4	39–104%	Range spans bands
Holland	Ottawa County	14–46	306,882	129,108	0.4	37–107%	Range spans bands
Brighton	Livingston County	4–24	160,573	53,590	0.2	21–116%	Range spans bands
Portage	Kalamazoo County	5–47	256,879	112,688	0.2	16–117%	Range spans bands

Scroll the table sideways to see all columns.

Lowest vs. highest measured density

Fewest competitors per capita

132%

119%

91%

82%

81%

77%

66%

63%

Most competitors per capita

16%

21%

37%

39%

44%

48%

52%

60%

Low measured density is not evidence of opportunity. A county with few bars may simply lack foot traffic, retail space, or demand. Use the ranking to find where to look, then verify locally.

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BizGapMap — free, no-login small-business saturation reports for major U.S. counties. Built entirely from public U.S. Census, BLS, and IRS data (ZBP 2023, ACS 2024 5-year, PEP 2024, LODES, QCEW, IRS SOI). No forecasts, no revenue guesses — withheld cells are marked, and the few derived counts are labelled as estimates.