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Michigan business name search

Check name availability against the Michigan Secretary of State database

158,748
Business applications, last 12 months
Census BFS via FRED, trailing 12 months
44,207
Filed Q2 2026
Census BFS via FRED, Q2 2026
+16.8%
Year-over-year growth
FRED, trailing 12 months vs prior 12
630
Filings per business day
Derived from TTM applications, FRED
Michigan seal
Websitewww.michigan.gov
Phone(517) 241-6470
Address2407 N Grand River Ave, Lansing, MI 48906
Hours8:00 AM – 5:00 PM, Mon-Fri

Michigan business formation by the numbers

State-level data from official sources on business formation activity in Michigan.

#11
Michigan ranks 11th in U.S. business formations
Ranking is based on total business applications filed in the trailing twelve months across all 50 states and D.C.
Census BFS via FRED, TTM rank
+67.9%
Formation activity since 2019
Comparison of trailing-twelve-month business applications to the 2019 calendar year total. Captures the post-pandemic formation surge.
FRED / BABATOTALNSAMI
+7.6%
Quarter-over-quarter change
Current quarter applications compared to the prior quarter. A useful read on whether momentum is building or fading.
FRED, latest 3 months vs prior 3
$50
LLC filing fee and processing time
Standard processing: 7-10 business days.
Michigan Secretary of State, verified Mar 2026
7,103
Federal trademark applications from Michigan businesses
Filed with the USPTO in 2023 by applicants with a Michigan address, the 15th highest total of any state. Trademarks are federal, so this is separate from registering a business name with the Michigan Secretary of State.
USPTO Trademark Case Files, 2023 vintage
+10%
Trademark filing change since 2015
Michigan filings went from 6,461 in 2015 to 7,103 in 2023, up 10%.
USPTO Trademark Case Files, 2023 vintage

What the filing data shows about Michigan

Applicants with a Michigan address filed 7,103 federal trademark applications in 2023, compared with 6,461 in 2015, a change of +10%.

Adjusted for population that is about 70 filings per 100,000 residents, the 28th highest rate in the country.

The most common category for Michigan filings since 2019 is Class 035, covering advertising, business management and office services.

A trademark and a Michigan registration are different things

Registering an entity with the Michigan Secretary of State establishes that name for that entity within Michigan. A federal trademark is granted by the USPTO, applies nationally, and covers only the goods or services it is registered under.

The two records are separate, which is why a name can clear a Michigan entity search and still overlap an existing federal mark, and why a federal mark can exist for a name no Michigan entity has registered.

Trademark figures on this page come from the USPTO Trademark Case Files dataset, which covers applications through March 2024. Counts are applications filed by applicants with a Michigan mailing address, and reflect filings rather than registrations granted.