In a paper published in the Michigan Academy of Science, Arts and Letters, E.J. Senninger classifies Michigan's cities based on the functions that they perform for the state and regional economy.  This classification is quite enlightening, and thus is reproduced below.

First, the map below shows the cities with a "diversified" economy, that is, no one type of economic activity dominates. 

The diversified cities are:
Albion
Allen Park
Bay City
Clawson
Dearborn
Detroit
East Detroit
Ferndale
Garden City
Grand Haven
Harper Woods
Holland
Inkster
Kalamazoo
Livonia
Menominee
Monroe
Muskegon
Muskegon Heights
Owosso
Pontiac
Roseville
Royal Oak
Saginaw
St. Clair Shores
St. Joseph
Southfield
Troy
Wayne




Cities that rated as "manufacturing" centers are:
Center Line
Ecorse
Flint
Hamtramck
Hazel Park
Madison Heights
Midland (highest manufacturing rating of any city, East Lansing was the lowest)
River Rouge
Southgate
Warren
Wyandotte
Obviously, manufacturing-based cities are concentrated in SE Lower Michigan.   Generally speaking, most cities in the UP and Northern Lower Peninsula rate below average on this category.

Cities that rated as "retail trade" centers are:  (a * indicates a very strong emphasis on retail trade in this city)
Adrian
Alpena*
Berkley
Cadillac*
Escanaba
Ironwood
Mt. Clemens
Oak Park*
Port Huron
Sault Ste. Marie
Traverse City


Cities that rated as "professional service" centers are:   (a * indicates a very strong emphasis on professional service in this city)
Ann Arbor*
East Lansing*
Marquette
Mt. Pleasant*
Traverse City
Ypsilanti*
Cities rated high on the Professional Service category have large universities or hospitals as their main "service".

Cities that rated as "personal service" centers are:  (a * indicates a very strong emphasis on personal service in this city)
Battle Creek
Benton Harbor*
Cadillac
Escanaba
Grosse Point Farms*
Highland Park
Sault Ste. Marie
Traverse City
Ypsilanti
Many of the highly-rated "personal service" cities are located in tourist areas, where such services are required.

Cities that rated as "transportation and communication" centers are:  (a * indicates a very strong emphasis on transportation and communication in this city)
Eastlawn*  (on RR)
Escanaba*  (Port)
Lincoln Park
Marquette*  (Port)
Melvindale*  (on RR)
Niles  (on RR)
Port Huron  (Port)
Sault Ste. Marie  (Port)
Southgate
Wyoming  (on RR)
Many of the cities that rated highly in this category are near major ports, or on major railroad lines.  Because this study was done before interstate highways had had a big impact on the state, a more modern analysis would yield higher ratings for "interstate cities" and hubs like Grand Rapids and Flint.

Cities that rated as "finance, insurance and real estate" centers are:  (a * indicates a very strong emphasis on these parts of the economy, in this city)
Birmingham
East Grand Rapids*
Grosse Point Farms*
Grosse Point Park*
Grosse Point Woods*
Lakeview*
Oak Park
Many of these cities are located in the Detroit metro area, although Battle Crrek and Grand Rapids scored high on this sector as well.  Generally, high-income cities fall into this category.

Cities that rated as "public administration" centers are:   (a * indicates a very strong emphasis on public (government) adminstration in this city)
Battle Creek
East Lansing
Escanaba
Ironwood
Lakeview
Lansing*
Marquette*
Mt. Clemens*
Sault Ste. Marie*
Most of the cities in the above category are in regional- or state-wide government hubs.   Some (Marquette and Sault Ste. Marie) are also centers of military activity.

Cities that rated as "wholesale trade" centers are:  (a * indicates a very strong emphasis on wholesale trade in this city)
Birmingham*
East Grand Rapids*
Grand Rapids
Grosse Point Park
Grosse Point Woods
Oak Park*
Wyoming
As the list above suggests, wholesale trade is actively practiced in the Grand Rapids and Detroit areas.

Cities that rated as "utilities" centers are:  (a * indicates a very strong emphasis on utilities (electricity, water, etc.) in this city)
Jackson*
Mt. Clemens*
Port Huron*
Southgate
Traverse City*
Trenton*
All these cities have large electric power plants, and hence, employ a large percentage of their labor force in the "utilities" sector.  Jackson is the headquaters of Consumers Energy Corporation.  Trenton has a large Detroit Edison plant.

Cities that rated as "mining" centers are:  (a * indicates a very strong emphasis on mining in this city)
Ironwood*
Mount Pleasant
Ironwood is located in an iron-mining district, whereas Mt. Pleasant is near a major oil and gas field.  Cities that almost made it into this category are Marquette (iron mining) and Albion (oil and gas).

This material has been compiled for educational use only, and may not be reproduced without permission.  One copy may be printed for personal use.  Please contact Randall Schaetzl (soils@msu.edu) for more information or permissions.