Skip to main content
Ham Recruiter FCC ULS

Ham radio operators in Michigan: new licenses by county

20,583 licensed amateur radio operators; 710 new in the past 12 months. Updated weekly from FCC data.

At a glance · Data as of

New hams · last 30 days
67
New hams · last 12 months
710
▲ 11% vs prior 12 mo
Active licensed hams
20,583
Upgrades · 12 mo
294
Vanity callsigns · 12 mo
156
Address updates · 12 mo
293
Often a move into the area
Expiring · next 6 mo
1,199

About ham radio in Michigan

710 new hams got their start in Michigan over the past 12 months, a 11% jump from the prior year. Michigan ranks #9 of 52 states and territories for new licenses. Oakland County leads the state with 66 new hams. Among larger counties, Macomb County is growing fastest. Technicians make up 46% of the state’s licensees, close to the U.S. average of 48%.

New hams by month

New hams per month in Michigan, October 2025 to September 2026 711 in total. Highest: 86 in January 2026. Lowest: 1 in October 2025. Up 11% from the prior 12 months. Oct 2025: 1 new ham 1 Oct 2025 Nov 2025: 58 new hams 58 Nov Dec 2025: 70 new hams 70 Dec Jan 2026: 86 new hams 86 Jan 2026 Feb 2026: 66 new hams 66 Feb Mar 2026: 69 new hams 69 Mar Apr 2026: 57 new hams 57 Apr May 2026: 59 new hams 59 May Jun 2026: 81 new hams 81 Jun Jul 2026: 47 new hams 47 Jul Aug 2026: 47 new hams 47 Aug Sep 2026: 70 new hams 70 Sep
Complete calendar months only, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026. The current month is left out until it ends.
Show data table
New hams per month in Michigan
MonthNew hams
Oct 20251
Nov 202558
Dec 202570
Jan 202686
Feb 202666
Mar 202669
Apr 202657
May 202659
Jun 202681
Jul 202647
Aug 202647
Sep 202670
Total711

License classes

Active licensees in Michigan by license class, compared with U.S.
ClassHamsShareU.S.
Technician 9,37146%48%
General 5,33826%25%
Amateur Extra 4,68523%21%
Advanced 7714%3%
Novice / Other 4182%2%

Bar = Michigan share · Tick = U.S. share

In the past 12 months, 120 operators upgraded to General and 150 to Amateur Extra.

How Michigan compares

#9 of 52 states and territories for new hams in the past 12 months

Rates per 1,000 active licensees
Per 1,000 active hamsMichiganU.S.
New hams, past 12 months34.532.3
Upgrades, past 12 months14.314.7
Expiring, next 6 months58.357.3

710 new hams in Michigan this past year. Get next month’s list free.

Sign Up Free →

Top 10 Michigan counties for new hams

Scroll sideways for more columns →

#CountyNew hams 12 moChange vs prior yearActive hamsNew per 1,000
1Oakland County66▼ 14%2,32028.4
2Kalamazoo County61▲ 7%70386.8
3Wayne County58▲ 12%1,70434.0
4Kent County45▼ 10%1,31934.1
5Washtenaw County45▲ 7%1,11040.5
6Macomb County40▲ 90%1,15134.8
7Ottawa County33▲ 57%82040.2
8Livingston County31▲ 48%62249.8
9Ingham County25▲ 39%55744.9
10Genesee County18▼ 14%72524.8

All Michigan counties

48 counties with their own page. Numbers are new hams in the past 12 months.

Smaller Michigan counties

These 35 counties have too few licensees or too little recent activity for a page of their own, so their numbers are listed here.

Show all 35 smaller counties
CountyActive hamsNew hams · 12 mo
Alcona County501
Alger County451
Alpena County952
Antrim County852
Arenac County420
Baraga County280
Benzie County774
Cheboygan County662
Crawford County570
Dickinson County801
Gladwin County631
Gogebic County400
Hillsdale County1051
Huron County471
Iosco County711
Iron County702
Isabella County964
Kalkaska County660
Keweenaw County130
Lake County281
Luce County400
Mackinac County370
Manistee County621
Menominee County563
Missaukee County382
Montmorency County501
Oceana County662
Ogemaw County770
Ontonagon County261
Osceola County662
Oscoda County550
Presque Isle County500
Roscommon County753
Sanilac County771
Schoolcraft County250

Neighboring states

Share Michigan’s numbers

Select the text to copy it.

Email Share on Facebook (opens in a new tab)

Figures may be reused with credit to Ham Recruiter (CC BY 4.0).

Questions about hams in Michigan

How many ham radio operators are in Michigan?

20,583 active amateur radio licensees are on file for Michigan as of Oct 1, 2026.

How many new hams were licensed in Michigan last year?

710 people in Michigan received their first FCC amateur radio license in the 12 months ending Oct 1, 2026.

Which Michigan counties have the most new hams?

In the past 12 months: Oakland County (66), Kalamazoo County (61) and Wayne County (58).

Where does this data come from?

From the FCC Universal Licensing System (ULS) public amateur license database, which we download every Monday. Addresses are matched to counties with the U.S. Census Bureau geocoder. This page shows totals only.

Can I see the names or call signs on this page?

No. Public pages show totals only. Verified Ham Recruiter users can search and export lists for outreach; see how licensee information is handled.

About this data

Data as of . Source: FCC Universal Licensing System (ULS) weekly amateur license database; county from U.S. Census Bureau geocoding. Aggregates only, no individual licensee data is shown. Aggregate figures © Ham Recruiter, CC BY 4.0.

How we count

  • New ham: an active licensee whose first license was granted in the period.
  • Address updates: a change of FCC mailing address, often a move into the area.
  • Counts use each licensee’s current FCC address. Someone licensed here who later moved is counted where they live now.
  • Each license keeps only its most recent event of each type, so two upgrades in one year count once.
  • PO-box-only addresses often can’t be matched to a county, so rural counties are slightly undercounted.

100% of Michigan licensees could be matched to a county.