Metro Detroit

Metro Detroit, the densely-populated urban zone anchored by the  center  of the American automotive industry, is home to about 4.2 million people spread across six counties. These counties–Lapeer, Livingston, Macomb, Oakland, St Clair and Wayne–cluster together in southeastern Michigan.  The core of the region is the city of Detroit, with its urban sprawl dominating Wayne, Macomb, and Oakland counties. Though Detroit itself is home to most of the metro region’s population, other large cities exist nearby, including Dearborn, Troy, Pontiac, and Livonia. 

Known as a haven for car manufacturers since the days of Henry Ford, Detroit is still home to major manufacturers including General Motors and Chrysler. There is more to the city than cars, however, with more than a dozen Fortune 500 companies calling Metro Detroit their home. These major players include Kellogg’s, Dow Chemical, and Whirlpool. With a recovering economy and a large population of workers seeking employment opportunities, Metro Detroit features a bustling job market.

For employers seeking new hires from this large pool of prospective employees, making smart choices now is essential for future success. Background checks play a critical role in that decision-making process. With Metro Detroit spanning six large counties, vetting procedures with a focus only on a company’s county of residence can lead to gaps in the record. The ideal alternative is to examine criminal records available through the entirety of Metro Detroit to ensure an accurate and complete look at an applicant’s past  behavior .

While completing their due diligence, employers must navigate legal guidelines for properly conducting background checks. Overall, the state of Michigan does not place  many  burdens on employers in this area; there is no statewide “ban the box” rule in place to prohibit employers from inquiring about criminal convictions on employment applications. Public employers within the city of Detroit are subject to such rules, however, and businesses seeking vendor contracts with the city may not use the box on applications. All other private employers may do so but they may not consider  misdemeanor  arrests that did not lead to a conviction.

With room to create procedures that work for your business, expanding your focus to the entire metropolitan area can be a strong choice. backgroundchecks.com can provide employers with instant record searches for two counties within Metro Detroit: Macomb and Saint Clair. For Lapeer, Livingston, Oakland, and Wayne counties, employers may instead use our direct court search services to acquire and consider any criminal records relevant to their background check policies.