Michigan is the pizza capital of the United States and, quite possibly, the world, according to a new report from the McNair Center for Free Enterprise at Northwood University and the Michigan Chamber of Commerce.
The study, Michigan: The Unlikely Pizza Capital of the United States (and the World?), analyzes the size and scope of the U.S. and global pizza industry and the economic role the state of Michigan plays in the industry, globally. The study also looks at the history and economic role in growing the U.S. and global pizza markets, and what role eight entrepreneurs from Michigan had in fueling the size, scope, and quality of the growth.
“We found that across the U.S. and around the world, millions of people speaking different languages were brought together by the common pleasure of consuming pizza, whose origins emanated from entrepreneurial activity within a 60-mile radius of downtown Detroit, Michigan,” stated Dr. Timothy G. Nash, who leads the McNair Center for Free Enterprise and Entrepreneurship at Northwood University and is one of the study’s authors.
Highlights from the study include:
• Michigan is home to four of the Top 10 quick service pizza chains in the United States by sales in 2023. The “Michigan Four” includes: Domino’s Pizza (No. 1), Little Caesars Pizza (No. 3), Hungry Howie’s Pizza (No. 8), and Jet’s Pizza (No. 9).
• The “Michigan Four” accounted for 30.5% of the U.S. pizza sales in 2023, recording a combined $14.36 billion of the $46.98 billion industry total.
• These four Michigan pizza companies recorded nearly 15% of global pizza sales with $23.6 billion of the $159 billion total.
• The headquarters for the “Michigan Four” are all located within less than 60 miles of each other in Southeast Michigan (Ann Arbor, Madison Heights, Detroit and Sterling Heights).
“This study shines light on another important facet of American and Michigan entrepreneurship and the American competitive free enterprise system,” noted Professor James Hop, who chairs Northwood University’s Entrepreneurship Degree Program and is a McNair Scholar with the McNair Center for Free Enterprise at Northwood University.
“Michigan is the home to hundreds of great entrepreneurs ranging from Henry Ford, Louis Upton, Elijah McCoy, and Barry Gordy, to Herbert H. Dow, Rich DeVos, Dan Gilbert, and Roger Penske,” noted Bob Thomas, chief operating officer for the Michigan Chamber of Commerce and study co-author. “This study recognizes other notable Michigan entrepreneurs who were instrumental in creating some of the largest pizza companies in the world.”
To view the study in its entirety, visit https://bit.ly/49HMKZj
