Higher Wages In Michigan

Michigan’s latest Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages report is a real head scratcher. The state managed to keep its head above water, but the report shows that adding jobs is currently about as easy as trying to fold a fitted sheet by yourself. Jobs are down, wages are up, and everyone’s trying to figure out how both things can be true at the same time. 🤔

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Here are Five Fast Facts on Michigan's jobs and wages:

1. 📉 Jobs Down - The state’s total employment dropped by 17,600 workers from September 2024 to September 2025. With fewer people clocking in, it's not exactly a “woohoo” moment.

2. 📈 Wages Up - At the same time, average weekly pay increased by $57, rising from $1,266 to $1,323, a 4.5% increase. There's fewer jobs overall, but those jobs are pulling bigger paychecks. If you're confused, you're not alone.

3. 👏 Spread The Love - A whopping 80 out of 83 counties had higher wages over the year. In totally unrelated news, moving truck rentals spiked in 3 counties around the state.

4. 🫤 Uneven Growth - Some counties gained workers (44 counties), but others lost a lot - especially big ones like Oakland (-9,900), Wayne (-8,800), and Macomb (-4,600). Go big or go home, huh? Or maybe both, unfortunately.

5. 😖 Shouldering The Load - Just five counties made up nearly 80% of the total employment drop. Whether this is good or bad definitely depends on if you lived in one of those five!

🔥Bottom line: It's strange, but Michigan’s economy looks good and bad at the same time. Jobs are shrinking, but pay is growing, and most counties are seeing at least some improvement. Guess we should be thankful for the bigger paychecks no matter what, but it would be nice to get EVERYTHING going in the right direction, wouldn't it? We'll keep an eye on it for you.

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How does the state's economy feel to you right now?

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