Workforce Data
More than nearly any other factor, companies choose locations because of the available workforce. West Michigan has a regional workforce that is highly motivated, creative, and excels in technical and academic skills. With half of our 1.5 million residents under the age of 35, area employers can draw from a large pool of young, tech-savvy, energetic workers. What’s not to love?
West Michigan offers:
- More than 99,000 health care and social services professionals
- Over 800,000 individuals between the ages of 20 and 54
- More than 158,000 advanced manufacturing professionals
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Workforce Overview (2019)
| MSA | West Michigan | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Population | 1,081,457 | 1,619,133 | ||
| Civilian Labor Force (2019) | 574,584 | 825,594 | ||
| Jobs | 621,968 | 807,008 | ||
| Average Earnings (2019) | $54,300 | $56,700 |
Top 10 Occupation Groups (2019)
| Description | MSA* | West Michigan** | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Production Occupations | 92,678 | 120,435 | ||
| Office & Admin. Support Occupations | 81,335 | 103,253 | ||
| Sales and Related Occupations | 54,480 | 73,811 | ||
| Transportation/Material Moving Occupations | 51,934 | 64,446 | ||
| Food Preparation/Serving Related Occupations | 45,407 | 60,070 | ||
| Healthcare Practitioners/Technical Occupations | 35,526 | 44,868 | ||
| Management Occupations | 31,044 | 41,249 | ||
| Education, Training, & Library Occupations | 30,432 | 40,290 | ||
| Business & Financial Operations Occupations | 27,240 | 32,393 | ||
| Installation, Maintenance & Repair Occupations | 24,383 | 32,391 |
Wages by Occupation - Average Hourly Earnings (2019)
Private Industry Union Membership by Percentage
Top 20 West Michigan Employers (2020)
| Company | Employee Count | Industry | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spectrum Health (HQ) | 25,000 | General Medical and Surgical Hospitals | ||
| Meijer (HQ) | 10,340 | Supermarket Retail & Distribution | ||
| Mercy Health (Kent & Muskegon) | 8,500 | General Medical and Surgical Hospitals | ||
| Gentex Corporation (HQ) | 5,800 | Glass Product Manufacturing for Automobile Industry | ||
| Gordon Food Service (HQ) | 5,000 | Grocery and Related Products Merchant Wholesalers | ||
| Amway Corporation (HQ) | 3,791 | Consumer Goods Manufacturing | ||
| Herman Miller Inc. (HQ) | 3,621 | Office Furniture Manufacturing | ||
| Perrigo Company (HQ) | 3,500 | Pharmaceutical Manufacturing | ||
| Steelcase Inc. (HQ) | 3,500 | Office Furniture Manufacturing | ||
| Farmers Insurance Group | 3,500 | Direct Property and Casualty Insurance Carrier | ||
| Grand Valley State University (HQ) | 3,306 | Higher Education | ||
| Lacks Enterprises, Inc. (HQ) | 3,000 | Plastic Manufacturing for Automobile Industry | ||
| Grand Rapids Public Schools (HQ) | 2,800 | Elementary and Secondary Schools | ||
| Arconic, Inc. | 2,350 | Metal Manufacturing | ||
| Hope Network | 2,162 | Non-Profit | ||
| Metro Health Hospital | 2,100 | General Medical and Surgical Hospitals | ||
| Roskam Baking Co. | 2,090 | Food Processing | ||
| Fifth Third Bank | 2,062 | Banking - Personal & Commercial | ||
| Haworth, Inc. | 2,000 | Office Furniture Manufacturing | ||
| SpartanNash (HQ) | 2,585 | Supermarket Retail & Distribution |
Citations and Data Sources
* Companies with an (HQ) after their company name are headquartered in West Michigan.
*The MSA consists of the following counties: Barry, Kent, Montcalm, and Ottawa.
**The West Michigan region consists of the following counties: Allegan, Barry, Ionia, Kent, Lake, Mason, Mecosta, Montcalm, Muskegon, Newaygo, Oceana, Osceola, and Ottawa.
***The 2000 CSA consists of the following counties: Allegan, Barry, Ionia, Kent, Ottawa, Muskegon, and Newaygo.
Top Employers data source: When possible, company employee numbers are obtained from company staff or websites. Other sources include press reporting and business reporting agencies.
Private Industry Union Membership data: Georgia State University, http://unionstats.gsu.edu
All other data sources: Economic Modeling Specialists International (EMSI) / www.economicmodeling.com.