County Employment and Wages in Michigan — Fourth Quarter 2025

Employment declined in 8 of the 10 largest counties in Michigan from December 2024 to December 2025, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Michael Hirniak noted that Ingham County (-1.4 percent) had the largest over-the-year decrease in employment. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

Horizontal bar chart displaying over-the-year percent change in covered employment among the largest counties in Michigan in December 2025. An accessible version is available in the View Chart Data link below the chart.

View Chart Data

Chart 1. Over-the-year percent change in covered employment among the largest counties in Michigan, December 2025
County	Percent change, December 2025
Saginaw	1.6
Kent	0.1
Washtenaw	-0.2
Genesee	-0.3
Oakland	-0.6
Kalamazoo	-0.9
Wayne	-0.9
Macomb	-1.2
Ottawa	-1.2
Ingham	-1.4

Wayne County (726,100) had the highest employment level in Michigan in December 2025. Together, the 10 largest counties accounted for 68.9 percent of total covered employment within the state. Nationwide, the 372 largest counties comprise 73.4 percent of total covered employment in the United States. (Large counties and county equivalents are those with annual average employment levels of 75,000 or more in 2024.)

Large county average weekly wages in the fourth quarter 2025

Average weekly wage gains in 7 of 10 large counties in Michigan were above the national average of 4.2 percent. (See chart 2.) Saginaw had the largest gain (+7.3 percent). Over-the-year wage gains among the other nine large Michigan counties ranged from 7.1 percent to 0.4 percent.

Horizontal bar chart displaying over-the-year percent change in covered average weekly wages among the largest counties in Michigan in the fourth quarter 2025. An accessible version is available in the View Chart Data link below the chart.

View Chart Data

Chart 2. Over-the-year percent change in covered average weekly wages among the largest counties in Michigan, fourth quarter 2025
County	Percent change, fourth quarter 2025
Saginaw	7.3
Ingham	7.1
Kent	5.5
Ottawa	5.4
Genesee	5.1
Kalamazoo	5.1
Wayne	4.3
Oakland	2.6
Washtenaw	1.9
Macomb	0.4

Oakland ($1,627) had a weekly wage above the national average of $1,569. Average weekly wages among the other nine large counties ranged from $1,566 in Wayne to $1,176 in Genesee.

Smaller county average weekly wages in the fourth quarter of 2025

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 73 smaller counties in Michigan, defined as having employment below 75,000 in 2024. (See table 2.) Wage levels in all smaller counties were below the national average. Midland reported the highest average weekly wage ($1,437). Keweenaw reported the lowest average weekly wage ($734) in the state.

Among all 83 Michigan counties, 19 reported average weekly wages less than $1,025, 16 had wages from $1,025 to $1,099, 18 had wages from $1,100 to $1,174, 13 had wages from $1,175 to $1,249, and 17 had average weekly wages of $1,250 or higher. (See map 1 and table 2.)

Map 1. Average weekly wages by county in Michigan, fourth quarter 2025

(U.S. average = $1,569)

Additional statistics and other information

QCEW data for states have been included in this release in table 3.

Nationwide coverage of the largest counties is published in the County Employment and Wages news release. Additional information about quarterly employment and wages data is available in the news release Technical Note and from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages website.

If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.

The County Employment and Wages release for the first quarter 2026 is scheduled to be released on Friday, August 28, 2026.

Table 1. Covered establishments, employment, and wages in the United States and the 10 largest counties in Michigan, fourth quarter 2025
Area	Establishments, fourth quarter (thousands)	Employment			Average weekly wage (1)
Area	Establishments, fourth quarter (thousands)	December 2025 (thousands)	Percent change, December 2024–25 (2)	National ranking by percent change (3)	Fourth quarter 2025 ($)	National ranking by level (3)	Percent change, fourth quarter 2024–25 (2)	National ranking by percent change (3)
United States (4)	12,428.4	156,700.2	0.2	--	1,569	--	4.2	--
Michigan	316.9	4,412.7	0.0	--	1,427	23	4.2	21
Genesee	7.6	135.6	-0.3	208	1,176	330	5.1	79
Ingham	7.1	154.6	-1.4	341	1,437	155	7.1	14
Kalamazoo	6.2	121.8	-0.9	297	1,358	194	5.1	79
Kent	18.6	422.7	0.1	152	1,302	243	5.5	54
Macomb	20.4	333.1	-1.2	325	1,458	143	0.4	344
Oakland	44.8	719.3	-0.6	254	1,627	70	2.6	304
Ottawa	7.2	127.7	-1.2	325	1,289	250	5.4	60
Saginaw	4.1	81.5	1.6	33	1,255	282	7.3	11
Washtenaw	10.0	220.1	-0.2	195	1,521	102	1.9	328
Wayne	38.4	726.1	-0.9	297	1,566	90	4.3	151
Footnotes: (1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data. (2) Percent changes were computed from employment and pay data adjusted for noneconomic county reclassifications. (3) Ranking does not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands. (4) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
Note: Data are preliminary. Dashes indicate data not applicable or available. Covered employment and wages include workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.

Table 2. Covered establishments, employment, and wages in the United States and all counties in Michigan, fourth quarter 2025
Area	Establishments	Employment December 2025	Average weekly wage ($) (1)
United States (2)	12,428,415	156,700,218	1,569
Michigan	316,871	4,412,714	1,427
Alcona	212	1,448	846
Alger	266	2,580	1,040
Allegan	2,796	44,296	1,296
Alpena	935	12,153	1,175
Antrim	629	4,770	938
Arenac	358	4,106	971
Baraga	219	3,020	1,090
Barry	1,104	13,307	1,109
Bay	2,167	33,728	1,171
Benzie	522	4,905	969
Berrien	4,305	59,399	1,162
Branch	896	15,560	1,169
Calhoun	2,755	55,007	1,375
Cass	984	9,674	1,114
Charlevoix	928	10,470	1,212
Cheboygan	845	5,551	1,040
Chippewa	856	12,597	1,200
Clare	641	7,663	1,051
Clinton	1,529	18,648	1,189
Crawford	285	3,999	1,136
Delta	1,085	13,782	1,008
Dickinson	861	13,600	1,226
Eaton	2,173	45,640	1,297
Emmet	1,615	17,455	1,228
Genesee	7,592	135,595	1,176
Gladwin	470	4,428	1,027
Gogebic	420	4,882	994
Grand Traverse	3,930	51,591	1,285
Gratiot	824	12,647	1,204
Hillsdale	910	12,413	1,105
Houghton	995	12,665	1,215
Huron	1,013	11,090	1,102
Ingham	7,144	154,601	1,437
Ionia	1,150	19,557	1,000
Iosco	648	7,440	1,288
Iron	398	3,370	964
Isabella	1,460	26,801	1,062
Jackson	3,180	55,172	1,310
Kalamazoo	6,210	121,799	1,358
Kalkaska	397	4,878	1,385
Kent	18,592	422,699	1,302
Keweenaw	86	443	734
Lake	192	1,615	874
Lapeer	1,782	22,087	1,081
Leelanau	891	6,866	1,081
Lenawee	2,002	25,617	1,103
Livingston	4,994	64,346	1,245
Luce	192	1,873	990
Mackinac	519	3,725	1,149
Macomb	20,436	333,113	1,458
Manistee	600	7,376	1,126
Marquette	1,822	26,447	1,191
Mason	756	9,789	1,039
Mecosta	731	12,074	921
Menominee	511	6,983	1,000
Midland	4,154	37,919	1,437
Missaukee	386	4,039	1,060
Monroe	2,616	40,577	1,236
Montcalm	1,140	16,290	1,044
Montmorency	235	2,021	888
Muskegon	3,261	61,828	1,228
Newaygo	907	11,621	1,014
Oakland	44,831	719,345	1,627
Oceana	588	5,990	1,065
Ogemaw	635	5,924	996
Ontonagon	197	1,291	756
Osceola	490	7,668	1,160
Oscoda	208	1,210	871
Otsego	831	10,127	1,153
Ottawa	7,192	127,737	1,289
Presque Isle	351	2,424	1,061
Roscommon	602	5,661	879
Saginaw	4,083	81,471	1,255
St. Clair	3,433	41,329	1,171
St. Joseph	2,316	20,894	1,144
Sanilac	905	10,367	1,106
Schoolcraft	241	2,725	1,089
Shiawassee	1,230	15,461	1,091
Tuscola	952	12,164	1,083
Van Buren	1,724	20,913	1,107
Washtenaw	10,035	220,057	1,521
Wayne	38,384	726,097	1,566
Wexford	921	12,983	1,122
Footnotes: (1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data. (2) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
Note: Data are preliminary. Dashes indicate data not applicable or available. Covered employment and wages include workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.

Table 3. Covered establishments, employment, and wages by state, fourth quarter 2025
State	Establishments, fourth quarter (thousands)	Employment		Average weekly wage (1)
State	Establishments, fourth quarter (thousands)	December 2025 (thousands)	Percent change, December 2024–25	Fourth quarter 2025 ($)	National ranking by level	Percent change, fourth quarter 2024–25	National ranking by percent change
United States (2)	12,428.4	156,700.2	0.2	1,569	--	4.2	--
Alabama	167.4	2,135.3	0.5	1,301	36	3.7	37
Alaska	25.3	317.3	-0.3	1,497	16	4.7	14
Arizona	227.4	3,278.3	0.0	1,446	20	3.0	47
Arkansas	113.0	1,318.2	0.4	1,213	49	5.0	8
California	2,013.7	18,351.7	0.6	1,954	4	4.6	16
Colorado	258.5	2,896.4	-0.6	1,683	8	5.6	3
Connecticut	149.8	1,706.5	0.1	1,801	6	5.0	8
Delaware	47.3	481.0	0.1	1,502	15	4.7	14
District of Columbia	51.0	726.1	-4.5	2,587	1	4.1	24
Florida	886.2	10,013.2	0.3	1,471	17	4.8	12
Georgia	398.7	4,925.4	0.1	1,440	21	3.5	40
Hawaii	63.0	650.0	-0.2	1,411	25	5.0	8
Idaho	104.3	875.7	1.8	1,303	35	5.8	2
Illinois	387.7	6,089.5	-0.1	1,588	11	3.3	42
Indiana	195.6	3,211.2	0.1	1,276	40	4.5	17
Iowa	110.6	1,560.0	-0.2	1,282	39	3.7	37
Kansas	101.8	1,443.2	-0.1	1,268	44	4.1	24
Kentucky	161.3	2,008.7	-0.1	1,235	46	3.8	34
Louisiana	159.2	1,927.3	-0.5	1,267	45	3.2	44
Maine	67.6	644.7	-0.1	1,332	33	4.2	21
Maryland	199.5	2,754.6	-1.1	1,616	10	3.0	47
Massachusetts	298.5	3,625.5	-0.9	1,980	2	4.9	11
Michigan	316.9	4,412.7	0.0	1,427	23	4.2	21
Minnesota	215.2	2,948.0	0.0	1,505	14	3.7	37
Mississippi	92.2	1,180.9	0.3	1,075	51	5.1	7
Missouri	259.9	2,920.8	-0.1	1,324	34	4.4	18
Montana	62.3	512.3	-0.1	1,296	38	3.3	42
Nebraska	78.5	1,024.0	-0.2	1,275	42	4.0	31
Nevada	111.0	1,592.1	1.7	1,395	27	3.2	44
New Hampshire	67.9	688.8	-0.6	1,652	9	4.8	12
New Jersey	343.1	4,343.1	0.2	1,691	7	3.9	33
New Mexico	69.7	875.3	-0.3	1,275	42	4.1	24
New York	719.1	9,907.5	0.4	1,975	3	5.4	4
North Carolina	392.1	4,991.1	0.9	1,409	26	3.8	34
North Dakota	37.0	430.4	-0.2	1,350	31	2.7	49
Ohio	348.5	5,554.4	0.0	1,358	30	4.1	24
Oklahoma	129.3	1,717.1	0.1	1,217	48	4.1	24
Oregon	177.9	1,975.8	-1.0	1,468	19	3.2	44
Pennsylvania	398.1	6,094.8	0.2	1,470	18	4.0	31
Rhode Island	49.1	500.3	-0.1	1,429	22	6.0	1
South Carolina	192.4	2,344.7	1.5	1,276	40	4.3	20
South Dakota	41.2	458.9	-0.2	1,230	47	4.1	24
Tennessee	225.2	3,281.6	-0.3	1,424	24	3.8	34
Texas	860.8	14,255.2	0.8	1,549	13	4.2	21
Utah	144.6	1,761.6	1.4	1,389	28	4.1	24
Vermont	34.5	309.3	-0.9	1,378	29	5.3	5
Virginia	324.0	4,166.9	0.5	1,585	12	2.6	50
Washington	242.1	3,590.3	-0.3	1,948	5	2.4	51
West Virginia	62.8	698.3	-0.6	1,203	50	3.5	40
Wisconsin	213.9	2,946.2	-0.1	1,346	32	5.3	5
Wyoming	31.7	278.4	-0.8	1,297	37	4.4	18
Puerto Rico	53.5	974.7	-0.2	735	(3)	2.8	(3)
Virgin Islands	3.0	34.7	0.3	1,068	(3)	2.7	(3)
Footnotes: (1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data. (2) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands. (3) Data not included in the national ranking.
Note: Data are preliminary. Dashes indicate data not applicable or available. Covered employment and wages include workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.

Last Modified Date: Thursday, June 11, 2026

Midwest Information Office

County Employment and Wages in Michigan — Fourth Quarter 2025

(U.S. average = $1,569)