Workers in the Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI Metropolitan Statistical Area had an average (mean) hourly wage of $28.03 in May 2023, compared to the nationwide average of $31.48, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Jason Palmer noted that higher paying major occupational groups included management ($59.17), legal ($50.59), and healthcare practitioners and technical ($44.85). Lower paying occupations included food preparation and serving related ($16.50), personal care and service ($16.90), and building and grounds cleaning and maintenance ($18.23). (See table A.)

Occupational groups with the highest employment in the Grand Rapids area included production (13.9 percent), office and administrative support (11.2 percent), and transportation and material moving (9.5 percent). Major occupational groups on the lower end of local employment included life, physical, and social science (0.5 percent); legal (0.5 percent); and protective service (1.3 percent). (See table A.)

One occupational group—production—was chosen to illustrate the diversity of data available for any of the 22 major occupational categories. Grand Rapids had 74,660 jobs in production, accounting for 13.9 percent of local area employment, compared to the 5.8-percent share nationally. The average hourly wage for this occupational group locally was $21.61, compared to the national wage of $22.90.

Some of the larger detailed occupations within the production group included miscellaneous assemblers and fabricators (16,590); inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers (5,380); and first-line supervisors of production and operating workers (4,950). Among the higher-paying jobs in this group were power distributors and dispatchers and gas plant operators, with mean hourly wages of $49.02 and $47.19, respectively. At the lower end of the wage scale were textile winding, twisting, and drawing out machine setters, operators, and tenders ($16.48). (Detailed data for the production occupations are presented in table 1; for a complete listing of detailed occupations available go to www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_24340.htm.)

Location quotients allow us to explore the occupational make-up of a metropolitan area by comparing the composition of jobs in an area relative to the national average. (See table 1.) For example, a location quotient of 2.0 indicates that an occupation accounts for twice the share of employment in the area than it does nationally. In the Grand Rapids area, above-average concentrations of employment were found in many of the occupations within the production group. For instance, tool and die makers were employed at 7.9 times the national rate in Grand Rapids, and cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic, at 7.6 times the U.S. average. Water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators had a location quotient of 1.0 in Grand Rapids, indicating that this particular occupation’s local and national employment shares were similar.

The statistics in this release are from the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, a cooperative effort between BLS and the State Workforce Agencies (SWAs). BLS funds the survey and provides the procedures and technical support. State Workforce Agencies collect most of the data: in this case, the Michigan Department of Technology, Management & Budget.

Technical Note

The Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey is a semiannual survey measuring occupational employment and wage rates for wage and salary workers in nonfarm establishments in the United States. The OEWS data available from BLS include cross-industry occupational employment and wage estimates for the nation; over 580 areas, including states and the District of Columbia, metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs), nonmetropolitan areas, and territories; national industry-specific estimates at the NAICS sector, 3-digit, most 4-digit, and selected 5- and 6-digit industry levels; and national estimates by ownership across all industries and for schools and hospitals. Full OEWS data tables are available online.

Additional information about the OEWS estimates and methodology are available in the national Technical Notes. The overall national response rate for the six panels, based on the 50 states and the District of Columbia, is 65.8 percent based on establishments and 64.3 percent based on weighted sampled employment. The sample in the Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI Metropolitan Statistical Area included 3,423 establishments with a response rate of 74 percent.

Metropolitan area definitions

The substate area data published in this release reflect the standards and definitions established by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget.

The Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI Metropolitan Statistical Area includes Barry County, Kent County, Montcalm County, and Ottawa County.

For more information

Answers to frequently asked questions about the OEWS data, as well as general program documentation, are available on the OEWS website.

Information in this release will be made available to individuals with sensory impairments upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.

Table 1. Employment and wage data for production occupations, Grand Rapids metropolitan area, May 2023

Occupation (1)	Employment		Mean wages ($)
	Level (2)	Location quotient (3)	Hourly	Annual (4)
Production occupations	74,660	2.4	21.61	44,960
First-line supervisors of production and operating workers	4,950	2.1	32.20	66,980
Electrical, electronic, and electromechanical assemblers, except coil winders, tapers, and finishers	2,480	2.6	19.91	41,420
Engine and other machine assemblers	810	4.8	24.46	50,880
Structural metal fabricators and fitters	240	1.2	24.71	51,410
Fiberglass laminators and fabricators	60	0.9	20.01	41,610
Miscellaneous assemblers and fabricators	16,590	3.2	19.03	39,570
Bakers	1,150	1.5	17.56	36,520
Butchers and meat cutters	560	1.2	18.12	37,700
Meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers	210	0.4	19.98	41,570
Slaughterers and meat packers	510	2.0	19.24	40,010
Food and tobacco roasting, baking, and drying machine operators and tenders	170	2.4	18.77	39,030
Food batchmakers	1,290	2.2	21.44	44,580
Food cooking machine operators and tenders	430	4.1	21.67	45,070
Food processing workers, all other	100	0.4	18.29	38,040
Extruding and drawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic	220	1.0	21.88	45,500
Forging machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic	90	2.7	23.88	49,670
Rolling machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic	260	3.0	20.10	41,820
Cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic	4,820	7.6	22.11	46,000
Drilling and boring machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic	40	1.8	21.95	45,660
Grinding, lapping, polishing, and buffing machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic	720	2.7	20.09	41,780
Lathe and turning machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic	270	4.0	21.06	43,800
Milling and planing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic	170	3.4	20.68	43,020
Machinists	3,520	3.4	23.78	49,470
Metal-refining furnace operators and tenders	130	1.8	20.84	43,350
Model makers, metal and plastic	50	5.4	29.52	61,410
Patternmakers, metal and plastic	60	7.6	32.18	66,940
Foundry mold and coremakers	200	4.8	23.76	49,420
Molding, coremaking, and casting machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic	2,630	4.7	19.80	41,180
Multiple machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic	890	2.0	20.85	43,380
Tool and die makers	1,630	7.9	29.52	61,410
Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers	2,480	1.7	22.77	47,370
Welding, soldering, and brazing machine setters, operators, and tenders	800	6.8	20.32	42,260
Heat treating equipment setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic	90	1.7	20.86	43,390
Plating machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic	630	5.6	18.44	38,360
Tool grinders, filers, and sharpeners	(5)	(5)	20.89	43,460
Metal workers and plastic workers, all other	190	2.7	19.43	40,410
Prepress technicians and workers	100	1.2	22.22	46,230
Printing press operators	920	1.7	21.69	45,120
Print binding and finishing workers	180	1.3	18.28	38,020
Laundry and dry-cleaning workers	770	1.2	16.59	34,500
Sewing machine operators	420	1.0	17.98	37,410
Textile bleaching and dyeing machine operators and tenders	30	1.4	19.88	41,360
Textile cutting machine setters, operators, and tenders	40	1.1	20.31	42,250
Textile winding, twisting, and drawing out machine setters, operators, and tenders	30	0.4	16.48	34,280
Upholsterers	130	1.4	20.42	42,470
Textile, apparel, and furnishings workers, all other	420	7.8	15.90	33,060
Cabinetmakers and bench carpenters	320	1.0	21.57	44,860
Furniture finishers	160	3.1	21.05	43,780
Sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood	300	2.0	19.44	40,440
Woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders, except sawing	910	4.2	19.50	40,560
Power distributors and dispatchers	40	1.2	49.02	101,950
Power plant operators	150	1.3	38.47	80,010
Water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators	420	1.0	27.99	58,210
Gas plant operators	70	1.2	47.19	98,150
Chemical equipment operators and tenders	500	1.2	23.10	48,050
Separating, filtering, clarifying, precipitating, and still machine setters, operators, and tenders	190	1.0	23.36	48,590
Crushing, grinding, and polishing machine setters, operators, and tenders	60	0.6	23.81	49,530
Grinding and polishing workers, hand	40	0.8	19.22	39,970
Mixing and blending machine setters, operators, and tenders	640	1.7	22.51	46,830
Cutting and slicing machine setters, operators, and tenders	250	1.3	20.46	42,570
Extruding, forming, pressing, and compacting machine setters, operators, and tenders	310	1.6	19.63	40,830
Furnace, kiln, oven, drier, and kettle operators and tenders	50	0.9	19.47	40,490
Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers	5,380	2.6	20.91	43,500
Jewelers and precious stone and metal workers	110	1.3	24.39	50,730
Dental laboratory technicians	200	1.6	22.40	46,590
Ophthalmic laboratory technicians	90	1.4	18.56	38,600
Packaging and filling machine operators and tenders	3,630	2.8	20.13	41,880
Painting, coating, and decorating workers	60	1.7	17.16	35,700
Coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders	1,630	3.0	20.43	42,490
Computer numerically controlled tool operators	1,610	2.4	22.13	46,040
Computer numerically controlled tool programmers	400	4.0	30.12	62,650
Adhesive bonding machine operators and tenders	60	1.4	21.30	44,300
Cleaning, washing, and metal pickling equipment operators and tenders	370	6.9	21.84	45,440
Etchers and engravers	(5)	(5)	16.59	34,510
Molders, shapers, and casters, except metal and plastic	320	2.3	20.93	43,540
Paper goods machine setters, operators, and tenders	630	1.8	21.70	45,130
Helpers--production workers	1,000	1.6	18.79	39,080
Production workers, all other	1,420	1.7	18.32	38,100
Footnotes: (1) For a complete listing of all detailed occupations in the Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI Metropolitan Statistical Area, see www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_24340.htm. (2) Estimates for detailed occupations may not sum to the totals due to rounding, and because the totals may include occupations that are not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers. (3) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average. (4) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a 'year-round, full-time' hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly mean wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data. (5) Estimate not released.