Muskegon workforce shrinks fastest in Michigan as wages climb.
-7.1%
Muskegon employment change
Largest year-over-year decline of any MI region
-8.2%
Muskegon labor force change
Steepest MI regional decline, outpacing job losses
+$135
Muskegon avg weekly wage gain
Largest county increase in MI, Q4'24-Q4'25
5.0%
Michigan unemployment rate
0.9 pts above national 4.1% rate
This Month's Takeaways
01
Muskegon's workforce is shrinking faster than its job count.
Labor force fell 8.2 percent against a 7.1 percent employment decline, the widest such gap among Michigan's 18 labor market areas. That combination points to residents leaving the workforce or the region, not simply employers cutting positions.
02
Wage gains outpacing the state despite shrinking job base.
Average weekly wages rose $135 year-over-year, the largest increase of any Michigan county, even as total employment contracted. Consistent with a smaller, more scarce labor pool commanding higher pay, a dynamic with implications for cost structures across retail, logistics, and manufacturing employers locally.
03
Manufacturing softness here tracks a broader state pattern.
Michigan projects a loss of roughly 16,300 cyclical-sector jobs in 2026, concentrated in manufacturing and construction, and Muskegon's seasonal auto-related layoffs in July appear consistent with that statewide trend. Manufacturing production worker pay rose moderately locally even as overall sector employment weakened, suggesting selective skill scarcity persists within a contracting sector.
04
Education and health services remain the metro's anchor.
The sector held 13.0 thousand jobs in July, the metro's largest, reinforcing the statewide pattern of non-cyclical sectors adding stability while manufacturing and construction contract. Registered nurse pay rose moderately locally, consistent with continued demand in this anchor sector even as the broader labor market cools.
Local Economic Conditions
Muskegon's labor market is contracting faster than any other Michigan region, with employment down 7.1 percent and the labor force down 8.2 percent over the year through July, even as statewide unemployment holds near 5.0 percent. Average weekly wages rose $135 over the year to $1,427, the largest county-level gain in Michigan, suggesting a shrinking labor pool is pushing up pay for workers who remain even as overall job counts fall.
Open Threads in the Data
Contracting labor force alongside rising average wages points to a tightening supply of available workers rather than softening demand, a dynamic that affects business expansion plans, transportation and logistics capacity, and public-sector service delivery more than conventional hiring metrics suggest. Local manufacturing softness mirrors the statewide pattern of cyclical-sector contraction, while wage gains in construction labor and manufacturing production roles suggest selective tightness persists even amid headline job losses. Current conditions suggest commerce leaders evaluating site location or expansion decisions should weigh labor force shrinkage as heavily as unemployment-rate stability when assessing Muskegon's capacity to support new investment.
Advertised Pay Indicators · WageScape Benchmark 25 Jobs
Job postings data for the Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI MSA metro — median advertised pay, its recent trend, and the number of active postings behind each figure. Jobs are grouped for readability and are not the same as the 10 sector classifications on the next page. For additional job detail contact WageScape.
Retail Trade
| Retail Sales Associate |
$29,120 |
→ Stable |
1,069 |
| Retail Cashier |
$29,120 |
→ Stable |
472 |
Transportation & Warehousing
| Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate |
$35,880 |
→ Stable |
137 |
| CDL Truck Driver |
$84,891 |
→ Stable |
642 |
| Delivery Driver |
$32,359 |
↓ Moderate decline |
554 |
| Warehouse Manager |
— |
Limited local postings |
— |
Construction
| Construction Laborer |
$39,520 |
↑ Moderate increase |
26 |
Construction/Skilled Trades
| Electrician |
$71,344 |
→ Stable |
177 |
| HVAC Technician |
$65,520 |
↑ Moderate increase |
1,725 |
Manufacturing
| Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler |
$38,916 |
↑ Moderate increase |
111 |
Cross-Sector
| Customer Service Representative |
$35,525 |
↓ Significant decline |
154 |
| Operations Manager |
— |
Limited local postings |
— |
Leisure & Hospitality
| Food Service Worker |
$31,200 |
→ Stable |
53 |
Healthcare
| Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide |
$35,360 |
↓ Moderate decline |
270 |
| Registered Nurse |
$86,371 |
↑ Moderate increase |
1,286 |
Admin/Office Support
| Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk |
$40,086 |
↓ Significant decline |
139 |
Information/Technology
| Software Engineer |
$183,295 |
↑ Significant increase |
22 |
| Data Engineer |
$139,608 |
↑ Moderate increase |
11,831 |
Professional & Business Services
| Accountant |
$67,226 |
→ Stable |
65 |
| HR Generalist/Manager |
$69,600 |
↑ Moderate increase |
38 |
| Marketing Specialist |
$40,000 |
↓ Significant decline |
14 |
| Business Analyst |
$93,600 |
↑ Moderate increase |
10,636 |
Finance & Insurance
| Financial Analyst |
$88,431 |
↑ Significant increase |
79 |
Government/Education
| Elementary/Secondary School Teacher |
$61,120 |
↑ Moderate increase |
667 |
Cross-Sector Sales
| Account Manager |
$60,000 |
→ Stable |
34 |
Industry Snapshot · Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI MSA
Advertised pay and job-posting trends across the whole metro economy, rolled up by employer industry — not just the bellwether roles above.
| Sector |
Median Pay Change |
Job Postings Change |
| Construction |
↑ +36.7% |
↑ +134.6% |
| Manufacturing |
→ +1.1% |
↑ +126.2% |
| Retail Trade |
→ −2.8% |
↑ +125.9% |
| Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities |
↑ +3.7% |
↑ +73.4% |
| Information |
↑ +297.8% |
↑ +1664.7% |
| Financial Activities |
↓ −8.5% |
↑ +234.5% |
| Professional & Business Services |
→ +2.6% |
↑ +174.0% |
| Education & Health Services |
↑ +6.0% |
↑ +80.8% |
| Leisure & Hospitality |
→ 0.0% |
↑ +9.6% |
| Government |
↑ +83.3% |
↑ +1279.3% |
Looking Ahead · Next 30–60 Days
Worth watching
Whether Muskegon's labor force decline reflects outmigration, retirement, or discouraged-worker withdrawal will shape how commerce leaders read the region's long-term capacity to support new business investment. County-level population and participation data due later this fall should clarify which force is dominant.
Emerging pressure point
Statewide WARN filings have concentrated in manufacturing (33 notices, 3,720 workers) and transportation/logistics, sectors with meaningful Muskegon presence. A local WARN filing in either sector over the next two months would be the clearest sign the regional contraction is deepening rather than stabilizing.
Potential inflection point
National wage growth has slipped to 3.0 percent against 3.4 percent inflation, the weakest real-wage picture since 2021. If that national softening reaches Muskegon's wage trajectory, the metro's recent above-average wage gains could flatten, a signal worth tracking for consumer spending capacity locally.
Expected
Michigan's minimum wage climbs to $15.00 in January 2027, up from $13.73 currently, a scheduled increase that will compress pay differentials in retail, food service, and warehouse roles regionally. Commerce leaders should expect this to show up in advertised pay data well before the effective date.
Sources & Methodology
Pay and hiring data provided by WageScape. See every source cited in this report, with links →
Advertised pay reflects the pay ranges employers publish in active job postings in this metro, not survey or payroll data. Pay trends compare the current period with the prior period for the same metro and role. Sector figures group postings by the employer's industry classification; sectors with limited classified postings are marked as such rather than estimated. This briefing is independent of, and complements, official statistics from the BLS and state labor market information offices.
WageScape Metro Member Benefit
Track more metros with Metro Job Market Pulse.
This briefing covers one metro area. Add coverage if your beat, jurisdiction, or membership footprint spans more than one market.
Pulse Plus
3 metro reports
$149/year
Pulse Pro
10 metro reports
$349/year
Enterprise
Nationwide — top 50 markets
$999/year
See plans & upgrade →
Scan or click to add coverage
Need a Deeper Cut of the Data?
WageScape's underlying advertised-pay platform is available directly for a specific occupation, a neighboring county, or a custom time window. Contact us at info@wagescape.com to discuss what WageScape can do for you.
Forwarded This Briefing?
Receive your own monthly briefing, filtered to your local market. Contact info@wagescape.com.
