Figure 1: Employment Index (Index Year: 2018), Michigan Manufacturing
Source: Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Note: An index year of 2018 means that labor force numbers were set equal to 100 in 2018, and percent changes were calculated from there.
Manufacturing is one of the state’s largest industry sectors and employed 582,700 workers in 2025, accounting for more than 15 percent of private employment. From 2018 through 2025, Manufacturing employment in Michigan declined by 7.1 percent compared to a 1 percent expansion across all sectors statewide. Manufacturing experienced a significant drop in employment of 11.3 percent in 2020 during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, 1.7 percentage points greater than the decline in statewide employment. While statewide employment recovered by 2023, Manufacturing employment did not recover to pre-pandemic levels and has decreased each year since 2023.
Figure 2: Nominal Wage Change (2018–2025), Michigan Manufacturing
Source: Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Note: Nominal wages are wages that have not been adjusted for inflation.
Manufacturing wages are consistently greater than wages observed across total statewide employment. While Michigan wages increased at a greater rate than Manufacturing between 2018 and 2025, Manufacturing wages still exceeded total average state wages by 21 percent in 2025. Wages within Manufacturing have increased 4 percent or greater each year since 2022, outpacing statewide wage growth.
