Metro Job Market Pulse · General Market Conditions · October 2026
General Market Conditions Labor Market Report: Lansing-East Lansing, MI MSA — October 2026
Lansing's falling jobless rate hides a shrinking workforce.
Lansing's unemployment rate eased to 4.6% in August even as the labor force contracted 10.2% by September — the steepest decline among Michigan's metros — while healthcare job ads and nurse pay (up to $97,695) point to the one sector still expanding.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of October 2026.
Key indicators
- Lansing MSA labor force change: -10.2% — Year-over-year, Sept. 2026 — largest decline statewide
- Lansing MSA unemployment rate: 4.6% — Aug. 2026, down from 4.9% a year earlier
- Michigan unemployment rate: 5.0% — 0.8 pts above U.S. rate of 4.2%
- Dakkota Integrated Systems closure: 67 jobs — Grove Road facility, effective Dec. 31, 2026
Key takeaways
Falling unemployment is a labor-supply story.
Lansing's jobless rate dropped to 4.6% in August even as the labor force shrank 7.9% and employment fell 7.6% year-over-year — the state's steepest declines. Treating the lower unemployment number as a sign of acceleration would misread what is actually a shrinking labor pool.
Manufacturing softness compounds a statewide trend.
Dakkota's 67-job Grove Road closure adds to a Michigan WARN picture already concentrated in manufacturing and automotive, even as total state WARN activity is down 33% from 2025. Local manufacturing job ads and wage figures (Production Worker/Assembler flat at $35,340) suggest the sector is stabilizing in pay terms while still shedding positions.
Healthcare remains the metro's clearest demand signal.
Registered Nurse postings lead local job ads, a signal of hiring demand (one ad often covers several openings), with the highest volume reported this month, and advertised RN pay rose to a metro median of $97,695 — a significant year-over-year gain outpacing most other tracked roles. That combination points to healthcare as the sector least affected by the metro's broader labor force contraction.
Wage gains are trailing inflation locally and nationally.
National median weekly earnings rose 1.5% against 3.5% CPI growth in Q3, and Michigan's statewide wage growth of 3.3% trails the 3.7% Indeed Wage Tracker inflation estimate. For Lansing consumers and local retailers, that gap signals continued pressure on discretionary spending even where local wages (Accountant, Electrician, HVAC Technician) are rising.
Median advertised pay by role — Lansing-East Lansing, MI MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail Sales Associate | $24,910 | $30,638 | $35,360 | Stable | $33,340 |
| Retail Cashier | $26,126 | $30,335 | $31,743 | Stable | $31,268 |
| Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate | $31,553 | $37,440 | $41,600 | Moderate decline | $38,480 |
| CDL Truck Driver | $60,308 | $78,000 | $86,320 | Stable | $78,872 |
| Delivery Driver | $29,487 | $33,090 | $39,520 | Stable | $34,826 |
| Construction Laborer | $33,260 | $39,520 | $41,600 | Moderate increase | $40,727 |
| Electrician | $55,917 | $72,530 | $79,832 | Moderate increase | $71,835 |
| Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler | $30,892 | $35,340 | $38,855 | Stable | $39,520 |
| Customer Service Representative | $34,180 | $38,925 | $42,419 | Moderate decline | $39,520 |
| Food Service Worker | $27,691 | $31,200 | $32,240 | Moderate increase | $33,764 |
| Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide | $31,545 | $36,660 | $42,640 | Moderate decline | $41,600 |
| Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk | $30,045 | $40,040 | $44,840 | Stable | $44,552 |
| HVAC Technician | $57,916 | $63,033 | $67,358 | Moderate increase | $71,406 |
| Registered Nurse | $80,553 | $97,695 | $104,575 | Moderate increase | $102,252 |
| Software Engineer | $122,050 | $155,143 | $172,905 | Stable | $154,403 |
| Data Engineer | $99,151 | $139,007 | $157,460 | Stable | $138,000 |
| Accountant | $58,445 | $69,360 | $76,524 | Moderate increase | $72,000 |
| Financial Analyst | $71,201 | $90,000 | $102,750 | Stable | $94,646 |
| HR Generalist/Manager | $52,916 | $72,450 | $83,567 | Significant increase | $74,477 |
| Marketing Specialist | $43,355 | $57,463 | $70,334 | Stable | $62,916 |
| Operations Manager * | $60,000 | $75,349 | $92,184 | Moderate decline | $86,294 |
| Elementary/Secondary School Teacher | $45,896 | $59,356 | $64,081 | Stable | $55,908 |
| Account Manager | $63,931 | $98,500 | $119,683 | Significant increase | $94,009 |
| Warehouse Manager * | $43,753 | $65,000 | $65,000 | Stable | $75,000 |
| Business Analyst | $72,092 | $92,321 | $105,000 | Moderate increase | $98,302 |
* State-level figure shown where metro postings were too few.
WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings (reported as the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay). Download: CSV · JSON
Industry snapshot
| Sector | Median advertised pay | Pay trend | Postings trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construction | $85,351 | Moderate increase | Significant increase |
| Manufacturing | $110,448 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Retail Trade | $56,160 | Moderate decline | Significant increase |
| Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities | $60,799 | Moderate decline | Significant increase |
| Information | $137,325 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Financial Activities | $102,992 | Moderate decline | Moderate decline |
| Professional & Business Services | $87,652 | Moderate increase | Significant increase |
| Education & Health Services | $70,971 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Leisure & Hospitality | $33,280 | Moderate increase | Significant increase |
| Government | $66,133 | Stable | Significant increase |
Local market conditions
Lansing's headline unemployment rate improved to 4.6% in August, yet that figure masks a labor force that contracted 7.9% over the year and an employed population down 7.6% — a pattern state analysts attribute to workers exiting the labor market, and one that deepened further by September with a 10.2% year-over-year labor force decline, the steepest of any Michigan metro. Dakkota Integrated Systems' announced closure of its Grove Road facility, cutting 67 jobs by year-end, adds to manufacturing-sector strain already visible in statewide WARN filings, while Michigan State University and healthcare employers continue to post the metro's highest volumes of job ads, a signal of hiring demand (one ad often covers several openings) concentrated in education and patient care even as other sectors soften.
What it means
Shrinking labor force participation is driving Lansing's improved unemployment optics — a distinction that matters for how commerce leaders read local economic health and for how government economists calibrate workforce development priorities. Advertised pay for registered nurses (up, metro median $97,695) and electricians (up, $72,530) suggests employers in healthcare and skilled trades are competing for a visibly thinning pool of available workers, a constraint that bears on expansion timing for any employer considering a Lansing footprint. Commerce and economic development leaders should consider workforce participation as the more useful local indicator to track and communicate when assessing business climate.
Looking ahead
Early indicator: Watch whether the Lansing MSA's labor force decline (10.2% year-over-year in September) continues into October's data release — a third consecutive month of acceleration would suggest a structural shift in regional workforce participation beyond a temporary dip.
Worth watching: Dakkota's December 31 closure date means the 67 affected workers will enter the local labor pool just as year-end hiring typically slows; whether they appear in other manufacturing job ads locally will test whether the sector can absorb displaced workers.
Potential inflection point: Michigan State University's 220 open positions and strong healthcare job ad volume suggest institutional and public-sector employers are anchoring local demand; any change in state higher-education funding or hospital system staffing plans would ripple disproportionately through Lansing given this concentration.
Emerging pressure point: National federal employment is near 1966 lows amid deferred resignations and early retirements; Lansing's public-sector stability has been a relative strength, so any signal of state government hiring freezes or attrition would be a meaningful departure from the current pattern.
Methodology
Advertised pay from active employer job postings, not survey data. WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings: distribution analysis shows roughly the lowest 10% of raw values are erroneous entries, so the reported median is the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay. WageScape observes 98% of U.S. job openings daily.
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