Metro Job Market Pulse · General Market Conditions · September 2026
General Market Conditions Labor Market Report: Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI MSA — September 2026
Muskegon workforce shrinks fastest in Michigan as wages climb.
Muskegon's labor force fell 8.2 percent over the year, the steepest drop among Michigan's 18 regions, even as average weekly wages rose $135 to lead the state.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of September 2026.
Key indicators
- Muskegon employment change: -7.1% — Largest year-over-year decline of any MI region
- Muskegon labor force change: -8.2% — Steepest MI regional decline, outpacing job losses
- Muskegon avg weekly wage gain: +$135 — Largest county increase in MI, Q4'24-Q4'25
- Michigan unemployment rate: 5.0% — 0.9 pts above national 4.1% rate
Key takeaways
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.
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.
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.
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.
Median advertised pay by role — Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail Sales Associate | $24,074 | $29,120 | $31,200 | Stable | $33,325 |
| Retail Cashier | $25,730 | $29,120 | $31,070 | Stable | $31,200 |
| Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate | $30,975 | $35,880 | $36,400 | Stable | $38,000 |
| CDL Truck Driver | $56,160 | $84,891 | $97,500 | Stable | $78,000 |
| Delivery Driver | $27,550 | $32,359 | $35,377 | Moderate decline | $34,344 |
| Construction Laborer | $34,780 | $39,520 | $40,300 | Moderate increase | $40,560 |
| Electrician | $60,812 | $71,344 | $74,000 | Stable | $71,404 |
| Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler | $32,845 | $38,916 | $43,680 | Moderate increase | $39,520 |
| Customer Service Representative | $33,227 | $35,525 | $37,440 | Significant decline | $39,520 |
| Food Service Worker | $28,600 | $31,200 | $33,218 | Stable | $33,756 |
| Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide | $31,281 | $35,360 | $38,252 | Moderate decline | $41,106 |
| Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk | $35,523 | $40,086 | $43,680 | Significant decline | $43,680 |
| HVAC Technician * | $59,846 | $65,520 | $72,280 | Moderate increase | $70,720 |
| Registered Nurse | $75,827 | $86,371 | $94,583 | Moderate increase | $102,581 |
| Software Engineer | $117,716 | $183,295 | $194,877 | Significant increase | $153,652 |
| Data Engineer * | $99,151 | $139,608 | $157,544 | Moderate increase | $139,500 |
| Accountant | $59,033 | $67,226 | $77,184 | Stable | $72,182 |
| Financial Analyst | $67,416 | $88,431 | $101,101 | Significant increase | $94,782 |
| HR Generalist/Manager | $52,567 | $69,600 | $72,828 | Moderate increase | $75,000 |
| Marketing Specialist | $40,000 | $40,000 | $40,000 | Significant decline | $62,354 |
| Operations Manager * | $61,250 | $81,693 | $90,662 | Stable | $85,216 |
| Elementary/Secondary School Teacher | $47,187 | $61,120 | $63,626 | Moderate increase | $56,731 |
| Account Manager | $32,708 | $60,000 | $73,349 | Stable | $92,749 |
| Warehouse Manager * | $48,388 | $65,000 | $80,378 | Stable | $75,000 |
| Business Analyst * | $75,000 | $93,600 | $106,852 | Moderate increase | $98,279 |
* 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 | $67,851 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Manufacturing | $50,555 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Retail Trade | $34,840 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities | $47,840 | Moderate increase | Significant increase |
| Information | $153,079 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Financial Activities | $48,022 | Moderate decline | Significant increase |
| Professional & Business Services | $41,600 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Education & Health Services | $52,000 | Moderate increase | Significant increase |
| Leisure & Hospitality | $31,200 | Stable | Moderate increase |
| Government | $66,673 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
Local market 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.
What it means
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.
Looking ahead
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
- Michigan Department of Technology, Management & Budget — Muskegon MSA employment fell 7.1% year-over-year through July 2026
- Michigan Department of Technology, Management & Budget — Muskegon labor force declined 8.2% year-over-year, largest among MI regions
- Michigan Department of Technology, Management & Budget — Muskegon County average weekly wage rose $135 to $1,427, Q4'24-Q4'25
- Michigan Department of Technology, Management & Budget — Michigan seasonally adjusted unemployment rate at 5.0% in August 2026
- Improved Workforce Opportunity Wage Act — Michigan minimum wage scheduled to rise to $15.00 January 2027
- Bureau of Labor Statistics — National wage growth slowed to 3.0% against 3.4% inflation
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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