Occupational profile · 2025
Michigan
Michigan employs 4,403,730 people. The work it does most unusually is tool and die makers, at 5.8× the national concentration — 9,420 jobs paying a median of $65,590.
What Michigan is distinctive for
Detailed occupations ranked by location quotient. A location quotient is an occupation’s share of a state’s jobs divided by its share of the nation’s. One means the state looks like the country; two means twice the concentration. It is a measure of distinctiveness, not of quality, size or pay. Bars use a logarithmic scale so the lower ranks stay legible beside the leader.
- 1Tool and Die Makers9,420 jobs · median $65,5905.8×
- 2Foundry Mold and Coremakers2,050 jobs · median $46,1505.7×
- 3Engine and Other Machine Assemblers5,030 jobs · median $60,9505.2×
- 4Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians4,930 jobs · median $68,1704.8×
- 5Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic22,060 jobs · median $46,1204.5×
- 6Mechanical Engineers34,630 jobs · median $104,8904.1×
- 7Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary18,440 jobs · median $39,8304.0×
- 8Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic3,330 jobs · median $37,6003.6×
- 9Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders3,150 jobs · median $42,5303.5×
- 10Special Education Teachers, All Other3,320 jobs · median $78,5403.5×
- 11Dietetic Technicians3,060 jobs · median $36,4203.4×
- 12Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic1,540 jobs · median $46,6803.3×
What Michigan is made of
All twenty-two occupational groups by headcount, with the concentration figure beside each. Most states look broadly alike in this view — that is the finding, not a flaw in it.
| Occupation group | Share of state employment | Jobs | vs national | Median wage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Office and Administrative Support Occupations | 494,790 | 0.98× | $46,310 | |
| Production Occupations | 417,920 | 1.72× | $46,460 | |
| Transportation and Material Moving Occupations | 376,670 | 0.97× | $42,100 | |
| Sales and Related Occupations | 369,510 | 0.97× | $36,920 | |
| Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations | 360,300 | 0.93× | $33,570 | |
| Management Occupations | 298,120 | 0.95× | $114,040 | |
| Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations | 294,910 | 1.06× | $83,520 | |
| Business and Financial Operations Occupations | 264,370 | 0.89× | $78,610 | |
| Educational Instruction and Library Occupations | 235,710 | 0.91× | $59,230 | |
| Healthcare Support Occupations | 205,890 | 0.92× | $37,690 | |
| Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations | 177,090 | 1.03× | $58,610 | |
| Construction and Extraction Occupations | 161,070 | 0.89× | $61,190 | |
| Architecture and Engineering Occupations | 130,140 | 1.76× | $99,640 | |
| Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance Occupations | 129,430 | 1.00× | $36,680 | |
| Computer and Mathematical Occupations | 126,780 | 0.85× | $99,280 | |
| Personal Care and Service Occupations | 81,780 | 0.89× | $34,260 | |
| Protective Service Occupations | 80,020 | 0.75× | $52,000 | |
| Community and Social Service Occupations | 74,610 | 0.99× | $55,230 | |
| Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations | 52,110 | 0.90× | $55,700 | |
| Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations | 34,260 | 0.82× | $76,620 | |
| Legal Occupations | 29,190 | 0.79× | $95,850 | |
| Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupations | 9,060 | 0.73× | $40,640 |
Elsewhere on Michigan
Blank cells are estimates BLS did not release, usually because too few employers reported. They are shown as gaps rather than filled. Detailed occupations are included only where at least 1,000 people are employed, below which a quotient is survey noise. A wage marked “$239,200 or more” is censored at source: BLS does not publish medians above that figure, so the number is a floor rather than the wage. A work of the U.S. government: no copyright subsists (17 U.S.C. §105). BLS OEWS ↗