Michigan | Economic Development Report
TerraMetrics
May 9, 2026
Total Employment
41.3K
Resilience Score
70/100
Diversification
94/100
Net Impact (Probable)
-626
Metro jurisdiction -- larger government apparatus with more regulatory complexity.
Economic Vitality: stable -- adequate governance but limited capacity for bold policy moves.
Median household income $85K (+29.2% vs state median) -- well above state average, providing economic cushion.
Unemployment 4.3% with 58,054 total employed. Poverty rate 7.4%.
Climate-sensitive specialty crops
Agriculture/food sector (8.3% of employment) directly exposed to climate variability and extreme weather.
AI Exposure Index: 28/100 -- lower vulnerability to AI-driven workforce disruption.
Highest risk sector: Agricultural labor (harvest automation, precision farming)
No significant financial sector employment -- BTC adoption impact is indirect through consumer behavior and investment flows.
Higher household income ($85K median) correlates with greater crypto adoption and investment exposure.
28.5% bachelor's+ attainment is 5 points below the national average (33%).
93.6% high school+ completion rate -- strong foundation for workforce training programs.
Research institutions (Western Michigan University (nearby)) provide local quantum/STEM workforce pipeline, though direct quantum compute facilities are rare outside major metro areas.
28.5% bachelor's+ rate limits local STEM talent pool -- PQC migration will depend on external expertise.
Low poverty rate (7.4%) supports stable community networks.
Population gaining (+1.6% since 2020) -- modest inflow diversifies the base.
Lower poverty (7.4%) means most residents already have bank access. CBDC impact would be through payment efficiency, not financial inclusion.
Retail/hospitality sector (11.1%) would be early adopters of CBDC point-of-sale infrastructure.
Signature: Food Processing & Plastics Manufacturing - 35.5% of employment in manufacturing. Perrigo, Padnos, food processing for Allegan's massive agricultural output.
Top Commodities:
Net employment change by sector under probable futures scenario. Green = growth, Red = displacement risk.
Combine agricultural land base with AI/tech capabilities to become a precision agriculture testing and deployment hub.
Leverage agricultural output to attract food processing, cold storage, and distribution operations that create higher-wage jobs from raw commodities.
Attract robotics and AI-augmented manufacturing companies to leverage existing manufacturing workforce and retrain for higher-wage automation roles.
Position existing manufacturing infrastructure to capture companies returning production from overseas, driven by supply chain security concerns.
Under the probable future, this county's strongest opportunity is precision agriculture & agtech corridor (feasibility: 71/100). While 626 jobs face displacement risk, proactive investment in precision agriculture & agtech corridor can offset this with moderate economic impact potential. Additionally, value-added food processing scores 66/100 feasibility.
Perrigo Company (Allegan, consumer health products)
Allegan General Hospital
Allegan Public Schools
Agricultural operations (blueberry, peach, asparagus farms)
Saugatuck/Douglas tourism sector
| Company | Date | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beacon Health (Ascension) | 2025-03-01 | 60 | layoff |
| Perrigo Company | 2024-04-15 | 65 | layoff |
| Perrigo Company | 2023-07-01 | 80 | layoff |
| Padnos (scrap recycling) | 2021-07-01 | 50 | layoff |
| Compass Group/Morrison Healthcare | 2020-04-15 | 55 | layoff |
Michigan Business Development Program (MBDP)
Performance-based grants for creating and retaining high-quality jobs. Michigan's primary incentive for large-scale proj...
grantState Essential Services Assessment (SESA) Exemption
Exemption from the SESA on eligible personal property for qualified high-tech, manufacturing, and corporate office facil...
exemptionPA 198 Industrial Facilities Tax (IFT) Abatement
Local property tax abatement on new or replacement industrial facilities. Reduces property taxes by approximately 50% on...
exemptionMichigan Strategic Fund (MSF) Job Training Grants
Grants to support customized workforce training for new and expanding businesses. Going PRO Talent Fund provides demand-...
trainingSmartZone / LDFA Tax Increment Financing
Technology-focused business incubators supported by local tax increment financing. Captures growth in local and state ta...
exemptionTarget Sectors
Active Programs
Recent Wins
| Name | Investment | Jobs | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Profielnorm USA (Plainwell) | $7.5M | 32 | 2024 |
| Walinga USA agricultural equipment (Wayland) | - | 31 | 2023 |
| Priority | Dimension | Action | Impact | Control |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| critical | Economic Disruption | Reduce Manufacturing (pharma/plastics) Concentration Risk | +8 | local |
| critical | Education Value | Close the Skills Gap with AI-Ready Credentials | +6 | local |
| critical | AI > AGI > ASI | Universal Broadband for AI Economy Participation | +3 | federal |
| high | Education Value | Sector-Aligned K-12 + Community College Pipeline | +5 | local |
| high | Education Value | Registered Apprenticeship Expansion: Manufacturing (pharma/plastics) | +4 | local |
| high | Social Trust | Pre-Positioned Displaced Worker Rapid Response | +4 | local |
| medium | Ecological Stress | Climate Resilience Infrastructure Investment | +4 | local |
| critical | AI > AGI > ASI | Rural Broadband for AI Economy Participation | +6 | federal |
| high | Economic Disruption | Blueberry Belt Precision Agriculture Program | +5 | local |
Total Impact
+45 pts
9 actions
Local Control
78%
7 of 9 actions
Critical Actions
4
highest priority
Impact estimates are modeled projections based on STEEPE dimension sensitivity analysis. Actual outcomes depend on implementation quality, timing, and external conditions.
Census CBP 2022, USDA Census of Agriculture 2022, Census ACS 2024, BLS QCEW, BEA County GDP, WARN Act Notices, TerraMetrics STEEPE Engine. Census ACS 5-Year 2023: Allegan County. BLS LAUS: Allegan County. USDA Rural-Urban Continuum Codes.
STEEPE Framework: A multi-dimensional disruption assessment covering Social, Technology (AI, Blockchain, CBDC, Quantum), Ecological, Economic, Political, and Education. Each dimension is scored 0-100, where higher values indicate greater disruption intensity. Scores shown in this report reflect the Probable scenario projection.
Resilience Score (0-100): How well-positioned a county is to absorb economic disruption. Calculated from economic diversification (40%), opportunity-to-threat ratio (35%), and average sector wage levels (25%). Higher scores indicate greater capacity to weather change.
Diversification Score (0-100): Economic diversity across industry sectors, based on the inverted Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI). A score of 100 indicates a perfectly diversified economy; lower scores indicate concentration in fewer sectors, increasing vulnerability to sector-specific shocks.
AI Exposure Score (0-100): Degree of exposure to AI-driven disruption based on knowledge worker concentration, tech company density, and manufacturing automation exposure. Higher scores indicate greater exposure, meaning both higher risk of displacement and higher potential for AI-driven growth.
Futures Cone (Probable / Possible / Preferable): Based on the Voros (2003) futures cone methodology. Probable represents where current trends lead (highest confidence). Possible covers what could happen across a wider range of conditions. Preferable describes the abundant future that proactive policy and investment can build toward.