Michigan | Economic Development Report
TerraMetrics
May 9, 2026
Total Employment
375.5K
Resilience Score
78/100
Diversification
102/100
Net Impact (Probable)
+2.3K
Median household income $81K (+22.3% vs state median) -- well above state average, providing economic cushion.
Unemployment 3.9% with 346,230 total employed. Poverty rate 8.9%.
Metro jurisdiction -- larger government apparatus with more regulatory complexity.
Economic Vitality: competitive -- strong governance capacity and fiscal health reduce political risk.
AI Exposure Index: 52/100 -- moderate vulnerability to AI-driven workforce disruption.
Highest risk sector: Office furniture manufacturing (Steelcase, Haworth, Herman Miller automation)
42.3% bachelor's+ attainment -- above-average workforce readiness for knowledge-economy transition.
92.7% high school+ completion rate -- strong foundation for workforce training programs.
Moderate ecological risk profile -- no extreme climate events but regional exposure persists.
Agriculture/food sector (15.1% of employment) directly exposed to climate variability and extreme weather.
No significant financial sector employment -- BTC adoption impact is indirect through consumer behavior and investment flows.
Higher household income ($81K median) correlates with greater crypto adoption and investment exposure.
Research institutions (Grand Valley State University) provide local quantum/STEM workforce pipeline, though direct quantum compute facilities are rare outside major metro areas.
42.3% bachelor's+ rate provides a STEM-capable workforce base for post-quantum cryptography (PQC) migration.
Low poverty rate (8.9%) supports stable community networks.
Population growing (+3% since 2020) brings new residents but can stress existing community bonds.
Lower poverty (8.9%) means most residents already have bank access. CBDC impact would be through payment efficiency, not financial inclusion.
Retail/hospitality sector (11.3%) would be early adopters of CBDC point-of-sale infrastructure.
Signature: Office Furniture & Advanced Manufacturing - Steelcase, Herman Miller (MillerKnoll), Haworth. Plus Amway, Meijer HQ, Spectrum Health.
Top Commodities:
Net employment change by sector under probable futures scenario. Green = growth, Red = displacement risk.
Address healthcare worker shortages by building accelerated training programs, especially for AI-augmented care roles.
Attract remote-first tech companies and satellite offices by promoting quality of life, lower costs, and existing professional workforce.
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 healthcare workforce pipeline (feasibility: 83/100). The economic outlook is net positive with 2,326 potential new positions. Additionally, technology & remote work hub scores 82/100 feasibility.
Corewell Health (Spectrum Health merger)
Meijer (HQ, Grand Rapids)
Steelcase (Grand Rapids)
Amway (Ada, MI)
Grand Valley State University
| Company | Date | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gordon Food Service | 2025-08-01 | 70 | layoff |
| Steelcase Inc. | 2025-04-01 | 85 | layoff |
| AUTOKINITON | 2025-01-15 | 110 | layoff |
| Haworth Inc. | 2024-10-01 | 70 | layoff |
| UPS | 2024-06-01 | 95 | layoff |
| Wolverine Worldwide | 2023-03-01 | 130 | layoff |
| Lacks Enterprises | 2022-08-01 | 180 | layoff |
| Dematic (KION Group) | 2021-06-01 | 65 | layoff |
| Amway Corp | 2020-05-15 | 150 | layoff |
| Steelcase Inc. | 2020-04-01 | 200 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Westwood AI (FLITE grant) | - | - | 2026 |
| USAMR (automation/mobile robotics) | - | - | 2025 |
| Priority | Dimension | Action | Impact | Control |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| high | AI > AGI > ASI | Convert AI Vulnerability into First-Mover Advantage | +6 | local |
| high | Economic Disruption | Reduce Healthcare & Social Concentration Risk | +5 | local |
| high | Education Value | Pre-emptive Reskilling Pipeline: Office furniture manufacturing | +5 | local |
| high | Education Value | Sector-Aligned K-12 + Community College Pipeline | +5 | local |
| high | AI > AGI > ASI | Leverage Broadband Advantage for AI Sector Growth | +4 | local |
| high | Education Value | Registered Apprenticeship Expansion: Healthcare & Social | +4 | local |
| high | Social Trust | Pre-Positioned Displaced Worker Rapid Response | +4 | local |
| medium | Education Value | Sector-Pivot Scholarship Voucher | +3 | local |
| high | AI > AGI > ASI | Medical Mile AI Integration | +7 | local |
| high | Economic Disruption | Furniture-to-Smart-Manufacturing Transition | +6 | local |
Total Impact
+49 pts
10 actions
Local Control
100%
10 of 10 actions
Critical Actions
0
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: Kent County. BLS LAUS: Grand Rapids-Kentwood MSA. BEA: Kent County Personal Income.
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.