How many jobs were added in last month?

Updated Apr. 14, 2026Refreshed monthly
Michigan gained 1,000 jobs in January 2026, ranking it 39th among states in job growth. Those figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' state employment report, which tracks monthly job changes. Job numbers can swing month to month as local economies expand or contract, but over the past five years the state has averaged about 6,600 new jobs per month. These figures are often revised in later months as more complete data rolls in.

+1K

month to month change in number of jobs (January 2026)

39th

rank among states in monthly job growth (January 2026)
January 2026's gain of 1,000 jobs was the second consecutive month of positive job growth in Michigan. Monthly job growth was up from the 800 new jobs in December 2025.
During the latest five year period (February 2021 to January 2026), Michigan gained jobs in 44 out of 60 months. October 2023 had the 20th-lowest job growth during this period. The highest gains during this period occurred in October 2021 (+53,700) while job growth was weakest in October 2023 (-27,700).

There were 1,000 more jobs in January 2026 in Michigan than the previous month.

Monthly change in nonfarm employment, February 2021–January 2026, seasonally adjusted

Which Michigan sectors and industries had the best and worst job growth in January 2026?

The three supersectors with the highest job growth in January 2026 were local government, arts, entertainment, and recreation, and professional, scientific, and technical services. Local government added 1,400 jobs, more than the entire economy. Arts, entertainment, and recreation gained 1,200 jobs, while professional, scientific, and technical services added 1,200. The remaining supersectors either posted smaller gains or lost jobs during the month.

The health care and social assistance sector gained 400 jobs during January 2026.

Change in jobs since previous month with circle size representing number of sector jobs in Michigan (January 2026)

How does Michigan's job growth in 2025 compare to previous years?

In 2025, the state has gained an average of 2,800 jobs every month. That's higher than the 2024 average monthly increase of 2,700, and the highest since 2023. The 2025 average ranks as 13th-highest in job growth since 2023.
When excluding the two pandemic-affected years of 2020 and 2021, job growth ranged from a loss of 18,000 on average every month in 2009 to a gain of 8,200 on average every month in 2011.

In 2025, Michigan gained an average of 2,800 jobs every month.

Average monthly change in the number of jobs, seasonally adjusted

Job growth among 15 metro areas at least partially in Michigan during January 2026 ranged from a loss of 2,500 jobs in the Flint, MI area to a gain of 5,000 jobs in the Detroit, MI area metro area.

Monthly job growth, by metro area

Metro areas where at least one of its primary counties are within Michigan

Monthly job growth, by metro area
Metro areaChange in jobs

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Methodology

USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.

The analysis was generated with the help of AI and reviewed by USAFacts for accuracy.

Page sources

USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.