Jobs, pay and daily life in Traverse City, from official statistics with source and year on every table.
Click any dot to open that city: jobs, pay, rent, commute, county economy and climate. Dot size follows population; colours follow the state flag.
By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 07/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
Traverse City is a city in Michigan with 15,593 residents. The median household earns $74,087 a year and the median rent is $995 a month, which is 16.1% of the median household income. It is part of the Traverse City, MI metropolitan area, where BLS counts 68,440 jobs.
How Traverse City compares. Among the 100 largest places in Michigan, Traverse City is #70 by population, #19 for long commutes (#1 = fewest), #23 for college degrees (#1 = most), #23 for remote work (#1 = most). Its county, Grand Traverse County, is #17 of 83 counties for average pay ($59,257).
Traverse City has 15,593 residents (ACS 2020–2024), about 0.2% of the population of Michigan. It covers 8 square miles of land, which works out to roughly 1,884 people per square mile. The median age is 42.7, 6% older than the state median (42.7 against 40.2).
The median gross rent is $995 a month (rent plus utilities), 12% below the state median ($995 against $1,129). Over a year that is 16.1% of the median household income. US housing guidance treats housing as affordable when it takes 30% of income or less, so the typical household is under that line. The median home value is $415,400, which is 5.6 times the median household income ($74,087); a ratio above 5 usually means buying is out of reach without savings or a second income. 63.7% of households own their home, 13% below the state average (63.7% against 73.2%).
The Traverse City, MI metropolitan area has 68,440 jobs in the BLS wage survey, and the median pay across all occupations is $47,470 a year, 7% below the national median ($47,470 against $50,980). The biggest occupation groups are office and administrative support (9,000 jobs, median $44,780); food preparation and serving related (7,850 jobs, median $35,360); sales and related (6,890 jobs, median $36,380). The area is most specialised in food preparation and serving related (1.3 times) and healthcare practitioners and technical (1.3 times), where the share of workers is above the national share. The best-paying groups with at least 5,000 jobs are healthcare practitioners and technical ($83,690) and office and administrative support ($44,780). In 2026M09 the unemployment rate of Grand Traverse County was 3.2%. 62.6% of residents aged 16 and over are in the labour force. The city lies in Grand Traverse County; its jobs, pay by industry and GDP are on the county page.
Among workers, 58.3% drive alone, 1.1% use public transit, 5.9% walk, 19.4% work from home. 6.6% of workers commute 45 minutes or more, 49% below the state average (6.6% against 12.9%). Remote work is more common than in the state as a whole, which widens the set of employers a resident can work for without moving.
47.4% of adults aged 25 and over hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 46% above the state share (47.4% against 32.5%). 2.5% of residents were born outside the United States, 66% below the state share (2.5% against 7.2%). The poverty rate is 12.3%, 7% below the state rate (12.3% against 13.2%).
The warmest month is Aug, averaging 68°F (20.2°C), and the coolest is Feb at 24°F (-4.7°C). About 871 mm (34 inches) of precipitation falls in a year; Oct is the wettest month (111 mm) and Feb the driest (42 mm). These values come from NASA satellite-based climatology on a grid of about 50 km, so they describe the wider area, not a weather station in the city.
Closest cities in this guide: Cadillac (36 miles, rent 15% lower); Mount Pleasant (90 miles, rent 7% lower); Escanaba (99 miles, rent 34% lower); Midland (103 miles, rent 5% higher). Rent differences are against Traverse City; use the Compare tab to put any two cities side by side.
Federal jobs in Michigan (335) →State guide: MichiganCountry guideGrand Traverse CountyMichigan rankings
These links go to official sources and open in a new window. The first one is the government's or company's own site as listed in Wikidata (property "official website"); check it before relying on it.
There are 335 federal postings open in Michigan (USAJOBS, state level; we do not have a city filter for them). Private-sector jobs are not in this feed.
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| Occupation ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Location quotient ⇅ | Median pay (year) ⇅ | Entry (10th pct.) ⇅ | Top (90th pct.) ⇅ | Median vs US ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail Salespersons | 2,390 | 1.39 | $34,540 | $28,060 | $47,160 | -2% |
| Registered Nurses | 2,020 | 1.36 | $83,690 | $73,230 | $105,820 | -14% |
| Cashiers | 1,850 | 1.36 | $30,920 | $26,990 | $36,890 | -6% |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 1,730 | 1.02 | $28,560 | $25,960 | $36,650 | -8% |
| Office Clerks, General | 1,650 | 1.52 | $44,470 | $30,350 | $61,000 | -1% |
| Waiters and Waitresses | 1,610 | 1.61 | $41,380 | $26,820 | $64,020 | +17% |
| General and Operations Managers | 1,580 | 1.03 | $84,300 | $46,550 | $191,990 | -20% |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | 1,260 | 1.01 | $35,460 | $29,590 | $45,420 | -5% |
| Cooks, Restaurant | 1,060 | 1.70 | $37,270 | $29,690 | $46,510 | -0% |
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | 1,050 | 0.55 | $36,480 | $29,670 | $46,740 | +2% |
| Customer Service Representatives | 960 | 0.84 | $42,030 | $34,150 | $59,650 | -6% |
| Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks | 890 | 1.48 | $46,350 | $36,550 | $60,960 | -9% |
| Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | 880 | 0.90 | $38,420 | $29,240 | $47,630 | +4% |
| Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers | 820 | 1.97 | $37,970 | $29,450 | $48,510 | -3% |
| Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | 740 | 0.81 | $57,700 | $45,640 | $63,720 | -2% |
| Construction Laborers | 740 | 1.53 | $48,400 | $37,020 | $62,370 | +3% |
| Nursing Assistants | 700 | 1.10 | $41,900 | $38,280 | $47,470 | -1% |
| First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers | 700 | 1.31 | $43,030 | $29,840 | $64,740 | -2% |
| First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers | 700 | 1.43 | $46,550 | $33,590 | $70,460 | -4% |
| Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary | 640 | 1.03 | $36,860 | $29,570 | $45,270 | +0% |
These figures are for the whole Traverse City, MI metropolitan area, not the city alone.
Median pay across all occupations: $47,470 (US $50,980); unemployment 3.4% (2026M09).
| Industry (residents) ⇅ | Share of employed residents ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Education and health care | 27.8% |
| Professional, scientific, management, administrative | 15.3% |
| Retail trade | 11.3% |
| Arts, entertainment, accommodation, food | 10.6% |
| Manufacturing | 9.6% |
| Finance, insurance, real estate | 9.3% |
| Construction | 4.6% |
| Other services | 3.9% |
| Transportation, warehousing, utilities | 2.3% |
| Wholesale trade | 1.7% |
| Public administration | 1.6% |
| Information | 1.2% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining | 0.8% |
Cities have no official GDP or payroll count of their own. These figures are for the county (the first of several) where Traverse City lies and cover the whole county, not only the city. The city also extends into Leelanau County.
| County ⇅ | Population ⇅ | GDP (2024) ⇅ | GDP per resident ⇅ | Jobs (QCEW 2024) ⇅ | Employer sites ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Job change vs 2023 ⇅ | Unemployment rate ⇅ | Labour force ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Traverse County | 96,166 | $7,470 million | $77,682 | 51,962 | 3,762 | $59,257 | +1.0% | 3.2% | 50,621 |
| Leelanau County | 22,734 | $1,132 million | $49,772 | 6,662 | 840 | $48,322 | +0.7% | 3.5% | 10,347 |
| Industry ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Share of private jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Concentration vs US (location quotient) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 10,937 | 23.7% | $70,451 | 1.47 |
| Retail trade | 7,218 | 15.7% | $40,433 | 1.39 |
| Accommodation and food services | 6,035 | 13.1% | $29,183 | 1.28 |
| Manufacturing | 4,503 | 9.8% | $66,238 | 1.05 |
| Construction | 3,190 | 6.9% | $68,027 | 1.17 |
| Finance and insurance | 2,283 | 5.0% | $106,095 | 1.08 |
| Professional and technical services | 2,117 | 4.6% | $80,127 | 0.59 |
| Other services (except public administration) | 1,858 | 4.0% | $48,425 | 1.19 |
| Wholesale trade | 1,482 | 3.2% | $71,774 | 0.72 |
| Administrative and waste services | 1,398 | 3.0% | $50,585 | 0.46 |
| Educational services | 1,273 | 2.8% | $39,460 | 1.18 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 993 | 2.2% | $76,248 | 0.45 |
| Arts, entertainment, recreation | 754 | 1.6% | $33,034 | 0.86 |
| Information | 662 | 1.4% | $70,110 | 0.68 |
| Real estate and rental | 624 | 1.4% | $51,040 | 0.77 |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 321 | 0.7% | $48,569 | 0.76 |
| Utilities | 235 | 0.5% | $126,519 | 1.19 |
| Mining, oil and gas | 187 | 0.4% | $100,072 | 0.95 |
| Management of companies | 46 | 0.1% | $106,493 | 0.05 |
QCEW counts jobs covered by unemployment insurance; sectors with too few employers are withheld by BLS. Latest-month unemployment is preliminary.
| How residents get to work ⇅ | Share ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Drive alone | 58.3% |
| Public transit | 1.1% |
| Walk | 5.9% |
| Work from home | 19.4% |
| Commute of 45 minutes or more | 6.6% |
Shares are of workers aged 16 and over; they describe residents, wherever they work.
| Indicator ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Median household income | $74,087 |
| Income per person | $53,432 |
| Median gross rent per month | $995 |
| Yearly rent as share of median household income | 16.1% |
| Median home value | $415,400 |
| Homeowners | 63.7% |
| Poverty rate | 12.3% |
| Price level of the metro area (US = 100) | 93.4 |
| Metro median pay, all occupations | $47,470 |
Estimate for a wage earner: 2026 federal brackets and standard deduction (IRS), Social Security 6.2% up to $184,500, Medicare 1.45% (+0.9% above $200,000 single / $250,000 married), and a state rate you set. It ignores credits, pre-tax deductions, local taxes and benefits. Sources: IRS: tax year 2026 inflation adjustments · SSA wage base per Federal Register notice 2025-19763.
State tax: Flat 4.25%.
| Indicator ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Median age | 42.7 |
| High school or higher (25+) | 96.8% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (25+) | 47.4% |
| Born abroad | 2.5% |
| Labour force participation (16+) | 62.6% |
Work permits are federal: see permits and first steps.
| Month ⇅ | Mean temperature (°C) ⇅ | Mean temperature (°F) ⇅ | Precipitation (mm) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | -4.0 | 25 | 51 |
| Feb | -4.7 | 24 | 42 |
| Mar | -0.9 | 30 | 51 |
| Apr | 4.3 | 40 | 82 |
| May | 9.5 | 49 | 88 |
| Jun | 15.0 | 59 | 81 |
| Jul | 19.7 | 67 | 67 |
| Aug | 20.2 | 68 | 76 |
| Sep | 16.9 | 62 | 87 |
| Oct | 10.2 | 50 | 111 |
| Nov | 4.3 | 40 | 70 |
| Dec | -0.9 | 30 | 65 |
Satellite-reanalysis climatology on a grid of roughly 50 km, so it smooths local effects (hills, coast, city heat). It is not a weather-station record.
| City ⇅ | State ⇅ | Distance (straight line) ⇅ | Population ⇅ | Median household income ⇅ | Median rent ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cadillac | MI | 36 mi | 10,445 | $51,773 | $842 |
| Mount Pleasant | MI | 90 mi | 21,236 | $44,706 | $922 |
| Escanaba | MI | 99 mi | 12,354 | $45,369 | $657 |
| Midland | MI | 103 mi | 42,724 | $73,325 | $1,048 |
| Alpena | MI | 108 mi | 10,154 | $47,545 | $625 |
| Muskegon | MI | 110 mi | 37,226 | $44,735 | $996 |
| Manitowoc | WI | 112 mi | 34,620 | $63,757 | $804 |
| Norton Shores | MI | 114 mi | 25,041 | $76,579 | $1,341 |
| Bay City | MI | 117 mi | 32,320 | $49,420 | $766 |
| Bellevue | WI | 118 mi | 16,442 | $84,672 | $1,154 |
Straight-line distance in miles, not driving distance.
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15,593 (Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimate).
$995 a month (ACS 2020–2024), which is 16.1% of the median household income.
$74,087 (ACS 2020–2024, in 2024 dollars).
3.2% (BLS county, Grand Traverse County (latest month 2026M09)).
Michigan. See the state guide for minimum wage, taxes and pay.