The county economy 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.
Kent County is a county of Michigan with 663,150 residents. Its economy produced $60,316 million in 2024 (ranked #3 of 83 counties) and had 415,565 jobs with an average annual pay of $62,288 (#9 for pay). The unemployment rate was 3.7% in 2026M09. It is part of the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI metropolitan area (central county).
Kent County produced about $60,316 million of goods and services in 2024, which is 8.6% of the combined output of the 83 counties of Michigan that BEA reports (about 6.6% of the state's population lives here), and ranks it 3rd of 83 on that measure. Per resident that is $90,954, 30% above the state average; the average for all counties of the state taken together is $69,705. In current dollars output grew 4.5% from 2023 to 2024, before adjusting for inflation.
BLS counts 415,565 jobs located in Kent County on average in 2024, spread over 17,705 employer sites (about 23 jobs per site). That is 0.63 jobs for every resident, above the 0.31 of the typical county in Michigan, which tells you whether the county is a place people mostly commute to for work or a place they commute from. The average annual pay per job was $62,288, 7% below the average of all counties in the state ($62,288 against $66,692). Average pay is total wages divided by jobs, so it is pulled up by high earners and counts part-time jobs as whole jobs; it is not the pay of a typical worker. The number of jobs rose 0.5% from 2023 to 2024.
The three largest private industries are health care and social assistance (17.5% of private jobs, $67,366 a year on average), manufacturing (16.2% of private jobs, $76,496 a year on average), administrative and waste services (12.6% of private jobs, $34,367 a year on average). Together they hold 46.3% of private-sector jobs. Among industries with at least 3% of jobs, the best paying is finance and insurance at $99,832 a year, followed by professional and technical services ($98,202). The county is specialised in several industries: administrative and waste services (2.0 times the US share, 48,794 jobs); manufacturing (1.8 times the US share, 62,796 jobs); wholesale trade (1.7 times the US share, 27,544 jobs). A location quotient above 1 means an industry employs a larger share of workers here than in the whole country, so these are the industries where local employers compete hardest for skills. Several of the biggest employers pay well below the county average: administrative and waste services ($34,367), retail trade ($41,636), accommodation and food services ($26,257). Jobs there are plentiful but the pay is lower than the headline average suggests.
In 2026M09 the unemployment rate in Kent County was 3.7%, 24% below the average of the state's counties (3.7% against 4.8%). The labour force (people working or looking for work) numbered 332,968. Over the last 12 months it ranged from 3.6% (2026M04) to 4.4% (2026M01); the latest month is preliminary and BLS revises it. These county rates are not seasonally adjusted, so compare the same month across years.
The median household income was $82,631 (ACS 2020–2024), 13% above the state median ($82,631 against $72,875). The guide covers 10 cities with this as the main county: Grand Rapids, Wyoming, Kentwood, Forest Hills, Walker, Cutlerville, Grandville, Northview. Open any of them for rent, home values, commuting and climate. Within the county, median rent runs from $1,143 in Grandville to $1,958 in Forest Hills, so where you live matters as much as which county you pick.
Counties close to Kent County in output are Oakland County, Wayne County, Macomb County, Washtenaw County. Compare their jobs, pay and unemployment on their own pages.
| Measure ⇅ | Value ⇅ | Rank among the 83 counties of Michigan ⇅ |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 663,150 | 4 of 83 |
| GDP 2024 | $60,316 million | 3 of 83 |
| GDP per resident | $90,954 | 4 of 83 |
| Jobs (QCEW 2024) | 415,565 | 3 of 83 |
| Average annual pay | $62,288 | 9 of 83 |
| Job change vs 2023 | +0.5% | 44 of 83 |
| Unemployment rate (lower is better) | 3.7% | 9 of 83 |
| Median household income | $82,631 | 8 of 83 |
Federal jobs in Michigan (335) →All cities of MichiganState guide: Michigan
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.
Cities of this guide whose main county is Kent County.
| City ⇅ | Population ⇅ | Median household income ⇅ | Median rent ⇅ | Median home value ⇅ | Bachelor's+ ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Rapids | 198,535 | $69,108 | $1,266 | $244,500 | 41.6% |
| Wyoming | 77,353 | $73,677 | $1,196 | $225,200 | 25.5% |
| Kentwood | 54,296 | $74,373 | $1,260 | $268,200 | 36.7% |
| Forest Hills | 28,695 | $158,005 | $1,958 | $498,500 | 70.9% |
| Walker | 25,386 | $76,360 | $1,202 | $295,200 | 38.6% |
| Cutlerville | 18,780 | $67,327 | $1,254 | $222,600 | 24.0% |
| Grandville | 16,356 | $78,442 | $1,143 | $271,300 | 40.6% |
| Northview | 15,268 | $85,403 | $1,247 | $289,300 | 38.7% |
| East Grand Rapids | 11,445 | $166,610 | $1,862 | $521,300 | 79.9% |
| Comstock Park | 10,577 | $59,984 | $1,189 | $235,300 | 26.1% |
| Industry ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Share of private jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Concentration vs US (location quotient) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 67,987 | 17.5% | $67,366 | 1.14 |
| Manufacturing | 62,796 | 16.2% | $76,496 | 1.84 |
| Administrative and waste services | 48,794 | 12.6% | $34,367 | 1.99 |
| Retail trade | 34,924 | 9.0% | $41,636 | 0.84 |
| Accommodation and food services | 31,658 | 8.2% | $26,257 | 0.84 |
| Wholesale trade | 27,544 | 7.1% | $82,540 | 1.68 |
| Construction | 20,290 | 5.2% | $81,405 | 0.93 |
| Professional and technical services | 19,530 | 5.0% | $98,202 | 0.68 |
| Finance and insurance | 15,039 | 3.9% | $99,832 | 0.89 |
| Other services (except public administration) | 13,090 | 3.4% | $48,244 | 1.05 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 12,941 | 3.3% | $60,602 | 0.74 |
| Educational services | 10,460 | 2.7% | $42,916 | 1.22 |
| Management of companies | 5,587 | 1.4% | $114,520 | 0.80 |
| Arts, entertainment, recreation | 4,889 | 1.3% | $26,669 | 0.70 |
| Real estate and rental | 4,513 | 1.2% | $55,380 | 0.70 |
| Information | 4,273 | 1.1% | $72,099 | 0.55 |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 2,741 | 0.7% | $42,979 | 0.81 |
| Utilities | 847 | 0.2% | $121,201 | 0.54 |
| Mining, oil and gas | 98 | 0.0% | $95,456 | 0.06 |
A location quotient above 1 means the industry is more concentrated here than in the US. BLS withholds sectors with too few employers.
| Measure ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Labour force | 332,968 |
| Employed residents | 320,562 |
| Unemployed residents | 12,406 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.7% |
| Jobs located in the county (QCEW) | 415,565 |
| Employer sites | 17,705 |
Residents employed and jobs located here differ: many residents commute to other counties.
| County ⇅ | Population ⇅ | GDP 2024 ⇅ | GDP per resident ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Unemployment ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wayne County | 1,772,259 | $129,920 million | $73,308 | 725,504 | $76,411 | 6.7% |
| Oakland County | 1,279,825 | $143,144 million | $111,847 | 723,862 | $77,917 | 4.7% |
| Macomb County | 879,853 | $54,177 million | $61,575 | 336,295 | $71,046 | 5.5% |
| Kent County | 663,150 | $60,316 million | $90,954 | 415,565 | $62,288 | 3.7% |
| Genesee County | 403,305 | $20,160 million | $49,986 | 133,787 | $55,798 | 5.1% |
| Washtenaw County | 369,822 | $34,592 million | $93,536 | 217,948 | $74,298 | 3.7% |
| Ottawa County | 301,203 | $21,044 million | $69,865 | 131,885 | $59,813 | 3.6% |
| Ingham County | 283,913 | $23,569 million | $83,013 | 155,500 | $68,532 | 4.1% |
| Kalamazoo County | 262,375 | $20,706 million | $78,919 | 120,708 | $65,730 | 4.0% |
| Livingston County | 195,833 | $10,122 million | $51,689 | 64,380 | $57,015 | 4.3% |
| Saginaw County | 188,665 | $11,010 million | $58,355 | 79,478 | $58,049 | 5.1% |
| Muskegon County | 175,961 | $8,392 million | $47,693 | 63,475 | $53,204 | 4.6% |
| Saint Clair County | 160,221 | $7,417 million | $46,295 | 42,283 | $55,695 | 5.2% |
| Jackson County | 160,060 | $9,061 million | $56,607 | 55,945 | $62,139 | 4.5% |
| Monroe County | 155,505 | $8,136 million | $52,322 | 41,159 | $60,516 | 4.3% |
| Berrien County | 153,288 | $9,718 million | $63,399 | 60,626 | $57,009 | 4.2% |
| Calhoun County | 133,778 | $9,107 million | $68,075 | 54,415 | $64,067 | 4.6% |
| Allegan County | 121,456 | $6,699 million | $55,159 | 41,360 | $60,226 | 3.5% |
| Eaton County | 109,130 | $7,448 million | $68,252 | 44,501 | $60,862 | 3.8% |
| Bay County | 103,008 | $4,724 million | $45,861 | 34,112 | $54,617 | 4.8% |
| Lenawee County | 98,415 | $4,239 million | $43,069 | 25,796 | $53,357 | 4.2% |
| Grand Traverse County | 96,166 | $7,470 million | $77,682 | 51,962 | $59,257 | 3.2% |
| Lapeer County | 88,837 | $3,258 million | $36,672 | 21,986 | $51,778 | 5.1% |
| Midland County | 83,757 | $7,779 million | $92,871 | 38,288 | $72,021 | 4.3% |
| Clinton County | 79,626 | $3,168 million | $39,785 | 18,614 | $53,866 | 3.5% |
| Van Buren County | 75,795 | $3,313 million | $43,713 | 21,597 | $51,293 | 4.1% |
| Shiawassee County | 67,991 | $2,377 million | $34,966 | 15,541 | $51,381 | 4.2% |
| Montcalm County | 67,816 | $2,158 million | $31,823 | 16,263 | $47,244 | 3.9% |
| Marquette County | 67,112 | $3,597 million | $53,592 | 26,385 | $54,658 | 4.2% |
| Ionia County | 66,574 | $2,329 million | $34,986 | 18,530 | $48,605 | 3.7% |
| Isabella County | 64,565 | $3,266 million | $50,579 | 26,640 | $50,992 | 4.3% |
| Barry County | 63,409 | $2,346 million | $37,003 | 13,236 | $50,220 | 4.0% |
| Saint Joseph County | 60,969 | $2,875 million | $47,161 | 21,098 | $53,550 | 4.4% |
| Tuscola County | 52,980 | $1,769 million | $33,383 | 12,102 | $50,754 | 4.7% |
| Cass County | 51,520 | $1,897 million | $36,825 | 9,373 | $51,894 | 4.3% |
| Newaygo County | 50,792 | $2,077 million | $40,886 | 11,901 | $49,371 | 4.5% |
| Hillsdale County | 45,654 | $2,202 million | $48,224 | 12,854 | $51,536 | 4.1% |
| Branch County | 45,300 | $1,938 million | $42,791 | 15,240 | $53,639 | 3.6% |
| Gratiot County | 41,385 | $1,982 million | $47,898 | 12,359 | $54,845 | 4.5% |
| Mecosta County | 41,242 | $1,626 million | $39,428 | 12,746 | $45,193 | 4.6% |
| Sanilac County | 40,462 | $1,747 million | $43,176 | 10,437 | $48,626 | 4.6% |
| Houghton County | 37,693 | $1,589 million | $42,153 | 12,124 | $54,867 | 4.2% |
| Delta County | 36,813 | $1,635 million | $44,420 | 13,848 | $47,978 | 4.5% |
| Chippewa County | 36,295 | $1,603 million | $44,164 | 12,793 | $52,748 | 4.3% |
| Emmet County | 34,125 | $2,559 million | $74,990 | 17,742 | $55,435 | 3.8% |
| Wexford County | 34,077 | $1,744 million | $51,164 | 13,163 | $52,377 | 4.7% |
| Clare County | 31,218 | $1,547 million | $49,562 | 7,261 | $47,949 | 5.4% |
| Huron County | 31,113 | $2,158 million | $69,358 | 11,234 | $50,295 | 4.2% |
| Mason County | 29,207 | $1,347 million | $46,128 | 10,186 | $48,523 | 5.0% |
| Alpena County | 28,880 | $1,517 million | $52,540 | 12,191 | $51,642 | 4.5% |
| Oceana County | 26,915 | $833 million | $30,945 | 6,470 | $45,679 | 4.8% |
| Charlevoix County | 26,108 | $1,721 million | $65,908 | 10,983 | $57,950 | 3.6% |
| Dickinson County | 25,954 | $1,762 million | $67,883 | 13,798 | $57,141 | 3.9% |
| Cheboygan County | 25,865 | $912 million | $35,249 | 6,140 | $47,915 | 4.1% |
| Gladwin County | 25,693 | $699 million | $27,189 | 4,593 | $48,143 | 5.3% |
| Otsego County | 25,584 | $1,498 million | $58,549 | 10,703 | $53,154 | 4.0% |
| Manistee County | 25,350 | $1,160 million | $45,770 | 7,281 | $51,233 | 4.6% |
| Iosco County | 25,347 | $1,265 million | $49,907 | 7,724 | $59,332 | 5.5% |
| Antrim County | 24,127 | $855 million | $35,420 | 5,128 | $42,968 | 4.2% |
| Roscommon County | 23,737 | $854 million | $35,966 | 6,429 | $39,799 | 5.5% |
| Menominee County | 23,247 | $971 million | $41,777 | 7,149 | $48,080 | 3.7% |
| Osceola County | 23,227 | $1,111 million | $47,827 | 8,011 | $56,080 | 4.7% |
| Leelanau County | 22,734 | $1,132 million | $49,772 | 6,662 | $48,322 | 3.5% |
| Ogemaw County | 20,885 | $788 million | $37,730 | 6,008 | $42,697 | 5.9% |
| Benzie County | 18,310 | $741 million | $40,455 | 4,882 | $45,619 | 3.9% |
| Kalkaska County | 18,239 | $839 million | $45,981 | 4,860 | $60,400 | 4.3% |
| Missaukee County | 15,207 | $678 million | $44,566 | 4,213 | $46,075 | 4.1% |
| Arenac County | 15,077 | $603 million | $39,972 | 4,077 | $46,876 | 5.3% |
| Gogebic County | 14,319 | $649 million | $45,297 | 5,046 | $48,384 | 5.3% |
| Crawford County | 13,369 | $563 million | $42,083 | 4,105 | $52,174 | 4.9% |
| Presque Isle County | 13,209 | $482 million | $36,501 | 2,595 | $47,344 | 5.9% |
| Lake County | 12,563 | $289 million | $22,998 | 1,721 | $39,827 | 5.6% |
| Iron County | 11,667 | $420 million | $35,958 | 3,410 | $44,921 | 5.8% |
| Mackinac County | 10,957 | $693 million | $63,238 | 4,836 | $48,728 | 3.5% |
| Alcona County | 10,397 | $263 million | $25,313 | 1,494 | $41,519 | 6.3% |
| Montmorency County | 9,516 | $310 million | $32,560 | 2,050 | $41,365 | 5.4% |
| Alger County | 8,762 | $332 million | $37,860 | 2,650 | $49,474 | 4.8% |
| Oscoda County | 8,425 | $283 million | $33,570 | 1,364 | $40,287 | 7.3% |
| Baraga County | 8,191 | $374 million | $45,719 | 2,973 | $51,002 | 4.9% |
| Schoolcraft County | 8,128 | $360 million | $44,308 | 2,702 | $49,979 | 5.2% |
| Luce County | 6,271 | $210 million | $33,461 | 1,786 | $47,825 | 5.2% |
| Ontonagon County | 5,850 | $169 million | $28,923 | 1,338 | $35,632 | 5.2% |
| Keweenaw County | 2,133 | $77 million | $35,904 | 478 | $35,549 | 4.8% |
663,150 (Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024).
$60,316 million in 2024 (BEA, current dollars).
3.7% in 2026M09 (BLS, not seasonally adjusted; the latest month may be revised).
415,565 jobs on average in 2024 with an average annual pay of $62,288 (BLS QCEW).