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.
Otsego County is a county of Michigan with 25,584 residents. Its economy produced $1,498 million in 2024 (ranked #52 of 83 counties) and had 10,703 jobs with an average annual pay of $53,154 (#36 for pay). The unemployment rate was 4.0% in 2026M09.
Otsego County produced about $1,498 million of goods and services in 2024, which is 0.2% of the combined output of the 83 counties of Michigan that BEA reports (about 0.3% of the state's population lives here), and ranks it 52nd of 83 on that measure. Per resident that is $58,549, 16% below the state average; the average for all counties of the state taken together is $69,705. In current dollars output grew 1.0% from 2023 to 2024, before adjusting for inflation. The gap between its output rank (52nd) and its output-per-resident rank (19th) shows that a few high-value industries or a small population drive the figure.
BLS counts 10,703 jobs located in Otsego County on average in 2024, spread over 811 employer sites (about 13 jobs per site). That is 0.42 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 $53,154, 20% below the average of all counties in the state ($53,154 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 fell 1.1% from 2023 to 2024.
The three largest private industries are retail trade (28.7% of private jobs, $36,970 a year on average), accommodation and food services (17.2% of private jobs, $26,517 a year on average), manufacturing (12.7% of private jobs, $72,405 a year on average). Together they hold 58.5% of private-sector jobs. Among industries with at least 3% of jobs, the best paying is finance and insurance at $81,671 a year, followed by manufacturing ($72,405). The county is specialised in an industry: retail trade (2.1 times the US share, 2,260 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: retail trade ($36,970), accommodation and food services ($26,517). Jobs there are plentiful but the pay is lower than the headline average suggests.
In 2026M09 the unemployment rate in Otsego County was 4.0%, 17% below the average of the state's counties (4.0% against 4.8%). The labour force (people working or looking for work) numbered 11,870. Over the last 12 months it ranged from 4.0% (2026M09) to 6.1% (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 $68,183 (ACS 2020–2024), 6% below the state median ($68,183 against $72,875). None of the largest places of the guide has this as its main county, which usually means a smaller or more rural county; the figures above still describe the whole county.
Counties close to Otsego County in output are Clare County, Alpena County, Mason County, Iosco County. Compare their jobs, pay and unemployment on their own pages.
| Measure ⇅ | Value ⇅ | Rank among the 83 counties of Michigan ⇅ |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 25,584 | 56 of 83 |
| GDP 2024 | $1,498 million | 52 of 83 |
| GDP per resident | $58,549 | 19 of 83 |
| Jobs (QCEW 2024) | 10,703 | 49 of 83 |
| Average annual pay | $53,154 | 36 of 83 |
| Job change vs 2023 | -1.1% | 72 of 83 |
| Unemployment rate (lower is better) | 4.0% | 18 of 83 |
| Median household income | $68,183 | 26 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.
None of the 100 largest places of Michigan has this as its main county, so the guide has no city page here. County figures on the other tabs are complete.
| Industry ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Share of private jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Concentration vs US (location quotient) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail trade | 2,260 | 28.7% | $36,970 | 2.11 |
| Accommodation and food services | 1,353 | 17.2% | $26,517 | 1.39 |
| Manufacturing | 998 | 12.7% | $72,405 | 1.13 |
| Construction | 626 | 7.9% | $71,488 | 1.11 |
| Finance and insurance | 482 | 6.1% | $81,671 | 1.11 |
| Other services (except public administration) | 466 | 5.9% | $44,601 | 1.45 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 342 | 4.3% | $55,338 | 0.75 |
| Wholesale trade | 341 | 4.3% | $66,002 | 0.81 |
| Professional and technical services | 271 | 3.4% | $69,022 | 0.36 |
| Mining, oil and gas | 232 | 2.9% | $69,831 | 5.73 |
| Arts, entertainment, recreation | 218 | 2.8% | $23,532 | 1.21 |
| Utilities | 92 | 1.2% | $106,474 | 2.26 |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 86 | 1.1% | $35,332 | 0.99 |
| Real estate and rental | 64 | 0.8% | $66,143 | 0.39 |
| Information | 48 | 0.6% | $54,820 | 0.24 |
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 | 11,870 |
| Employed residents | 11,391 |
| Unemployed residents | 479 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.0% |
| Jobs located in the county (QCEW) | 10,703 |
| Employer sites | 811 |
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% |
25,584 (Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024).
$1,498 million in 2024 (BEA, current dollars).
4.0% in 2026M09 (BLS, not seasonally adjusted; the latest month may be revised).
10,703 jobs on average in 2024 with an average annual pay of $53,154 (BLS QCEW).