PROSPERITY | 19
AVERAGE WAGES BY OCCUPATION
24–25 Change
19–25 Change
Average hourly earnings in Greater Grand Rapids increased to $31.92 per hour in Q2 2025 from $31.00 per hour in the same period the previous year. Greater Grand Rapids’ average wages continue to trend lower than state and national levels. WAGES AND OCCUPATIONS
Title
2019
2022
2023 2024
2025
Assembler 1
$15.02
$18.06
$18.53
$17.92
$18.59
4%
24%
Machine Operator
$16.64
$18.99
$18.38
$19.96 $19.20
-4%
15%
Assembler 2
$16.74
$19.46
$19.93
$21.99 $22.22
1%
33%
Material Handler
$16.54
$19.99
$19.89
$20.39 $20.30
0%
23%
Packer
$14.70
$17.29
$18.02
$19.39 $19.84
2%
35%
Injection Molding Mach Oper I
$14.87
$17.30
$18.74
$19.23
$19.18
0%
29%
AVERAGE HOURLY EARNINGS BY QUARTER
Registered Nurse
$31.47
$35.37
$34.04
$36.10 $41.70
16%
33%
$37
Case Worker
$17.20
$20.74
$23.16
$21.97 $25.00
14% 45%
Michigan
United States
Greater Grand Rapids
Social Worker
$27.16
$26.66
$33.24
$29.57
$37.45
27%
38%
$35
Software Eng 1
$59,136
$73,715
$71,379 $78,013 $75,925
-3%
28%
Software Eng 2
$74,395
$86,614 $95,996 $95,447 $98,604
3%
33%
$33
Software Eng 3
$95,647 $105,009 $107,546 $123,107 $127,924
4% 34%
Systems Programmer I
$31
$58,073
$58,322 $62,393 $59,885 $63,552
6%
9%
Systems Programmer II
$81,954
$81,341 $85,489 $84,982 $78,673
-7%
-4%
$29
Network Administrator
$70,530
$77,302 $84,407 $84,507 $83,991
-1%
19%
$27
Accountant I
$50,726
$56,131
$53,415 $58,808 $59,376
1%
17%
Controller
$101,771
$112,876 $115,405 $123,593 $130,284
5%
28%
$25
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024 2025
HR Manager
$80,000
$88,986 $95,563 $88,782 $93,351
5%
17%
Source: Federal Bank of St. Louis and Bureau of Labor Statistics
Admin Assistant II
$41,981 $45,609 $49,427 $48,184 $50,389
5% 20%
Wages across occupations, by-and-large, continue to increase year-over-year. Wages in healthcare occupations, including nursing and social workers, saw the most gains from 2024. For the first time since The Right Place began tracking wage data, average salaries for entry-level software engineers fell 3% from in 2025. Meanwhile, wages for intermediate and advanced software engineers increased 3% and 4% respectively.
Help Desk II
$22.27
$24.81
$26.78
$27.91
$28.54
2%
28%
Paralegal
$72,219
$76,920
$62,491 $85,824 $84,017
-2%
16%
Buyer II
$60,824
$67,428
$68,881 $70,905 $73,110
3% 20%
Source: The Employers Association (TEA)
The Right Place, Inc. | State of the Region 2025
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