Wages are Higher in Michigan

I agree that wages in Michigan are similar to other states. The jobs I have been applying for have been unpaid internships or other little things such as babysitting so I have not really noticed a change in wages in those areas. This study does not change my plans for the future though. I still plan on going out of state for graduate school and if I can find a job out of state then I will take it. Ultimately though, I would love to end up back in Michigan working since I grew up here and this is where my family is. Hopefully though, in 2-5 years I'll be in Chicago though working my way up to the job that I would like. When I make enough money and if it fits my life, then coming back to Michigan would definitely be optimal. The only problem though, is I feel that in bigger cities standards of living are higher which I would not be able to afford. With the study, I feel that great things have come out of Michigan and staying here to create jobs or a new business would be a great idea to get our state out of our slump but unfortunately I won't be the one doing it.

I've never felt there has been a huge discrepancy between the wages in Michigan and other parts of the country. What we have to understand is that fortunately, in Michigan, we have a relatively low cost of living. That means the wages we receive allow us to adequately thrive. In other more heavily populated cities (like New York and San Francisco) you may think you could be obtaining better pay, but the cost of living is so much higher that you're not putting any extra money in the bank, but rather into rent, transportation, and other costs.

As a born and raised Michigander, I'm committed to staying in this state - particularly as both my husband and I currently have full-time employment in Mid-Michigan. We see ourselves here long term so we can give our family the same quality of life that we had growing up.

This is a very interesting article/graphic! I had no idea Metro Detroit and Grand Rapids would rank at average or above average. With our cost of living being lower than New York or California and with relatively low taxes, this does make Michigan very inticing. I assume that Lansing falls in line with these wages?

You question where we plan on going after college, and I've already decided: here! I've been working full-time in Michigan for over three years. It's great to hear that the wages are good here in this state, but that isn't why I decided to stay. Like many people, being in the right place at the right time kept me here. After taking a summer night class led by an MSU employee, I ran into her in Comm Arts the next semester. She mentioned she was looking for a student employee and asked me to pass on my resume if interested. That led to two years of summer employment. As I was wrapping up college and looking at ad agencies, my boss told me they were ready to hire a staff person and she hoped I would apply for the position. I did, and here I am today: a happy MSU communicator. It wasn't the path I expected, but it rarely is and I wouldn't change my choices.

So for you undergraduate students, opportunities can pop up anywhere, especially in your classes! I'm a huge believer in networking and it has brought me many of my great career opportunities!

As a recent graduate and graduate student, I admit to feeling the exact way about the finding a potential career in Michigan. I am from the Metro Detroit area and I have been career seeking since I graduated from undergrad, however, I haven't been successful. I think one of the biggest issues with recent graduates is the fact that they don't give themselves enough to time to find the right career for them. Even though I submitted several resumes for months and months with no answer and those who did, I was not interested in that type of work, I've just began to hear more and more for employers within the Metro Detroit area. I would also encourage recent grads to research suburban cities which are where several large cooperations headquarters are located such a Livonia, Southfield and also Troy. In terms of employment now things are now falling into place and Michigan is not all that bad, besides the cold winters. But I always think of it like this, when  it gets cold and work my way up and achieve my goals as I plan, I will be able to take all the vacations I want and then move out of the state if that is something I am still interested in.  Michigan has some great opportunities, we just have to work hard to find them.

This is a very interesting post. I didn't realize that the wages here are high. I feel like the reason so many of us Michiganders feel pay is higher elsewhere is becuase we really don't have a massive city like Chicago, New york, etc. You can argue we have Detroit or Grand Rapids, but neither of these can compare to the Los Angeles, Chicago, and New Yorks of the world. And the closest big city to everyone in Michigan is...Chicago. My point with all of this is that we all see friends, family, etc. moving to Chicago for jobs becuase the wages there "seem" to be higher. What I beleive alot of us are foregtting is that the cost of living is higher in Chicago, New York, etc. We disregard this information and focus on the higher wage.

For me, I plan on landing a job either in Michigan, or wherever, that gives me the most opportunity to grow financially. Also, I want to be in sports marketing, and the agencies I am looking at aren't in Michigan. So, in 5 years from now, I do see myself in New York or Chicago. Not becuase I feel they will pay me more, but rather that the opportunity to advance in a company where my true passion lies, in sports, has a higher probability in markets like Chicago or New York.