West Michigan Dataconomy: Regional aerospace & defense sector

Did you know West Michigan is home to a flourishing aerospace and defense industry? Our 13-county region houses more than 9,800 jobs in the sector, and industry cluster sales amount to approximately $1.1 billion annually.

As of July 2017 in our 2017-2019 strategic plan period, The Right Place has assisted six aerospace and defense companies in our region with business expansion projects. This has resulted in:

Additionally, the The Right Place Business Development Team regularly meets with aerospace and defense companies and suppliers to ensure they’re receiving the support they need to remain in the region. Throughout the last year-and-a-half, the team met with 75 of these companies and recorded the following findings:

JOBS

Over the past five years, West Michigan has seen job growth in this field at a rate of 15.3 percent, far outpacing the national average rate of 1.6 percent. Average earnings in the sector sit at around $76,000 annually.

If all companies in the region which supply the defense industry in one form or another (i.e. Wolverine World Wide, SpartanNash, etc) are included in the industry cluster, the job figure jumps to well over 15,000 employees in the region.

Our research found the top occupations within our region’s aerospace and defense industry are:

• Electrical and Electronic Equipment Assemblers
• Industrial Engineers
• Team Assemblers
• Mechanical Engineers
• Inspectors, Testers
• Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers

The West Michigan aerospace and defense industry plays a key role in the diversification and success of the regional economy, while also holding considerable potential for future growth.