Detroit manufacturing statistics show a large, specialized production workforce concentrated in the broader Detroit-Warren-Dearborn labor market. In May 2024, production occupations accounted for 9.6% of local employment, compared with 5.7% nationally. The same Bureau of Labor Statistics release recorded 183,640 production jobs, a mean hourly wage of $25.49, and a mean annual wage of $53,030. Later BLS employment indicators show manufacturing employment at 232,800 in April 2026, down 3.2% over 12 months.
Contents
- Detroit manufacturing employment
- Production wages and occupational concentration
- Assembly, machining, and fabrication
- Food, packaging, and other production roles
- Michigan manufacturing trends
- Automotive and related subclusters
- Apprenticeships and workforce composition
Detroit manufacturing employment
The geographic scope matters. The BLS Occupational Employment and Wages release covers the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn metropolitan area, which includes Lapeer, Livingston, Macomb, Oakland, St. Clair, and Wayne counties. Its May 2024 estimates were based on 7,004 establishments and a 66% response rate.
The production workforce was 183,640 jobs in that release. Production occupations made up 9.6% of area employment, making manufacturing-related production work more prominent locally than across the United States, where the comparable share was 5.7%. The local production mean wage was $25.49 per hour, or $53,030 per year.
More recent BLS Economy at a Glance figures provide a separate employment measure and period. Detroit-area manufacturing employment was 232,800 in April 2026, compared with 234,700 in November 2025. The 12-month change reported for April 2026 was -3.2%; the comparable figure shown for November 2025 was -4.5%. These figures should not be treated as a direct continuation of the May 2024 OEWS occupational estimate because the BLS releases measure employment in different ways and at different dates.
The wider labor market also changed between the two Economy at a Glance periods. Total nonfarm employment was 2,023.5 thousand in April 2026 and 2,041.2 thousand in November 2025. The civilian labor force was 2,173.6 thousand and 2,186.0 thousand, respectively. The employed population was 2,077.6 thousand in April 2026 and 2,073.6 thousand in November 2025, while the unemployed population was 96.0 thousand and 112.4 thousand.
Detroit’s unemployment rate was 4.4% in April 2026, compared with 5.1% in November 2025. These labor-market indicators describe the metropolitan economy rather than manufacturing alone, so they provide context for the manufacturing figures rather than a manufacturing-specific unemployment rate.
Production wages and occupational concentration
The May 2024 OEWS data show that Detroit manufacturing includes both high-volume occupations and smaller specialist roles. A location quotient above 1.00 indicates that an occupation has a higher local concentration than the national comparison; the figures below retain the reported local quotient.
| Occupation | Employment | Location quotient | Mean hourly wage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miscellaneous assemblers and fabricators | 62,530 | 3.46 | $25.58 |
| First-line production supervisors | 10,800 | 1.27 | $35.75 |
| Electrical and electromechanical assemblers | 5,720 | 1.77 | $25.61 |
| CNC tool operators | 2,890 | 1.32 | $24.26 |
| CNC tool programmers | 1,250 | 3.57 | $32.93 |
| Engine and other machine assemblers | 3,040 | 6.40 | $25.41 |
Engine and other machine assemblers had the highest listed location quotient at 6.40, with 3,040 jobs and a $25.41 mean hourly wage. Miscellaneous assemblers and fabricators were the largest listed production group, with 62,530 jobs, a 3.46 quotient, and a $25.58 mean hourly wage. CNC tool programmers numbered 1,250 and had a 3.57 quotient with a $32.93 mean hourly wage.
Supervisory and technical roles also stood out. First-line supervisors of production and operating workers numbered 10,800, with a 1.27 quotient and a $35.75 mean hourly wage. Electrical, electronic, and electromechanical assemblers, excluding coil winders, tapers, and finishers, numbered 5,720, with a 1.77 quotient and a $25.61 mean wage. Computer numerically controlled tool operators numbered 2,890, with a 1.32 quotient and a $24.26 mean wage.
For perspective across all occupations, Detroit-area workers had a $32.29 mean hourly wage in May 2024, versus $32.66 nationally. Management accounted for 6.8% of local employment and had a $65.97 mean hourly wage. Architecture and engineering accounted for 3.8% and had a $48.73 mean wage. Office and administrative support was the largest major occupational group at 11.5% of local employment.
Assembly, machining, and fabrication
Assembly is the most visible concentration in the listed production occupations. Miscellaneous assemblers and fabricators alone accounted for 62,530 jobs. The electrical and electromechanical assembler category added 5,720 jobs, while engine and other machine assemblers added 3,040. Together, these categories show the scale of work connected with assembling finished products, components, and machinery.
Detroit also has a substantial machining and programming profile. CNC tool operators numbered 2,890, and CNC tool programmers numbered 1,250. Their wages differed notably: $24.26 per hour for operators and $32.93 for programmers. The programmer location quotient was 3.57, compared with 1.32 for operators, indicating stronger local concentration for the programming occupation relative to its national employment share.
Other fabrication roles were smaller. Structural metal fabricators and fitters numbered 430, with a 0.65 quotient and a $27.40 mean hourly wage. Molders, shapers, and casters except metal and plastic numbered 710, with a 1.65 quotient and a $21.98 mean wage. Coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders numbered 2,190, with a 1.11 quotient and a $23.00 mean wage.
Paper goods machine setters, operators, and tenders numbered 810, with a 0.68 quotient and a $23.77 mean wage. Helpers-production workers numbered 1,240, with a 0.60 quotient and a $20.18 mean wage. Production workers in the all-other category numbered 3,210, with a 0.94 quotient and a $19.93 mean wage.
Food, packaging, and other production roles
Manufacturing statistics for Detroit also include food processing and packaging occupations. Bakers numbered 2,650, with a 0.92 location quotient and an $18.79 mean hourly wage. Butchers and meat cutters numbered 1,660, with a 0.96 quotient and a $19.59 mean wage.
The more specialized meat-processing categories were smaller. Slaughterers and meat packers numbered 300, with a 0.36 quotient and an $18.81 mean wage. Meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers numbered 150, with a 0.09 quotient and an $18.97 mean wage.
Food-machine occupations varied in both size and pay. Food roasting, baking, and drying machine operators and tenders numbered 240, with a 1.01 quotient and a $19.48 mean wage. Food batchmakers numbered 920, with a 0.43 quotient and an $18.11 mean wage. Food cooking machine operators and tenders numbered 90, with a 0.26 quotient and a $21.58 mean wage. Food processing workers in the all-other category numbered 190, with a 0.26 quotient and an $18.35 mean wage.
Packaging and filling machine operators and tenders numbered 3,780, with a 0.80 quotient and a $19.15 mean wage. Tire builders numbered 30, with a 0.12 quotient and a $20.01 mean wage. These figures illustrate the breadth of production work, while the low employment counts in some categories caution against treating every occupation as a major Detroit specialization.
Michigan manufacturing trends
The Michigan Manufacturing Industry Workforce Analysis Report places Detroit’s labor market inside a larger statewide manufacturing system. Michigan manufacturing employment grew 14.9% since 2011, while total statewide employment grew 7.4% over the same period. Manufacturing represented 14.2% of total statewide jobs in the report, described as roughly one-seventh of Michigan’s workforce.
The report also gives a longer-term comparison point: Michigan manufacturing cluster employment was down 6.4% versus 2019. The cluster’s average salary was just over $71,700. Manufacturing’s average salary rose by just over $9,400 from 2011 to 2021, equal to 15.1% growth.
The report’s wage benchmark for manufacturing was a $22.60 median hourly wage. It identified 11 key occupations with wages above that level. Average salary varied by subcluster, with automotive at nearly $74,200 and medical equipment and supplies at $88,500, the highest average annual salary in the cluster.
Automotive and related subclusters
Automotive was the largest named manufacturing subcluster in the Michigan report, accounting for 29.8% of manufacturing employment and nearly 174,500 people. Motor vehicle parts manufacturing made up 69.6% of automotive subcluster employment, while motor vehicle manufacturing made up 25.8%.
Other subclusters show that the state’s manufacturing base extends beyond vehicles. Natural Resources employed just over 33,400 people and represented 5.8% of manufacturing employment. Converted paper product manufacturing accounted for 26.6% of Natural Resources subcluster employment.
Computer and electronic products employed over 33,700 people and represented 5.8% of manufacturing employment. More than half of employment in that subcluster was in semiconductor and other electronic component manufacturing.
Furniture employed 19,800 people, or 3.4% of manufacturing employment. Office furniture manufacturing accounted for 74.1% of Furniture subcluster employment. Printing and related support activities employed about 11,700 workers and represented 2.0% of manufacturing employment. Medical equipment and supplies manufacturing employed more than 11,400 workers and represented 1.9%.
Apprenticeships and workforce composition
Michigan had just under 3,400 active registered manufacturing apprentices in 2021, according to the Michigan Manufacturing Industry Workforce Analysis Report. Detroit Metro held 39.7% of all active Michigan manufacturing apprentices, making the region the largest reported concentration in the state.
The same 2021 apprenticeship figures show that women were 7.7% of active manufacturing apprentices and people of color were 11.6%. These are shares of active manufacturing apprentices, not shares of all Detroit manufacturing workers or all Michigan manufacturing employees.
Taken together, the figures describe a regional manufacturing labor market with a large production base, unusually concentrated engine assembly and CNC programming occupations, and a strong automotive connection. The May 2024 OEWS estimates provide the most detailed occupational view, while the BLS Economy at a Glance figures provide later employment and labor-market snapshots. The Michigan workforce report supplies statewide context and uses its own report periods, including 2021 apprenticeship measures and comparisons with 2011 and 2019.