Muskegon County

Muskegon County is a fast growing lakeshore community in Western Michigan. It is part of the Grand Rapids - Muskegon - Holland Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), the fastest growing region in the upper Midwest with a population of nearly 1.1 million persons. Consistent with the rest of the region, Muskegon has long been a center of industrial development with major manufacturers in aerospace, automotive, office furniture, defense, and related industries calling the area home. This outstanding industrial base has been an engine for economic growth and is creating opportunities in emerging industries like energy technology and life sciences. Add to that the quality of life that comes with a location on the water, and it becomes apparent why Industry Week and various other publications consistently rank West Michigan as a "World Class" community. Catch the Wave to Muskegon!

Local Area - Click to Enlarge

General Data

DISTANCE	MILES	KM
Chicago	180	289
Cleveland	310	498
Detroit	190	305
Indianapolis	260	418
Lansing	100	160

YEARS	POPULATION
2002	172,165
2003	173,178
2004	174,146
2005	175,554
Source:Population Division, U.S. Census Bureau, March 16, 2006

WORKFORCE
LABOR	2006
Total Workforce	92,259
Number Employed	86,023
Number Unemployed	6,236
Unemployment Rate	6.8
Source:Michigan Employment Service Agency, 2006

CHARACTERISTICS OF LABOR FORCE
LABOR	2000
Workers 16 years and over	75,376
Percentage who work outside of county	25.1%
Percentage who work at home	2.7%
Source:U.S. Bureau of the Census, Census of Population and Housing, 2000

EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENTS
CLASSIFICATION	2000
Persons 25 years of age or older	108,661
Percentage with high school diploma	83.1%
Percentage with bachelor's degree	13.89%
Source:U.S. Bureau of the Census, Census of Population and Housing, 2000

TRANSPORTATION
ACCESS TO MARKETS
Main Highways	I-96, US-31, M-120, M-46, M-37
Bus Lines	Greyhound
Truck Lines	20
Rail Lines	CSX, Michigan Shore RR
Ports	Muskegon (Lake Michigan)
Airports	Muskegon County Airport, Kent County International Airport
Airlines	Midwest Express, Northwest, American, USAir, United, American Eagle
Source: MI State Transportation Commission, 1995

Economy

PERSONAL INCOME (In Thousands of Dollars)
Components by Type	2002	2003	2004	2005
Personal income	4,119,399	4,259,628	4,363,431	4,495,365
Population (persons)	172,085	172,954	173,950	174,971
Per capita personal income (dollars)	23,938	24,629	25,084	25,692
Farm proprietors' income	-1,996	2,031	1,990	2,124
Nonfarm proprietors' income	211,291	203,241	235,471	251,335
Components by Industry	2002	2003	2004	2005
Farm earnings	8,738	10,422	11,946	10,713
Nonfarm earnings	2,812,432	2,880,120	3,002,079	3,066,393
Private earnings	2,366,086	2,422,533	2,534,841	2,584,346
Forestry, fishing, related activities, and other	0	0	0	0
Mining	0	0	0	0
Utilities	0	0	0	0
Construction	180,925	160,759	160,657	169,011
Manufacturing	777,062	792,211	855,101	864,649
Durable goods manufacturing	639,201	649,408	707,776	717,990
Wholesale trade	88,825	89,430	77,508	82,605
Retail Trade	299,243	302,945	312,147	329,163
Transportation and warehousing	0	0	0	0
Information	61,080	55,814	61,074	59,127
Finance and insurance	75,395	72,672	72,503	71,649
Real estate and rental and leasing	79,912	73,025	89,726	97,180
Professional and technical services	108,764	104,531	91,595	84,500
Government and government enterprises	446,346	457,587	467,238	482,047
Federal, civilian	28,517	28,849	30,559	29,608
Military	8,096	11,362	12,510	14,256
State and local	409,733	417,376	424,169	438,183
Source:Bureau of Economic Analysis, US Department of Commerce, Issued May 2007

EMPLOYMENT BY INDUSTRY (Number of Jobs)
Components by Type	2002	2003	2004	2005
Total employment	81,319	82,411	84,287	84,951
Wage and salary employment	67,268	67,494	68,691	68,544
Proprietors employment	14,051	14,917	15,596	16,407
Farm employment	683	686	692	671
Nonfarm employment	80,636	81,725	83,595	84,280
Components by Industry	2002	2003	2004	2005
Private employment	70,628	71,725	73,853	74,597
Forestry, fishing, related activities, and other	0	0	0	0
Mining	0	0	0	0
Utilities	0	0	0	0
Construction	4,343	4,236	4,411	4,567
Manufacturing	13,669	13,229	14,108	13,897
Wholesale trade	2,014	1,997	1,685	1,735
Retail Trade	12,918	12,874	13,184	13,518
Transportation and warehousing	0	0	0	0
Finance and insurance	2,121	2,074	2,091	2,091
Real estate and rental and leasing	2,849	2,837	3,002	3,257
Professional and technical services	2,970	2,878	2,733	2,634
Government and government enterprises	10,008	10,000	9,742	9,683
Federal, civilian	397	417	398	379
Military	359	355	354	339
State and local	9,252	9,228	8,990	8,965
Source:Bureau of Economic Analysis, US Department of Commerce, Issued May 2007

PRINCIPAL EMPLOYERS
NAICS	COMPANY NAME	LOCATION	EMPLOYEES	PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
622110	Mercy General Health Partners	Muskegon	2000	General Hospital
622110	Hackley Hospital	Muskegon	1300	General Medical & Surgical Hospital
333618	L-3 Communications Corp	Muskegon	999	Manufactures diesel & semi-diesel or dual-fuel engines; manufactures motor vehicle parts & accessories; manufactures industrial trucks & tractors; manufactures fluid power pumps & motors; tanks & tank components
322121	S D Warren Co	Muskegon	617	Paper mill; manufactures coated & laminated paper; pulp mill
333923	Lift-Tech International Inc	Muskegon	500	Manufactures hoists
326199	Adac Door Components Inc	Muskegon	500	Manufactures injection molded plastic products; manufactures motor vehicle parts & accessories
452112	Meijer Inc	Muskegon	475	Department Store Ret Groceries Ret Drugs/Sundries Gasoline Service Station
336412	Johnson UNC Technology Inc	Muskegon	450	Manufactures aircraft turbines
921110	County of Muskegon	Muskegon	400	Executive Office
452112	Wal-Mart Stores Inc	Muskegon	400	Department Store Ret Groceries
452112	Wal-Mart Stores Inc	Muskegon	400	Discount Department/Grocery Store
611210	Muskegon Community College	Muskegon	360	Junior College
331521	Great Lakes Die Cast Corp	Muskegon	300	Manufactures aluminum die castings; manufactures finished injection molded plastic products
111334	Jawor Brothers Blue Berries	Ravenna	300	Berry Crop Farm
336399	Saf-Holland USA Inc	Muskegon	273	Manufactures motor vehicle parts & accessories; manufactures industrial trucks & tractors; manufactures bolts, nuts, rivets & washers; manufactures mechanical power transmission equipment; manufactures truck trailers
238210	Newkirk Electric Associates	Muskegon	258	Electrical Contractor Engineering Services Heavy Construction
336312	Kautex Inc	Muskegon	250	Manufactures motor vehicle camshafts
621111	Hackley Primary Care Services	Muskegon	250	Medical Doctor's Office
622110	County of Muskegon	Muskegon	240	Medical Care Facility And Nursing Home
922140	Department of Corrections MI	Muskegon	236	Temporary Correctional Facility
337212	Structural Concepts Corp	Muskegon	235	Manufactures wood show, display & storage cabinets & cases
332912	Hilite International Inc	Whitehall	230	Manufactures fluid power valves & hose fittings; manufactures fluid power cylinders & actuators; manufactures fluid power pumps & motors
491110	United States Postal Service	Muskegon	230	Us Postal Service
336399	Mahle Engine Components USA	Muskegon	225	Manufactures motor vehicle parts & accessories; steel foundry
511110	Herald Newspapers Co Inc	Muskegon	225	Newspaper publisher
621610	TLC Lakeshore Care	Muskegon	210	Home Health Care Services
333922	Tgw - Ermanco Inc	Spring Lake	207	Manufactures conveyors & conveying equipment
921110	City of Muskegon	Muskegon	200	Executive Office
336370	Acemco Inc	Spring Lake	200	Manufactures stamped automotive products; stamps metal for the trade
325131	Sun Chemical Corp	Muskegon	200	Manufactures inorganic pigments; manufactures cyclic crudes & intermediates
928110	Michigan Department of	Montague	200	National Security
611110	Public Schools of The City of	Muskegon	193	Senior High School
493110	Public Schools of The City of	Muskegon	193	Warehouse
611110	Public Schools of The City of	Muskegon	193	Public Elementary School
611110	Public Schools of The City of	Muskegon	192	Specialty Public School
712110	Public Schools of The City of	Muskegon	192	Museum & Art Gallery
611110	Orchard View School District	Muskegon	185	Elementary/Secondary School
331112	Cannon-Muskegon Corp	Muskegon	180	Manufactures additive alloys; manufactures primary nonferrous metals; manufactures secondary nonferrous metals; steel mill
336992	General Dynamics Land Systems	Muskegon	175	Manufactures military amphibian tanks; engineering services
611410	Baker College Of Muskegon	Muskegon	168	Business/Secretarial School
333298	Metal Technologies Inc	Ravenna	161	Manufactures foundry machinery & equipment
332991	Kaydon Corp	Muskegon	160	Manufactures ball & roller bearings; wholesales industrial supplies; manufactures mechanical power transmission equipment
611110	Public Schools of The City of	Muskegon	155	Elementary/Secondary School
531120	Horizon Group Properties, LP	Muskegon	150	Nonresidential Building Operator Management Consulting Services
452112	Kmart Corp	Muskegon	150	Dept Stores Discount
721110	Muskegon Nights Inc	Muskegon	150	Hotel/Motel Operation
444110	Menard Inc	Muskegon	150	Hardware Store
333999	Whitehall Products LLC	Montague	150	Manufactures weather vanes; manufactures signs & advertising specialties; aluminum foundry
452111	Bon-Ton Stores Inc	Muskegon	150	Department Store
611110	Holton Public School District	Holton	150	Elementary/Secondary School
444110	Home Depot USA Inc	Muskegon	150	Ret Lumber/Building Materials
444110	Lowe's Home Centers Inc	Muskegon	150	Ret Lumber/Building Mtrl Whol Lumber/Plywd/Millwk Ret Household Appliances Whol Appliances/Tv/Radio
325412	Perrigo Co	Montague	150	Manufactures pharmaceutical preparations
623110	Whitehall Manor Inc	Whitehall	150	Skilled Nursing Home
221119	Consumers Energy Co	Muskegon	150	Electric Services
Source: Harris Publishing Company, 2008 InfoSource

OTHER MAJOR EMPLOYERS
SIC	FIRM	LOCATION	EMPLOYEES	PRODUCT
	Shape Corp.	Muskegon	2,100	Aircraft & Aerospace Products
	County of Muskegon	Muskegon	1,300	County Government
	Herman Miller	Muskegon	1,000	Office Furniture
	Michigan Adventure	Muskegon	480	Amusement Park
	GHSP	Muskegon	480	Motor Vehicle Parts & Accessories
	Verizon Communication	Muskegon	450	Telecommunications/Media
	Port City Group	Muskegon	375	Aluminum Die Castings
	Lift-Tech Internatinal	Muskegon	340	Hoists, Cranes & Monorails
8049	Muskegon General Hospital	Muskegon	500	Health care
8062	Mercy Care of West Michigan	Muskegon	500	Health care
9111	County of Muskegon	Muskegon	400	Executive offices
8222	Muskegon Community College	Muskegon	275	Education
9223	Michigan Dept Corrections	Muskegon	274	Correctional institutions
Source: Local County Economic Development Contact, 2004

NUMBER OF ESTABLISHMENTS
Type of Service	2004
Total	3,672
Forestry, fishing, hunting, and agriculture support	7
Mining	2
Utilities	3
Construction	410
Manufacturing	313
Food mfg	15
Beverage & tobacco product mfg	1
Textile product mills	4
Apparel manufacturing	2
Wood product mfg	4
Paper mfg	1
Printing & related support activities	14
Petroleum & coal products mfg	1
Chemical mfg	9
Plastics & rubber products mfg	8
Nonmetallic mineral product mfg	13
Primary metal mfg	33
Fabricated metal product mfg	91
Machinery mfg	57
Computer & electronic product mfg	5
Electrical equip, appliance & component mfg	5
Transportation equipment mfg	15
Furniture & related product mfg	12
Miscellaneous mfg	23
Wholesale trade	133
Retail trade	647
Transportation & warehousing	69
Information	69
Publishing industries	10
Motion picture & sound recording industries	10
Finance & insurance	187
Real estate & rental & leasing	108
Professional, scientific & technical services	251
Management of companies & enterprises	21
Admin, support, waste mgt, remediation services	144
Educational services	27
Health care and social assistance	400
Arts, entertainment & recreation	71
Accommodation & food services	313
Other services (except public administration)	454
Unclassified establishments	43
Source:Source:U.S. Department of Commerce and Bureau of the Census, County Business Patterns, Issued July 2006

Quality of Life

EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES
PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT INFORMATION
COMMUNITY	SCHOOL DISTRICT	STUDENTS	INSTRUCTORS	HIGH SCHOOLS
Fruitport	Fruitport Community Schools	3,600	185	1
Holton	Holton Public Schools	1,218	74	1
Montague	Montague Area Public Schools	1,611	82	1
Muskegon	Muskegon Public Schools	7,370	500	1
Muskegon	Orchard View Schools	2,792	147	1
Muskegon	Reeths-Puffer Schools	4,354	218	1
Muskegon	Oakridge Public Schools	1,908	95	1
Muskegon Heights	Muskegon Heights Public Schools	2,778	130	1
North Muskegon	North Muskegon Public Schools	774	49	1
Norton Shores	Mona Shores Public Schools	3,637	188	1
Ravenna	Ravenna Public Schools	1,057	60	1
Whitehall	Whitehall District School	1,953	101	1
Source: MI Department of Education, 1997

TWO YEAR COLLEGES AND TECHNICAL SCHOOLS
NAME	LOCATION	ENROLLMENT
Muskegon Community College	Muskegon	5,500

FOUR YEAR COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES
NAME	LOCATION	ENROLLMENT
Baker College of Muskegon	Muskegon	1,790
Grand Valley State University	Ottawa Co.	13,384
Source: MI Department of Education, 1996

MEDICAL FACILITIES
TYPE OF FACILITY	# IN COUNTY	# OF BEDS
Hospitals	4	487
Source: MI Department of Consumer and Industry Services, 1998

HOUSING (2000)
OWNER OCCUPIED	MEDIAN VALUE	RENTER OCCUPIED	MEDIAN RENT
38,766	$85,900	13,858	$453
Source:U.S. Bureau of the Census, Census of Population and Housing, 2000

CLIMATE
MONTH	AVG. MIN TEMP	AVG. MAX TEMP.
January	17F./-8C.	29F./-2C.
July	60F./16C.	80F./27C.
PRECIPITATION	RAINFALL	SNOWFALL
Average Annual	31in./79cm.	109in./277cm.
GROWING SEASON	DAYS ABOVE 90F/32C	DAYS BELOW 0F/-18C
156	5	5
Source: NOAA Climate Summary, 1995

RECREATION COUNTY HIGHLIGHTS

Muskegon Museum of Art; Great Lakes Maritime Museum - USS Silverside Submarine Display; Muskegon Summer Celebration, CHL Professional Hockey Team (Muskegon Fury); Muskegon Art Fair; Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp; Muskegon Air Fair, Muskegon Winter Sports Complex, many miles of white sand Lake Michigan beaches; Blue Lake Recreation Center; outdoor recreational activities include boating, fishing, camping, and hiking.

Source: Local County Economic Development Contact

Municipal Services

UTILITIES
COMMUNITY	ELECTRIC	GAS
Montague, Casnovia, Cedar Creek, Dalton,	Consumers Energy	DTE Energy
Laketon, Whitehall, Moorland, Muskegon,
Moorland, Ravenna, Egelston, Sullivan,	Consumers Energy	DTE Energy
Montaque, White River	Consumers Energy	DTE Energy
Source: Local County Economic Development Contact

TELECOMMUNICATIONS
Local Phone Companies	Verizon
Long Distance Companies	AT&T, MCI, Sprint, and others
Internet Service Providers	Comcast, Verizon, Qwest, IServ, Genuity and others
Source: Local County Economic Development Contact

LICENSED LANDFILLS
COMMUNITY	OWNER/MANAGER
Moorland	Muskegon County Department of Public Works
Muskegon	Leased from Muskegon Twp
Source: MDEQ Waste Management Division, 1998

PROPERTY TAX (2004)
Agriculture	Commercial	Industrial	Residential	Other
1.20%	22.60%	13.40%	60.10%	2.70%
Source:MI Department of Treasury State Tax Commission, 2006

GOVERNMENT
COMMUNITY	PHONE NUMBER	COMMUNITY	PHONE NUMBER
Blue Lake Twp	(231) 894-6335	Casnovia twp	(616) 675-4064
Cedar Creek Twp	(231) 821-0014	Dalton Twp	(231) 766-3043
Egelston Twp	(231) 788-2308	Fruitland Twp	(231) 766-3208
Fruitport Charter Twp	(231) 865-3151	Holton Twp	(231) 821-2168
Laketon Twp	(231) 744-2454	Montague (City of)	(231) 893-1155
Montague Twp	(231) 894-4414	Moorland Twp	(231) 853-2015
Muskegon (City of)	(231) 724-6705	Muskegon Charter twp	(231) 777-2555
Muskegon Hts (City of)	(231) 733-3320	North Muskegon (City of)	(231) 744-1621
Norton Shores (City of)	(231) 798-4391	Ravenna Twp	(231) 853-6205
Roosevelt Park (City of)	(231) 755-3721	Sullivan Twp	(231) 853-6900
White River Twp	(231) 894-9216	Whitehall (City of)	(231) 894-4048
Whitehall Twp	(231) 893-2095
Source: Local County Economic Development Contact

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CONTACT

Muskegon Area First  900 Third Street, Suite 200  Muskegon, MI 49440

Phone: (231) 722-3751

Website: http://www.muskegon.org/

Source: Local County Economic Development Contact