Report: Grand Rapids Area Adds 1,300 New Tech Jobs in 2025
Posted By: DBusiness on December 8, 2025. For more information, please click here to read the source article.
The Grand Rapids region has added 1,300 tech job through August 2025, according to the Economic Outlook for 2026 for the Greater Grand Rapids Region by The Right Place Inc., a business development operation in Grand Rapids.
During the same period, 65 percent of the companies in the Grand Rapids region reported increased sales compared to 2024. Overall, the region has between 603,000 and 605,000 total jobs.
“Greater Grand Rapids continues to grow, fueled by young talent and an increasingly diverse community,” says Randy Thelen, president and CEO of The Right Place. “Our region remains competitive across our key industries while offering a more affordable cost of living than many comparable markets nationwide.
“But there’s more to do. We need to keep pushing forward with a growth mindset to ensure long-term prosperity for our region.”
In addition to the 1,300 new tech jobs that were added in 2025 (nearly 41,000 in total), 43 percent of companies increased hiring by 6.6 percent and 46 percent of organizations plan to expand in the Grand Rapids region.
Almost a quarter (24 percent) of companies reported issues with new employee recruiting.
Other findings in the Economic Outlook for 2026 for the Greater Grand Rapids Region:
- 2 percent population growth over the last decade.
- 3 percent of the region’s population in the past year comprised diverse communities.
- 37 percent have a bachelor’s degree or higher.
- 25 percent of population is 19 or younger.
- 1 percent industrial vacancy rate (compared to 7.6 percent nationally; lowest among top 50 markets).
- 4 million square feet of industrial space is under construction.
- The region’s cost of living index is 7 points below the national average (92.6 vs 100).
- 86,000 more air travelers in the first three quarters of 2025 compared to 2024.
Thelen also provided an update on The Right Place’s progress toward the final year of the 2023-2025 strategic plan. A new three-year plan will be announced in early 2026. Over the course of the last 3 years, the organization’s work has resulted in:
- 4,153 new and retained jobs against a three-year goal of 4,000 new and retained jobs.
- $844.2M in new capital investment against a three-year goal of $550 million.
- $487.2M in community development against a three-year goal of $100 million.
- $30.90 average hourly wage against a three-year goal of $26.50 average wage
« Back to Insights