This Michigan City Has the Highest Unemployment Rate in America
It’s a hot job market, but according to a new study from Wallethub, one Michigan town has the highest unemployment rate in the country. Hopefully we can turn that around…

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It's a hot job market, but according to a new study from Wallethub, one Michigan town has the highest unemployment rate in the country. Hopefully we can turn that around this year. I love this state and would like to see more people moving here to enjoy our beautiful landscapes, but there have to be the right jobs for those people. Thankfully, it's not all bad news for Michigan and our job market. Read on for all the details on the study, plus the good news.
The study
The crew at Wallethub just released their report on 2022's "Best Cities for Jobs." Along with the main list, they also included research on cities with the highest and lowest unemployment rate, highest and lowest median annual income; most and least affordable housing; most and fewest job opportunities and more.
Methodology
To find the best and worst job markets in the U.S., WalletHub compared 182 cities using two key dimensions, “Job Market” and “Socio-economics.”
Then, they evaluated the two dimensions using 31 relevant metrics. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most favorable conditions for job seekers, according to the report.
Current job numbers
According to the Wallethub study, the most latest jobs report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows a national unemployment rate is 4.2%. In comparison, back in 2020, it was a whopping 14.7%.
College graduates
If you're graduating from college this year, you're in luck. According Wallethub, employers expect to hire 26.6% more new graduates from the class of 2022 than they did from the class of 2021.
The size of the cities
For those 182 cities in the study, Wallethub included the 150 most populated U.S. cities, as well as at least two of the most populated cities in each state.
Lowest unemployment rate
The cities with the lowest unemployment rate were Lincoln, Nebraska; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Madison, Wisconsin and Scottsdale, Arizona. They were all tied for No. 1, the best.
Highest unemployment rate
So, which Michigan city had the highest unemployment rate? According to the study, Detroit, Michigan. I love this city, so that breaks my heart.
Other cities with the highest unemployment rate
Other cities on the tally include Newark, New Jersey; New York City, New York; Stockton, California; San Bernardino, California; and Long Beach, California.
Lowest median annual income
Detroit was also at the top of the list of cities with the lowest median annual income. The Motor City ranked 181.
Some positive news for Michigan
One city in Michigan, Grand Rapids, was ranked inside the top 100 of the "Best Places to Find a Job" in the country. They came in at No. 92.
More information
View the full list of the "Best Places to Find a Job," as well as the smaller study regarding the cities with the highest and lowest unemployment rates in the country, here.