TRAVERSE CITY — Area unemployment rates went up again in December, reflecting similar trends in labor markets across the state.
Jobless rates for December released last week by the state Department of Technology, Management and Budget reflected a 4.3% unemployment rate for the five-county Traverse City metropolitan statistical area (MSA) that includes Grand Traverse, Leelanau, Benzie and Kalkaska counties. That’s up from the 4% jobless rate in November for the five-county area, but down from 4.9% rate recorded in December 2024.
“Most Michigan regional markets exhibited prominent employment decreases both over the month and over the year” said Wayne Rourke, labor market director for the Michigan Center for Data and Analytics, who noted that jobless rates for the month rose in 11 of Michigan’s 18 major labor markets in December. Jobless rates ranged from a low of 3.7% in the Ann Arbor MSA to a high of 7.6% in the 10-county Northeast Lower Michigan labor market area (LMA).
“Unemployment rates advanced in most areas in December but were down from the previous year,” Rourke said, adding that payroll jobs in Michigan also declined in December.
The Northwest Michigan Labor Market Area (LMA) that includes 10 northwest Lower Michigan counties recorded a 5% jobless rate for December, up from 4.5% in November but down from 5.7% reported in December 2024. Total employment in the region for the month was 145,600, a 2% decline from 148,600 in November.
The 10-county Northeast Michigan LMA’s 7.6% unemployment rate in December was up from 6.4% in November, but down from the 8.8% rate from December 2024.
Jobless numbers from regional counties and their state ranking among Michigan’s 83 counties included Grand Traverse County at 3.8% (3rd), Leelanau County at 4.2% (10th), Charlevoix at 5.2% (33rd), Missaukee at 5.2% (35th), Wexford at 5.2% (36th), Otsego at 5.4% (40th), Benzie at 5.8% (48th), Kalkaska at 5.9% (50th), Emmet at 6% (53rd), Antrim at 6.1% (67th), Manistee at 6.3% (60th) Crawford at 6.6% (64th), and Cheboygan at 10.5% (81st). Sixty-six Michigan counties showed higher jobless rates in December compared to November, although jobless rates fell in 76 counties over the year.
The jobless data includes actual numbers and is not adjusted to reflect typical seasonal job fluctuations.
The state’s monthly labor report also showed that the Traverse City MSA’s payroll jobs grew 1.7% from a year ago, highest among Michigan’s MSAs for the second consecutive month. State-wide payroll jobs fell by 18,000 in December — or about 0.4% — with the largest reductions in the construction and professional/business service sectors.
Statewide, Michigan’s jobless rate came in at 4.8% in December, unchanged from November’s 4.8% rate and down from 5% in December 2024. The national unemployment rate for December was 4.4% — down from 4.5% in November and ending an upward trend in the national jobless rate dating back to July 2025.