Traverse City-area job growth outpaces Michigan and the U.S., an economist tells a Traverse Connect summit

TRAVERSE CITY — The Traverse City region has added jobs much faster than Michigan or the country as a whole since the pandemic, economist Jeff Guilfoyle told business leaders Monday at Traverse Connect’s annual economic summit.

The event was held at the Grand Traverse Resort and Spa in Acme Township, 9&10 News reported. Guilfoyle, of Public Sector Consultants, put the region’s employment 9.8% above its pre-pandemic level. He put the United States at 4.4% higher and Michigan at 0.8%, which he called “anemic.”

“I wish the rest of the state was growing the way the Traverse City region is growing,” he said, according to 9&10.

Since February 2020, he said, the region is up 6,300 jobs, with health care the largest driver. He also said trade, transportation and utilities, and leisure and hospitality, are higher now than they were before the pandemic, which he said is not true for the state.

Guilfoyle’s warning was about who will fill those jobs. He said projections of the working-age population from 2025 to 2050 are negative for the region. “You cannot grow your economy without workers,” he said. “The good news is people want to live here.” 9&10 also reported him saying Grand Traverse County’s population has grown 25% in the last 25 years and has more than doubled since 1970, while the state’s population has grown by only a few thousand in recent years.

Warren Call, Traverse Connect’s chief executive, told the summit the regional economy is broader than tourism, second homes and agriculture. He said more working-age people are moving in, school enrollment is growing, and demand is rising at the airport and in other transportation. United recently added seasonal summer nonstops from Cherry Capital Airport to Los Angeles and San Francisco, beginning in 2027.

The figures in this account come from 9&10 News’ report of the Monday summit. Traverse Connect had not posted a separate release with the same tables as of this writing.

Sources:
9&10 News, “Traverse City region outpaces state, U.S. job growth rate,” Nov. 9, 2026, https://www.9and10news.com/2026/11/09/traverse-city-region-outpaces-state-us-job-growth-rate/
The Mitten Daily, “United adds seasonal nonstops from Traverse City to Los Angeles and San Francisco starting June 19, 2027,” Nov. 5, 2026, https://themittendaily.com/stories/traverse-city-news-united-airlines-nonstop-los-angeles-san-francisco-summer-2027-1105.html
Image: AI-generated illustration by The Mitten Daily.

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Tags: Traverse City · Traverse Connect · Jeff Guilfoyle · Warren Call · Jobs · Grand Traverse County · Public Sector Consultants