GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Grand Rapids has fallen from the top spot to No. 25 on LinkedIn's annual "Cities on the Rise" ranking, one year after the city claimed the No. 1 position on the world's largest professional networking platform.
The list measures job market momentum and whether more workers are moving into a city than moving out.
LinkedIn highlighted the Grand Rapids metro area for its proximity to Lake Michigan, affordable living, and vibrant culture.
"Its deep manufacturing roots — particularly in furniture manufacturing — are evolving alongside a growing tech sector and new healthcare investment along the city's Medical Mile," LinkedIn said.
Lots of people in downtown Grand Rapids shared why they decided to work here on the west side.
"The traffic's not too bad, it's a has a lot of great options for just eating and walking and working," municipal attorney Tobt Koenig said.
"Just a lot of people moving here and a lot of development in the city, so we've had a beautiful experience here in Grand Rapids," Next to None Laquane Crue said.
The top industries LinkedIn identified as hiring in Grand Rapids are hospitals and healthcare, higher education, and transportation equipment manufacturing. The top companies listed are Corewell Health, Grand Valley State University, and Meijer.
"The growth along Grand Rapids' Medical Mile has helped us establish our region as a nationally recognized center for healthcare, innovation, education, and research," Senior Vice President, Corewell Health, Talent Attraction Jan Harrington-Davis said.
Augusta, Georgia, has claimed the new No. 1 spot for jobs and new talent. Like Grand Rapids, Augusta's growth is also heavily focused on healthcare and higher education.
One key difference between the two cities is work flexibility. Remote job availability stands at 26% in Augusta compared to 2.7% in Grand Rapids. However, Grand Rapids has a slightly higher median household income at $69,110, compared to Augusta's $55,485.
LinkedIn noted that its methodology excluded larger markets to focus on emerging trends in smaller cities.
"Metro areas with more than 2.5 million LinkedIn members were excluded to better highlight emerging labor market dynamics in mid-sized and smaller metros," LinkedIn said.
LinkedIn also described the scope of its data.
"This analysis represents the world seen through the lens of LinkedIn data and is based on anonymized and aggregated datasets analyzing millions of U.S. member profiles and job postings from March 1, 2024 to February 1, 2026," LinkedIn said.
It's clear that cities across the country are adjusting to remote workplace trends in different ways. While some communities report higher telework rates, the study reports that Grand Rapids has fewer than 3% of our local workforce operating fully remotely.
Decisions about where employees work, whether in-person, hybrid, or fully remote, are ultimately made by business leaders and employers. As City Manager, I remain focused on community building, fiscal stewardship, and elevating the overall quality of life for our residents and workers, regardless of where their job is located.
Grand Rapids has been attempting to address office occupancy challenges while creating vibrancy that benefits residents, local businesses, and visitors alike. While remote work has environmental benefits and individual convenience, onsite work builds community by bringing workers back into shared environments.
The investments in our neighborhood business corridors, park upgrades, and year-round community event activations across all three Wards reflects our commitment to create places where people want to gather. We know that people activate places. Whether someone is commuting downtown, working from home, or visiting a neighborhood district, active community spaces fuel small businesses and bring energy to our streets. Grand Rapids remains a top destination for people to live and work because we’ve collectively built a vibrant, resilient, and welcoming City.
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