Updated · 2026 tax rules · Data: IRS, BLS, BEA, HUD · How we calculate

Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand Salary in Grand Rapids, MI

Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand in the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI metro area earn a median $36,130 a year — 10% less than the national median. After 2026 taxes, that is $29,926 take-home, or $2,494 a month.

Median salary
$36,130
$17.37 per hour
Typical range
$30,220 – $49,500
10th to 90th percentile
Jobs in Grand Rapids, MI
18,840
1.66× national concentration
▼8.6%
Pay trend: The median for laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand in Grand Rapids, MI fell from $39,540 (May 2024) to $36,130 (May 2025). That trailed inflation (2.4%), so buying power slipped about 11.0%.

Take-home pay calculator

Pre-filled with the median laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand salary in Grand Rapids, MI. Enter your own offer to see your paycheck.

Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand in Grand Rapids, MI
Deductions, kids & local tax

2026 tax year. Federal brackets from IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32.

Your take-home pay
$29,926
per year · effective tax rate 17.2%
$2,494Monthly
$1,247Twice a month
$1,151Every 2 weeks
$14.39Hourly
  • Federal income tax$2,156
  • Social Security (6.2%)$2,240
  • Medicare (1.45%)$524
  • Michigan income tax$1,285
  • Take-home pay$29,926

Marginal rate: 12% federal + 4.25% state

Living in Grand Rapids? City residents also pay Grand Rapids’s city income tax — about $542 a year on this salary — which lowers take-home pay to $29,384 ($2,449 a month). Choose “Grand Rapids” under City income tax in the calculator. Suburban residents usually don’t pay it.

Got an offer somewhere else? Compare it with this one after taxes and rent →

Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand pay by experience in Grand Rapids, MI

PercentileSalaryHourlyTake-home / yrPer month
10th percentile (entry level)$30,220$14.53$25,428$2,119
25th percentile$34,220$16.45$28,472$2,373
Median (50th)$36,130$17.37$29,926$2,494
75th percentile$44,720$21.50$36,463$3,039
90th percentile (top earners)$49,500$23.80$40,100$3,342

Wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Take-home: single filer, Michigan resident, 2026 tax rules.

What $36,130 buys in Grand Rapids, MI

Prices in Grand Rapids, MI are 4.5% lower than the U.S. average (housing costs are 13% below the national average). Adjusted for local prices, a median laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand's $29,926 take-home pay has the buying power of $31,321 in a typical American city.

1-bedroom rent
$1,242
50% of monthly take-home
2-bedroom rent
$1,479
59% of monthly take-home
Left after 1-BR rent
$1,252
per month for everything else

Rents: HUD Fair Market Rents, FY2026 (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities). Price levels: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.

Grand Rapids, MI has 1.7× the national concentration of laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand jobs — a strong local market for this occupation.

Best-paying cities for laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand, adjusted for cost of living

Grand Rapids, MI ranks #159 of 164 metro areas once taxes and local prices are taken into account.

#Metro areaMedian salaryTake-homeReal value*
1Waterloo, IA $47,440$39,147$44,967
2Fargo, ND $45,690$38,892$42,799
3Des Moines, IA $46,370$38,328$41,797
4Louisville, KY $46,830$38,286$41,135
5Chambersburg, PA $47,540$38,919$41,122
6Cedar Rapids, IA $43,300$35,978$40,441
7Youngstown, OH $41,540$35,197$40,274
8Tyler, TX $43,390$37,044$40,197
159Grand Rapids, MI$36,130$29,926$31,321

*Take-home pay divided by the BEA price level, so every city is measured in U.S.-average dollars. See all 164 metros →

About the job: laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand

Manually move freight, stock, luggage, or other materials, or perform other general labor.

Typical education
No formal educational credential
Work experience
None required
On-the-job training
Short-term on-the-job training
Job outlook, 2025–35
+1.8% (slower than average)

Source: BLS Standard Occupational Classification and Employment Projections, 2025–35.

Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand salaries elsewhere in Michigan

Frequently asked questions

How much does a laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand make in Grand Rapids, MI?

The median laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand salary in the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI metro area is $36,130 a year, or about $17.37 an hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025). The middle half earn between $34,220 and $44,720.

What is a laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand’s take-home pay in Grand Rapids, MI?

On the median $36,130 salary, a single filer living in Michigan takes home about $29,926 a year ($2,494 a month) after federal tax, Social Security, Medicare and $1,285 in Michigan taxes in 2026.

Is Grand Rapids, MI a good place to work as a laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand?

Pay here is 10% below the national median of $40,240. Local prices are 4.5% below the U.S. average, so the take-home pay buys what $31,321 would in a typical U.S. city. Grand Rapids, MI ranks #159 of 164 metro areas for cost-of-living-adjusted pay in this job.

Can a laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand afford rent in Grand Rapids, MI?

HUD’s fair market rent for a one-bedroom in Grand Rapids, MI is $1,242 a month ($1,479 for two bedrooms) — 50% of a median laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand’s monthly take-home pay. Financial planners usually suggest keeping rent under about 30%.

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