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

Packers and Packagers, Hand Salary in Grand Rapids, MI

Packers and Packagers, Hand in the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI metro area earn a median $35,570 a year — 2% less than the national median. After 2026 taxes, that is $29,500 take-home, or $2,458 a month.

Median salary
$35,570
$17.10 per hour
Typical range
$29,780 – $42,040
10th to 90th percentile
Jobs in Grand Rapids, MI
3,950
1.83× national concentration
▼0.4%
Pay trend: The median for packers and packagers, hand in Grand Rapids, MI fell from $35,730 (May 2024) to $35,570 (May 2025). That trailed inflation (2.4%), so buying power slipped about 2.8%.

Take-home pay calculator

Pre-filled with the median packers and packagers, hand salary in Grand Rapids, MI. Enter your own offer to see your paycheck.

Packers and Packagers, Hand in Grand Rapids, MI
Deductions, kids & local tax

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

Your take-home pay
$29,500
per year · effective tax rate 17.1%
$2,458Monthly
$1,229Twice a month
$1,135Every 2 weeks
$14.18Hourly
  • Federal income tax$2,088
  • Social Security (6.2%)$2,205
  • Medicare (1.45%)$516
  • Michigan income tax$1,261
  • Take-home pay$29,500

Marginal rate: 12% federal + 4.25% state

Living in Grand Rapids? City residents also pay Grand Rapids’s city income tax — about $534 a year on this salary — which lowers take-home pay to $28,966 ($2,414 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 →

Packers and Packagers, Hand pay by experience in Grand Rapids, MI

PercentileSalaryHourlyTake-home / yrPer month
10th percentile (entry level)$29,780$14.32$25,093$2,091
25th percentile$31,270$15.03$26,227$2,186
Median (50th)$35,570$17.10$29,500$2,458
75th percentile$36,620$17.61$30,299$2,525
90th percentile (top earners)$42,040$20.21$34,423$2,869

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

What $35,570 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 packers and packagers, hand's $29,500 take-home pay has the buying power of $30,875 in a typical American city.

1-bedroom rent
$1,242
51% of monthly take-home
2-bedroom rent
$1,479
60% of monthly take-home
Left after 1-BR rent
$1,216
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 1.8× the national concentration of packers and packagers, hand jobs — a strong local market for this occupation.

Best-paying cities for packers and packagers, hand, adjusted for cost of living

Grand Rapids, MI ranks #18 of 47 metro areas once taxes and local prices are taken into account.

#Metro areaMedian salaryTake-homeReal value*
1Kansas City, MO $44,460$36,751$39,713
2Philadelphia, PA $43,970$36,160$35,259
3Cleveland, OH $37,440$32,016$34,087
4Columbus, OH $38,090$32,520$34,064
5Seattle, WA $44,010$37,542$33,781
6Memphis, TN $35,630$30,809$33,423
7St. Louis, MO $37,280$31,320$32,938
8Cincinnati, OH $36,650$31,403$32,927
18Grand Rapids, MI$35,570$29,500$30,875

*Take-home pay divided by the BEA price level, so every city is measured in U.S.-average dollars. See all 47 metros →

About the job: packers and packagers, hand

Pack or package by hand a wide variety of products and materials.

Typical education
No formal educational credential
Work experience
None required
On-the-job training
Short-term on-the-job training
Job outlook, 2025–35
-5.0% (declining)

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

Packers and Packagers, Hand salaries elsewhere in Michigan

Frequently asked questions

How much does a packers and packagers, hand make in Grand Rapids, MI?

The median packers and packagers, hand salary in the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI metro area is $35,570 a year, or about $17.10 an hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025). The middle half earn between $31,270 and $36,620.

What is a packers and packagers, hand’s take-home pay in Grand Rapids, MI?

On the median $35,570 salary, a single filer living in Michigan takes home about $29,500 a year ($2,458 a month) after federal tax, Social Security, Medicare and $1,261 in Michigan taxes in 2026.

Is Grand Rapids, MI a good place to work as a packers and packagers, hand?

Pay here is 2% below the national median of $36,280. Local prices are 4.5% below the U.S. average, so the take-home pay buys what $30,875 would in a typical U.S. city. Grand Rapids, MI ranks #18 of 47 metro areas for cost-of-living-adjusted pay in this job.

Can a packers and packagers, 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) — 51% of a median packers and packagers, hand’s monthly take-home pay. Financial planners usually suggest keeping rent under about 30%.

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