Switch Pyramid Campus

Grand Rapids' economy combines furniture and office systems (Steelcase, Herman Miller/MillerKnoll, Haworth — the "Furniture Capital"), advanced manufacturing, healthcare and biomedical, and the Switch Pyramid data center campus that put the metro on the national map. Just one tracked facility but it is a marquee site, with roughly 450 NAICS 518 jobs (estimated). The metro is a small data center market with one outsized installation.

The trades pool is compact. Electricians at $62,240 and HVAC technicians at $60,190 sit close in median, both above Michigan average for non-Detroit metros. The 5,470 maintenance workforce earns $48,530 — deep relative to electrician count, reflecting the metro's manufacturing maintenance base. The Switch campus alone drives a meaningful share of skilled trades hiring.

For a trades worker, Grand Rapids is a niche play centered on Switch and the surrounding manufacturing-and-healthcare commercial base. Best fit for HVAC technicians and electricians with high-reliability infrastructure experience. Low cost of living makes the moderate wages more competitive.