State officials recently announced that the region is now a metropolitan statistical area (MSA), joining more than a dozen other MSAs across the state.

The Office of Management and Budget defines a metropolitan statistical area as an area consisting of at least one urban area with a population of 50,000 or more, plus adjacent territory that has a high degree of social and economic integration with the core as measured by commuting ties.

State officials this month announced the creation of the Traverse City metropolitan statistical area (MSA), consisting of Benzie County, Grand Traverse County, Kalkaska County, and Leelanau County.

The state gathers and logs considerable data for MSAs, the first batch of which can be found here.

The "Key Takeways," as described in the report: "The Traverse City MSA’s labor market has made remarkable strides in recent years. By 2024, the average unemployment rate was 4.3 percent, well below the peak jobless rate during the pandemic. The Traverse City metro area reached its highest workforce level of 82,400 in 2024. Similarly, the Traverse City MSA saw the greatest average payroll jobs level in its history (71,600) over the same period."