Photo credit: Dean Storm, Crain Communications Inc.
Crain’s Detroit Business
April 1, 2025
Kurt Nagl
Southeast Michigan’s economy remains strong and its business environment prosperous, but the region falls short of its peers in “most key metrics” and is more vulnerable to a trade war, the Detroit Regional Chamber found in its annual State of the Region report.
Related | View the 2025 State of the Region Report
The manufacturing-reliant region ranks in the bottom third for educational attainment, population, jobs and GDP, according to the report, released Tuesday.
Inflation is also a major concern for the 11-county region, whose households have seen their purchasing power decline since the COVID-19 pandemic began in early 2020. Tariffs imposed by the Trump administration have heightened those worries.
Auto companies and other businesses are fretting about the 25% tariff on Canada — Michigan’s largest trading partner — as well as a 25% tariff on Mexico, which is a pillar of the manufacturing supply chain.
…