Upjohn Author ORCID Identifier
Series
Upjohn Institute Technical Report No. 25-054
DOI
10.17848/tr25-054
Issue Date
September 2025
Abstract
This report by the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research examines labor market dynamics in Battle Creek, finding that roughly 75 percent of jobs in the city are held by workers who live outside the city limits, with significant skill mismatches between city residents and local employer needs. This mismatch helps explain persistently low wages, elevated poverty rates, and high reliance on public assistance among city residents despite a strong manufacturing base and growing logistics, food processing, and machining sectors. Limited housing supply, inadequate public transportation, and childcare shortages further restrict residents’ access to employment. The report underscores the urgency of aligning Battle Creek residents with skills demanded by employers, especially as significant investments, including Ford Motor Company’s BlueOval battery plant, are projected to generate thousands of jobs with above-average wages. To achieve better alignment, the report recommends targeted training partnerships with Kellogg Community College and Michigan Works! Southwest, alongside expanded childcare, transportation access, and housing development, to increase resident employment, raise incomes, reduce poverty, and strengthen the city’s long-term fiscal and community capacity.
Sponsorship
W.K. Kellogg Foundation
Subject Areas
LABOR MARKET ISSUES; Wages, health insurance and other benefits; ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT; Transportation and infrastructure; Early childhood; Childcare / Child care; On the job training
Get in Touch With The Expert
Want to arrange to discuss this work with the author(s)? Contact our .
Included in
Adult and Continuing Education Commons, Early Childhood Education Commons, Economic Policy Commons, Labor Economics Commons, Regional Economics Commons
Citation
Lendel, Iryna V., Chloe Wieber, Sevrin Williams, and Gerritt Anderson. 2025. "Economic Outlook of Battle Creek: Challenges and Opportunities." Upjohn Institute Technical Report No. 25-054. Kalamazoo, MI: W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research. https://doi.org/10.17848/tr25-054