Post-Pandemic Job Recovery Sluggish in Some Midwest Markets

Like much of the U.S., every metro across the Midwest lost a lot of jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the road to recovery hasn’t been as easy in the Midwest as it has been in some other regions. In fact, in some major Midwest markets, the job base at the end of 2024 continued to lag employment levels from the end of 2019. Milwaukee, Minneapolis and Cleveland have had the hardest time returning to pre-COVID job levels, as employment counts at the end of 2024 were still roughly 1% to 2% behind year-end 2019 numbers. It should be noted, however, that Cleveland and Minneapolis are making progress. Milwaukee, in contrast, lost another 2,600 jobs in 2024, specifically. The Detroit and Chicago employment bases were roughly fully recovered by the end of 2024, with job numbers essentially matching pre-COVID levels. Major Midwest markets topping 2019 norms by roughly 2% to 4% were Columbus, St. Louis, Cincinnati and Kansas City. The one major Midwest market with a year-end 2024 job count notably ahead of pre-COVID norms was Indianapolis. In fact, job growth in Indianapolis since the end of 2019 just missed a top 10 performance, coming in at #15 with growth of 8.9%, lagging just a bit behind Las Vegas and Houston.

For more information on the state of Midwest apartment markets, including forecasts, watch the webcast Market Intelligence: Q1 Midwest Region Update & 2025 Outlook.