Michigan•In office since 2019•Party: D

Gretchen Whitmer

Serving as Governor of Michigan since 2019. Evaluation based on verified public data.

Overall GradeC-

44.4 / 100

Ranked #39 of 50 nationally

Economy

58.6 / 100B-

Unemployment RateD+

3.8%

National avg 3.9%

Rank 36 of 5030 pct

Trend since took officefrom 4.0%

Median Household IncomeB-

$68,505

National avg $74,580

Rank 35 of 5031 pct

Trend since took officefrom $54,909

Job GrowthB+

4.0%

National avg 5.5%

Rank 27 of 5047 pct

Trend since took officefrom 1.5%

Real GDP GrowthB

6.0%

National avg 8.0%

Rank 28 of 5045 pct

Trend since took officefrom 2.0%

Real Wage GrowthB-

2.6%

National avg 3.0%

Rank 36 of 5030 pct

Trend since took officefrom 1.0%

Fiscal Health

56.9 / 100C+

State Debt per CapitaC+

$3,200

National avg $3,580

Rank 33 of 5036 pct

Trend since took officefrom $3,850

Rainy Day FundA-

17.0%

National avg 14.0%

Rank 21 of 5059 pct

Trend since took officefrom 11.0%

State & Local Tax BurdenC+

9.8%

National avg 11.2%

Rank 20 of 5061 pct

Trend since took officefrom 9.7%

Credit RatingD+

National avg 90

Rank 39 of 5023 pct

Trend since took officefrom 78

Quality of Life

38.5 / 100D+

Poverty RateD+

13.1%

National avg 11.5%

Rank 36 of 5030 pct

Trend since took officefrom 13.6%

High School Graduation RateF

82.8%

National avg 87.0%

Rank 43 of 5014 pct

Trend since took officefrom 81.4%

Life ExpectancyD+

76.4 yrs

National avg 77.5 yrs

Rank 34 of 5034 pct

Trend since took officefrom 77.1 yrs

Violent Crime RateF

478 / 100k

National avg 380 / 100k

Rank 41 of 5018 pct

Trend since took officefrom 449 / 100k

Bridges in Poor ConditionC+

5.4%

National avg 6.6%

Rank 25 of 5052 pct

Trend since took officefrom 5.8%

How this grade is built

Each metric gets two scores: how the state ranks among all 50 states (60%) and how much it changed under this governor (40%). These combine into a 0–100 score per metric, averaged within three pillars — Economy, Fiscal Health, Quality of Life — then curved across the cohort so grades spread A–F.

Full methodology →