Economy of Livonia, Michigan

Livonia is a city in western Wayne County in the state of Michigan. With a population of over 94,000 residents, Livonia is one of the largest suburbs in metro Detroit. The city has a diversified economic base spanning numerous industries.

Major Employers

Some of the largest employers in Livonia include:

• St. Mary Mercy Hospital
• Trinity Health
• Ford Motor Company
• Roush Enterprises
• Schoolcraft College
• Livonia Public Schools
• City of Livonia

The healthcare and education sectors provide a stable employment base for the city. Major manufacturers like Ford also have a sizable presence while companies in fields like engineering, technology, and logistics add to the mix.

Key Industries and Trends

Manufacturing

Manufacturing has historically been a vital part of Livonia’s economy. Ford Motor Company operates several manufacturing and R&D facilities in the city:

• Ford Transmission Plant
• Ford Controls and Testing Laboratory
• Ford Data Center

Other automotive, aerospace, defense, medical device, and food production plants are located in the city as well. While manufacturing employment has declined from its peak, it still accounts for 16% of jobs in Livonia.

Major recent developments include Ankura expanding its high-tech manufacturing facility and Valiant International Group opening a new aerospace machining center. As automation increases, maintaining a skilled workforce will be a priority.

Healthcare

With two major hospitals in St. Mary Mercy and Trinity Health, healthcare employs over 10% of Livonia’s workforce. An aging population and increased demand for services has spurred expansions like St. Mary Mercy’s new $60 million patient tower.

As one of the largest employment sectors, healthcare provides good jobs and economic stability. Additional medical offices, clinics, rehab centers, and assisted living facilities have opened across Livonia as well.

Partnerships with institutions like Schoolcraft College help maintain a pipeline of qualified healthcare professionals.

Technology and Engineering

Tech and engineering companies are major drivers of growth in Livonia:

• Roush Enterprises: Prototype design, testing and development
• NLR: Communications systems engineering and installation
• Valiant International Group: Aerospace and defense manufacturing

Livonia’s skilled workforce, infrastructure assets and proximity to clients attract firms in fields ranging from automotive and mobility technology to computer systems integration. Continued promotion and training efforts may yield an emerging tech/mobility cluster.

Retail, Food and Hospitality

As the population and economy have grown, so have establishments catering to shopping, dining and entertainment. Popular malls and retail complexes include:

• Laurel Park Place
• Wonderland Village
• Livonia Marketplace

The dining scene features a diverse array of restaurants reflecting the community. New hotels have risen as well to serve corporate and leisure visitors.

While retail employment has fallen given shifts to e-commerce, locations in high-traffic areas continue seeing investments.

Multi-tenant sites combine retail, medical offices, services and housing for convenience. The growth of mixed-use spaces and new city branding aim to boost local shopping and tourism.

Commercial Real Estate

Office Space

Livonia has over 3.7 million sq ft of office inventory across nearly 100 properties:

Class	Number of Properties	Total Rentable Building Area
A	4	577,109 sq ft
B	86	3,179,049 sq ft
Total	90	3,756,158 sq ft

(Source: CoStar)

Medical office space is in especially high demand given the expanding healthcare sector. Class A space is limited though, totaling just over 500,000 sq ft in a few buildings.

Downtown Livonia is walkable with dining and shopping options that appeal to office tenants. Improved amenities and branding aim to attract more investment.

Industrial Space

With around 10 million square feet spanning some 140 buildings, industrial real estate plays an integral economic role:

Building Size	Number of Properties	Total Rentable Building Area
<10,000 sq ft	15	93,102 sq ft
10,001-20,000 sq ft	14	218,800 sq ft
20,001-40,000 sq ft	28	897,739 sq ft
40,001-100,000 sq ft	49	3,245,195 sq ft
100,001-200,000 sq ft	23	3,283,839 sq ft
>200,000 sq ft	11	2,776,380 sq ft
Total	140	10,515,055 sq ft

(Source: CoStar)

Smaller flex buildings accommodate Livonia’s many mid-sized manufacturers and distributors. Larger warehouses host clients like Discount Tire, Ace Hardware and Sensor and Instrumentation while offering room to grow.

Quality infrastructure, utilities, logistics access and a centrally located skilled workforce support industrial firms. Maintaining competitiveness and sites for expansion is an ongoing economic priority.

Education and Workforce

Livonia’s educated, skilled workforce provides a major business advantage. 90% of adults hold high school degrees while over 40% have bachelor’s degrees or higher.

Major Educational Institutions

Post-secondary schools offering career-aligned programs include:

Schoolcraft College

• Two-year college with associate’s degrees and technical certifications
• Key programs: Advanced manufacturing, allied health, business, CAD, IT
• Partners with local employers like Roush Industries and area hospitals

Madonna University

• Four-year private Catholic university
• Over 100 undergraduate and 30 graduate programs
• Emphasis on applied fields like business, technology, nursing, social work

These schools give Livonia talent pipelines tailored to target industries. Articulation agreements allow students to transfer credits to four-year schools to further their education.

Workforce Training Initiatives

To maintain its competitive edge, Livonia supports various workforce training efforts:

Michigan Advanced Technician Training (MAT2)

• Program from Schoolcraft College and partners providing advanced manufacturing skills training

Livonia Public Schools Career Technical Center

• Career and technical education programs at the high school level

Industrial Technology Career Pathways

• High school vocational education initiative focused on manufacturing and information technology

Grants also back things like the Livonia Advanced Manufacturing Program equipping veterans with 3D printing and CNC skills. Such initiatives will be critical for developing talent given increasing automation.

Economic Outlook

Livonia has many assets that should support continued prosperity, including:

• Prime regional location: Centrally situated in metro Detroit with logistics access
• Strong demographics: Growing population with high education levels
• Diverse economy: Key anchors across manufacturing, healthcare, technology, retail and other service industries
• Business incentives: Tax abatements, Renaissance Zones, industrial park support
• Quality amenities: Good schools, parks, recreation, retail and housing options

While pandemic impacts caused some near-term churn, Livonia remains well-positioned for the future.

Projected stability in major sectors like healthcare alongside strategic growth opportunities in emerging fields like mobility and aerospace technology paint an optimistic picture. Livonia’s central location also suits trends of regionalism, remote work and domestic corporate re-shoring.

Continued business community collaboration will be important for economic development strategy. Maintaining infrastructure, sites and tools for investment must remain priorities as well.

Key Initiatives

Some current initiatives aimed at building economic success include:

City Branding

A multi-year city branding strategy aims to highlight Livonia’s advantages including location, people, amenities, and economy. Improved perception and promotion to attract talent and investment are goals.

Small Business Support

• Façade improvement grant program
• Pop-up retailer contests to activate vacant storefronts
• Shop Local campaigns
• Event venue funds

Infrastructure Investments

• Road repairs
• Park upgrades
• Expanded electric vehicle charging stations
• 5G wireless network acceleration

New Development

• Wonderland Village revitalization
• Elliott mixed-use site redevelopment
• Livonia Town Center initiative

Leveraging public-private partnerships on such efforts will amplify economic impact.

The Livonia Chamber of Commerce also launched Vision 21– a community and economic roadmap developed with local leaders.

Progress on action plans around areas like fiscal health, community enrichment and business growth will shape the future.

Key planning, collaboration and investing today will pay dividends through future stability, prosperity and quality of life for the city and its residents.

Conclusion

Livonia has a diverse economic foundation spanning major industries critical to southeast Michigan’s regional economy.

A history of manufacturing has benefited from emerging sectors in healthcare, technology and professional services alongside retail, food and hospitality offerings.

Various recent investments along with a prime location, skilled workforce and collaborative business climate position the city well for added growth.

While pandemic recovery continues, Livonia seems poised for a bright future as initiatives around infrastructure, branding, investment and talent development take hold.