Before and after: A look at Whitmer’s legacy

By most metrics, Michiganders have fared poorly under Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s policies. From the economy to education, the state has experienced significant declines in economic growth and education while seeing energy prices, gas taxes, and car insurance costs increase at higher rates than in neighboring states.

Whitmer took office in January 2019. The state increased its poverty rate from 13% in 2019, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, to 13.4% in 2024, with 1.3 million living below the poverty line.

The state has acknowledged this weak performance. “Michigan's poverty rate was 13.4 percent in 2024, not statistically different from the 13.5 percent reported in 2023,” the Michigan Center for Data and Analytics reported in 2025. “During this time, the national poverty rate experienced a statistically significant decline, from 12.5 percent in 2023 to 12.1 percent in 2024. In 2024, the poverty rate in the United States, unlike Michigan, appears to have dropped below levels in 2019 prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Personal income in Michigan, per capita, was $67,245 in 2025, up 9.9% since 2019 when adjusted for inflation, according to James Hohman, fiscal policy director at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy.

But that increase was relatively feeble compared to other states. Michigan ranked 11th-lowest in the country for personal income in 2025.

Hohman also noted that as of September 2026, 191,000 fewer Michiganders were employed than in September 2019 – a 4% decrease and the fourth-biggest loss in the country.

Michigan had the fifth-highest unemployment rate in the country at 5.0%.

“The next governor will have to work hard to turn around the state’s trends,” said Hohman in an email to Michigan Capitol Confidential.

Hohman added that Michigan has fallen behind and will need broad improvements in its tax and regulatory environment to bring the state back to standard American performance.

The unemployment rate has been rising since 2023. Hohman added that while jobless rates around the country are currently low, Michigan’s is high and trending in the wrong direction. This could be contributing to the state’s anemic 0.5% gain in population since 2019 – the 10th-lowest in the nation. Michigan’s population only grew by 49,758 residents in six years.

Michigan’s education report card increased its rank among other states in 2019, but it has since experienced a decline since that time. Fourth grade reading rose from 35th to 32nd from 2017 to 2019, according to a press release from the state. But the improvement did not continue. Fourth grade slid to 44th place in reading, according to the latest National Assessment of Educational Progress results.

Fourth graders also lost ground in other rankings, from 38th to 42nd place from 2017 to 2019 in math. They have fared better in the latest NAEP results, with a three-point improvement, but still lagged in the average national rankings by two points.

Eighth graders improved in math from 2017 to 2019, from 33rd to 28th place. But they fell to 31st place in the latest results.

While academics, poverty, and employment have continued in a downward spiral, costs in the state have increased.

The state’s gas tax rose from 26.3 cents per gallon in 2018 to 52.4 cents per gallon in 2026.

Electricity rates increased from 15.73 cents per kWh in 2019 to 21.45 cents per kWh in 2026, giving the state some of the highest energy rates in the country, according to PriceofElectricity.com. The same site noted that ratepayers have experienced a 12.2% increase in energy rates since July 2025 and 29.5% over the past five years.

In 2024, Michigan was rated as 40 out of 51 for average residential electric rate, with one being the lowest rates and 51 the highest, according to the Michigan Public Service Commission.

It is also had the second-highest car insurance rates in the nation, according to insurancequotes.com.

The second-place finish may be an improvement: In 2019 The Zebra put Michigan in the top spot for car insurance expense.

Whitmer did not respond to a request for comment.