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Brookings “Star Hub” for AI

Ann Arbor: Where Your Next Team Wants to Live

The data-driven case for building your tech presence in the Midwest's top AI hub.

TALENT

The Talent Pipeline

The University of Michigan produces more engineering and CS graduates than most companies can hire. That pipeline doesn't dry up.

47,000+

Students at U-M

#4

Public Engineering School

$1.5B+

Annual Research Expenditure

28

Brookings AI Star Hubs

COST

The Cost Advantage

Your dollar goes further in Ann Arbor — without sacrificing talent quality.

MetricSF Bay AreaAustinAnn Arbor
Avg Tech Salary$185K$150K$135K
Cost of Living Index180+11398
Office Cost/sqft$80+$55$28
State IncentivesLowMediumHigh (MEDC)

Your $10M office budget buys 357,000 sqft in Ann Arbor vs 125,000 in SF

RETENTION

Quality of Life = Retention

Employees who love where they live stay longer. It's that simple.

#1 Quality of Life#1 Most Educated#3 Remote Work#5 Midsize Tech Hub

Schools

Top-rated K-12 districts including Ann Arbor Public, Saline, and Dexter.

Healthcare

Michigan Medicine — one of the nation's top academic medical centers.

Culture

World-class museums, 30+ live music venues, and a renowned restaurant scene.

Outdoor Recreation

200+ parks, Huron River water trail, and endless trail systems.

Walkability

Walkable downtown, bike-friendly infrastructure, and expanding transit.

Airport Access

DTW is 25 min away — direct flights to 140+ destinations.

ECOSYSTEM

200+ Tech Companies. Network Effects Are Real.

The density creates talent mobility, knowledge sharing, and a support network that isolated offices can't match.

GoogleToyotaCiscoKLAAmazonMicrosoftMay MobilityCensysApplied IntuitionLeanTaaSThomson ReutersProQuestDaySmartAtomic ObjectNutshellClincWorkit HealthRefraction AI
INCENTIVES

Michigan Wants Your Business

State and local programs designed to make your expansion easy and affordable.

Michigan Business Development Program

Performance-based grants for job creation and capital investment. Up to $10K per job for qualifying projects.

Good Jobs for Michigan

Income tax capture for high-impact businesses creating 250+ jobs at competitive wages.

Michigan Strategic Fund

Flexible incentive packages including tax abatements, grants, and loans for strategic projects.

Ann Arbor SPARK provides site selection services, talent pipeline access, and incentive navigation at no cost.

Let's talk about your expansion.

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