Top Occupations in Michigan by Political Donations

See which occupations donate the most in Michigan. 100 occupations, $54.9M in donations from Michigan.

The occupational breakdown of political donors in Michigan reflects the state's economic makeup. This ranking shows which professions contribute the most to federal campaigns from within Michigan, with both state-level and national totals provided for comparison. The mix of top occupations can differ substantially from one state to another based on local industries and workforce composition.

#OccupationMichigan TotalNational Total
1EXECUTIVE$10.9M$282.8M
2HOMEMAKER$6.7M$119.4M
3CHAIRMAN$6.5M$209.7M
4SALES$4.6M$36.5M
5CHAIRMAN EMERITUS$3.0M$5.0M
6PROFESSOR$2.2M$64.2M
7ENGINEER$1.7M$69.4M
8CHAIRMAN & CEO$1.4M$39.1M
9STATE REPRESENTATIVE$1.2M$2.1M
10FARMER$955K$31.0M
11FACTORY WORKER$851K$2.3M
12BOARD MEMBER$813K$8.4M
13VICE PRESIDENT$722K$26.8M
14EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN$719K$40.9M
15SELF EMPLOYED$619K$24.5M
16FOUNDER AND CHAIRMAN$617K$2.2M
17EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR$505K$15.1M
18CFO$488K$13.9M
19PSYCHOLOGIST$406K$15.3M
20ADMINISTRATOR$400K$8.8M
21DENTIST$393K$10.0M
22VICE CHAIRMAN$385K$6.7M
23CO-FOUNDER$378K$40.9M
24CO-CHAIRMAN$362K$3.6M
25COO$330K$11.8M
26SOCIAL WORKER$320K$6.2M
27BUSINESS EXECUTIVE$279K$5.5M
28AUTO DEALER$255K$7.9M
29PROPERTY MANAGEMENT$253K$3.0M
30DOCTOR$236K$12.1M
31ACTOR$215K$6.5M
32C.E.O.$184K$5.0M
33STRATEGIC ADVISOR$182K$618K
34NURSE$163K$4.7M
35THERAPIST$162K$6.5M
36ELECTRICIAN$160K$2.3M
37INVESTMENT BANKER$158K$7.7M
38DEALER$155K$2.9M
39INTERNATIONAL REPRESENTATIVE$148K$512K
40REGISTERED NURSE$136K$4.1M
41BUILDER$130K$4.5M
42PROPERTY MANAGER$130K$4.5M
43UNEMPLOYED$129K$5.4M
44JUDGE$116K$1.1M
45TRANSPORTATION$115K$1.2M
46PHYSICIAN SCIENTIST$113K$547K
47RESEARCH$107K$2.0M
48BOARD CHAIRMAN$107K$296K
49ANESTHESIOLOGIST$106K$3.1M
50LAW PROFESSOR$105K$2.2M
51TREASURER$104K$4.0M
52TRUCK DRIVER$103K$2.8M
53CRO$101K$376K
54PRIVATE INVESTOR$99K$9.0M
55DERMATOLOGIST$94K$2.2M
56MINISTER$94K$1.2M
57CCO$87K$528K
58DIRECTOR OF MORTGAGE BANKING$86K$118K
59HEALTH POLICY$84K$265K
60LETTER CARRIER$83K$2.1M
61RESTAURANT OWNER$81K$2.0M
62MEMBER$80K$13.4M
63FOUNDER AND CEO$79K$4.8M
64BIOSTATISTICIAN$78K$318K
65LOGISTICS$76K$720K
66SOFTWARE ENGINEERING$74K$340K
67HOUSEWIFE$74K$2.0M
68CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER$73K$2.6M
69MANUFACTURING$73K$2.0M
70FACULTY$72K$1.5M
71CHEMIST$70K$1.3M
72SOFTWARE$70K$3.0M
73MORTGAGE BANKER$69K$1.3M
74AUTOMOTIVE$67K$533K
75CHIEF LEGAL OFFICER$67K$1.2M
76EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN$66K$1.2M
77ENGINEERING$65K$1.6M
78RESTAURANT$64K$662K
79PATHOLOGIST$64K$918K
80ORTHODONTIST$63K$2.9M
81SUPERVISOR$62K$1.7M
82SCULPTOR$61K$519K
83FINANCIAL PLANNER$61K$1.9M
84ADVERTISING$60K$1.9M
85LECTURER$59K$1.6M
86PT$59K$858K
87MEDICAL DOCTOR$59K$1.8M
88PASTOR$58K$2.0M
89DAIRY FARMER$57K$1.0M
90CRNA$57K$1.7M
91ORGANIZER$56K$1.4M
92OPHTHALMOLOGIST$56K$1.8M
93CONTROLLER$55K$2.1M
94ACCOUNTING$55K$2.2M
95PURCHASING$55K$169K
96VICE CHAIR$54K$1.2M
97BUSINESS CONSULTANT$53K$1.7M
98CLERK$53K$1.2M
99DIRECTOR, MORTGAGE BANKING$53K$59K
100CHIEF OF STAFF$53K$2.0M

Frequently Asked Questions

What occupations donate the most in Michigan?

The top political donors by occupation in Michigan typically include retirees, attorneys, executives, and physicians. Across 100 tracked occupations, Michigan residents have contributed $54.9M to federal campaigns.

Does Michigan's occupation mix differ from the national average?

Each state's occupational giving profile reflects its local economy. States with major financial centers see more banker and investor donations, while states with large university systems see more professor and researcher contributions. Compare the Michigan and National Total columns to spot these differences.

How are occupation categories determined?

Donors self-report their occupation on FEC contribution forms. We normalize common variations (e.g., "ATTORNEY" and "LAWYER" are combined) to produce cleaner rankings, though some inconsistency remains due to the self-reported nature of the data.

More Michigan Data

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