50 facts that frame Michigan, from health care and poverty to income
Demographics
- Population, 2019: 9,986,857 (10th in nation)
- Population growth, 2010-2019: 1 percent (7 percent nationwide)
- Median age, 2018: 39.8 (38.2 nationwide)
- Racial makeup, 2018: 78.3 percent white, 13.8 percent black, 3.3 percent Asian and 2.9 percent of residents who identify as two or more races (nationwide: 72.2 percent white, 12.7 percent black, 5.6 percent Asian, 5.1 some other race and 3.3 percent multiracial).
- Ethnicity: 5.2 percent Hispanic (18.3 percent nationwide)
- Foreign-born residents, 2018: 7 percent (13.7 percent nationwide)
- Homeowners, 2018: 71 percent homeowners (64 percent nationwide)
- Renters, 2018: 29 percent renters (36 percent nationwide)
- Percent living in urban areas or suburb, 2017: 82 percent (84 percent nationwide)
- Poverty rate, 2018: 14.1 percent (13.1 percent nationwide)
- Child poverty, 2018: 19.4 percent (18 percent nationwide)
Education
- Adults with high school diploma, 2018: 91.1 percent (88.3 percent nationwide)
- Adults with at least a bachelor’s degree, 2018: 29.6 percent (32.6 percent)
- Fourth-graders proficient in reading, 2019: 31 percent (35 percent nationwide)
- Fourth-graders proficient in math, 2019: 36 percent (41 percent nationwide)
- Annual expenditures per pupil, 2016: $10,823 ($11,841 nationwide)
- Average teacher salary 2018: $62,702 annually ($60,483 nationwide)
- State funding for higher education 2019: $1.45 billion
- State funding for higher education, 2010, inflation adjusted: $1.64 billion
- Per-pupil spending on needs-based college grants, 2018: $223 ($533 nationwide)
- Average college student loan debt, 2018: $35,307 ($35,359 nationwide)
Economy
- Median household income, 2018: $60,449 annually ($63,179 nationwide)
- Average weekly wage, 2018: $1,077 ($1,144 nationwide)
- Per capita income, 2018: $48,423 ($54,446 nationwide)
- Labor force participation, 2018: 61.7 percent (63.2 percent nationwide)
- Median home value, 2018: $162,300 ($229,700 nationwide)
- Growth in median home value, 2010 to 2018: 14 percent (10 percent nationwide)
- Total real property values, 2019: $429.7 billion (up 12.7 percent since 2015)
- Jobless rate, 2018: 4.1 percent (3.6 percent nationwide)
- Gross domestic product, 2018: $527 billion (14th nationwide)
- Total personal income, 2018: $484 billion (12th nationwide)
Health
- Life expectancy, 2017: 78.1 years (79.1 nationwide)
- Violent crime rate per 100,000 residents, 2018: 490.3 (369 nationwide)
- Primary care doctors per 100,000 residents, 2019: 205.2 (159.6 nationwide)
- Adult suicide rate per 100,000 residents, 2019: 14.5 (14.5 nationwide)
- Youth suicide rate per 100,00 residents, 2019: 9.2 (7.8 nationwide)
- Drug overdose deaths per 100,000 residents, 2019: 24 (19 nationwide)
- Residents without health insurance, 2018: 5 percent (8.5 percent nationwide)
- Smoking rate among adults, 2019: 18.9 percent (13.7 percent nationwide)
- Obesity rate among adults, 2019: 33 percent (30.9 percent nationwide)
- Child immunization rate, 2017: 69.9 percent (70.4 percent nationwide)
Government
- Voters in 2016 general election: 64.7 percent (59.3 percent nationwide)
- Number of Democratic voters in 2016 presidential primary: 1.2 million
- Number of Republican voters in 2016 presidential primary: 1.3 million
- State and local taxes per capita, 2016: $4,082 ($4,946 nationwide)
- Per-capita government spending, 2017: $5,459 ($5,976 nationwide)
- Federally funded roads in poor condition, 2018: 41 percent (20 percent nationwide)
- Bridges that are structurally deficient, 2018: 10.7 percent (7.6 percent nationwide)
- Average legislator salary, 2018: $71,685 (fourth-highest nationwide)
- Adults employed by governments, 2018: 13.8 percent (15.2 percent nationwide)
- Incarcerated adults per 100,000 residents, 2018: 641 (655 nationwide)
2020 Michigan Fact & Issue Guide
- Michigan could decide presidency. These are the facts that shape our state.
- Michigan K-12 test scores slowly improving, but remain mediocre at best
- Early childhood education is key to success. Michigan still has work to do.
- Michigan college tuition hikes leave average graduate with $35K in debt
- Jobs up, poverty declines as Michigan emerges from Great Recession hangover
- Incomes climb in Michigan, but state still struggles with loss of manufacturing
- Michigan has great access to health care. Health outcomes are another story
- Michigan’s cherished Great Lakes, clean waters face threats from all sides
- Michigan roads are infamously bad. But sewers and dams are in rough shape too
- Michigan doles out more in business tax breaks than it spends on schools
- Michigan employs 48K people. A quarter of them work in prisons.
- Nearly 200 Michigan communities are financially distressed, despite economy
- Michigan is a toss-up state again after favoring Democrats for a generation
- Michigan voters may weigh ballot issues on abortion, LGBTQ, lobbying reforms
See what new members are saying about why they donated to Bridge Michigan:
- “In order for this information to be accurate and unbiased it must be underwritten by its readers, not by special interests.” - Larry S.
- “Not many other media sources report on the topics Bridge does.” - Susan B.
- “Your journalism is outstanding and rare these days.” - Mark S.
If you want to ensure the future of nonpartisan, nonprofit Michigan journalism, please become a member today. You, too, will be asked why you donated and maybe we'll feature your quote next time!