APPENDIX P
Who Are We? A Profile
POPULATION
There
are 9,773,900 people living in Michigan, making it the eighth most populous
state in the nation (1997).
There
are 3,576,000 households in the state, with an average of 2.6 people
living in each (1996).
Although
the state’s population is growing, it is occurring at a rate slower
than most other states; for 1996–97, Michigan’s growth rate
ranked 34th among the states.
About
85 percent of Michiganians are Caucasian, about 15 percent African-American,
one percent American Indian, and one percent Asian (see Exhibit
1). With the exception of its Asian population, Michigan’s
racial composition mirrors that of the rest of the nation (1996).
Only
3 percent of the state’s population are Hispanic, compared to 11
percent nationwide (1996).
The
median age in Michigan is 34.2, compared to 34.6 for the United States
(1996).
Twenty-nine
percent of the Michigan population are aged 19 or younger, 21 percent
are in their young working years, 29 percent are middle-aged, and 17
percent are 55 and older (1996; see Exhibit 2).
The
Michigan population is aging. In 1990 the median age was 32.5; six years
later it had increased nearly two years, to 34.2.
FAMILY CHARACTERISTICS
In
1995 there were 71,042 marriages and 39,499 divorces in Michigan; couples
ending their marriages were wed an average of seven years.
Of
the 2.4 million families in Michigan, 1.2 million—49 percent—have
children aged under 18 (1990).
The
average number of children per Michigan family is 0.92; the national
average is 0.89 (1990).
Twenty-eight
percent of the state’s children live in families headed by a single
parent; nationally, the rate is 26 percent (1994).
ECONOMIC STATUS
Per
capita income in Michigan is $24,945, ranking it 16th in the nation
(1996).
More
than one-fifth—21 percent—of Michigan children live in poverty
(in 1998, annual income under $13,650 for a family of three); of these,
10 percent live in extreme poverty (annual income under $ 6,825 for
a family of three); nationally, the rates are about the same (1994).
Twelve
percent of all Michigan residents and 24 percent of Michigan children
live in poverty (1996).
Of
Michigan’s 4.9 million people in the labor force, about 4.7 million
have jobs (1997).
Four
percent of the civilian labor force—about 202,000— are unemployed
(1997).
The
service sector (includes agriculture and tourism) is the largest employer
in the state, followed by manufacturing and retail trade (1997; see
Exhibit 3).
About
11 percent of the Michigan work force hold a job related to vehicle
manufacturing (1996).
Michigan
households average 1.7 vehicles; 6.2 million passenger vehicles are
registered in the state (FY 1996–97).
HOUSING AND RESIDENCE
Approximately
72 percent of Michigan residents own their own homes, ranking the state
among the nation’s top four in home ownership (1995).
Roughly
83 percent of Michigan’s population live in metropolitan areas
(cities and surrounding suburbs); the national figure is 80 percent
(1990).
Only
1.3 percent of the Michigan population live on a farm (1990).
Seventy-eight
percent of the Michigan population report having been born in the state,
ranking Michigan 9th in the nation in the number of native sons/daughters
still residing here (1990).
EDUCATION
Eighty-three
percent of Michigan residents aged 18 and older have a high school diploma,
and 19 percent have a bachelor’s degree or more advanced education
(1996).
Twenty-four
percent of Michigan males aged 25 and older have achieved at least a
bachelor’s degree; the figure is 19 percent for Michigan women
(1996).
Twenty-two
percent of Michigan Caucasians aged 25 and older have achieved at least
a bachelor’s degree; the figures for African-Americans and people
of Hispanic origin are 10 percent and 8 percent, respectively (1996).
The
high-school dropout rate in Michigan is 7.7 percent, up from 5.2 percent
in 1995 (1996).
HEALTH HABITS AND STATUS
Twenty-six
percent of Michigan adults smoke cigarettes, the 14th highest percentage
in the nation (1995).
Thirty-one
percent of Michigan adults are overweight, ranking it 5th in the nation
(1995).
The
state’s teen pregnancy rate is 82 per 1,000 pregnancies (1995).
Heart
disease is killing more Michiganians than any other cause: One-third
of all Michigan deaths are related to heart disease (1995).
Michigan
has 8 HIV/AIDS deaths per 100,000 people; the national rate is 15 per
100,000 people (1995).
POLITICAL AND RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION
Thirty-nine
percent of Michiganians consider themselves to be Democrats, 35 percent
Republicans, and 20 percent independents; 19 percent profess to be "strong"
Democrats, and 15 percent to be "strong" Republicans (1997).
Forty-two
percent say they are conservative, 27 percent moderate, and 29 percent
liberal (1997).
Fifty-two
percent say they are Protestant, 29 percent Catholic, one percent Jewish,
and 17 percent reported practicing another or no religion; 46 percent
say they attend religious services regularly, 21 percent attend often,
and 31 percent seldom or never (1997).
RECREATION AND OTHER ACTIVITIES
Eight
hundred thousand watercraft are registered in Michigan, making the state
the nation’s leader (1997).
Forty-three
percent of the Michigan population participate in some form of wildlife-related
recreation (1996).
One-fourth
of Michigan residents engage in hunting or fishing (1996).
Bicycling,
walking for exercise, camping, and bowling are the four sports activities
in which Michigan adults most often participate (1992).
Forty
percent of Michiganians volunteer annually (1997).
FOR
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Michigan Department of Community Health, Critical
Health Indicators: 1997 (Lansing, Mich.: MDCH), May 1997.
Michigan Information Center Web
site
www.michigan.gov/dmb/
Harold A. and Kendra A. Hover, State Fact
Finder: Rankings Across America, 1997 (Washington, D.C.; Congressional Quarterly),
1997.
National Sporting Goods Association. Sporting
Participation in 1992, State-by-State (Mt. Prospect, Ill.: 1992).
U.S. Bureau of the Census Web site
www.census.gov
U.S. Bureau of the Census, Census of
Population, 1990. (Washington, D.C.: GPO), 1990.
