Michigan
State Government
Governor
Gretchen Whitmer (D)
State Senate
20
Democrats,
18
Republicans
State House
56
Democrats,
54
Republicans
Economic well-being - Michigan
Extreme poverty rate
0.1
Food insecurity
0.2
Minimum wage
12.5
Percent of working families under 200% of the poverty line
0.3
Poverty rate
13.4%
Unemployment rate
5.2
Number of Black or African American children living in families where no parent has full-time, year-round employment
Number of Hispanic or Latino children living in families where no parent has full-time, year-round employment
Percent of individuals who are uninsured
5.1
Poverty by demographic - Michigan
Child poverty rate
0.2
Number of Asian and Pacific Islander children below 200% poverty
18000
Number of Black or African American children below 200% poverty
193000
Number of Hispanic or Latino children below 200% poverty
89000
Senior poverty rate
10.6 %
Women in poverty
5,034,424
The Record-Eagle, November 25, 2012: A helping hand out of poverty
"Executive director Roberta Lamont said the role of a Family Partnership mentor is dual -- to be aware of available resources and options while serving as a support, sounding board and encouraging friend to the client. Our job is not to solve problems or fix their lives,' she said. The big piece is the relational match. Poverty can be very isolating. Someone may want to go on to college but be fearful of the unknown.'"
The Detroit News, October 29, 2012: DPS helping students see their way to college
"It's a sea change at DPS and for these schools, where less than half the students graduate and 40 percent or fewer attend postsecondary institutions. This fall, DPS launched its Detroit Rising College Prep Schools to put students in high-poverty areas on the path to college at the same rate as suburban schools."
Detroit Free Press, October 23, 2012: Michigan's tougher graduation requirements leads to fewer graduating, study finds
"The study also reaffirmed the achievement gap that exists between low-income students and others when it comes to graduation. Low-income students are less likely to graduate within four years, and in some districts, the graduation rate for these students is 40-50% (Flint, Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids), while in others it is closer to 70% (Southfield, Dearborn),' the study found."
The Detroit News, October 05, 2012: (Op-Ed) Burgess-Proctor: Families with truant children need more help, not less welfare
"It is clear chronic student truancy is a symptom of family dysfunction rooted in poverty, yet the solution proposed by Snyder and DHS is to further impoverish poor families. This policy exacerbates the very problem it purportedly aims to solve while creating more work for already overburdened school district and DHS employees."
Grand Rapid Press, October 04, 2012: Grand Rapids, other districts, look beyond Count Day at need for equitable funding
"The last thing high poverty school districts need is to lose resources to provide programs and services to support students who need extra help to achieve. That's why Grand Rapids schools pulled out all the stops this summer and in the days leading up to Wednesday, Count Day, to get students in class. All public schools in Michigan were required to count the students attending their schools. That figure determines 90 percent of the state's per-pupil funding."
Grand Rapid Press, September 25, 2012: Educators say linking welfare to school attendance could be effective tool against truancy
"Michigan parents could lose welfare benefits if they aren't sending their children to school regularly, a move educators said could be an effective "tool" against truancy. But some advocates for families in poverty say they worried struggling parents are being singled out without looking at the reasons why the children are not in school."