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 Detroit News, September 25, 2012: Truant kids to cost families state aid
"Michigan parents whose children don't attend school will lose welfare cash benefits under a new state policy that takes effect Oct. 1. Starting Monday, the Michigan Department of Human Services will require children ages 6-15 to attend school full time to keep their family eligible for cash benefits. If a child doesn't, the entire family becomes ineligible."
Kalamazoo News, September 19, 2012: Lake Michigan College testing new method of connecting low-income students to social services
"Lake Michigan College is one of seven colleges across the nation participating in an experimental program to see if coordinated financial help, such as child care subsidies and food assistance, helps low-income students complete a degree."
The New York Times, September 13, 2012: Why These Kids Get a Free Ride to College
"Back in November 2005, when this year's graduates were in sixth grade, the superintendent of Kalamazoo's public schools, Janice M. Brown, shocked the community by announcing that unnamed donors were pledging to pay the tuition at Michigan's public colleges, universities and community colleges for every student who graduated from the district's high schools. All of a sudden, students who had little hope of higher education saw college in their future."
The Huffington Post, August 29, 2012: (Op-Ed) How to Fight Poverty in Detroit
"Cities like Detroit, as well as disadvantaged neighborhoods in many cities, need greater public investments: in education, jobs and infrastructure. Poor children and young adults won't have an equal opportunity to succeed if their public schools don't teach them the skills they need for 21st century jobs. And employers are not locating new factories and offices in areas where the labor force is not well educated."
Kalamazoo Gazette, August 29, 2012: Comstock High School to get college adviser through Michigan College Access Network
"Through a program to boost Michigan's college graduation rate, Comstock High School is getting a full-time adviser to help students navigate the college admissions and financial aid process. Laura Essig is part of the National College Advising Corps, a program in which recent college graduates are hired, trained and placed as full-time college advisers in high-poverty high schools."
Battle Creek Enquirer, August 13, 2012: Poverty matters in school rankings
"Poverty is a common thread among the area's struggling schools, but Michigan's new accountability system revealed weaknesses at buildings that passed the old system with flying colors."