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
Kresge Reinforces Detroit Investment with $20M Early Childhood Initiative
MLive, January 26, 2016: Low-income students soar at some colleges, struggle at others
Vox, January 26, 2016: Flint children never had a fair shot, even before lead poisoning
MLive, June 8, 2015: RX for Reading provides over 9,000 books to low-income Detroit families
"By the time children in Michigan reach third grade, 40 percent of them aren't reading at proficiency, according to statistics from the Michigan League of Public Policy. In 2013, 80 percent of fourth-graders from low-income families "did not demonstrate proficiency" on a national test."
One News Now, April 8, 2015: Middle-class schools do little better than low-income schools
"In the latest of a series of studies, a research organization has found that many students in middle-class schools in Michigan fail to meet or exceed proficiency standards. The study is titled 'Not as Good as You Think: Why Michigan Parents Should Be Concerned about Their Local Schools,' and is authored by Lance Izumi of the Pacific Research Institute. He says middle-class students often fare no better than their counterparts in low-income, urban public schools."
MLive, March 28, 2015: (Op-Ed) For some low-income students, a caring adult can make all the difference
"In each case, the answer was the same: The presence of a caring adult who took a deep interest in his or her education, and who acted as a cheerleader."