Demographics 

The demographics for the Northeast Region of Michigan are presented on a county by county basis with comparison to the eight county region as a whole, as well as to the state and nation. Due to the timing of this report the last available demographic census information is 1990, more recent demographic information is estimated and should be reviewed and updated when the 2000 census data becomes available. 

Population Trends [See Appendix A, Tables 1-4 for supporting data] 

Understanding of the general population trends is an essential component of fully understanding our community, where we have been, where we are now and possibilities for the future. Population characteristics play a role in the human resource programs provided or needed in an area and have significant implications for the current and future employment and training programs. An area’s population size and age distribution are major factors impacting its labor supply. 
 

• The area's 1998 population was 134,847 or 1.4 percent of the state's population. The area's population grew by over 19,000 between 1980 and 1998.Almost sixty-three percent of this growth occurred between 1990 and 1998. 

• Otsego County has experienced the greatest population increase, between 1990 and 1998, of the eight  counties in northeast Michigan, at 23.2 percent. 

• Alpena County was the only county in the Region to experience a population loss between 1990 and 1998. 

• Eight counties comprise the Northeast Michigan Works Agency region (MWA), with Alpena the most populated (30,405 or 22.5 percent) and Oscoda the least populated (8,882 or 6.6 percent). 

• The Northeast MWA's racial profile is majority white (98.4 percent) with Native Americans comprising the largest minority group at nearly one percent. 

• The population distribution by sex by county is fairly even, ranging from 48.3 percent male in Cheboygan County to 51.2 percent male in Crawford County.Over the eight county region, 49.1 percent of the population is male as compared with 48.5 percent across the state. (1990 Census data). 

Overall, the northern portion of the lower peninsula of Michigan remains a fast growing area.While the northeast region is not growing at the same rate as the northwest, much of the area is growing at rate greater than the state and national averages.

Age Distribution Changes  [See Appendix A, Tables 3-4 for supporting data]
 

• All eight counties in Northeast Michigan experienced decreases in percent population in the following age groups between 1990 and 1996: 

             o18-24 years of age 

             o24-44 years of age 
 

• All eight counties in Northeast Michigan experienced increases in the percent of population in the following age groups between 1990 and 1996: 

             o all age groups greater than 45 years of age 

• Median age in each of the eight counties in the Region is above the state median age of 32.6 (1990 Census data), ranging from 33.7 in Otsego to 44.8 in Alcona. 

• The percent of owner occupied dwellings is highest for Alpena County (64.1%) and lowest in Oscoda County (31.9%). 

• The percent of vacant or seasonal dwelling units is significantly higher in Northeast Michigan (49.1%) than for the state as a whole (24.4%). 

• Oscoda, Alcona and Montmorency have the greatest number of vacant or seasonal housing units (61%, 59.1%and 59% respectively, compared to 24.4 percent statewide). 

Residential Building Permits  [See Appendix A, Table 6 for supporting data] 
 

• Otsego had the greatest number of new dwelling units in the region in both 1990 and 1997, consistent with the increasing population (213 d.u. and 224 d.u. respectively). 

• Oscoda County had the lowest number of new dwellings in both years, (49 d.u and 76 d.u. respectively) 

• Alpena County experienced positive growth in new dwelling units in both 1990 (62 d.u.) and 1997 (120 d.u.), despite a loss in total population. 

Income, Poverty and Education  [See Appendix A, Tables 9-10 for supporting data] 
 

• The household and per capita incomes across the region are significantly below the state-wide figures. The per capita income levels for the Counties in NE Michigan range from 61-80% of the State level. 

• Only Otsego County had a comparable 1995 household income with the state as a whole, and has shown a significant increase since 1990.(1995-Otsego: 35,935, State: 35,940; 1990-Otsego:26,356) 

• Montmorency County has the lowest household income at 66% of the State average. 

• Poverty percentages typically decreased in the Counties across Northeast Michigan between 1989 and 1995, however Alpena and Crawford Counties experienced slight rises. (Alpena 1990: 13.5%,1995: 13.7%; Crawford 1990: 14.6%, 1995: 14.9%) 

• With the exception of Otsego County, the Northeast Region has in the past, and continues to experience higher rates of poverty than that of the State as a whole. 

• Educational attainment level are typically lower in Northeast Michigan than for the State as a whole. 

• Otsego County is the only county in the region which exceeds the state average for percent of population having graduated from high school or higher.(Otsego County 79.5% compared 76.3% statewide) 

• None of the counties in the region exceed the state average for percent of population having earned a bachelors degree or higher, the numbers range from 7.9% (Oscoda) holding a bachelors degree or greater to 13.7 % (Otsego) compared with 17.4% across the state. (1990 Census data). 

Transportation  [See Appendix A, Table7 for supporting data] 
 

• Within the region, 2,913 occupied households do not have a vehicle available. The numbers range from 165 households (3.9%) in Alcona County to 814 households (6.9%) in Alpena County. 

• Public transportation options are extremely limited within the Region. A few of the counties are served by dial-a-ride service, but no coordinated region-wide transportation system is currently available. 

The demographics for the Northeast Region of Michigan are presented on a county by county basis with comparison to the eight county region as a whole, as well as to the state and nation. Due to the timing of this report the last available demographic census information is 1990, more recent demographic information is estimated and should be reviewed and updated when the 2000 census data becomes available. 

Economic and Business Conditions 

Labor Force [See Appendix A, Tables 11-15 for supporting data] 

Changes in the size of the civilian labor force and its component parts of employed and unemployed follow trends in population and economic development.Labor force information can be used by human resource planners to gauge the number of individuals experiencing unemployment problems and to increase the esponsiveness of training programs to changing conditions. Strong labor force growth rates are increasingly
important to ensure adequate local labor supply. 
 

• Labor force has increased 19.8 percent between 1990-1998 in the MWA.Otsego County recorded the largest numeric (3,925) as well as the highest growth rate (50 percent) increase. 

• The unemployment rate has declined steadily from 1992 through 1998.The 1996 rate of 9.4 percent was the first single-digit annual rate recorded this decade. 

• The unemployment rate increased slightly in seven of the eight counties in the Region from 1998 to 1999, only Alpena decreased, at the same time the state rate decreased slightly. 

• The month average unemployment rates reveal a distinct difference between summer and winter rates for many counties within the Region.For the five years 1995 through 1999, Cheboygan has experienced greater than 20 percent unemployment in the winter and as low as two percent (July of 1998). 

• A relatively lower area labor force participation rate than statewide suggests the potential for greater area labor force expansion. 

Labor Supply  [See Appendix A, Tables 16-18 for supporting data] 
 

• Two major components of local area labor supply (total unemployed and school graduates) reflect a decline. This may result in an increasing shortage of workers in certain occupational classifications. 

• The number of local area unemployed has continued to decline.Between 1997-1998, the number unemployed has declined by 325 or 6.2 percent. 

• Based on data from the Michigan Department of Education, the number of graduates from the Northeast Lower Michigan MWA high schools, colleges and universities has increased slightly from academic year 1996-1997 to 1997-1998. 

Industrial Employment  [See Appendix A, Tables 19-22 for supporting data] 
 

• Local jobs are concentrated in retail trade, services, government, manufacturing and construction. 

• The local area employment structure reflects a significantly higher proportion of government, retail trade and construction and mining jobs than statewide. 

• The largest employers in the counties of Northeast Michigan are predominantly education, government, health care and tourism-related. 

• The five-year trend shows a slight decrease in the number of service sector jobs. Government and transportation, communication and utilities experienced a significant loss in their relative share. 

Occupational Outlook  [See Appendix A, Tables 23-30 for supporting data] 
 

• Projections for the managerial, professional and technical groups, which have a large concentration of workers requiring post-secondary training or a college education, show faster than average rates of growth. 

• The level of job openings will be highest among service occupations, with 445 openings annually. 

• The total 4,180 jobs, expected to be added to the Northeast Michigan economy between 1996 and 2006, represent a growth rate of 7.3 percent. 

• The local wages in Northeast Michigan continue to be significantly below the state or national averages for most occupations. 

• “High Growth, High Openings, High Wage” occupations are shown to be high growth rates, however due to low number of persons in those fields in the region, these growth rates translate into relatively low annual openings for new jobs. 

Education and Training [See Appendix B for supporting data] 

Extensive education and training opportunities are available throughout the region. The graduation rates are increasing, as are the number of people earning GED or high school diplomas through adult education programs. The education and training opportunities are provided by the local school districts, adult education programs, community colleges and state initiative programs. Career and Technical Education programs are available at the high school level, as well as Technical Education Programs at the community colleges. Customized training is provided by the colleges (under contractual agreements with the Northeast Michigan Consortium).Customized training provides programs tailored to the specific business or industry needs. One of the issues noted in Northeast Michigan, is that many of the employers are very small, and these
training options are not available to train for just a few employees. See the Career Development System section for more details on education and training . 

Technology   [See Appendix B for supporting data] 

Nationwide, 95 percent of American public schools have internet access.However, 61 percent of teachers in elementary or secondary schools identified themselves as “somewhat or not at all prepared” to integrate this technology into the classroom. Access to the World Wide Web is widely available throughout the Region and is available in most if not allof the 17 K-12 school districts, and in all of the ISDs and community colleges. Internet access is also available through the public libraries in the region. High speed internet service and digital transmission capabilities are limited in Northeast Michigan. Fiber optic transmission lines are only available on a very limited basis, see Fiber Optic map. The lack of this technological infrastructure is impacting the ability of the region to attract new business and industry. By 2006, nearly half of all workers in the U.S. will be employed in industries that produce or intensively use information technology products or services according to U.S. Department of Commerce projections. 

An interactive network of distance learning facilities exists in the Alpena, Montmorency, Alcona Educational Service District (AMA-ESD), with facilities located at each of the high schools within the ESD.Distance learning opportunities are being expanded at the community  colleges. The Michigan Community College Virtual Learning College offered 119 course sections from 17 community colleges with a total fall 1999
enrollment of 1,846.The Michigan Virtual University (MVU) also provides distance learning opportunities throughout the Region (and State). However, as noted above, lack of an adequate technology infrastructure limits access to these information rich resources.