Wednesday, August 27, 2008

More Bad News for Michigan

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Michigan was the only state where poverty rose and incomes fell last year, the U.S. Census Bureau reported Tuesday.

The statistics illustrate the uniqueness of Michigan's economic swoon, and the extent to which the auto industry's downward plunge has caused a ripple effect across the state.

Michigan's poverty rate was 14 percent, up from 13.5 percent in 2006 and a full percentage point above the national rate, which was virtually unchanged during the same period. The state's rate has grown steadily since 2000, when it was just above 10 percent. The number of people in poverty increased by 45,000 during 2006-07.

The 2007 median income in Michigan was $47,950, down 1.2 percent or $596 from the 2006 median of $48,546. The state's nationwide ranking slid from 24th to 27th.

They also showed Michigan's rate of "extreme poverty" -- a yearly income of less than half the poverty threshold, or $10,325 for a family of four -- jumped from 6 percent in 2006 to 6.5 percent last year. Eight years ago, the rate was 4.8 percent.

More than 18 percent of Michigan residents get some type of assistance through the state Department of Human Services, said Sheryl Thompson, acting director of outstate operations.

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