Michigan's Urban Depression

[Cooper]

I looked up unemployment figures for individual Michigan cities today. They were even worse than I expected. Twelve cities had unemployment rates above 20 percent. Two of those, Highland Park and Pontiac, had unemployment rates above 30 percent [[35.6 and 33.2 percent respectively).

All the figures are on my blog, think Detroit, but I'm attaching a visual summary. I think these statistics just underscore the fact [[yet again) that we need a comprehensive strategy -- at the local, state, and national level -- to stabilize Rust Belt cities, and we need it urgently.

[cman710]

Thanks for posting this handy chart. If you do not mind me asking, what is the source of your information. Every once in a while, I like to know the unemployment data for Detroit, and it would be good to know a good source that is updated.

[Cooper]

My source, by the way, was the Michigan Department of Labor & Economic Growth [[or lack there of, as the case may be):

http://www.milmi.org/cgi/dataanalysi...eName=Labforce

[Cooper]

I was posting the source just as you were asking. I'm glad to share. I'd been looking on and off for city-level unemployment data for a couple years until I finally found it this week.

[MIRepublic]

Cooper, can you add the central cities of the major metropolitan areas in the state such as Lansing, Grand Rapids, Ann Arbor, etc...your choice of cities seems to be random.

[Cooper]

Cooper, can you add the central cities of the major metropolitan areas in the state such as Lansing, Grand Rapids, Ann Arbor, etc...your choice of cities seems to be random.

The cities aren't random -- they're the twelve cities with unemployment rates higher than 20 percent. Thankfully the crisis isn't as severe in every central city.

Here's some more data for comparison's sake though [[but this list *is* random):

Ann Arbor: 11.3%
Dearborn: 12.1%
Livonia: 7.1%
Grand Rapids: 17.0%
Kalamazoo: 16.0%
Lansing: 17.2%
Southfield: 18.0%

You can find data on 100 Michigan cities and townships at the link I posted above. You can also look up metro areas.