Michigan Information and Facts

Official Website: http://www.michigan.gov/

Income

The population of Michigan in 2002 was 10,043,221. Its rank was 8th in the nation. (The District of Columbia is included for ranking purposes.)

Per Capita Personal Income

In 2002 Michigan had a per capita personal income of $29,816. This per capita personal income ranked 22nd in the United States and was 96 percent of the national average, $30,906. The 2002 per capita personal income reflected an increase of 1.1 percent from 2001. The 2001-2002 national change was 1.2 percent. In 1992 the per capita personal income of Michigan was $20,338 and ranked 21st in the United States. The 1992-2002 average annual growth rate of per capita personal income was 3.9 percent. The average annual growth rate for the nation was 4.0 percent.

Total Personal Income

In 2002 Michigan had a total personal income of $299,449,365. This total personal income ranked 9th in the United States. In 1992 the total personal income of Michigan was $192,788,275 and ranked 9th in the United States. The 2002 total personal income reflected an increase of 1.5 percent from 2001. The 2001-2002 national change was 2.3 percent. The 1992-2002 average annual growth rate of total personal income was 4.5 percent. The average annual growth rate for the nation was 5.2 percent.

Components of Personal Income

Total personal income includes net earnings by place of residence; dividends, interest, and rent; and total personal current transfer receipts received by the residents of Michigan. In 2002 net earnings accounted for 69.0 percent of total personal income (compared with 68.4 in 1992); dividends, interest, and rent were 15.8 percent (compared with 17.1 in 1992); and personal current transfer receipts were 15.2 percent (compared with 14.5 in 1992). From 2001 to 2002 net earnings increased 1.0 percent; dividends, interest, and rent increased 0.4 percent; and personal current transfer receipts increased 5.0 percent. From 1992 to 2002 net earnings increased on average 4.6 percent each year; dividends, interest, and rent increased on average 3.7 percent; and personal current transfer receipts increased on average 5.0 percent.

Employment Earnings

Earnings of persons employed in Michigan increased from $229,864,140 in 2001 to $232,352,946 in 2002, an increase of 1.1 percent. The 2001-2002 national change was 1.5 percent. The average annual growth rate from the 1992 estimate of $148,760,144 to the 2002 estimate was 4.6 percent. The average annual growth rate for the nation was 5.3 percent.

Area - With extensive portions of the Great Lakes under its jurisdiction, Michigan is the 11th largest of the U.S. states, with an area of 250,465 sq km (96,705 sq mi). The state includes 98,917 sq km (38,192 sq mi) of the Great Lakes waters and 4413 sq km (1704 sq mi) of inland waters. The Lower Peninsula encompasses a little more than two-thirds of the state's land area. The Lower Peninsula is sometimes called the Michigan Mitten, because its shape resembles a mittened hand, with the peninsula extending into Lake Huron known as the Thumb. Maximum distances in the Lower Peninsula are about 460 km (about 285 mi) from north to south and about 315 km (about 195 mi) from east to west; maximum distances in the Upper Peninsula are about 515 km (about 320 mi) from east to west and about 200 km (about 125 mi) from north to south. The shapes and separation of the two peninsulas make distances great in Michigan. The distance from Detroit to the westernmost portion of the Upper Peninsula is the same as the distance from Detroit to New York City. Until 1957, when a bridge 8 km (5 mi) long was opened over the Straits of Mackinac, the two peninsulas were connected only by ferry service.

Climate - The interior location of Michigan in the northern part of North America results in a continental climate, characterized by four definite seasons with moist, mild to hot summers and snowy, cold winters. Winds off of Lakes Michigan and Superior in winter create heavy snow accumulations in nearby areas. The tempering effects of Lake Michigan account for the presence of the state's famous fruit-growing belt along the lake's shore. Since the water is colder than the land in spring, the westerly winds passing over the lake tend to keep temperatures low enough on land to retard the opening of young buds until the danger of frost is over. In fall the water is warmer than the land and therefore the growing season is longer than in the interior of the state. Overall, the growing season is longer near the lakeshore. Detroit, in the south, has an average January temperature of -4° C (25° F) and a July average of 23° C (73° F). The January mean in Sault Sainte Marie, in the north, is -10° C (14° F), and the July average is 18° C (64° F). The Lower Peninsula has cold winters and hot summers; the Upper Peninsula has severe winters and mild summers. January averages for the state as a whole range between about -12° and -3° C (about 10° and 27° F), and the range in July falls between about 16° and 23° C (about 60° and 74° F). Precipitation is fairly uniform over the state. It generally ranges from about 660 mm (about 26 in) yearly in the interior of the Lower Peninsula to about 910 mm (about 36 in) in the extreme southern part of the state. It is also fairly evenly distributed throughout the year. Snowfall is heaviest in the northern portion of the Upper Peninsula, the higher elevations of the northern Lower Peninsula, and areas along Lakes Michigan and Superior. The southeastern region of the Lower Peninsula receives relatively little snowfall.

State Flag

State Flower - Apple Blossom

State Capitol - Lansing
Michigan is governed under a revised constitution that went into effect in 1964. Three earlier constitutions had been adopted, in 1835, 1850, and 1908. An amendment to the constitution may be proposed by a two-thirds vote of the legislature, by a constitutional convention, or by initiative of the voters. To be ratified, an amendment must be approved by a majority of the people voting on the issue in an election.

Famous People

Bob Seger singer, Detroit
Bruce Catton historian, Petoskey
Charles A. Lindbergh aviator, Detroit
Danny Thomas entertainer, Deerfield
Della Reese singer, Detroit
Diana Ross singer, Detroit
Dick Martin comedian, Detroit
Donald B. Keck inventor, Lansing
Earvin Magic Johnson basketball player, Lansing
Edna Ferber author, Kalamazoo
Ellen Burstyn actress, Detroit
Francis Ford Coppola film director, Detroit
Gilda Radner comedienne, Detroit
Henry Ford industrialist, Dearborn
John C. Sheehan inventor, Battle Creek
John N. Mitchell attorney general, Detroit
John T. Parsons inventor, Detroit
Julie Harris actress, Grosse Pointe Park
Julie Krone jockey, Benton Harbor
Lily Tomlin actress, Detroit
Madonna singer, Bay City
Margaret Whiting singer, Detroit
Nelson Algren author, Detroit
Potter Stewart jurist, Jackson
Ralph J. Bunche statesman, Detroit
Ring Lardner writer, Niles
Roger Chaffee astronaut, Grand Rapids
Steven Seagal actor, Lansing
Stevie Wonder singer, Saginaw
Ted Nugent singer, Detroit
Thomas E. Dewey politician, Owosso
Thomas Schippers conductor, Kalamazoo
Tom Selleck actor, Detroit
William R. Hewlett inventor, Ann Arbor