ABSTRACT
The demographic and ethnic characteristics of the people of Michigan are important in comparing the state to the rest of the United States as well as in considering regional differences within the state. A population pyramid helps to understand the distribution of the number of males and females of various ages in Michigan. Statistics on per capita income provide some significant insights into the differences between the economic characters of various parts of Michigan, as well as between their social characters. In 1980, the northern two-thirds of Michigan had more counties with 20 percent or more of their population below the poverty level than the southern third did. Health care facilities very closely reflect the population density and particularly the urban density. The health of Michigan's economy and the resulting job opportunities will have a pronounced effect on the state's power to draw new immigrants and on its power to hold those there.
