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Every two years, Michigan bridges undergo an extensive inspection that tracks their condition.  The Michigan Transportation Asset Management Council collects and disseminates this data.   Bridges are expensive,  long-lived assets that are essential to roadways and commerce. Continued implementation of this preventative maintenance strategy will be necessary to keeping bridges that are currently rated fair from falling into the poor category.

Bridge Condition

Housing cost burden measures the percentage of households paying more than 30% of their income towards housing.   Severely cost burdened households pay more than 50% of their income towards housing.   For renters, costs include any utilities that the renter must pay.   For owners, costs are for the mortgage; real estate taxes; fire, hazard, and flood insurance payments; and mortgage insurance premiums.  Generally, households should keep housing costs to under 30% of their income to budget for other necessities and build wealth.    Increases in the percentage of cost burdened households can negatively impact housing conditions and worsen inequities.

Housing Cost Burden

This measure tracks the percentage of households with access to a high speed (broadband) internet subscription, a cellular data connection, or satellite internet.  Subscription rates are broken down by age group.   Access to high speed internet is critical to our region's prosperity, allowing users to communicate with each other.

High-Speed Internet Subscription by Age Group

This measure tracks the percentage of households with access to a high speed (broadband) internet subscription, a cellular data connection, or satellite internet.  Subscription rates are broken down by race and ethnicity.   Note that there is not enough data to show for the Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander category.  Access to high speed internet is critical to our region's prosperity, allowing users to communicate with each other.   Ensuring that all racial and ethnic groups have access to broadband aids SEMCOG's goal of improving resilience, access, and sustainability for essential utilities and services for everyone.

High-Speed Internet Subscription by Race

This chart uses 5-year American Community Survey data which is not directly comparable to the 1-year American Community Survey data.   The observation year represents that last year of the 5-year survey, for example, year 2022 represents the 5-year survey collection period of 2018-2022.   Some race categories have a small sample size, resulting in large observational variances.   For some years, data are suppressed and there is a break in the time series.

There are two measures in this chart - the total number of housing units and the overall occupancy rate.     Multiply the total housing units by occupancy rate to get the total number of households.     Tracking the number of housing units provides data on the housing supply, while occupancy rates provide further information as to whether the supply is being fully utilized by the population.     Changes in either measure can influence housing and rental prices, impacting the quality of place.

Total Housing Units and Occupancy Rate

Pavement condition in Michigan is tracked to assess what treatments will preserve the structural quality of the roads. Between 2008-2019, most counties rated their roads on a two-year cycle, represented by the last year of each cycle (i.e., data in 2009 represent the 2008-2009 survey period).    Ratings were not done in 2020.  Since 2021, ratings returned to a two-year cycle and are represented again by the last year of each cycle, but those years are now even-numbered years (i.e., data in 2022 represent the 2021-2022 survey period).    It is important to monitor pavement conditions, as reconstructing roads in the poorest condition is many times more expensive than applying preventative treatments to roads in fair condition.  Quality roads improves the efficiency and safety of travel for the region's employees, businesses, and residents.

Pavement Condition

The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program produces annual estimates of  population for counties, using current data on births, deaths, and migration.  This chart breaks down population change into the four major components - births, deaths, international migration, and domestic migration.   The estimates from previous years are revised with each new release, with domestic migration also including re-estimation residuals.    It is important to understand changes to the population components, as changes to birth and death rates, along with domestic and international migration, impact the labor pool and the demand for public and educational services.  Given our region's 30-year forecast is predicting more deaths than births, attracting new residents through domestic and international migration is critical.

Components for Population Change

The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program produces annual estimates of  population for counties, using current data on births, deaths, and migration.   The estimates from previous years are revised with each new release.    Changes in population growth informs stakeholders on potential for consumer spending, labor supply, as well as, demand for infrastructure and services. 

Population and Annual Percent Change

Real per capita money income is an approximate measure of the average income per person.  "Money income" is a concept from the Census Bureau that includes pre-tax income received on a regular basis.   It comes in the form of wages, salaries, commissions, tips, self-employment, dividends, net rental income, Social Security, retirement, disability benefits, Veteran's payments, unemployment or worker compensation, child support, and alimony.   Unlike personal income, it excludes the value of noncash benefits, like employer contributions to health insurance and Medicare and Medicaid payments.     The income values are adjusted for inflation.    Changes in real per capita money income indicates whether a region's income levels are growing sufficiently to sustain the regional economy.  

Place