2015 State Report for County-Level Data: Employment

Acknowledgements

Special thanks to the following individuals who have contributed to the success of this effort: Deb Brucker, Erin Dame, Adam Lavoie, Rachel Coleman, Kate Filanoski, Karen Volle, and Anna Brennan-Curry.

Funding for this publication is made possible by:

The Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Disability Statistics and Demographics (StatsRRTC), funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Community Living National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR), grant number 90RTGE0001-01-00; and the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Employment Policy and Measurement (EPM-RRTC), also funded by NIDILRR, grant number 90RT5037-03-00. The information developed by the StatsRRTC and EPM-RRTC does not necessarily represent the policies of the Department of Health and Human Services, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government (Edgar, 75.620 (b)).

The StatsRRTC and EPM-RRTC are part of the Institute on Disability at the University of New Hampshire. The Institute on Disability/UCED (IOD) was established in 1987 to provide a university-based focus for the improvement of knowledge, policies, and practices related to the lives of people with disabilities and their families and is New Hampshire’s University Center for Excellence in Disability (UCED). Located within the University of New Hampshire, the IOD is a federally designated center authorized by the Developmental Disabilities Act. Through innovative and interdisciplinary research, academic, service, and dissemination initiatives, the IOD builds local, state, and national capacities to respond to the needs of individuals with disabilities and their families.

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Copyright 2019. Institute on Disability. University of New Hampshire.      

 

 

 

2015 Michigan Report for County-Level Data: Employment

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on

Disability Statistics and Demographics

A NIDILRR-Funded Center

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Introduction

The State Reports for County-Level Data on Employment are designed to provide the users of disability statistics with the employed count and employment rate for civilians with disabilities, ages 18 to 64 years and living in the community, for any given state and county in the United States (U.S.). This report is intended to be an online complement to Section 2: Employment of the Annual Disability Statistics Compendium and Annual Disability Statistics Supplement, providing greater detail within each state. The State Reports for County-Level Data on Employment can be used to compare county-level statistics between counties in any given state or states. The following report provides county-level statistics for Michigan.

The proportion of the civilian non-institutionalized population with disabilities who are employed, sometimes called the employment rate or employment-to-population ratio, presented in the State Reports for County-Level Data is a useful tool for advocates, researchers, and policy-makers to plan and provide services and supports for the employment of people with disabilities. In this report, the employment of people with disabilities is presented as the number of employed civilians with disabilities, ages 18 to 64 years and living in the community, in a given state and county per total state and county populations, respectively. Counts and percentages (the employment rate) are provided in tables and maps.

The data for this report come from the American Community Survey 5-year data. The American Community Survey (ACS) is a national survey developed by the U.S. Census Bureau to provide information on a number of topics about social, economic, and demographic characteristics of the U.S. population. ACS 5-year data is collected over a longer period of time than 1-year data, providing larger sample sizes and increased reliability for less populated areas and small population subgroups. All of the statistics in this report use the ACS 5-year data which includes data from 2015, the year of the report, and data from the four previous years. In the ACS, people are identified as having a disability based on responses to a series of six questions asking about having difficulties with vision, hearing, ambulation, cognition, self-care, and independent living (see glossary for further details). 

 

 

 

In the ACS, people are also asked a series of questions designed to identify their employment status. Based on the answers, individuals were classified into one of five groups:

  • People who worked at any time during the reference week;
  • People on temporary layoff who were available for work;
  • People who did not work during the reference week but who had jobs or businesses from which they were temporarily absent (excluding layoff);
  • People who did not work during the reference week, but who were looking for work during the last four weeks and were available for work during the reference week; and
  • People not in the labor force. 

In the ACS, people are identified as being employed if they responded as having worked during the past week. 

Specific to Michigan, the state chosen for this report, sentences providing interpretation and context for employment statistics are included on the following page. A short glossary of terms is also provided at the end of the report explaining the statistics that are illustrated in each sentence.

Additional Resources. The Annual Disability Statistics Compendium and its complement, the Annual Disability Statistics Supplement, are summaries of statistics about people with disabilities, available both in hard copy and online at https://www.disabilitycompendium.org

Help navigating any of the resources described here can be found in the Frequently Asked Questions section at https://www.disabilitycompendium.org/faq. Assistance interpreting and locating additional statistics is available via our toll-free number, 866.538.9521, or by email, disability.statistics@unh.edu. For more information about our research projects, please visit https://www.researchondisability.org.

Suggested Citation. Boege, S.L., Lauer, E.A., & Houtenville, A.J., 2019. 2015 State Report for Michigan County-Level Data: Employment. Durham, NH: University of New Hampshire, Institute on Disability.

Interpretation

The following statements are designed to help understand the 2015 county-level employment statistics from Michigan that are presented:

 

  • For people with disabilities:
    • The employment rate for people with disabilities in Michigan was 29.6%.
    • The range, also known as the difference between largest and smallest values, of employment rates for people with disabilities across Michigan counties was 29.0%.
      • The county with the greatest employment rate for people with disabilities was Ottawa (44.5%).
      • The county with the smallest employment rate for people with disabilities was Schoolcraft (15.5%).
    • The median, also known as the middle-most, employment rate for people with disabilities across all counties in Michigan was 29.1%.

 

  • For people without disabilities:
    • The employment rate for people without disabilities in Michigan was 73.2%.
    • The range, also known as the difference between largest and smallest values, of employment rates for people without disabilities across Michigan counties was 22.5%.
      • The county with the greatest employment rate for people without disabilities was Grand Traverse (80.7%).
      • The county with the smallest employment rate for people without disabilities was Lake (58.2%).
    • The median, also known as the middle-most, employment rate for people without disabilities across all counties in Michigan was 71.8%.
Employment of Civilians with and without Disabilities Ages 18 to 64 Years Living in the Community for Michigan, by County: 2015
County Disability No Disability   County Disability No Disability
Total Employed % [1] Total Employed % [2] Total Employed % [1] Total Employed % [2]
   Michigan    748,750 221,760 29.6 5,350,046 3,914,519 73.2    Gladwin       2,640     501 19.0    11,545     7,603 65.9
    Alcona       1,014     191 18.8     4,488     2,772 61.8    Gogebic       1,203     280 23.3     7,197     5,020 69.8
    Alger          755     183 24.2     4,180     2,798 66.9 Grand Traverse   6,250   1,974 31.6    48,248    38,917 80.7
   Allegan       6,833   1,940 28.4    60,891    46,420 76.2    Gratiot       2,884     903 31.3    19,893    14,142 71.1
    Alpena       2,662     675 25.4    14,358    10,715 74.6   Hillsdale      3,689   1,012 27.4    24,047    16,996 70.7
    Antrim       1,653     622 37.6    11,312     8,152 72.1    Houghton      2,245     789 35.1    21,121    13,985 66.2
    Arenac       1,753     373 21.3     7,309     4,824 66.0     Huron        2,415     818 33.9    15,960    12,056 75.5
    Baraga         549     131 23.9     2,948     2,041 69.2     Ingham      20,264   7,093 35.0   172,011   119,762 69.6
    Barry        4,287   1,378 32.1    31,114    23,982 77.1     Ionia        5,420   1,621 29.9    31,919    23,851 74.7
     Bay         9,152   2,027 22.1    55,604    41,730 75.0     Iosco        2,613     607 23.2    11,387     7,495 65.8
    Benzie       1,424     488 34.3     8,450     6,456 76.4      Iron        1,075     269 25.0     5,275     3,652 69.2
   Berrien      10,871   3,291 30.3    81,975    60,368 73.6    Isabella      5,127   1,950 38.0    45,452    30,264 66.6
    Branch       3,060     886 29.0    21,391    16,427 76.8    Jackson      12,587   3,367 26.7    79,794    58,374 73.2
   Calhoun      11,237   2,868 25.5    69,687    50,795 72.9   Kalamazoo     18,462   6,814 36.9   146,602   109,869 74.9
     Cass        4,092   1,189 29.1    26,903    19,814 73.6    Kalkaska      1,721     512 29.8     8,535     5,951 69.7
  Charlevoix     1,927     718 37.3    13,224    10,117 76.5      Kent       38,636  13,491 34.9   350,687   276,294 78.8
  Cheboygan      2,561     573 22.4    12,097     8,607 71.1    Keweenaw        192      65 33.9       973       681 70.0
   Chippewa      3,331   1,146 34.4    17,860    12,739 71.3      Lake        1,389     227 16.3     4,812     2,801 58.2
    Clare        3,818     821 21.5    13,960     9,144 65.5     Lapeer       6,633   2,019 30.4    47,022    33,701 71.7
   Clinton       4,381   1,682 38.4    42,839    32,652 76.2    Leelanau        925     362 39.1    11,146     8,285 74.3
   Crawford      1,563     389 24.9     6,491     4,457 68.7    Lenawee       7,824   2,905 37.1    50,622    37,885 74.8
    Delta        3,244   1,063 32.8    18,243    13,730 75.3   Livingston     9,123   3,487 38.2   105,490    83,062 78.7
  Dickinson      2,120     581 27.4    13,255     9,882 74.6      Luce          723     246 34.0     2,430     1,724 70.9
    Eaton        8,657   3,191 36.9    58,298    45,352 77.8    Mackinac        977     306 31.3     5,340     3,753 70.3
    Emmet        2,337     860 36.8    17,384    13,756 79.1     Macomb      60,064  18,798 31.3   471,826   363,176 77.0
   Genesee      38,587   8,958 23.2   214,201   145,019 67.7    Manistee      2,150     603 28.0    11,297     7,816 69.2
Employment of Civilians with and without Disabilities Ages 18 to 64 Years Living in the Community for Michigan, by County: 2015
County Disability No Disability   County Disability No Disability
Total Employed % [1] Total Employed % [2] Total Employed % [1] Total Employed % [2]
  Marquette      4,806   1,465 30.5    38,163    26,863 70.4   St. Joseph     4,279   1,446 33.8    31,318    23,238 74.2
    Mason        2,516     890 35.4    14,207    10,424 73.4    Tuscola       5,000   1,292 25.8    27,535    20,233 73.5
   Mecosta       3,602   1,177 32.7    24,209    15,611 64.5   Van Buren      6,252   1,773 28.4    38,917    28,530 73.3
  Menominee      2,271     775 34.1    11,722     8,904 76.0   Washtenaw     16,475   5,988 36.3   222,896   161,246 72.3
   Midland       5,692   1,868 32.8    45,813    33,636 73.4     Wayne      166,954  39,353 23.6   933,761   624,997 66.9
  Missaukee      1,421     484 34.1     7,228     5,171 71.5    Wexford       2,863     754 26.3    16,453    11,821 71.8
    Monroe      10,088   2,910 28.8    82,975    61,979 74.7                                                             
   Montcalm      6,064   1,533 25.3    30,341    21,803 71.9                                                             
 Montmorency     1,224     213 17.4     3,986     2,525 63.3                                                             
   Muskegon     14,516   3,773 26.0    86,590    62,201 71.8                                                             
   Newaygo       4,762   1,074 22.6    23,385    16,475 70.5                                                             
   Oakland      70,966  27,105 38.2   701,422   541,992 77.3                                                             
    Oceana       2,589     785 30.3    12,517     8,841 70.6                                                             
    Ogemaw       2,446     567 23.2     9,570     6,459 67.5                                                             
  Ontonagon        519     103 19.8     2,960     1,786 60.3                                                             
   Osceola       2,210     518 23.4    11,144     7,696 69.1                                                             
    Oscoda         972     217 22.3     3,689     2,324 63.0                                                             
    Otsego       1,738     538 31.0    12,537     9,420 75.1                                                             
    Ottawa      13,820   6,150 44.5   155,134   121,671 78.4                                                             
 Presque Isle    1,097     247 22.5     6,036     3,920 64.9                                                             
  Roscommon      3,162     666 21.1    10,075     6,284 62.4                                                             
   Saginaw      17,081   3,942 23.1   100,959    72,494 71.8                                                             
   Sanilac       3,357     885 26.4    21,033    15,009 71.4                                                             
 Schoolcraft       942     146 15.5     3,845     2,491 64.8                                                             
  Shiawassee     5,533   1,452 26.2    36,701    26,789 73.0                                                             
  St. Clair     14,434   4,428 30.7    83,832    61,822 73.7                                                             
Count of Employed Civilians with Disabilities Ages 18 to 64 Years Living in the Community for Michigan, by County: 2015

Employment Rate for Civilians with Disabilities Ages 18 to 64 Years Living in the Community for Michigan, by County: 2015

Discussion

There are a number of concepts and factors which complicate the interpretation of the estimates presented in this report. These concerns affect all statistics from population-based surveys. The estimates included in this document should be interpreted the following limitations in mind and generalized with caution. In each point, a link to the U.S. Census Bureau website describing the limitation or concept in greater detail in the ACS has been provided.

Additional links to resources for the ACS:

Glossary

American Community Survey (ACS) — The American Community Survey is a large, continuous demographic survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau that will provide accurate and up-to-date profiles of America’s communities every year. Annual and multiyear estimates of population and housing data are generated for small areas, including tracts and population subgroups. This information is collected by mailing questionnaires to a sample of addresses. See the U.S. Census Bureau website for additional details.

The Six Disability Questions in the American Community Survey:

  1. Is this person deaf or does he/she have serious difficulty hearing? (yes or no)
  2. Is this person blind or does he/she have serious difficulty seeing even when wearing glasses? (yes or no)
  3. (If person 5 years old or over) Because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition, does this person have serious difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions? (yes or no)
  4. (If person 5 years or old over) Does this person have serious difficulty walking or climbing stairs? (yes or no)
  5. (If person 5 years old or over) Does this person have difficulty dressing or bathing? (yes or no)
  6. (If person 15 years old or over) Because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition, does this person have difficulty doing errands alone such as visiting a doctor’s office or shopping? (yes or no)

Average — The sum of all of the values in a sample divided by the number of values in the sample.

Civilian — A person not in active-duty military.

Employed – Individuals were asked a series of questions designed to identify their employment status. Based on the answers, individuals were classified into one of five groups: (1) people who worked at any time during the reference week; (2) people on temporary layoff who were available for work; (3) people who did not work during the reference week but who had jobs or businesses from which they were temporarily absent (excluding layoff); (4) people who did not work during the reference week, but who were looking for work during the last four weeks and were available for work during the reference week; and (5) people not in the labor force. People who responded as having worked during the past week were considered "employed".

Employment Rate — The number of individuals that are employed as a percent of the civilian non-institutional population.

Living in the Community – A person lives in the community, if the person is not living in an institution, such as jail, prison, nursing home, and hospital. A college dormitory is not considered an institution.

Median — The middle-most value of a sample that separates the upper half of the values from the lower half of the values. 

Non-Institutionalized Population — Describes individuals who are residing in the community and who are not living in institutions such as jails, prisons, nursing homes, hospitals, etc.

Population — The total number of inhabitants in a defined geographic area including all races, classes, and groups.

Range — The difference between the largest and smallest values in a sample. In a sample, when the smallest value is subtracted from the largest value the resulting value is called the range. 

Sampling Variability — The variation of a statistic when estimated from repeated samples.

United States Census Bureau — An agency within the United States Federal Statistical System tasked with producing data about the American people and economy. Their primary task is to conduct the United States Census every ten years.

About the Center

Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Disability Statistics and Demographics (StatsRRTC)

Led by the University of New Hampshire, the StatsRRTC is a collaborative effort involving the following partners: American Association of People with Disabilities, Center for Essential Management Services, Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation, Kessler Foundation, Mathematica Policy Research, and Public Health Institute.

The StatsRRTC is funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living, National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research under grant number 90RTGE00010100, from 2018–2023.

Employment Policy and Measurement Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (EPM-RRTC)

Led by the University of New Hampshire, the EPM-RRTC is a collaborative effort involving the following partners: Association of University Centers on Disability, Hunter College, Kessler Foundation, Mathematica Policy Research, and the University of Chicago.

The EPM-RRTC is funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living, National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research under grant number 90RT503701, from 2015–2020.

Contact Information
University of New Hampshire, Institute on Disability
10 West Edge Drive, Suite 101
Durham, NH 03824
Toll-Free Telephone/TTY: 866-538-9521
E-mail: Disability.Statistics@unh.edu
https://www.researchondisability.org