In August of 2003, the Upjohn Institute completed a benchmark analysis of rural Michigan counties. Each of the state's 83 counties were grouped into one of four categories, based on the primary economic influences shaping their development: Urban Core Counties, Urban-influenced Rural Counties, Agriculture-focused Rural Counties, and Mixed-use Rural Counties. Plus, those counties heavily involved in tourism were examined in a separate sub-category. These regions were then compared with carefully selected groups of counties from other Great Lakes states, in order to gauge the overall economic performance of Michigan's rural counties.

For more information on the analysis process and results, you may download the full report. Also, due to strong interest in data for individual counties, we have made the major variables used in the report available for viewing and comparison. Each single Michigan county may be selected for comparison to both the Michigan and the Great Lakes states groupings. To access this interactive table viewer, use the pull-down menu below.

If you have any questions regarding the Rural Michigan Benchmarking Report or the data presented here, please feel free to send an email.

Also available is an in-depth description of each row of data in the database.

Choose the county in which you would like benchmark data for.