The Neighborhood Talent Concentration Initiative

Now is the time to make fundamental change in the state’s economic development playbook. What we have been doing has not worked. Michigan’s per capita income has fallen from around the national average at the turn of the century to a record low thirteen percent below: falling from 18th in 2000 to 38th in 2022. […]

Michigan median wages: From nineteen percent above to nine percent below

Michigan was one of the most prosperous places on the planet in 1979. Its per capita income three percent above the national average. No more! In 2022 Michigan’s per capita income was 13 percent below the nation’s. The worst Michigan has even been compared to the nation. The prime reason for this four decade long […]

842,000 Michigan children live in a working ALICE household

This post is a correction and update of a post originally published in April 2022. Important new report from United for ALICE entitled ALICE in focus: Children in financial hardship. United for ALICE found that nearly one million (946,119) children (17 or younger) in Michigan — 44% of all children — lived in a household […]

Employers can help make EITC expansion a success

Terrific news from Lansing. Starting with the 2022 tax year the state match for the federal Earned Income Tax Credit is now 30 percent up from six percent. A historic win for Michigan’s working families and Michigan employers. Michigan goes from one of the least generous state matches of the federal EITC to one of […]

EITC expansion not quite complete

One more important step to go to complete the historic expansion of the state’s Earned Income Tax Credit. Starting with the 2022 tax year the state match for the federal credit is now 30 percent up from six percent. A huge win for Michigan’s working families! Expanding Michigan’s EITC from six to 30 percent provides […]

Foundation skills in the age of Artificial Intelligence

A little more than three years ago the Grand Rapids Public Museum hosted Outsmarting the Robots: Redesigning education from the classroom to the halls of Lansing. The conference was organized around the question “How do we redesign our system for learning to build the 21st century skills that matter to meeting the needs of our children, economy, society, and world?” […]

Minnesota is a successful high tax state

Minnesota is a high tax state. Has been for decades. Minnesota is the Great Lakes States best in economic well being and demographic outcomes. Has been for decades. Michigan is not a high tax state. Its taxes per capita far lower than Minnesota’s. Minnesota is far ahead of Michigan in all well being and demographic […]

Minnesota has not lost a congressional seat in six decades

For nearly two decades we have urged Michigan economic policy makers to use Minnesota as a model. Because Minnesota across the board has the Great Lakes best economic outcomes. From low unemployment to high labor force participation to better than the nation personal income and education attainment Minnesota is far ahead of Michigan. We also […]

The case for a 60 percent EITC

A year and half ago the Michigan Future Board proposed that the state expand its Earned Income Tax Credit tenfold. Going from a 6 percent match of the federal credit to 60 percent. This is at a time, when despite unprecedented federal funding and a multi billion dollar state budget surplus, expanding the EITC was […]

Higher education attainment means more work and higher wages

The Bureau of Labor Statistics each year publishes a chart that details the unemployment rate and median weekly earnings by education attainment for those 25 and older who work full time. The data for 2121 are below. Year after year the same story. (For instance this post on the 2013 data.) Each time new data […]