St. Clair County. Progress Report 2017

St. Clair County Progress Report 2017

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS St. Clair County Board of Commissioners Jeff Bohm, Chairman Duke Dunn Bill Gratop Howard Heidemann Greg McConnell David Rushing Karl Tomion Metropolitan Planning Commission Kevin Miller, Chairman Donald Sheldon, Vice-Chairman Robert Sheehy, Secretary Steve Cooper Dorothy DeBoyer Howard Heidemann Geof Kusch Dan Lockwood Georgia Phelan John Steffy Robert Tansky Metropolitan Planning Commission Staff David Struck, AICP, Execu ve Director Geoff Donaldson, AICP, Senior Planner Lindsay Wallace, Senior Planner Kara Schrader, Planner II Lori Eschenburg, Planner II/GIS Peter Klomparens, Planner II Penny Guye e, Account Clerk II Page 2

WHAT IS A PROGRESS REPORT? The St. Clair County Progress Report is a publication that provides a comprehensive perspective of life in St. Clair County and the multiple elements that contribute to the overall fitness of our community. The report highlights key indicators of progress. Progress is about improvements in the quality of life of people and households. While measuring economic performance and resources is important, it is not all that matters when assessing progress for people s quality of life. It also requires looking into the diverse living conditions and experiences. For the purpose of this progress report we have identified six focus areas that are fundamental to our quality of life. Under these six focus areas, there are a total of thirty community indicators that will enable us to measure our community. In measuring progress, St. Clair County s latest data is important, but it is also helpful to see the county s trend over time. In an effort to track changes in the county, comparisons with previous years are shown. It is also interesting to examine data for a county in comparison to other geographical entities. Comparisons with other geographies can reveal how well we are doing relative to our regional peer counties. Where possible, comparisons are made to the Southeastern Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG) region of Michigan which includes the surrounding counties of Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, Washtenaw and Wayne as well as the State of Michigan. This is the first report of what will become an annual publication and will set a benchmark for the county going forward and allow us to measure our progress. The ultimate goal of the St. Clair County Indicators Report is to inform and inspire community members, policymakers, and business leaders working to make St. Clair the best it can be. Page 3

INDICATORS Well Being of People Appeal of St. Clair County Rela ve Affluence Teen Pregnancy Birth Rate Crime Rates Educa on High School Diploma Bachelor s Degree Graduate Degree College Readiness Economic Engine Unemployment Rate Patents Minority Owned Businesses Building Permits Health and Safety Access to Health Care Insurance Health Status Obesity Low Birth Weight Cancer Rates Smoking Immuniza ons Binge Drinking Drug Abuse Community and Culture Vo ng Charitable Giving Arts Par cipa on Popula on Diversity Physical Environment Air Quality Water Quality Preserved Space Commu ng Times Recycling Page 4

WELL BEING OF PEOPLE Appeal of St. Clair County A prosperous community should a ract new residents either through employment opportuni es or as a place from which to commute. From 2010 to 2015, the popula on of the county decreased by 1.79 percent. In comparison, the popula on of the en re state grew by.46 percent. Southeast Michigan experienced a significant decline in popula on during the recent mul year recession. While there were only two other coun es with popula on loss, of those that did not suffer growth, none of them experienced a significant growth rate as they were all fewer than four percent. It is expected that the dynamics of the region s popula on will con nue to change, with an upsurge in an older populace. Popula on Change - 2010 2015 Source: SEMCOG Page 5

WELL BEING OF PEOPLE Rela ve Affluence Part of our defini-on of well-being is having the financial resources to meet basic needs. Living below the poverty level creates a situa-on in which persons have a difficult -me mee-ng their needs. In 2012, the federal government defined poverty as having a household income of $23,050 for a family of four. The county s poverty rate for families in 2015 was 10.6 percent (89.4% living above poverty). In trying to highlight our areas of prosperity rather than our deficiencies our graph depicts the percentage of residents whose income is above the poverty level. Since 2010, the percentage of residents above the poverty level has been slightly below 90 percent. Of the six coun-es being compared, St. Clair County has the third highest percentage of residents below poverty. Rela ve Affluence percentage of popula on living above poverty line Source: 2010-2014 American Community Survey Page 6

WELL BEING OF PEOPLE Teen Pregnancy A teenage pregnancy is a leading factor of limi ng the future opportuni es of a young person. Not only is the teen mother at a handicap, so is the child. The social and economic costs for the teen parents, their children, and the community are substan al. The pregnancy rate for teens has been dropping in the United States over the past 20 years. It is worth no ng the state percentage also decreased from 2012 (34%) to 2016 (29%). Looking at the region, this seems to be true for all seven SEMCOG coun es. In St. Clair County, the rate for 2016 (29%) is the lowest it has been for the years shown since 2012. The county s teen pregnancy rate is right on a par with that of the state; however, of the six coun es being ranked, St. Clair County has the second highest teen birth rate. Teen Pregnancy Rates Source: Na onal Center for Health Sta s cs - Natality files Page 7

WELL BEING OF PEOPLE Violent Crime Rate Crime rate is one way to determine the safety of an area. The violent crime rate is defined as the number of violent crime offenses per 100,000 people. The violent crime rate in St. Clair County is 418 violent crime offenses per 100,000 people. St. Clair County has a lower violent crime rate than the State of Michigan (464) and the SEMCOG region (3,861). St. Clair County has a lower violent crime rate than four coun es in the region, Macomb (2,550), Oakland (2,687), Washtenaw (1,095), and Wayne (19,716). Violent Crime (per 100,000 people) Source: County Health Rankings University of Wisconsin Popula on Health Ins tute Page 8

High School Gradua on Rate A high school diploma is a prerequisite to any chance for a good job and a comfortable standard of living. The Michigan Department of Educa on began using the four year cohort method recommended by No Child Le Behind to calculate high school gradua on rates for the class of 2007. This method follows students across their high school careers and takes into account students who enter and leave the county during their high school years. With the excep on of the Port Huron Area School District, all other schools within the St. Clair County Intermediate School District have gradua on rates that exceed the statewide rate. The rates for most of the schools have been rela vely steady over the years. Every district has a 75 percent gradua on rate or higher. While the Port Huron Area School District has the lowest rate of gradua on it is also the only school district to experience a consistent growth in gradua on rates over the past five years. Algonac, Marysville and Yale have all shown a growth from 2010 to 2015, but have also experienced some dips throughout this same period. High School Gradua on Rate EDUCATION Source: MI School Data MiDashboard - Dashboard and Accountability Scorecard Page 9

EDUCATION Educa on A ainment To be fully compe ve in the marketplace, higher educa on is becoming increasingly necessary. Educa on levels the playing field for everyone. The Census Bureau has reported that educa on levels had more effect on earnings during 40 years in the workforce than any other demographic factor, such as gender or race. Usually, educa onal a ainment refers to persons 25 and older since they are mostly finished with their educa on by that me. In Michigan, 26.4% have a bachelor s degree or higher. A total of 10.3% have a professional or graduate degree. From 2010 to 2014, the percentage of St. Clair County residents 25 and older with a bachelor s or higher degree increased. Despite this, the county s percentages are slightly lower than the state s average. The county ranks last of the SEMCOG region coun es for the percentage of residents having a bachelor s degree or higher. Educa on A ainment Source: 2010-2014 American Community Survey Page 10

ECONOMIC ENGINE Unemployment Rate St. Clair County, along with the en re southeastern Michigan region, experienced a drama c increase in their unemployment rates from 2008 to 2009. However, the county s unemployment rate has been steadily dropping since 2010. While the county s unemployment rate has been dropping it is s ll higher than Michigan s 4.5 percent (December 2016). St. Clair County has the second highest unemployment rate of the seven coun es in the SEMCOG region, with Wayne County having a slightly higher rate of 5.7 percent Unemployment Rate Source: Michigan Department of Technology, Management, and Budget Page 11

ECONOMIC ENGINE Patents Having a crea ve and inven ve workforce is an asset to the company fortunate enough to have these employees and to the en re community s economy. One measure of crea vity is the gran ng of a patent for someone s inven on. The United States Patents and Trademark Office reports the number of patents granted to persons residing in a county. Of the coun es measured, Oakland County had the highest number of patents by far. However, Oakland County has over 7.5 mes the size of St. Clair County s popula on. While St. Clair County had the least patents granted within the SEMCOG region it did have compe vely similar numbers with Monroe County, the SEMCOG county with the closest popula on to that of St. Clair. Patents Granted in St. Clair County Source: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office 2000-2015 U lity Patent Grants Page 12

ECONOMIC ENGINE Minority Owned Businesses As the country s popula on becomes more diverse, we no ce the business sector is also becoming more diverse. It is actually growing faster than the popula on growth among minority groups. According to the Minority Business Development Agency, the rate at which minority-owned businesses are being formed con nues to rise. According to the Census Bureau's 2012 Survey of Business Owners, the number of minority business enterprises increased 39 percent between 2007 and 2012 (from 5.8 million to 8.0 million). Our county is no excep on with our minority owned business owners growing by almost three percent in the past five years. The number of minority businesses is a measure of the opportuni es that exist for all. The Economic Census is conducted every five years. This is why data is presented for 2007 and 2012. The percentage of businesses that are minority owned increased from 2007 to 2012 among all coun es within the SEMCOG region as well as the state as a whole. Our research has shown that minority entrepreneurs have historically had to face more social and economic discrimina on when looking to launch or grow businesses than nonminority groups. They o en faced mul ple hurdles such as language barriers, cultural issues; poten al biases as well a tougher me securing capital with stricter lending standards. Technology has helped level the playing field and made the process easier. In addi on, as the baby boomers begin to re re they o en sell their businesses to a younger genera on that is con nues to become more and more diverse. With the growing popula on diversity and elimina on of hurdles, the minority owned businesses will likely con nue to experience steady growth over me. Percentage of Minority Owned Businesses Source: Economic Census 2007 & 2012 Page 13

ECONOMIC ENGINE Residen al Building Permits A sign of a growing economy is new building starts. This graph presents data on the number of building permits for new residen al housing as well as permits for demoli ons. The collapse in new homes starts in 2006 and con nues un l 2012. During those six years, the number of building permits for new housing decreased by 93.2 percent. A er reaching a low of 48 in both 2010 and 2011, the number of residen al building permits has been increasing. The county does rank last of the seven coun es for residen al housing building permits. Residen al Building Permits Source: SEMCOG Page 14

HEALTH AND SAFETY Health Care Insurance Coverage Health insurance coverage is a good indicator of resident s access to health care. Those without health insurance coverage have to overcome the high costs to receive health care which can cause people without insurance to go without. St. Clair County has a health insurance coverage rate over 89%. The coverage rate is about the same as the State of Michigan, but below the SEMCOG region average. St. Clair County has a higher rate than only one county in the SEMCOG region, Wayne County. Percentage of Residents with health insurance coverage Source: 2010-2014 American Community Survey Page 15

HEALTH AND SAFETY Health Outcomes Health Outcomes is a sta s c the University of Wisconsin s Popula on Health Ins tute uses to compare coun es based on a variety of health statuses. The statuses that are included are length of life (premature deaths) and quality of life (low birthweight, poor or fair health, poor physical health days, and poor mental health days). Michigan s 83 coun es are ranked with St. Clair County ranked 50th overall. The average county in the SEMCOG region is ranked 35 overall, with St. Clair County ahead of Macomb and Wayne coun es. In addi on, St. Clair County has 13% of adults repor ng fair or poor health, be er than the State (16%) and the same as SEMCOG (13%). Adults Repor ng Fair or Poor Health Source: County Health Rankings University of Wisconsin Popula on Health Ins tute Page 16

HEALTH AND SAFETY Obesity in Adults Obesity is defined as a person with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30 and above and the obesity rate being the percentage of the popula on that is obese. St. Clair County has an adult obesity rate of 32%. The State of Michigan s rate is 31% and the SEMCOG region s is 30%. While St. Clair County s adult obesity rate is higher the both the State of Michigan and SEMCOG average, St. Clair County s rate is in the middle of the seven SEMCOG coun es. Adult Obesity Rates Source: County Health Rankings University of Wisconsin Popula on Health Ins tute Page 17

HEALTH AND SAFETY Low Birth Weight Low birthweight is the percentage of births where the infant weighed less than 2500 grams (5.5 pounds). Low birthweight can serve as a predictor of premature mortality and for poten al cogni ve development problems. St. Clair County s low birth weight percentage is 8%. This number is the same as the State of Michigan and the SEMCOG Region. Low Birth Weight Source: County Health Rankings University of Wisconsin Popula on Health Ins tute Page 18

HEALTH AND SAFETY Cancer Rates One in twelve St. Clair County adults has been diagnosed by a doctor as having any form of cancer. As age increase, the percentage of the county popula on diagnosed also rises. Cancer rates are rela vely even throughout the county, with the western por on of the county having the lowest percentages. Women have a higher cancer rate than men, 10.3% vs 6.5%. Cancer Rates Source: VIP Research and Evalua on Behavioral Risk Factor Survey Page 19

HEALTH AND SAFETY Smoking Over one-half of St. Clair County adults are either smokers or former smokers. 28.1% of county adults are smokers while 23.6% are former smokers. A former smoker is considered someone who has smoked at least 100 cigare es (five packs) in their life me. Of the group of smokers and former smokers, currently almost one-third (32.7%) smoke every day. Smoking Rates Source: VIP Research and Evalua on Behavioral Risk Factor Survey Page 20

HEALTH AND SAFETY Immuniza on Diseases that were previously very prevalent now can be controlled by vaccines. Vaccines are given during childhood because many of the diseases they are designed to prevent are more common at a younger age. Maintaining a high immuniza on rate is important to prevent outbreaks. The immuniza on rate in St. Clair County is 72.1%. This rate is below the statewide rate of 75.2% and about the same as the na onal rate of 72.2%. Immuniza on Rates Source: VIP Research and Evalua on Behavioral Risk Factor Survey Page 21

HEALTH AND SAFETY Binge Drinking Binge drinking is defined as consuming five or more drinks on one occasion for men, and four or more on one occasion for women. Almost one-fourth (22.7%) of St. Clair County adults have had an episode of binge drinking in the past thirty days. When comparing only to the number of drinkers, the number rises to 37.7%. The largest number of drinks consumed on one occasion in the past 30 days on average is three among St. Clair County adults. Binge Drinking Source: VIP Research and Evalua on Behavioral Risk Factor Survey Page 22

HEALTH AND SAFETY Drug Abuse 44% of adults know someone who used prescrip on drugs for something other than the intended use. Young adults (25-34) had the highest rate with 65% knowing someone who used prescrip on medica ons to get high. As the ages progress, the knowledge of prescrip on drug abuse goes down, beginning with the young adults. Prescrip on Drug Abuse Source: VIP Research and Evalua on Behavioral Risk Factor Survey Page 23

COMMUNITY AND CULTURE Vo ng Vo ng is a way for ci zens to make their voice heard by elec ng officials to represent them in government. There are two figures to consider, voter registra on and voter turnout, when determining the percentage of the popula on vo ng in an elec on. The percentage of registered voters is the percentage of the popula on 18 and over that is registered to vote. St. Clair County s voter registra on is 98.13%, higher than the state average of 97.23% and lower than the SEMCOG average of 98.4%. Voter turnout can differ dras cally from a presiden al elec on to a gubernatorial elec on. The average voter turnout (percentage of registered voters who voted) during the last two presiden al elec ons in St. Clair County is 65.48% while the average turnout during the last two gubernatorial elec ons was 43.49%. The state averages were 67.88% and 44.12% and SEMCOG s averages were 68.38% and 43.85% for the last two presiden al and gubernatorial elec ons, respec vely. Vo ng Rates Source: Biennial Precinct Report Michigan Department of State Bureau of Elec ons and Michigan Elec on Voter Turnout (General Elec on) Page 24

COMMUNITY AND CULTURE Charitable Giving Charitable giving is the act of giving money, goods, or me to the unfortunate. The charitable giving by St. Clair County residents is below the State of Michigan and SEMCOG average. St. Clair County residents donated 2.37% of their income to charity while the State of Michigan gave 3.07% and the SEMCOG region 2.57%. St. Clair County was ranked 6th out of the seven coun es comprising SEMCOG. Charitable Giving Source: The Chronicle of Philanthropy Page 25

COMMUNITY AND CULTURE Cultural/Arts Par cipa on Art Galleries are a way for the community to experience culture. 5.3% of the residents of St. Clair County visited an art gallery in the last 12 months. St. Clair County ranks behind the State of Michigan where 6.3% of residents visited an art gallery as well as the SEMCOG region (7%). St. Clair County ranks behind all of the coun es in the SEMCOG region. Residents who visited Art Galley in last 12 months Source: GfK MRI na onally responsive survey of U.S. Households. ESRI Page 26

COMMUNITY AND CULTURE Popula on Diversity Popula on Diversity The popula on in St. Clair County is 93.7% White, 2.2% African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Na ve, 0.5% Asian, 0.7% of some other race, and 2.5% of two or more races. St. Clair County s popula on is less diverse than the SEMCOG region and the State of Michigan. When comparing St. Clair County to some of the coun es in SEMCOG, they rank more diverse than two (Livingston and Monroe) and less diverse than the remaining coun es (Macomb, Oakland, Washtenaw, and Wayne). Livingston and Monroe coun es are closer in popula on to St. Clair County than the other coun es that SEMCOG comprises of. Source: 2010-2014 American Community Survey Page 27

PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT Air Quality The air quality can affect the health of the residents in an area. Those with asthma or allergies can be sensi ve to poor air quality. The air quality in St. Clair County is rated good more than 96% of the me. SEMCOG has a be er overall ra ng with good air quality more than 97% of the me. St. Clair County has be er air quality than Macomb and Washtenaw coun es. Air Quality Water Quality Source: Home Facts St. Clair County is located in a unique area where it borders many different bodies of water, Lake Huron, St Clair River, Lake St. Clair, Anchor Bay, and also has many inland rivers within the county. St. Clair County monitored eight beaches during the summer of 2015. 480 total samples were taken between May and August to test the water to meet the State of Michigan s water quality standards. The tests resulted in beaches that were open 87% of me. Please note that not all coun es test their beaches to meet the state s water quality standards. Page 28

PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT Open Space and Parks St. Clair County has a variety of parkland between the county parks, city/township/village parks, blueways, greenways, Michigan Nature Associa on property, State of Michigan property, and the RESA Pine River Nature Center. In all, these proper es total 25,358 acres and 175.4 miles of greenways. Note that not all of the property is developed parkland. The Na onal Park and Recrea on Associa on sets the standard of 5-10 acres of regional parkland provided per 1,000 people. The County s park and the RESA Pine River Nature Center qualify for regional parkland. St. Clair County meets the low end of the range (five acres), but does not meet the higher end of the rage (10 acres). Open Space and Parkland (in acres) County Parks Non-motorized Trails 22,178 3355.8 761.7 952 406.7 Cities and Villages Townships 175.4 949 111 Michigan Nature Association Property State of Michigan Property RESA s Pine River Nature Center Source: St. Clair County Master Recrea on Plan Page 29

PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT Commu ng Times The commute me for residents of St. Clair County is 28.6 minutes. This is significantly higher than the State of Michigan s (24.1 minutes) and slightly higher than the SEMCOG region (26.6 minutes). Only one county has a higher commu ng me than St. Clair County in the SEMCOG region, Livingston County (31.5 minutes). Commute Times Source: 2010-2014 American Community Survey Page 30

PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT Recycling St. Clair County s landfill reports recycling rates in terms of tonnage recycled for cardboard, metal, plas c, and paper. The recycling rates presented are what the landfill accepted for each material type. Figures were not available from trash removal companies. As a result, par cipa on rates are not available. The county reported the following tons recycled of each commodity in 2015: Recycling Totals (total tonnage) Source: St. Clair County Landfill Page 31