New numbers from the United States Census Bureau show that poverty is widespread in Michigan. Since 1999, the overall percentage of people living in poverty in Michigan has increased by 3%. At the same time, poverty levels have increased in cities in Michigan, with Flint's at 34.1%, Kalamazoo's at 33.4%, Lansing's at 27.9%, and Grand Rapids' at 23%. Kalamazoo and Flint are among the ten cities with the highest poverty rates in the nation, while Detroit has the most people living under the poverty level--32.5%--of any major city in the United States.
Poverty in Michigan is coupled with a high unemployment rate in the state. Michigan's unemployment rate currently the highest in the United States at 7.2%. Additionally, 10.6% of Michigan's population is without health insurance.
