Michigan is the only state made up of two peninsulas, the lower "Mitten" and the Upper Peninsula (U.P.). Michigan covers 56,804 square miles, with a 2020 estimated population of 10,077,331 people – 1,804,462 living in rural areas (USDA-ERS). Lansing, the capital, is located in the middle of Michigan's Lower Peninsula. The state's largest cities are Detroit, Grand Rapids, and Warren. According to 2021 data from the U.S. Census Bureau, an estimated 79.2% of the state's population is white, 14.1% is African-American, 3.4% is Asian, 0.7% is American Indian or Alaska Native, and 5.3% is of Hispanic or Latino origin.

Michigan Rural Healthcare Facilities

Selected Social Determinants of Health for Rural Michigan

3.9% of the Michigan residents lack health insurance (Kaiser, 2020). According to the USDA Economic Research Service, the average per capita income for Michiganians in 2020 was $53,259, with the per capita income at $45,401. The ERS reports, based on 2019 ACS data, that the poverty rate in rural Michigan is 13.3%, compared with 12.9% in urban areas of the state. 9.3% of the rural population has not completed high school, while 9.2% of the urban population lacks a high school diploma according to 2015-2019 ACS data reported by ERS. The unemployment rate in rural Michigan is at 9.0% while in urban Michigan it is at 10.0% (USDA-ERS, 2020).

Michigan Center for Rural Health
Phone: 517.355.7979
Email: com.mcrhaa@msu.edu
Serves as the center for expertise in rural health for Michigan and as the State Office of Rural Health (SORH). Supports the development of partnerships among nonprofits, health departments, hospitals, government, and academia to create new opportunities in quality of care, recruitment and retention of healthcare providers, distance education, and emergency medical services (EMS).
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