MSU Extension Economic Development

Have you ever needed to look up demographic data for a specific area and began with the ol’ Google Search?  We are all guilty of it. Today I have for you a credible source to find a wealth of data pertaining to a specific location of your choice in Michigan. 

The Site Selection Real Estate Database is a tool from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation that is used to find various buildings and land that are either for sale or for lease. However, what isn’t widely known is the fact that it’s also a large demographic database. The best part about this site is that it’s all FREE! 

What does this powerhouse site hold?  If you are looking for data on labor force, demographics, consumer expenditures, wages, area businesses, talent pool or a simple community overview this is the spot for you. The community overview shows brief stats which are covered in detail when you open each tab. The labor force section outlines various business sectors—how many employees each sector has in a specific area—and even divides the various businesses by their NAICs code.

Along the same lines, the talent pool tab lists various academic institutions in the area and the different degrees that are offered. Wages and business tabs dive into different kinds of businesses in the area and their wage rate; this data is particularly important to a new business coming to town, or someone looking to open a new business. With this data, they can know what the average wages are within a community or region for their specific type of business across the board. The demographics and consumer expenditures tabs share population data. How many people reside in each community, ethnicity distribution, gender breakdown, age distribution, and more.

If you are looking to dive head first into reliable data, visit this link!

Michigan State University Extension Partner Northern Lakes Economic Alliance (NLEA) seeks to assist and empower entrepreneurs to succeed in their business ventures by providing them the tools they need to grow and nurture a healthy business.

“Michigan State University Extension has had a unique relationship with the regional economic development organization Northern Lakes Economic Alliance (NLEA) for more than 20 years. Recognizing the strength of combining resources, this partnership focuses on economic development, entrepreneurship growth and community infrastructure throughout a four-county region in the northwest Lower Peninsula, specifically Antrim, Charlevoix, Cheboygan and Emmet counties. As a result, the NLEA utilizes resources offered through MSU Extension as it provides leadership to state-wide programs sponsored by MSU Extension.”