Michigan's Upper Peninsula of Michigan is a large geographic area that encompasses 33 percent of the state's landmass with 16,452 square miles of mostly forested land owned by the federal and state governments. This large geographic area houses about 317,258 people or 3 percent of Michigan's population according to the 2000 census. The city of Marquette is the largest of its cities with just under 20,000 residents.

Only 114,544 people live in the 21 cities and villages of at least 2,000 or more people, which cover 123.7 square miles - less than 1 percent of the peninsula's land area.

Between July 2006 and June 2007, 1,153 people in Region One experienced homelessness.

The 2000 Census rates of persons below 200 percent of poverty for counties in Region One are listed below:

• Alger 34.9%
• Baraga 33.1%
• Chippewa 34.1%
• Delta 29.4%
• Dickinson 29.4%
• Gogebic 39.9%
• Houghton 41.4%
• Iron 34.9%
• Keweenaw 39.2%
• Luce 36.8%
• Mackinac 32.3%
• Marquette 29.9%
• Menominee 32.5%
• Ontonagon 33.9%
• Schoolcraft 35.7%

Unemployment rates by county in Region One are:

• Alger 10.4%
• Baraga 12.4%
• Chippewa 8.6%
• Delta 7.6%
• Dickinson 7.4%
• Gogebic 9.0%
• Houghton 6.9%
• Iron 7.9%
• Keweenaw 8.7%
• Luce 8.9%
• Mackinac 5.1%
• Marquette 6.6%
• Menominee 6.7%
• Ontonagon 7.8%
• Schoolcraft 9.4%