May 13, 2024
The teen population of those ages 15 to 19 made up 11.4 percent of Isabella County's total population, the largest share in the state. This was slightly higher than Houghton County at 11.1 percent. No other county in the Great Lakes Bay area, or the state, had a share greater than 9.0 percent. Counties with the highest share of this teenage population typically are home to major four-year colleges or universities. However, it is notable that each other county in the Great Lakes Bay Michigan Works! area had a share of this population greater than 6 percent. This ranged from 7.2 percent in Gratiot County to 6.1 percent in Bay County. Overall, Michigan’s share of 15- to 19-year-olds was 6.6 percent.
In the Great Lakes Bay area, 16- to 19-year-olds* had an unemployment rate of 13.5 percent. This was the 8th lowest jobless rate among the area for this age cohort. While females in the age group had a slightly lower jobless rate in the area at 12.9 percent compared to males at 14.3 percent, the jobless rate for males was the 5th lowest among the area. The unemployment rate for females was the 9th lowest.
Teenage populations are an important demographic, especially in older regions where it is more difficult to replace those aging out of the workforce. Overall, the Great Lakes Bay area had 32.6 percent of their population within the 55 years and older age group. This was slightly higher than the statewide share of 31.7 percent.
*Population and jobless rate analysis have slightly varied age groups due to age groups used in the American Community Survey for each metric.
Source: 2018–2022 Five-Year Estimates, American Community Survey, U.S. Census Bureau
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