View source for Michigan

{{Short description|U.S. state}}
{{About|the U.S. state}}
{{Redirect|The Great Lakes State|states around the Great Lakes region|Great Lakes region}}
{{protection padlock|small=yes}}
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{{Use American English|date=February 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2025}}
{{Infobox U.S. state
| name = Michigan
| image_flag = Flag_of_Michigan.svg
| flag_link = Flag of Michigan
| image_seal = Seal of Michigan.svg
| image_map = Michigan in United States.svg
| nicknames = "The Great Lakes State", "The Wolverine State", "Water (Winter) Wonderland"
| motto = ''{{lang|la|[[Si quaeris peninsulam amoenam circumspice]]}}''<br />(English: "If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you")
| anthem = "[[My Michigan]]"
| Former = Michigan Territory
| seat = [[Lansing, Michigan|Lansing]]
| population_demonym = [[Michigander]], Michiganian, Yooper (Upper Peninsula)<ref name=yooper>{{cite news |first = Liane |last = Hansen |url = https://www.npr.org/2009/09/27/113251618/whats-a-yooper |title = What Is a Yooper? |work = Weekend Edition Sunday |publisher = [[NPR]] |date = September 27, 2009 |access-date = June 13, 2013 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130821030619/http://www.npr.org/2009/09/27/113251618/whats-a-yooper |archive-date = August 21, 2013 |url-status = live }}</ref>
| LargestCity = [[Detroit]]
| LargestCounty = [[Wayne County, Michigan|Wayne]]
| LargestMetro = [[Metro Detroit|Detroit]]
| Governor = {{nowrap|[[Gretchen Whitmer]] ([[Democratic Party (United States)|D]])}}
| Lieutenant Governor = {{nowrap|[[Garlin Gilchrist]] (D)}}
| Legislature = [[Michigan Legislature]]
| Upperhouse = [[Michigan Senate|Senate]]
| Lowerhouse = [[Michigan House of Representatives|House of Representatives]]
| Judiciary = [[Michigan Supreme Court]]
| Senators = {{nowrap|[[Gary Peters]] (D)}} <br /> {{nowrap|[[Elissa Slotkin]] (D)}}
| Representative = 7 [[Republican Party (United States)|Republicans]] <br /> 6 [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrats]]
| TradAbbreviation = Mich.
| OfficialLang = None (English, ''de facto'')
| Languages = English 91.11%<br />Spanish 3.86%<br />Arabic 1.05%<br />Other 4.92%
| area_rank = 11th
| area_total_sq_mi = 96,716
| area_total_km2 = 250,493
| area_land_sq_mi = 58,110
| area_land_km2 = 150,504
| area_water_sq_mi = 38,606
| area_water_percent = 41.8
| population_rank = 10th
| population_as_of = 2024
| 2010Pop = {{IncreaseNeutral}} 10,140,459<ref name="CensusQuick">{{Cite web |url = https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/MI/PST045224 |accessdate = January 3, 2025 |title = United States Census Quick Facts Michigan }}</ref>
| population_density_rank = 17th
| 2010DensityUS = 174
| 2010Density = 67.1
| MedianHouseholdIncome = ${{round|71149|-2}} (2<span>0</span>23)<ref name="CensusQuick"/>
| IncomeRank = [[List of U.S. states and district by median household income|38th]]
| AdmittanceOrder = 26th
| AdmittanceDate = {{Start date and age|1837|1|26}}
| timezone1 = [[Eastern Time Zone|Eastern]]
| utc_offset1 = −05:00
| timezone1_DST = [[Eastern Daylight Time|EDT]]
| utc_offset1_DST = −04:00
| timezone1_location = Most of state
| timezone2 = [[Central Time Zone (North America)|Central]]
| utc_offset2 = −06:00
| timezone2_DST = [[Central Daylight Time|CDT]]
| utc_offset2_DST = −05:00
| timezone2_location = 4 [[Upper Peninsula of Michigan|U.P.]] counties ([[Gogebic County, Michigan|Gogebic]], [[Iron County, Michigan|Iron]], [[Dickinson County, Michigan|Dickinson]], and [[Menominee County, Michigan|Menominee]])
| Latitude = 41°41{{prime}} N to 48°18{{prime}} N
| Longitude = 82°7{{prime}} W to 90°25{{prime}} W
| width_mi = 386<ref name="MiB-pdf"/>
| width_km = 621
| length_mi = 456<ref name="MiB-pdf"/>
| length_km = 734
| elevation_max_point = [[Mount Arvon]]<ref name=USGS>{{cite web |url = http://egsc.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/booklets/elvadist/elvadist.html |title = Elevations and Distances in the United States |publisher = [[United States Geological Survey]] |year = 2001 |access-date = October 24, 2011 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111015012701/http://egsc.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/booklets/elvadist/elvadist.html |archive-date = October 15, 2011 }}</ref><ref name="autogenerated2" group="lower-alpha">Elevation adjusted to [[North American Vertical Datum of 1988]]</ref>
| elevation_max_ft = 1,979
| elevation_max_m = 603
| elevation_ft = 900
| elevation_m = 270
| elevation_min_point = [[Lake Erie]]<ref name=USGS/><ref name="autogenerated2" group="lower-alpha"/>
| elevation_min_ft = 571
| elevation_min_m = 174
| postal_code = MI
| iso_code = US-MI
| website = https://michigan.gov
}}

'''Michigan''' ({{IPAc-en|audio=en-us-Michigan.ogg|ˈ|m|ɪ|ʃ|ɪ|g|ən}} {{respell|MISH|ig|ən}}) is a peninsular [[U.S. state|state]] in the [[Great Lakes region|Great Lakes]] region of the [[Upper Midwest]]ern [[United States]]. It shares water and land boundaries with [[Minnesota]] to the northwest, [[Wisconsin]] to the west, [[Indiana]] and [[Illinois]] to the southwest, [[Ohio]] to the southeast, and the Canadian [[Provinces and territories of Canada|province]] of [[Ontario]] to the east, northeast and north. With a population of 10.14 million<ref name="CensusQuick"/> and an area of {{convert|96,716|sqmi|abbr=on}}, Michigan is the [[List of U.S. states and territories by population|tenth-largest]] state by population, the [[List of U.S. states and territories by area|11th-largest]] by area, and the largest by total area east of the [[Mississippi River]].<ref group="lower-alpha">''i.e.'', including water that is part of state territory. [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]] is the largest state by land area alone east of the Mississippi and Michigan the second-largest.</ref> The state capital is [[Lansing, Michigan|Lansing]], while its most populous city is [[Detroit]]. The [[Metro Detroit]] region in [[Southeast Michigan]] is among the nation's most populous and largest metropolitan economies. Other important [[List of Michigan metropolitan areas|metropolitan areas]] include [[Grand Rapids metropolitan area|Grand Rapids]], [[Genesee County, Michigan|Flint]], [[Washtenaw County, Michigan|Ann Arbor]], [[Kalamazoo–Portage metropolitan area|Kalamazoo]], the [[Saginaw, Midland, and Bay City metropolitan area|Tri-Cities]], and [[Muskegon County, Michigan|Muskegon]].

Michigan consists of two peninsulas: the heavily forested [[Upper Peninsula]] (commonly called "the U.P."), which juts eastward from northern Wisconsin, and the more populated Lower Peninsula, stretching north from Ohio and Indiana. The peninsulas are separated by the [[Straits of Mackinac]], which connects Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, and are linked by the 5-mile-long [[Mackinac Bridge]] along [[Interstate 75]]. Bordering four of the five [[Great Lakes]] and [[Lake St. Clair]], Michigan has the longest [[freshwater]] coastline of any U.S. political subdivision, measuring 3,288 miles.<ref name="NOAA-CRM">{{cite web |title = Ocean and Coastal Management in Michigan |url = http://coastalmanagement.noaa.gov/mystate/mi.html |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130215041213/http://coastalmanagement.noaa.gov/mystate/mi.html |archive-date = February 15, 2013 |access-date = July 25, 2010 |publisher = NOAA Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management }}</ref> The state ranks second behind [[Alaska]] in water coverage by square miles and first in percentage, with approximately 42%, and it also contains 64,980 [[List of lakes of Michigan|inland lakes and ponds]].<ref>"United States Summary: 2010, Population and Housing Unit Counts, 2010 Census of Population and Housing" (PDF). [[United States Census Bureau]]. September 2012. pp. V–2, 1 & 41 (Tables 1 & 18). Retrieved February 7, 2014.</ref><ref>{{cite web |last = Breck |first = James E. |title = Compilation of Databases on Michigan Lakes |url = http://www.michigandnr.com/PUBLICATIONS/PDFS/ifr/ifrlibra/technical/reports/2004-2tr.pdf |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090314225532/http://www.michigandnr.com/PUBLICATIONS/PDFS/ifr/ifrlibra/technical/reports/2004-2tr.pdf |archive-date = March 14, 2009 |access-date = April 18, 2009 |publisher = [[Michigan Department of Natural Resources]] |page = 5 |quote = Another unique code (Unique_ID) was previously assigned to all 70,542 polygons, including 5,527 islands, 35 streams and 64,980 lakes and ponds down to 0.008 acres (31.4 m2, 338 ft2 ). }}</ref>

The Great Lakes region has largely been inhabited for thousands of years by Indigenous peoples such as the [[Ojibwe]], [[Odawa]], [[Potawatomi]], and [[Wyandot people|Wyandot]].
Some people contend that the region's name is derived from the Ojibwe word ᒥᓯᑲᒥ (mishigami),{{efn|The first form is the way it is spelled in [[Ojibwe syllabics|Ojibwe native syllabics]].}} meaning "large water" or "large lake".<ref name="MiB-pdf">{{cite book |title = Michigan in Brief: Information About the State of Michigan |url = http://www.michigan.gov/documents/hal_lm_MiB_156795_7.pdf |url-status =  |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061108052946/http://www.michigan.gov/documents/hal_lm_MiB_156795_7.pdf |archive-date = November 8, 2006 |access-date = November 28, 2006 |publisher = Library of Michigan }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title = Ojibwe-English-Ojibwe online dictionary |url = http://www.freelang.net/online/ojibwe.php?lg=gb |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080315051638/http://www.freelang.net/online/ojibwe.php?lg=gb |archive-date = March 15, 2008 |access-date = March 24, 2008 |publisher = FREELANG }}</ref> While others say that it comes from the Mishiiken Tribe of Mackinac Island, also called Michinemackinawgo by Ottawa historian Andrew Blackbird,<ref>{{Cite book |last = Blackbird |first = Andrew J. |title = History of the Ottawa and Chippewa Indians }}</ref> whose surrounding lands were referred to as Mishiiken-imakinakom, later shortened to Michilimackinac.

In the 17th century, French explorers claimed the area for [[New France]]. French settlers and [[Métis]] established forts and settlements.
After France's defeat in the [[French and Indian War]] in 1762, the area came under British control and later the U.S. following the [[Treaty of Paris (1783)]], though control remained disputed with Indigenous tribes until treaties between 1795 and 1842. The area was part of the larger [[Northwest Territory]]; the [[Michigan Territory]] was organized in 1805.

Michigan was [[List of U.S. states by date of admission to the Union|admitted]] as the 26th state on January 26, 1837, entering as a [[Slave states and free states|free state]] and quickly developing into an industrial and trade hub that attracted European immigrants, particularly from [[Finland]], [[Macedonia (region)|Macedonia]], and the [[Netherlands]].<ref>{{cite book |last = Ueda |first = Reed |url = https://archive.org/details/americaschanging0002unse |title = America's Changing Neighborhoods: An Exploration of Diversity through Places |publisher = Greenwood |year = 2017 |isbn = 978-1-4408-2864-5 |url-access = registration }}</ref>
In the 1930s, migration from [[Appalachia]] and the [[History of Middle Eastern people in Metro Detroit|Middle East]] and the [[Great Migration (African American)|Great Migration]] of [[Black Southerners]] further shaped the state, especially in Metro Detroit.<ref>{{cite web |last = Balestier |first = Courtney |date = November 10, 2016 |title = In search of the Hillbilly Highway |url = https://www.secondwavemedia.com/metromode/features/hillbilly-highway-110716.aspx |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20221208094057/https://www.secondwavemedia.com/metromode/features/hillbilly-highway-110716.aspx |archive-date = December 8, 2022 |access-date = October 4, 2022 |website = metromode }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title = February: Shaping Black Detroit |url = https://guides.lib.wayne.edu/sotm/2019/02 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230214034859/https://guides.lib.wayne.edu/sotm/2019/02 |archive-date = February 14, 2023 |access-date = October 4, 2022 |website = Research Guides |publisher = Wayne State University Libraries }}</ref>

Michigan has a diversified economy with a gross state product of $725.897{{spaces}}billion as of Q1 2025, ranking [[List of U.S. states and territories by GDP|14th]] among the 50 states.<ref name="BureauEco">{{Cite web |title = Gross Domestic Product by State and Personal Income by State, 1st Quarter 2025 -Tables Only |url = https://www.bea.gov/data/gdp/gdp-state |access-date = July 9, 2025 |website = Bureau of Economic Analysis |language = en }}</ref> Although the state has developed a diverse economy, in the early 20th century it became widely known as the center of the [[Automotive industry in the United States|U.S. automotive industry]], which developed as a major national economic force. It is home to the country's [[Big Three (automobile manufacturers)|three major automobile companies]] (whose headquarters are all in Metro Detroit). Once exploited for logging and mining, today the sparsely populated Upper Peninsula is important for tourism because of its abundance of natural resources.<ref>{{cite web |last = Kandell |first = Jonathan |date = May 2011 |title = The Wonderful Wilderness of Michigan's Upper Peninsula |url = https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/the-wonderful-wilderness-of-michigans-upper-peninsula-1803122/ |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190301135912/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/the-wonderful-wilderness-of-michigans-upper-peninsula-1803122/ |archive-date = March 1, 2019 |access-date = February 28, 2019 |website = Smithsonian Magazine }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last = Archibald |first = Robert |title = An Environmental History of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan: An Outline |url = https://www.nmu.edu/upperpeninsulastudies/environmental-history-upper-peninsula-michigan |url-status =  |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190301140033/https://www.nmu.edu/upperpeninsulastudies/environmental-history-upper-peninsula-michigan |archive-date = March 1, 2019 |access-date = February 28, 2019 |publisher = NMU Center for U.P. Studies }}</ref> The Lower Peninsula is a center of [[manufacturing]], [[forestry]], [[agriculture]], [[service (economics)|services]], and [[high-tech]] industry.

==History==
{{Main|History of Michigan}}
{{For timeline}}

When the first European explorers arrived, the most populous tribes were the [[Algonquian peoples]], which include the [[Anishinaabe]] groups of [[Ojibwe]], [[Ottawa (tribe)|Odaawaa/Odawa (Ottawa)]], and the [[Potawatomi|Boodewaadamii/Bodéwadmi (Potawatomi)]]. The three nations coexisted peacefully as part of a loose confederation called the [[Council of Three Fires]]. The Ojibwe, whose numbers are estimated to have been at least 35,000, were the largest.<ref>{{Cite book |last = Pritzker |first = Barry |title = A Native American Encyclopedia: History, Culture, and Peoples |publisher = [[Oxford University Press]] |year = 2000 |isbn = 9780195138771 |pages = 342 }}</ref>

The Ojibwe Indians (also known as Chippewa in the U.S.), an Anishinaabe tribe, were established in Michigan's Upper Peninsula and [[northern Michigan|northern]] and [[central Michigan]]. Bands also inhabited [[Ontario]] and southern [[Manitoba]], Canada; and northern [[Wisconsin]], and northern and north-central [[Minnesota]]. Smaller groups of Algonquian Indians like the [[Noquet]] in the Upper Peninsula were present for thousands of years but subsequently absorbed by neighboring tribes before and during European contact.<ref>{{cite book |last = Swanton |first = John |year = 1952 |title = The Indian Tribes of North America |publisher = Genealogical Publishing |pages = 243–244 }}</ref> The Ottawa Indians lived primarily south of the [[Straits of Mackinac]] in northern, [[western Michigan|western]], and [[southern Michigan]], but also in southern Ontario, northern Ohio, and eastern Wisconsin. The Potawatomi were in southern and western Michigan, in addition to northern and central Indiana, northern Illinois, southern Wisconsin, and southern Ontario. Other Algonquian tribes in Michigan, in the south and east, were the [[Mascouten]], the [[Menominee]], the [[Miami (tribe)|Miami]], the [[Sac people|Sac]] (or Sauk), and the [[Meskwaki|Meskwaki (Fox)]]. The [[Wyandot people|Wyandot]] were an Iroquoian-speaking people in this area; they were historically known as the Huron by the French, and were the historical adversaries of the [[Iroquois Confederation]].<ref>{{cite web |url = https://wyandotte-nation.org/culture/our-history/ |title = Our History }}, Wyandotte Nation</ref>

===17th century===
{{Main|New France|Canada (New France)}}

[[File:Pere Marquette.JPG|thumb|left|''Père Marquette and the Indians'' (1869), by Wilhelm Lamprecht]]

French ''[[voyageurs]]'' and ''[[Coureur des bois|coureurs des bois]]'' explored and settled in Michigan in the 17th century. The first Europeans to reach what became Michigan were those of [[Étienne Brûlé]]'s expedition in 1622. The first permanent European settlement was founded in 1668 on the site where Père [[Jacques Marquette]] established [[Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan]], as a base for Catholic missions.<ref>{{cite web |title = Chronology of Michigan History |url = http://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/publications/manual/2003-2004/2003-mm-0003-0019-Chron.pdf |page = 3 |access-date = September 30, 2009 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110721045242/http://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/publications/manual/2003-2004/2003-mm-0003-0019-Chron.pdf |archive-date = July 21, 2011 |url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title = Sault Ste Marie Pure Michigan |url = http://www.saultstemarie.com/soo-area-and-great-waters-region/our-local-history/ |publisher = Sault Ste Marie |access-date = June 9, 2016 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160612002509/http://www.saultstemarie.com/soo-area-and-great-waters-region/our-local-history/ |archive-date = June 12, 2016 |url-status = dead }}</ref> Missionaries in 1671–75 founded outlying stations at [[Saint Ignace, Michigan|Saint Ignace]] and [[Marquette, Michigan|Marquette]]. Jesuit missionaries were well received by the area's Indian populations, with few difficulties or hostilities. In 1679, [[Robert Cavelier, Sieur de la Salle]] built [[Fort Miami (Michigan)|Fort Miami]] at present-day [[St. Joseph, Michigan|St. Joseph]]. In 1691, the French established a trading post and Fort St. Joseph along the St. Joseph River at the present-day city of [[Niles, Michigan|Niles]].

===18th century===
{{Main|French and Indian War|Treaty of Paris (1763)|Province of Quebec (1763–1791)|Indian Reserve (1763)|American Revolutionary War|Treaty of Paris (1783)|Northwest Ordinance|Northwest Territory}}

In 1701, French explorer and army officer [[Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac]] founded [[Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit]] or "Fort Pontchartrain on-the-Strait" on the strait, known as the [[Detroit River]], between lakes [[Lake Saint Clair (North America)|Saint Clair]] and [[Lake Erie|Erie]].{{citation needed|date=February 2024}} Cadillac had convinced [[Louis XIV]]'s chief minister, [[Louis Phélypeaux, Marquis of Phélypeaux|Louis Phélypeaux, Comte de Pontchartrain]], that a permanent community there would strengthen French control over the upper Great Lakes and discourage [[Kingdom of Great Britain|British]] aspirations.{{citation needed|date=February 2024}}

The hundred soldiers and workers who accompanied Cadillac built a fort enclosing one [[arpent]] (about {{convert|0.85|acre|m2}},<ref name=tbaytel>{{cite web |url = http://my.tbaytel.net/bmartin/cadillac.htm |title = Cadillac's Village or Detroit under Cadillac |access-date = January 5, 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061209205600/http://my.tbaytel.net/bmartin/cadillac.htm |archive-date = December 9, 2006 |url-status = live }}</ref><ref name=histdet>{{cite web |url = http://www.historydetroit.com/places/fort_ponchartrain.asp |title = History Detroit 1701–2001 |access-date = January 5, 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061209065758/http://www.historydetroit.com/places/fort_ponchartrain.asp |archive-date = December 9, 2006 |url-status = live }}</ref> the equivalent of just under {{convert|200|ft|m}} per side) and named it [[Fort Pontchartrain]]. Cadillac's wife, Marie Thérèse Guyon, soon moved to Detroit, becoming one of the first European women to settle in what was considered the wilderness of Michigan. The town quickly became a major [[fur trade|fur-trading]] and shipping post. The ''[[Ste. Anne de Detroit Catholic Church|Église de Saint-Anne]]'' (Catholic Church of Saint Anne) was founded the same year.{{citation needed|date=February 2024}} While the original building does not survive, the congregation remains active.{{citation needed|date=February 2024}} Cadillac later departed to serve as the French governor of Louisiana from 1710 to 1716.{{citation needed|date=February 2024}} French attempts to consolidate the fur trade led to the [[Fox Wars]], in which the Meskwaki (Fox) and their allies fought the French and their Native allies.{{citation needed|date=February 2024}}

[[File:Fort Michilimackinac 2022.jpg|thumb|[[Fort Michilimackinac]] at the [[Straits of Mackinac]]]]

At the same time, the French strengthened [[Fort Michilimackinac]] at the Straits of Mackinac to better control their lucrative fur-trading empire. By the mid-18th century, the French also occupied forts at present-day Niles and Sault Ste. Marie, though most of the rest of the region remained unsettled by Europeans. France offered free land to attract families to Detroit, which grew to 800 people in 1765. It was the largest city between Montreal and New Orleans.<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.archives.gov.on.ca/ENGLISH/exhibits/franco_ontarian/detroit.htm |title = French Ontario in the 17th and 18th centuries: Detroit |publisher = Archives of Ontario |date = July 14, 2008 |access-date = July 23, 2008 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20040824111504/http://www.archives.gov.on.ca/ENGLISH/exhibits/franco_ontarian/detroit.htm |archive-date = August 24, 2004 }}</ref> French settlers also established small farms south of the Detroit River opposite the fort, near a Jesuit mission and Huron village.

[[File:British colonies 1763-76 shepherd1923.PNG|thumb|Map of [[British America]] showing the original boundaries of the [[Province of Quebec]] and its [[Quebec Act of 1774]] post-annexation boundaries]]
[[File:Treaty of Paris by Benjamin West 1783.jpg|thumb|''[[Treaty of Paris (painting)|Treaty of Paris]]'', by [[Benjamin West]] (1783), an unfinished painting of the American diplomatic negotiators of the [[Treaty of Paris (1783)|Treaty of Paris]] which brought official conclusion to the [[American Revolutionary War|Revolutionary War]] and gave possession of Michigan and other territory to the new United States]]

From 1660 until the end of French rule, Michigan was part of the Royal Province of [[New France]].<ref group="lower-alpha">The Province included the modern states of Wisconsin, eastern Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, two-thirds of Georgia, and small parts of West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, and Maine.</ref> In 1760, [[Montreal]] fell to the British forces, ending the [[French and Indian War]] (1754–1763), the North American front of the [[Seven Years' War]] in Europe. Under the [[Treaty of Paris (1763)|1763 Treaty of Paris]], Michigan and the rest of New France east of the Mississippi River were ceded by defeated France to Great Britain.<ref>{{cite EB1911|wstitle= Michigan |volume= 18 |last=  |first=  |author-link= | pages = 371&ndash;377; see page 376 |quote= History.— From 1613 until 1760 the territory now within the borders of Michigan formed a part of New France...&... During the last war between the English and the French in America the Michigan settlements passed into the possession of the English, Detroit in 1760 and...}}</ref> After the [[Quebec Act]] was passed in 1774, Michigan became part of the British [[Province of Quebec (1763-1791)|Province of Quebec]]. By 1778, Detroit's population reached 2,144 and it was the third-largest city in Quebec province.<ref>{{cite book |first1 = Jacqueline |last1 = Peterson |first2 = Jennifer S.H. |last2 = Brown |name-list-style = amp |title = Many Roads to Red River |year = 2001 |page = 69 }}{{full citation needed|date= July 2015}}</ref>

During the [[American Revolutionary War]], Detroit was an important British supply center. Most of the inhabitants were French-Canadians or American Indians, many of whom had been allied with the French because of long trading ties. Because of imprecise cartography and unclear language defining the boundaries in the [[Treaty of Paris (1783)|1783 Treaty of Paris]], the British retained control of Detroit and Michigan after the [[American Revolution]]. When Quebec split into Lower and Upper Canada in 1791, Michigan was part of [[Kent County, Ontario|Kent County]], Upper Canada. It held its first democratic elections in August 1792 to send delegates to the new provincial parliament at Newark (now [[Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario|Niagara-on-the-Lake]]).<ref name=SFarmer>{{Cite book |last = Farmer |first = Silas |title = The History of Detroit and Michigan; or, The Metropolis Illustrated; A Full Record of Territorial Days in Michigan, and the Annals of Wayne County |orig-year = 1889 |url = http://name.umdl.umich.edu/bad1459.0001.001 |access-date = June 15, 2006 |year = 2005 |via = University of Michigan Library |page = 94 |chapter = Legislatures and Laws |chapter-url = http://www.hti.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/pageviewer-idx?c=micounty;cc=micounty;rgn=full%20text;idno=BAD1459.0001.001;didno=BAD1459.0001.001;view=image;seq=00000152 }}</ref>

Under terms negotiated in the 1794 [[Jay Treaty]], Britain withdrew from Detroit and Michilimackinac in 1796. It retained control of territory east and south of the Detroit River, which are now included in Ontario, Canada. Questions remained over the boundary for many years, and the United States did not have uncontested control of the Upper Peninsula and [[Drummond Island]] until 1818 and 1847, respectively.

===19th century===
{{Main|Indiana Territory|Organic act#List of organic acts|Michigan Territory|Admission to the Union|List of U.S. states by date of admission to the Union|Michigan in the American Civil War}}

During the [[War of 1812]], the commander of the [[Army of the Northwest (United States)|Army of the Northwest]], Brigadier General [[William Hull]], surrendered Detroit and the Michigan Territory to the British after a nearly bloodless [[Siege of Detroit|siege]] in August 1812. An American attempt to retake Detroit in January 1813 resulted in a severe American defeat at the [[Battle of Frenchtown]]. This battle, still ranked as the bloodiest ever fought in the state, had the highest number of American casualties of any battle of the war.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Hitsman |first1=J. Mackay |last2=Graves |first2=Donald |title=The Incredible War of 1812 |publisher=Robin Brass Studios |location=Toronto |date=1999 |isbn=1896941133}}</ref>

Michigan was retaken by the Americans in September 1813 after the British abandoned Detroit following the [[Battle of Lake Erie]]. Forces led by Major General [[William Henry Harrison]] reoccupied Detroit and launched an invasion of [[Upper Canada]] which culminated in a British defeat at the [[Battle of the Thames]]. The more northerly areas of Michigan such as [[Fort Mackinac]] were held by the British until the 1815 [[Treaty of Ghent]] restored the old boundaries. A number of forts, including [[Fort Wayne (Detroit)|Fort Wayne]], were built by the United States in Michigan during the 19th century out of fears of renewed fighting with Britain.

The population grew slowly until the opening in 1825 of the [[Erie Canal]] through the Mohawk Valley in New York, connecting the Great Lakes to the Hudson River and New York City.<ref>{{cite web |url = https://eriecanalway.org/learn/history-culture |title = Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor :: History and Culture }}</ref> The new route attracted a large influx of settlers to the Michigan territory. They worked as farmers, lumbermen, shipbuilders, and merchants and shipped out grain, lumber, and iron ore. By the 1830s, Michigan had 30,000 residents, more than enough to apply and qualify for statehood.<ref>{{cite web |url = https://crcmich.org/almanac/population/michigan-population-trends |title = Michigan Population Trends }}</ref>

A constitutional convention of assent was held to lead the territory to statehood.<ref name="Progress">{{cite book |title = Men of Progress: Embracing Biographical Sketches of Representative Michigan Men with an Outline History of the State |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=lPlAAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA313 |year = 1900 |publisher = Evening News Association. |page = 313 |access-date = October 31, 2016 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180818082123/https://books.google.com/books?id=lPlAAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA313 |archive-date = August 18, 2018 |url-status = live }}</ref> In October 1835 the people approved the constitution of 1835, thereby forming a state government.<ref name=centennial>{{cite web |first =  |last =  |title = Michigan Centenary Issue |publisher = Smithsonian National Postal Museum |year =  |accessdate = November 3, 2023 |url = https://postalmuseum.si.edu/exhibition/about-us-stamps-bureau-period-1894-1939-commemorative-issues-1934-1935/michigan-centenary |ref = smithsonian35 |archive-date = November 4, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20231104024922/https://postalmuseum.si.edu/exhibition/about-us-stamps-bureau-period-1894-1939-commemorative-issues-1934-1935/michigan-centenary |url-status = live }}</ref> [[United States Congress|Congressional]] recognition was delayed pending resolution of a boundary dispute with [[Ohio]] known as the [[Toledo War]]. Congress awarded the "Toledo Strip" to Ohio. Michigan received the western part of the Upper Peninsula as a concession and formally entered the Union as a [[slave and free states|free state]] on January 26, 1837. The Upper Peninsula proved to be a rich source of lumber, iron, and copper. Michigan led the nation in lumber production from the 1850s to the 1880s. [[History of railroads in Michigan|Railroads]] became a major engine of growth from the 1850s onward, with [[History of Detroit|Detroit the chief hub]].

A second wave of French-Canadian immigrants settled in Michigan during the late 19th to early 20th century, working in lumbering areas in counties on the Lake Huron side of the Lower Peninsula, such as the Saginaw Valley, Alpena, and Cheboygan counties, as well as throughout the Upper Peninsula, with large concentrations in Escanaba and the [[Keweenaw Peninsula]].<ref>{{cite book |last = Dulong |first = John |title = French Canadians in Michigan |year = 2001 |publisher = Michigan State University Press |location = Lansing, Michigan |isbn = 978-0-87013-582-8 |pages = 3–5 }}</ref>

The first statewide meeting of the [[History of the United States Republican Party|Republican Party]] took place on July 6, 1854, in [[Jackson, Michigan]], where the party adopted its platform.<ref>{{Cite web |title = Republican Party |url = https://ballotpedia.org/Republican_Party |access-date = June 21, 2025 |website = Ballotpedia |language = en }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Under the Oaks {{!}} Birthplace of the Republican Party |url=https://www.experiencejackson.com/things-to-do/history/under-the-oaks/ |access-date=June 21, 2025 |website=Experience Jackson |language=en-US}}</ref> The state was predominantly Republican until the 1930s, reflecting the political continuity of migrants from across the Northern Tier of New England and New York.{{citation needed|date=February 2024}} Michigan made [[Michigan in the American Civil War|a significant contribution]] to the [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]] in the [[American Civil War]] and sent more than forty regiments of volunteers to the federal armies.{{citation needed|date=February 2024}}

=== 20th century ===

[[File:Michigan Naval Militia standing at attention.jpg|thumb|Sailors of the [[Michigan Naval Militia]] standing at attention during a parade in the 1920s, following [[World War I]]]]

Michigan's economy underwent a transformation at the turn of the 20th century. Many individuals, including [[Ransom E. Olds]], [[John Francis Dodge|John]] and [[Horace Elgin Dodge|Horace Dodge]], [[Henry Leland]], [[David Dunbar Buick]], [[Henry Bourne Joy|Henry Joy]], [[Charles Brady King|Charles King]], and [[Henry Ford]], provided the concentration of engineering know-how and technological enthusiasm to develop the [[History of the automobile|automotive industry]].<ref>{{cite book |first1 = John B. |last1 = Rae |author-link = John B. Rae |chapter = Why Michigan |title = The Automobile and American Culture |editor1-first = David L. |editor1-last = Lewis |editor2-first = Laurence |editor2-last = Goldstein |location = Ann Arbor |publisher = University of Michigan Press |year = 1983 |pages = 2–9 }}</ref> Ford's development of the moving [[assembly line]] in [[Highland Park, Michigan|Highland Park]] marked a new era in transportation.{{citation needed|date=February 2024}} Like the [[steamship]] and railroad, mass production of automobiles was a far-reaching development. More than the forms of public transportation, the affordable automobile transformed private life. Automobile production became the major industry of Detroit and Michigan, and permanently altered the socioeconomic life of the United States and much of the world.{{citation needed|date=February 2024}}

With the growth, the auto industry created jobs in Detroit that attracted immigrants from Europe and migrants from across the United States, including both blacks and whites from the rural [[Southern United States|South]].{{citation needed|date=February 2024}} By 1920, Detroit was the fourth-largest city in the U.S..{{citation needed|date=February 2024}} Residential housing was in short supply, and it took years for the market to catch up with the population boom.{{citation needed|date=February 2024}} By the 1930s, so many immigrants had arrived that more than 30 languages were spoken in the public schools, and [[ethnic]] communities celebrated in annual heritage festivals.<ref>{{Cite web |title = A brief history of housing in Detroit |url = https://www.modeldmedia.com/features/detroit-housing-pt1-111715.aspx |access-date = June 29, 2023 |website = Model D |date = November 17, 2015 |language = en |archive-date = June 29, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230629163228/https://www.modeldmedia.com/features/detroit-housing-pt1-111715.aspx |url-status = live }}</ref> Over the years immigrants and migrants contributed greatly to Detroit's diverse urban culture, including popular music trends. The influential [[Motown|Motown Sound]] of the 1960s was led by a variety of individual singers and groups.{{citation needed|date=February 2024}}

[[Grand Rapids, Michigan|Grand Rapids]], the second-largest city in Michigan, also became an important center of manufacturing. Since 1838, the city has been noted for its furniture industry.<ref>{{Cite web |date = September 18, 2014 |title = A Trip Through Time: Grand Rapids Furniture History |url = https://shuffleboardmccluretables.com/a-trip-through-time-grand-rapids-furniture-history/ |access-date = June 29, 2023 |website = The Woodshop Blog |language = en-US |archive-date = June 29, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230629164730/https://shuffleboardmccluretables.com/a-trip-through-time-grand-rapids-furniture-history/ |url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date = March 2, 2023 |title = Furniture City: The story behind Grand Rapids's original identity |url = https://www.fox17online.com/fox-17-unfiltered/did-ya-know/furniture-city-the-story-behind-grand-rapidss-original-identity |access-date = June 29, 2023 |website = FOX 17 West Michigan News |language = en |archive-date = June 29, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230629163228/https://www.fox17online.com/fox-17-unfiltered/did-ya-know/furniture-city-the-story-behind-grand-rapidss-original-identity |url-status = live }}</ref> In the 21st century, it is home to five of the world's leading office furniture companies. Grand Rapids is home to a number of major companies including [[Steelcase]], [[Amway]], and [[Meijer]]. Grand Rapids is also an important center for [[GE Aviation Systems]].

Michigan held its first [[United States presidential primary]] election in 1910.{{citation needed|date=February 2024}} With its rapid growth in industry, it was an important center of industry-wide union organizing, such as the rise of the [[United Auto Workers]].{{citation needed|date=February 2024}}

In 1920 [[WWJ (AM)]] in Detroit became the first radio station in the United States to regularly broadcast commercial programs. Throughout that decade, some of the country's largest and most ornate [[List of tallest buildings in Detroit|skyscrapers]] were built in the city. Particularly noteworthy are the [[Fisher Building]], [[Cadillac Place]], and the [[Guardian Building]], each of which has been designated as a [[National Historic Landmark]] (NHL).

In 1927 a school bombing took place in [[Clinton County, Michigan|Clinton County]]. The [[Bath School disaster]] resulted in the deaths of 38 schoolchildren and constitutes the deadliest mass murder in a school in U.S. history.<ref>{{Cite web |last = Haddad |first = Ken |date = May 18, 2023 |title = 96 years later: Michigan's Bath School disaster remains deadliest in US history |url = https://www.clickondetroit.com/features/2023/05/16/96-years-later-michigans-bath-school-disaster-remains-deadliest-in-us-history/ |access-date = June 29, 2023 |website = WDIV |language = en |archive-date = June 29, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230629163228/https://www.clickondetroit.com/features/2023/05/16/96-years-later-michigans-bath-school-disaster-remains-deadliest-in-us-history/ |url-status = live }}</ref>

Michigan converted much of its manufacturing to satisfy defense needs during [[World War II]]; it manufactured 10.9% of the United States military armaments produced during the war, ranking second (behind [[New York (state)|New York]]) among the 48 states.<ref>{{cite book |author1-link = Whiz Kids (Department of Defense) |last1 = Peck |first1 = Merton J. |author2-link = Frederic M. Scherer |last2 = Scherer |first2 = Frederic M. |title = The Weapons Acquisition Process: An Economic Analysis |year = 1962 |publisher = [[Harvard Business School]] |page = 111 }}</ref>

[[File:Detroit Skyline 1942d.jpg|thumb|[[Detroit]] in the mid-twentieth century. At the time, the city was the fourth-largest U.S. metropolis by population, and held about one-third of the state's population.]]

Detroit continued to expand through the 1950s, at one point doubling its population in a decade. After World War II, housing was developed in suburban areas outside city cores to meet demand for residences. The federal government subsidized the construction of [[Interstate Highway System|interstate highways]], which were intended to strengthen military access, but also allowed commuters and business traffic to travel the region more easily. Since 1960, modern advances in the auto industry have led to increased automation, high-tech industry, and increased suburban growth. Longstanding tensions in Detroit culminated in the [[1967 Detroit riot|Twelfth Street riot]] in July 1967.

During the late 1970s and the early 1980s, increasing [[Gasoline and diesel usage and pricing|fuel costs]] and other factors made significantly more global competition and recession among families. Michigan lost a significant amount of [[population]] due to global competition and the dramatic unavailability of manufacturing jobs.<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/publications/manual/2001-2002/2001-mm-0003-0026-History.pdf |title = A Brief History of Michigan |publisher = Michigan Legislature |access-date = November 15, 2024 }}</ref> Meanwhile, Michigan had increased use of technology, specifically when the [[IBM Personal Computer]] started selling in the state, in which became mostly used at work.

=== 21st century ===

[[File:Detroit and Windsor skylines from Belle Isle 2025-09-07.jpg|thumb|The [[Detroit–Windsor]] area is North America's largest cross-border conurbation, with a combined population of approximately six million people]]

Michigan became the leading auto-producing state in the U.S., with the industry primarily located throughout the [[Midwestern United States]]; Ontario, Canada; and the Southern United States.<ref name="NAM">{{cite web |publisher = National Association of Manufacturers |date = February 2008 |url = http://www.nam.org/~/media/Files/State_Data/Michigan.ashx |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081023020928/http://www.nam.org/~/media/Files/State_Data/Michigan.ashx |url-status = dead |archive-date = October 23, 2008 |title = Facts about Michigan Manufacturing |access-date = January 11, 2009 }}</ref> With almost ten million residents in 2010, Michigan is a large and influential state, ranking tenth in population among the fifty states. Detroit is the centrally located metropolitan area of the [[Great Lakes megalopolis]] and the second-largest metropolitan area in the U.S. (after [[Chicago]]) linking the [[Great Lakes]] system.

The [[Metro Detroit]] area in [[Southeast Michigan]] is the state's largest metropolitan area (roughly 50% of the population resides there) and the eleventh largest in the United States. The [[Grand Rapids metropolitan area]] in Western Michigan is the state's fastest-growing metro area, with more than 1.3 million residents {{as of|2006|lc=y}}.

==Geography==
{{Further|Geography of Michigan|Protected areas of Michigan|List of Michigan state parks}}

[[File:Grlakes_lawrence_map.png|thumb|Map of the [[Saint Lawrence River|Saint Lawrence River/Great Lakes Watershed]] in North America. Its drainage area includes the [[Great Lakes]], the world's largest system of freshwater lakes. The basin covers nearly all of Michigan.]]

[[File:Huron National Wildlife Refuge (7455778394).jpg|thumb|The [[Huron National Wildlife Refuge]], one of the fifteen [[wilderness area|federal wildernesses]] in Michigan]]

Michigan consists of two peninsulas separated by the [[Straits of Mackinac]]. The [[45th parallel north]] runs through the state, marked by highway signs and the Polar-Equator Trail—<ref>{{Cite web |date = June 27, 2009 |title = In Michigan, drive a crooked line to follow the 45th Parallel |url = https://www.twincities.com/2009/06/27/in-michigan-drive-a-crooked-line-to-follow-the-45th-parallel/ |access-date = June 29, 2023 |website = Twin Cities |language = en-US |archive-date = June 29, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230629154921/https://www.twincities.com/2009/06/27/in-michigan-drive-a-crooked-line-to-follow-the-45th-parallel/ |url-status = live }}</ref> along a line including [[Mission Point Light]] near [[Traverse City, Michigan|Traverse City]], the towns of [[Gaylord, Michigan|Gaylord]] and [[Alpena, Michigan|Alpena]] in the Lower Peninsula and [[Menominee, Michigan|Menominee]] in the Upper Peninsula. With the exception of two tiny areas drained by the [[Mississippi River]] by way of the [[Wisconsin River]] in the Upper Peninsula and by way of the [[Kankakee River|Kankakee]]-[[Illinois River]] in the Lower Peninsula, Michigan is drained by the Great Lakes-[[St. Lawrence River|St. Lawrence]] watershed and is the only state with the majority of its land thus drained. No point in the state is more than {{convert|6|mi|km|spell=in}} from a natural water source or more than {{convert|85|mi|km}} from a Great Lakes shoreline.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.michigan.org/michigan-tourism-facts/ |title = Michigan Tourism Facts |access-date = July 25, 2016 |publisher = Michigan Economic Development Corporation |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161015171535/http://www.michigan.org/michigan-tourism-facts |archive-date = October 15, 2016 |quote = In Michigan, you are never more than six miles from a lake or stream Stand anywhere in Michigan and you are within 85 miles of a Great Lake }}</ref>

The Great Lakes that border Michigan from east to west are [[Lake Erie]], [[Lake Huron]], [[Lake Michigan]] and [[Lake Superior]]. The state is bounded on the south by the states of [[Ohio]] and [[Indiana]], sharing land and water boundaries with both. Michigan's western boundaries are almost entirely water boundaries, from south to north, with [[Illinois]] and [[Wisconsin]] in Lake Michigan; then a land boundary with Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula, that is principally demarcated by the [[Menominee River|Menominee]] and [[Montreal River (Wisconsin-Michigan)|Montreal Rivers]]; then water boundaries again, in Lake Superior, with Wisconsin and Minnesota to the west, capped around by the Canadian province of Ontario to the north and east.

The heavily forested [[Upper Peninsula of Michigan|Upper Peninsula]] is relatively mountainous in the west. The [[Porcupine Mountains]], which are part of one of the oldest mountain chains in the world,<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-10319-54024--,00.html |title = Michigan Dept. of Natural Resources |access-date = December 26, 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20101203012620/http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-10319-54024--,00.html |archive-date = December 3, 2010 |url-status = live }}</ref> rise to an altitude of almost {{convert|2,000|ft|m}} above sea level and form the watershed between the streams flowing into Lake Superior and Lake Michigan. The surface on either side of this range is rugged. The state's highest point, in the [[Huron Mountains]] northwest of Marquette, is [[Mount Arvon]] at {{convert|1979|ft|m}}. The peninsula is as large as Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island combined but has fewer than 330,000 inhabitants. The people are sometimes called "Yoopers" (from "U.P.'ers"), and their speech (the "[[Yooper dialect]]") has been heavily influenced by the numerous [[Scandinavia]]n and Canadian immigrants who settled the area during the lumbering and [[Copper mining in Michigan|mining boom]] of the late 19th century.

[[File:Mackinac_Island-View_from_Fort_Mackinac.jpg|thumb|left|[[Mackinac Island]], an island and resort area at the eastern end of the [[Straits of Mackinac]]. More than 80% of the island is preserved as [[Mackinac Island State Park]].]]
[[File:Lake_Michigan_Sleeping_Bear_Dunes.jpg|thumb|left|[[Sleeping Bear Dunes]], along the northwest coast of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan]]
[[File:Upper Tahquamenon Falls Fall 2007.jpeg|thumb|left|The [[Tahquamenon Falls]] in the [[Upper Peninsula of Michigan|Upper Peninsula]]]]

[[File:Pointe Mouillee.jpg|thumb|The [[Pointe Mouillee State Game Area]], one of the 221 [[List of Michigan state game and wildlife areas|state game and wildlife areas]] in Michigan. It encompasses 7,483 acres of hunting, recreational, and protected wildlife and wetland areas at the mouth of the [[Huron River (Michigan)|Huron River]] at [[Lake Erie]], as well as smaller outlying areas within the [[Detroit River]].]]

The [[Lower Peninsula of Michigan|Lower Peninsula]] is shaped like a mitten and many residents hold up a hand to depict where they are from.<ref name="keilman20111209">{{cite news |url = https://www.chicagotribune.com/2011/12/09/hand-to-hand-combat/ |title = Hand-to-hand combat |work = Chicago Tribune |date = December 9, 2011 |access-date = February 29, 2012 |last = Keilman |first = John |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120226210055/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-12-09/news/ct-talk-wisconsin-michigan-mitten-1209-20111209_1_wisconsin-department-tourism-new-image |archive-date = February 26, 2012 |url-status = live }}</ref> It is {{convert|277|mi|km}} long from north to south and {{convert|195|mi|km}} from east to west and occupies nearly two-thirds of the state's land area. The surface of the peninsula is generally level, broken by conical hills and glacial [[moraine]]s usually not more than a few hundred feet tall. It is divided by a low water divide running north and south. The larger portion of the state is on the west of this and gradually slopes toward Lake Michigan. The highest point in the Lower Peninsula is either Briar Hill at {{convert|1705|ft|m}}, or one of several points nearby in the vicinity of [[Cadillac, Michigan|Cadillac]]. The lowest point is the surface of Lake Erie at {{convert|571|ft|m}}.

The geographic orientation of Michigan's peninsulas makes for a long distance between the ends of the state. [[Ironwood, Michigan|Ironwood]], in the far western Upper Peninsula, lies {{convert|630|mi|abbr=off|sp=us}} by highway from [[Lambertville, Michigan|Lambertville]] in the Lower Peninsula's southeastern corner. The geographic isolation of the Upper Peninsula from Michigan's political and population centers makes the region culturally and economically distinct. Frequent attempts to establish the Upper Peninsula as [[Superior (proposed U.S. state)|its own state]] have failed to gain traction.<ref>{{Cite book |last = Cox |first = Bruce K. |title = Ted & Superior: Ted Albert & the 51st State of Superior |publisher = Agogeebic Press LLC |year = 2010 |isbn = 978-0-9822390-0-1 |location = Wakefield, Michigan }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date = May 6, 2012 |title = 51st state? Yoopers Are Talking Up Secession from Michigan Again |work = Detroit Free Press |url = http://archive.freep.com/article/20120506/NEWS06/205060541/51st-state-Yoopers-are-talking-up-secession-from-Michigan-again |access-date = June 29, 2023 |archive-date = September 28, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150928060147/http://archive.freep.com/article/20120506/NEWS06/205060541/51st-state-Yoopers-are-talking-up-secession-from-Michigan-again |url-status = live }}</ref>

A feature of Michigan that gives it the distinct shape of a mitten is [[the Thumb]], which projects into Lake Huron, forming [[Saginaw Bay]]. Other notable peninsulas of Michigan include the [[Keweenaw Peninsula]], which projects northeasterly into Lake Superior from the Upper Peninsula and largely comprising Michigan's [[Copper Country]] region, and the [[Leelanau Peninsula]], projecting from the Lower Peninsula into Lake Michigan, forming Michigan's "little finger".

Numerous lakes and [[marsh]]es mark both peninsulas, and the coast is much indented. Keweenaw Bay, [[Whitefish Bay]], and the Big and [[Little Bay de Noc|Little]] Bays De Noc are the principal indentations on the Upper Peninsula. The Grand and [[Little Traverse Bay|Little Traverse]], [[Thunder Bay (Michigan)|Thunder]], and Saginaw bays indent the Lower Peninsula. Michigan has the second longest shoreline of any state—{{convert|3288|mi|km}},<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.michigan.gov/som/0,1607,7-192-29938_30243-103397--,00.html |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060814202734/http://www.michigan.gov/som/0%2C1607%2C7-192-29938_30243-103397--%2C00.html |archive-date = August 14, 2006 |title = Does Michigan have the longest coast line in the United States? |publisher = State of Michigan |date = July 28, 2011 |access-date = November 5, 2011 |url-status = dead }}</ref> including {{convert|1056|mi|km}} of island shoreline.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.michigan.gov/deq/0,1607,7-135-3313_3677-15959--,00.html |title = Shorelines of the Great Lakes |publisher = Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment |access-date = July 8, 2010 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100720200244/http://www.michigan.gov/deq/0%2C1607%2C7-135-3313_3677-15959--%2C00.html |archive-date = July 20, 2010 }}</ref>

The state has [[Islands of Michigan|numerous large islands]], the principal ones being the [[North Manitou Island|North Manitou]] and [[South Manitou Island|South Manitou]], [[Beaver Island (Lake Michigan)|Beaver]], and [[Fox Islands (Michigan)|Fox]] groups in Lake Michigan; [[Isle Royale]] and [[Grand Island (Michigan)|Grande Isle]] in Lake Superior; Marquette, [[Bois Blanc Island (Michigan)|Bois Blanc]], and [[Mackinac Island|Mackinac]] islands in Lake Huron; and [[Neebish Island|Neebish]], [[Sugar Island (Michigan)|Sugar]], and Drummond islands in [[St. Marys River (Michigan-Ontario)|St. Mary's River]]. Michigan has about 150 [[lighthouse]]s, the most of any U.S. state.<ref>{{Cite web |last = B |first = Lisha |date = September 13, 2022 |title = Did You Know That Michigan Has the Most Lighthouses in the U.S.? |url = https://mix957gr.com/did-you-know-that-michigan-has-the-most-lighthouses-in-the-u-s/ |access-date = June 29, 2023 |website = Mix 95.7FM |language = en |archive-date = June 29, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230629154921/https://mix957gr.com/did-you-know-that-michigan-has-the-most-lighthouses-in-the-u-s/ |url-status = live }}</ref> The first lighthouses in Michigan were built between 1818 and 1822. They were built to project light at night and to serve as a landmark during the day to safely guide the passenger ships and freighters traveling the Great Lakes (see: [[lighthouses in the United States]]).

The [[List of Michigan rivers|state's rivers]] are generally small, short and shallow, and few are navigable. The principal ones include the Detroit River, St. Marys River, and [[St. Clair River]] which connect the Great Lakes; the [[Au Sable River (Michigan)|Au Sable]], [[Cheboygan River|Cheboygan]], and [[Saginaw River|Saginaw]], which flow into Lake Huron; the [[Ontonagon River|Ontonagon]], and [[Tahquamenon River|Tahquamenon]], which flow into Lake Superior; and the [[St. Joseph River (Lake Michigan)|St. Joseph]], [[Kalamazoo River|Kalamazoo]], [[Grand River (Michigan)|Grand]], [[Muskegon River|Muskegon]], [[Manistee River|Manistee]], and [[Escanaba River|Escanaba]], which flow into Lake Michigan. The state has 11,037 inland lakes—totaling {{convert|1305|sqmi|km2|0}} of inland water—in addition to {{convert|38575|sqmi|km2}} of Great Lakes waters. No point in Michigan is more than {{convert|6|mi|km|spell=in}} from an inland lake or more than {{convert|85|mi|km}} from one of the Great Lakes.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.michigan.gov/hal/0,1607,7-160-15481_20826_20829-54118--,00.html#wolver |title = Why is Michigan sometimes called 'The Wolverine State?' |access-date = January 11, 2009 |website = Michigan FAQ |publisher = Department of History, Arts and Libraries |quote = Another nickname for Michigan is the "Great Lake State". Michigan's shores touch four of the five Great Lakes, and Michigan has more than 11,000 inland lakes. In Michigan, you are never more than six miles from an inland lake or more than 85&nbsp;miles from a Great Lake. |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090102232935/http://www.michigan.gov/hal/0%2C1607%2C7-160-15481_20826_20829-54118--%2C00.html |archive-date = January 2, 2009 }}</ref>

The state is home to several areas maintained by the [[National Park Service]] including: [[Isle Royale National Park]], in Lake Superior, about {{convert|30|mi|km|0}} southeast of Thunder Bay, Ontario. Other national [[protected areas]] in the state include: [[Keweenaw National Historical Park]], [[Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore]], [[Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore]], [[Huron National Forest]], [[Manistee National Forest]], [[Hiawatha National Forest]], [[Ottawa National Forest]] and [[Father Marquette National Memorial]]. The largest section of the [[North Country National Scenic Trail]] passes through Michigan.

With 78 [[state park]]s, 19 state recreation areas, and six [[state forests]], Michigan has the largest state park and [[state forest]] system of any state.

===Climate===
{{see also|Climate change in Michigan|List of Michigan tornadoes}}

[[File:Köppen Climate Types Michigan.png|thumb|[[Köppen climate classification|Köppen climate types]] of Michigan, using 1991–2020 [[Climatological normal|climate normals]]]]

Michigan has a [[humid continental climate|continental climate]] with two distinct regions. The southern and central parts of the Lower Peninsula (south of Saginaw Bay and from the Grand Rapids area southward) have a warmer climate ([[Köppen climate classification]] ''Dfa'') with hot summers and cold winters. The northern part of the Lower Peninsula and the entire Upper Peninsula has a more severe climate (Köppen ''Dfb''), with warm, but shorter summers and longer, cold to very cold winters. Some parts of the state average high temperatures below freezing from December through February, and into early March in the far northern parts. During the winter through the middle of February, the state is frequently subjected to heavy [[lake-effect snow]]. The state averages from {{convert|30|to|40|in|cm}} of precipitation annually; however, some areas in the northern lower peninsula and the upper peninsula average almost {{convert|160|in}} of snowfall per year.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.crh.noaa.gov/apx/snow/snowfallAvg.php |title = Mean Annual Snowfall |author = NWS Gaylord Region |date = August 31, 2010 |publisher = National Weather Service |access-date = June 1, 2011 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111109014721/http://www.crh.noaa.gov/apx/snow/snowfallAvg.php |archive-date = November 9, 2011 |url-status = live }}</ref> Michigan's highest recorded temperature is {{convert|112|F|C}} at [[Mio, Michigan|Mio]] on July 13, 1936, and the coldest recorded temperature is {{convert|-51|F|C}} at [[Vanderbilt, Michigan|Vanderbilt]] on February 9, 1934.<ref name="netstate">{{cite web |url = http://www.netstate.com/states/geography/mi_geography.htm |title = The Geography of Michigan |publisher = netstate.com |access-date = March 20, 2011 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110321154823/http://www.netstate.com/states/geography/mi_geography.htm |archive-date = March 21, 2011 |url-status = live }}</ref>

The state averages 30 days of thunderstorm activity per year. These can be severe, especially in the southern part of the state. The state averages 17 [[tornado]]es per year, which are more common in the state's extreme southern section. Portions of the southern border have been almost as vulnerable historically as states further west and in [[Tornado Alley]]. For this reason, many communities in the very southern portions of the state have tornado sirens to warn residents of approaching tornadoes. Farther north, in Central Michigan, Northern Michigan, and the Upper Peninsula, tornadoes are rare.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://geo.msu.edu/extra/geogmich/tornades.html |title = Tornadoes |website = geo.msu.edu |access-date = April 12, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150706174930/http://geo.msu.edu/extra/geogmich/tornades.html |archive-date = July 6, 2015 |url-status = live }}</ref><ref name="Thunderstorm hazards">{{cite web |url = http://www.srh.noaa.gov/key/HTML/tstmhazards.htm |title = Thunderstorm hazards |publisher = srh.noaa.gov |access-date = November 1, 2006 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061015060809/http://www.srh.noaa.gov/key/HTML/tstmhazards.htm |archive-date = October 15, 2006 }}</ref>

===Geology===

The geological formation of the state is greatly varied, with the [[Michigan Basin]] being the most major formation. Primary boulders are found over the entire surface of the Upper Peninsula (being principally of primitive origin), while Secondary deposits cover the entire Lower Peninsula. The Upper Peninsula exhibits Lower [[Silurian]] sandstones, limestones, copper and iron bearing rocks, corresponding to the Huronian system of [[Canada]]. The central portion of the Lower Peninsula contains coal measures and rocks of the [[Pennsylvanian (geology)|Pennsylvanian]] period. [[Devonian]] and sub-Carboniferous deposits are scattered over the entire state.

Michigan rarely experiences [[earthquake]]s, and those that it does experience are generally smaller ones that do not cause significant damage. A 4.6-magnitude earthquake struck in August 1947. More recently, a 4.2-magnitude earthquake occurred on Saturday, May 2, 2015, shortly after noon, about five miles south of [[Galesburg, Michigan]] (9 miles southeast of [[Kalamazoo]]) in central Michigan, about 140 miles west of Detroit, according to the Colorado-based [[U.S. Geological Survey]]'s [[National Earthquake Information Center]]. No major damage or injuries were reported, according to then-Governor [[Rick Snyder]]'s office.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/2015/05/02/michigan-earthquake/26773069/ |title = No injuries reported after earthquake rattles Michigan |access-date = May 3, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150503111513/http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/2015/05/02/michigan-earthquake/26773069/ |archive-date = May 3, 2015 |url-status = live }}</ref>

=== Administrative divisions ===
{{Main|Administrative divisions of Michigan}}

{{See also|List of counties in Michigan|List of municipalities in Michigan|List of Michigan metropolitan areas}}
[[File:Michigan Municipalities.png|thumb|[[List of municipalities in Michigan|Michigan Municipalities]]]]
State government is decentralized among three tiers—statewide, county and [[Civil township|township]]. Counties are administrative divisions of the state, and townships are administrative divisions of a county. Both of them exercise state government authority, localized to meet the particular needs of their jurisdictions, as provided by state law. There are 83 [[List of counties in Michigan|counties in Michigan]].<ref>{{Cite web |title = Michigan Counties |url = https://www.michigan.gov/som/about-michigan/michigan-counties |publisher = State of Michigan |access-date = June 29, 2023 |archive-date = June 29, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230629154922/https://www.michigan.gov/som/about-michigan/michigan-counties |url-status = live }}</ref>

Cities, [[State university system|state universities]], and villages are vested with [[home rule]] powers of varying degrees. Home rule cities can generally do anything not prohibited by law. The fifteen state universities have broad power and can do anything within the parameters of their status as educational institutions that is not prohibited by the state constitution. Villages, by contrast, have limited home rule and are not completely autonomous from the county and township in which they are located.

There are two types of township in Michigan: ''general law'' township and ''charter''. [[Charter township]] status was created by the Legislature in 1947 and grants additional powers and stream-lined administration in order to provide greater protection against annexation by a city. {{as of|2001|April}}, there were 127 charter townships in Michigan. In general, charter townships have many of the same powers as a city but without the same level of obligations. For example, a charter township can have its own fire department, water and sewer department, police department, and so on—just like a city—but it is not ''required'' to have those things, whereas cities ''must'' provide those services. Charter townships can opt to use county-wide services instead, such as deputies from the county sheriff's office instead of a home-based force of ordinance officers.

{{Largest cities
| country = Michigan
| stat_ref = [[2020 United States census|2020 U.S. census]]:<ref name="2020Census">{{cite web |title = Explore Census Data |url = https://data.census.gov/cedsci/ |publisher = United States Census Bureau |access-date = September 23, 2021 |archive-date = May 5, 2021 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210505140923/https://data.census.gov/cedsci/ |url-status = live }}</ref>
| list_by_pop =
| div_name =
| div_link = Counties of Michigan{{!}}County

| city_1 = Detroit
| div_1 = Wayne County, Michigan{{!}}Wayne
| pop_1 = 639,111

| city_2 = Grand Rapids, Michigan{{!}}Grand Rapids
| div_2 = Kent County, Michigan{{!}}Kent
| pop_2 = 198,917

| city_3 = Warren, Michigan{{!}}Warren
| div_3 = Macomb County, Michigan{{!}}Macomb
| pop_3 = 139,387

| city_4 = Sterling Heights, Michigan{{!}}Sterling Heights
| div_4 = Macomb County, Michigan{{!}}Macomb
| pop_4 = 134,346

| city_5 = Ann Arbor, Michigan{{!}}Ann Arbor
| div_5 = Washtenaw County, Michigan{{!}}Washtenaw
| pop_5 = 123,851

| city_6 = Lansing, Michigan{{!}}Lansing
| div_6 = Ingham County, Michigan{{!}}Ingham
| pop_6 = 112,644

| city_7 = Dearborn, Michigan{{!}}Dearborn
| div_7 = Wayne County, Michigan{{!}}Wayne
| pop_7 = 109,976

| city_8 = Clinton Charter Township, Michigan{{!}}Clinton Charter Township
| div_8 = Macomb County, Michigan{{!}}Macomb
| pop_8 = 100,513

| city_9 = Canton Charter Township, Michigan{{!}}Canton Charter Township
| div_9 = Wayne County, Michigan{{!}}Wayne
| pop_9 = 98,659

| city_10 = Livonia, Michigan{{!}}Livonia
| div_10 = Wayne County, Michigan{{!}}Wayne
| pop_10 = 95,535 

}}

==Demographics==
{{See also|Michigan statistical areas|Demographics of Michigan}}

{{US Census population
| 1800 = 3757
| 1810 = 4762
| 1820 = 7452
| 1830 = 28004
| 1840 = 212267
| 1850 = 397654
| 1860 = 749113
| 1870 = 1184059
| 1880 = 1636937
| 1890 = 2093890
| 1900 = 2420982
| 1910 = 2810173
| 1920 = 3668412
| 1930 = 4842325
| 1940 = 5256106
| 1950 = 6371766
| 1960 = 7823194
| 1970 = 8875083
| 1980 = 9262078
| 1990 = 9295297
| 2000 = 9938444
| 2010 = 9883640
| 2020 = 10077331
| estimate = 10140459
| estyear = 2024
| align-fn = center
| footnote = Sources: 1910–2020<ref>{{cite web |title = Historical Population Change Data (1910–2020) |url = https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/dec/popchange-data-text.html |website = Census.gov |publisher = United States Census Bureau |access-date = May 1, 2021 |archive-date = April 29, 2021 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210429012609/https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/dec/popchange-data-text.html |url-status = dead }}</ref>
<br/>2024<ref>{{Cite web |title = QuickFacts: Michigan |url = https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/MI |website = Census.gov |publisher = United States Census Bureau |access-date = December 20, 2024 }}</ref>
}}{{stack|[[File:Michigan-2020-population-density.png|thumb|248x248px|Michigan 2020 population distribution]]}}
Since [[1800 United States census|1800 U.S. census]], Michigan has experienced relatively positive and stable population growth trends; beginning with a population of 3,757, the [[2010 United States census|2010 census]] recorded 9,883,635 residents. At the [[2020 United States census]], its population was 10,077,331, an increase of 2.03% since 2010's tabulation. According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], it is the third-most populous state in the [[Midwestern United States|Midwest]] and its [[East North Central states|East North Central]] subregion, behind Ohio and Illinois.

The [[center of population]] of Michigan is in [[Shiawassee County, Michigan|Shiawassee County]], in the southeastern corner of the civil township of [[Bennington Township, Michigan|Bennington]], which is northwest of the village of [[Morrice, Michigan|Morrice]].<ref>{{cite web |title = Population and Population Centers by State: 2010 |publisher = United States Census Bureau |access-date = April 5, 2011 |url = https://www.census.gov/geo/www/2010census/centerpop2010/CenPop2010_Mean_ST.txt |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110429025307/http://www.census.gov/geo/www/2010census/centerpop2010/CenPop2010_Mean_ST.txt |archive-date = April 29, 2011 }}</ref>

According to the [[American Immigration Council]] in 2019, an estimated 6.8% of Michiganders were immigrants, while 3.8% were native-born U.S. citizens with at least one immigrant parent.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title = Take a look: How immigrants drive the economy in Michigan |url = https://map.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/locations/michigan/ |access-date = June 29, 2023 |website = American Immigration Council |language = en-US |archive-date = June 29, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230629154937/https://map.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/locations/michigan/ |url-status = live }}</ref> Numbering approximately 678,255 according to the 2019 survey, the majority of Michigander immigrants came from Mexico (11.5%), India (11.3%), Iraq (7.5%), China (5.3%), and Canada (5.3%); the primary occupations of its immigrants were technology, agriculture, and healthcare. Among its immigrant cohort, there were 108,105 undocumented immigrants, making up 15.9% of the total immigrant population.<ref name=":0" />

According to [[United States Department of Housing and Urban Development|HUD]]'s 2022 [[Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress|Annual Homeless Assessment Report]], there were an estimated 8,206 [[Homelessness|homeless]] people in Michigan.<ref>{{Cite web |title = 2007-2022 PIT Counts by State |url = https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.huduser.gov%2Fportal%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2Fxls%2F2007-2022-PIT-Counts-by-State.xlsx&wdOrigin=BROWSELINK |access-date = March 11, 2023 |archive-date = March 14, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230314020239/https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.huduser.gov%2Fportal%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2Fxls%2F2007-2022-PIT-Counts-by-State.xlsx&wdOrigin=BROWSELINK |url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title = The 2022 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress |url = https://www.huduser.gov/portal/sites/default/files/pdf/2022-AHAR-Part-1.pdf |access-date = March 11, 2023 |archive-date = March 11, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230311234217/https://www.huduser.gov/portal/sites/default/files/pdf/2022-AHAR-Part-1.pdf |url-status = live }}</ref>

=== Race and ethnicity ===
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:right;"
|+ class="nowrap" style="font-size:100%" | Michigan racial breakdown of population
|-
! scope="col" | Self-identified race
! scope="col" | 1970<ref name="census" />
! scope="col" | 1990<ref name="census">{{cite web |url = https://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0056/twps0056.html |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080725044857/http://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0056/twps0056.html |url-status = dead |title = Historical Census Statistics on Population Totals By Race, 1790 to 1990, and By Hispanic Origin, 1970 to 1990, For The United States, Regions, Divisions, and States |archive-date = July 25, 2008 }}</ref>
! scope="col" | 2000<ref>{{cite web |url = http://censusviewer.com/city/MI |title = Population of Michigan: Census 2010 and 2000 Interactive Map, Demographics, Statistics, Quick Facts |access-date = January 8, 2014 |archive-date = December 4, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20231204030156/https://censusviewer.com/city/MI |url-status = usurped }}</ref>
! scope="col" | 2010<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census/decade.2010.html |title = Decennial Census by Decade - 2010 |website = U.S. Census Bureau |access-date = December 11, 2017 |archive-date = May 22, 2017 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170522200920/https://census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census/decade.2010.html |url-status = live }}</ref>
! scope="col" | 2020<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/interactive/race-and-ethnicity-in-the-united-state-2010-and-2020-census.html |title = Race and Ethnicity in the United States: 2010 Census and 2020 Census |date = August 12, 2021 |publisher = [[U.S. Census Bureau]] |access-date = August 12, 2021 |archive-date = August 15, 2021 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210815165418/https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/interactive/race-and-ethnicity-in-the-united-state-2010-and-2020-census.html |url-status = live }}</ref>
|-
! scope="row" | [[White American]]
| 88.3% || 83.4% || 80.1% || 78.9% || 73.9%
|-
! scope="row" | [[African American|Black or African American]]
| 11.2% || 13.9% || 14.2% || 14.2% || 13.7%
|-
! scope="row" | [[Asian American]]
| 0.2% || 1.1% || 1.8% || 2.4% || 3.3%
|-
! scope="row" | [[Native Americans in the United States|American Indian]]
| 0.2% || 0.6% || 0.6% || 0.6% || 0.6%
|-
! scope="row" | [[Native Hawaiian]] and<br />[[Pacific Islander|other Pacific Islander]]
| — || — || — || — || — 
|-
! scope="row" | [[Race and ethnicity in the United States Census|Other race]]
| 0.2% || 0.9% || 1.3% || 1.5% || 2.2%
|-
! scope="row" | [[Multiracial American|Two or more races]]
| — || — || 1.9% || 2.3% || 6.3%
|}
[[File:Ethnic Origins in Michigan.png|thumb|Ethnic origins in Michigan in 2021.]]
Since colonial European and American settlement, the majority of Michigan's population has been predominantly [[Non-Hispanic whites|non-Hispanic or non-Latino white]]; [[Americans of European descent]] live throughout every county in the state, and most of Metro Detroit. Large European American groups include those of [[German Americans|German]], [[British Americans|British]], [[Irish Americans|Irish]], [[Polish Americans|Polish]] and [[Belgian Americans|Belgian]] ancestry.<ref>{{cite web |year = 2016 |title = Selected Social Characteristics in the United States: 2016 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates |url = https://www.census.gov/ |access-date = December 22, 2017 |publisher = United States Census Bureau |archive-date = July 9, 2021 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210709054630/https://www.census.gov/ |url-status = live }}</ref> [[Nordic and Scandinavian Americans|Scandinavian]] and [[Finnish Americans]] have a notable presence in the Upper Peninsula.<ref>{{Cite web |date = July 21, 2021 |title = Norway Our Community Tour: Connections between the U.P. and Scandinavian countries |url = https://www.upmatters.com/our-community/norway-our-community-tour-connections-between-the-u-p-and-scandinavian-countries/ |access-date = June 29, 2023 |location = Marquette, Michigan |publisher = WJMN-TV |website = UPMatters.com |language = en-US |archive-date = June 29, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230629154939/https://www.upmatters.com/our-community/norway-our-community-tour-connections-between-the-u-p-and-scandinavian-countries/ |url-status = live }}</ref> [[Western Michigan]] is known for its [[Dutch Americans|Dutch]] heritage, especially in [[Holland, Michigan|Holland]] and metropolitan Grand Rapids.<ref>{{Cite web |title = West Michigan's 'Dutchness' has evolved to be quite different from the Netherlands |url = https://www.hollandsentinel.com/story/news/2011/03/27/west-michigan-s-dutchness-has/45234398007/ |access-date = June 29, 2023 |website = The Holland Sentinel |language = en-US |archive-date = June 29, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230629154922/https://www.hollandsentinel.com/story/news/2011/03/27/west-michigan-s-dutchness-has/45234398007/ |url-status = live }}</ref>

[[African Americans|Black and African Americans]]—coming to Detroit and other northern cities in the Great Migration of the early 20th century—have formed a majority of the population in Detroit and other cities including [[Flint, Michigan|Flint]] and [[Benton Harbor, Michigan|Benton Harbor]]. Since the 2021 census estimates—while Detroit was still the largest city in Michigan with a majority black population—it was no longer the largest black-majority city in the U.S., citing crime and higher-paying jobs given to whites.<ref>{{Cite web |date = May 24, 2023 |title = Detroit is No Longer the Largest Majority-Black City |url = https://michiganchronicle.com/2023/05/24/detroit-no-longer-the-largest-majority-black-city/ |access-date = June 29, 2023 |website = The Michigan Chronicle |language = en-US |archive-date = June 29, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230629154932/https://michiganchronicle.com/2023/05/24/detroit-no-longer-the-largest-majority-black-city/ |url-status = dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title = Census Shows Memphis Is Largest Majority-Black City, Replacing Detroit |url = https://www.bet.com/article/9n4m5t/detroit-memphis-largest-majority-black-city-census-data |access-date = June 29, 2023 |website = BET |language = en |archive-date = June 29, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230629160426/https://www.bet.com/article/9n4m5t/detroit-memphis-largest-majority-black-city-census-data |url-status = live }}</ref>

{{as of|2007}}, about 300,000 people in [[Southeastern Michigan]] trace their descent from the Middle East and Asia.<ref>{{cite news |last = Karoub |first = Jeff |url = http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/national_world&id=5358711 |title = Detroit Expects Half of Iraqi Refugees |agency = [[Associated Press]] |publisher = [[WPVI-TV]] |location = Philadelphia |access-date = May 5, 2013 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131005002453/http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news%2Fnational_world&id=5358711 |archive-date = October 5, 2013 |quote = Southeastern Michigan has about 300,000 people who trace their roots to the Middle East. |url-status = dead }}</ref> [[Dearborn, Michigan|Dearborn]] has a sizeable [[Arab Americans|Arab American]] community, with many [[Assyrian Americans|Assyrians]], and [[Lebanese Americans|Lebanese]] who immigrated for jobs in the auto industry in the 1920s, along with more recent [[Yemeni American|Yemenis]] and [[Iraqi Americans|Iraqis]].<ref>{{cite book |last1 = Miyares |first1 = Ines M. |last2 = Airriess |first2 = Christopher A. |year = 2007 |title = Contemporary Ethnic Geographies in America |page = [https://archive.org/details/contemporaryethn0000unse/page/320 320] |publisher = Rowman & Littlefield |isbn = 978-0-7425-3772-9 |name-list-style = amp |url = https://archive.org/details/contemporaryethn0000unse/page/320 }}</ref> Dearborn also houses an [[Armenian Americans|Armenian]] minority population, initially consisting of entirely young men.<ref>{{cite book |first = Albert |last = Mayer |year = 1951 |title = Ethnic Groups in Detroit, 1951 |location = Detroit |publisher = Wayne University Department of Sociology and Anthropology |page =  [https://books.google.com/books?id=Un1uAAAAMAAJ&q=Armenians 2] |oclc = 8893617 |quote = Armenians first came to Detroit in 1900; however the peak of immigration occurred{{sic}} in 1920. One finds two distinct locations in which Armenians are to be found. They are in the area of Oakman and 14th, Highland Park, Lawton and Linwood section up to 7 Mile Rd. and the areas West Lafayette between Vernor and West Fourth, Woodmere and Junction, and West Jefferson and Vernor Highway. }}</ref><ref name=Woodfordp186187>{{cite book |first = Arthur M. |last = Woodford |year = 2001 |title = This is Detroit, 1701–2001 |location = Detroit |publisher = Wayne State University Press |pages = [https://books.google.com/books?id=cVP055AfqNEC&dq=%22Romanians%2C+Serbians%2C+Slovaks%2C+and+Swedes%22&pg=PA186 186]–187 |isbn = 9780814329146 |oclc = 1131252494 |quote = The Armenian community that first grew in Detroit differed from the other ethnic settlements in that it was made up almost entirely of single young men. They lived&nbsp;... }}</ref> There is a statue of [[Komitas]], an Armenian priest and composer, standing on Jefferson Avenue, in Detroit.<ref>{{Cite web |title = Detroit, Michigan, Statue of Gomidas Vartabed |url = https://www.armenian-genocide.org/Memorial.140/current_category.75/offset.10/memorials_detail.html |website = www.armenian-genocide.org |access-date = 2025-12-01 }}</ref> {{as of|2007}}, almost 8,000 [[Hmong people]] lived in the state of Michigan, about double their 1999 presence in the state.<ref name="Kaiser2">{{cite news |last = Kaiser |first = Robert L. |title = After 25 Years in U.S., Hmong Still Feel Isolated |work = [[Chicago Tribune]] |date = December 27, 1999 |url = https://www.chicagotribune.com/1999/12/27/after-25-years-in-us-hmong-still-feel-isolated/ |page = 2 |access-date = April 14, 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170909221741/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1999-12-27/news/9912270079_1_hmong-impact-of-welfare-reform-barriers/2 |archive-date = September 9, 2017 |url-status = live }}</ref> Most lived in northeastern Detroit, but they had been increasingly moving to Pontiac and Warren.<ref name="Michdaily">{{cite news |title = Michigan Hmong |work = [[Michigan Daily]] |location = University of Michigan |date = January 10, 2007 |url = http://www.michigandaily.com/content/michigan-hmong?page=0,1 |page = 2 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130117041558/http://www.michigandaily.com/content/michigan-hmong?page=0,1 |archive-date = January 17, 2013 |access-date = November 8, 2012 |url-status = dead }}</ref> By 2015, the number of Hmong in the Detroit city limits had significantly declined.<ref name="Rosenremaining">{{cite news |last = Rosen |first = Zak |url = http://michiganradio.org/post/meet-one-detroits-last-remaining-hmong-families |title = Meet One of Detroit's Last Remaining Hmong Families |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150708224157/http://michiganradio.org/post/meet-one-detroits-last-remaining-hmong-families |publisher = [[Michigan Radio]] |date = April 23, 2015 |access-date = July 1, 2015 |archive-date = July 8, 2015 |url-status = live }}</ref> Lansing hosts a statewide Hmong New Year Festival.<ref name="Michdaily" /> The Hmong community also had a prominent portrayal in the 2008 film ''[[Gran Torino]]'', which was set in Detroit.

{{as of|2015}}, 80% of Michigan's Japanese population lived in the counties of Macomb, Oakland, Washtenaw, and Wayne in the Detroit and Ann Arbor areas.<ref name="WilkinsonSookp158">{{cite book |last = Wilkinson |first = Sook |title = Asian Americans in Michigan: Voices from the Midwest |location = Detroit |publisher = [[Wayne State University Press]] |year = 2015 |isbn = 978-0-8143-3974-9 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=Q311BwAAQBAJ&pg=PA158 |page = 158 |access-date = July 5, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150904001127/https://books.google.com/books?id=Q311BwAAQBAJ&pg=PA158 |archive-date = September 4, 2015 |url-status = live }}</ref> {{as of|2013|April}}, the largest Japanese national population is in [[Novi, Michigan|Novi]], with 2,666 Japanese residents, and the next largest populations are respectively in Ann Arbor, [[West Bloomfield Township, Michigan|West Bloomfield Township]], [[Farmington Hills, Michigan|Farmington Hills]], and [[Battle Creek, Michigan|Battle Creek]]. The state has 481 Japanese employment facilities providing 35,554 local jobs. 391 of them are in Southeast Michigan, providing 20,816 jobs, and the 90 in other regions in the state provide 14,738 jobs. The Japanese Direct Investment Survey of the [[Consulate-General of Japan, Detroit]] stated more than 2,208 additional Japanese residents were employed in the State of Michigan {{as of|2012|October|1|lc=y}}, than in 2011.<ref>{{cite news |last = Stone |first = Cal |url = http://www.hometownlife.com/article/20130411/NEWS13/304110352/State-s-Japanese-employees-increasing |title = State's Japanese employees increasing |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130413053133/http://www.hometownlife.com/article/20130411/NEWS13/304110352/State-s-Japanese-employees-increasing |archive-date = April 13, 2013 |work = Observer & Eccentric |location = Detroit |date = April 11, 2013 |access-date = May 5, 2013 |url-status = dead }}</ref> During the 1990s, the Japanese population of Michigan experienced an increase, and many Japanese people with children moved to particular areas for their proximity to Japanese grocery stores and high-performing schools.<ref name="WilkinsonSookp158" />

===Languages===

In 2010, about 91.11% (8,507,947) of Michigan residents age five and older spoke only [[English language|English]] at home, while 2.93% (273,981) spoke [[Spanish language|Spanish]], 1.04% (97,559) [[Arabic]], 0.44% (41,189) [[German language|German]], 0.36% (33,648) [[Chinese language|Chinese]] (which includes [[Standard Chinese|Mandarin]]), 0.31% (28,891) [[French language|French]], 0.29% (27,019) [[Polish language|Polish]], and [[Assyrian people#Language|Syriac languages]] (such as [[Neo-Aramaic languages|Modern Aramaic]] and [[Northeastern Neo-Aramaic]]) was spoken as a [[main language]] by 0.25% (23,420) of the population over the age of five. In total, 8.89% (830,281) of Michigan's population age five and older spoke a [[mother language]] other than English.<ref name="MLA Data">{{cite web |url = http://www.mla.org/map_data |title = Michigan |publisher = [[Modern Language Association]] |access-date = August 15, 2013 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071201170638/http://www.mla.org/map_data |archive-date = December 1, 2007 |url-status = dead }}</ref> Since 2021, 90.1% of residents aged five and older spoke only English at home, and Spanish was the second-most spoken language with 2.9% of the population speaking it.<ref>{{Cite web |title = 2021 Languages Spoken at Home |url = https://data.census.gov/table?q=Michigan+languages&tid=ACSST1Y2021.S1601 |access-date = June 29, 2023 |website = United States Census Bureau |archive-date = June 29, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230629154927/https://data.census.gov/table?q=Michigan%20languages&tid=ACSST1Y2021.S1601 |url-status = live }}</ref>

===Religion===

{{Pie chart
| thumb = right
| caption = Religious self-identification, per [[Public Religion Research Institute]]'s 2021 ''American Values Survey''<ref>{{Cite web |last = Staff |date = February 24, 2023 |title = American Values Atlas: Religious Tradition in Michigan |url = https://ava.prri.org/#religious/2021/States/religion/m/US-MI |access-date = April 4, 2023 |publisher = [[Public Religion Research Institute]] |archive-date = April 4, 2017 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170404161714/https://ava.prri.org/#religious/2021/States/religion/m/US-MI |url-status = dead }}</ref>
| label1 = [[Protestantism in the United States|Protestantism]]
| value1 = 43
| color1 = Blue
| label2 = [[Catholic Church in the United States|Catholicism]]
| value2 = 24
| color2 = Purple
| label3 = [[Jehovah's Witnesses|Jehovah's Witness]] 
| value3 = 1
| color3 = Teal
| label4 = [[Irreligion in the United States|Unaffiliated]]
| value4 = 28
| color4 = White
| label5 = [[American Jews|Judaism]]
| value5 = 1
| color5 = Pink
| label6 = [[Islam in the United States|Islam]]
| value6 = 1
| color6 = Green
| label7 = Other
| value7 = 2
| color7 = Black
}}

Following [[British colonization of the Americas|British]] and [[French colonization of the Americas|French colonization]] of the region surrounding Michigan, [[Christianity in the United States|Christianity]] became the dominant religion, with [[Roman Catholicism]] historically being the largest single Christian group for the state. Until the 19th century, the Roman Catholic Church was the only organized religious group in Michigan, reflecting the territory's French colonial roots. Detroit's St. Anne's parish, established in 1701 by Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac, is the second-oldest Roman Catholic parish in the United States.<ref>{{cite web |first = Jim |last = Orlando |url = http://www.ste-anne.org/dempsey.html |title = Ste. Anne de Detroit Catholic Church |publisher = Ste-anne.org |access-date = November 5, 2011 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110927095234/http://www.ste-anne.org/dempsey.html |archive-date = September 27, 2011 }}</ref> On March 8, 1833, the [[Holy See]] formally established a diocese in the Michigan territory, which included all of Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and the Dakotas east of the Mississippi River. When Michigan became a state in 1837, the boundary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Detroit was redrawn to coincide with that of the state; the other dioceses were later carved out from the Detroit Diocese but remain part of the [[Ecclesiastical Province]] of Detroit.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.aodonline.org/AODOnline/History+and+Archives+12437/History+of+the+Archdiocese+-+Summary.htm |title = The Official Web Site for the Archdiocese of Detroit |publisher = Archdiocese of Detroit |access-date = November 5, 2011 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111013182426/http://www.aodonline.org/AODOnline/History%2Band%2BArchives%2B12437/History%2Bof%2Bthe%2BArchdiocese%2B-%2BSummary.htm |archive-date = October 13, 2011 }}</ref> Several [[Native American religions]] have been practiced in Michigan.

In 2020, there were 1,492,732 adherents of Roman Catholicism.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title = 2020 Congregational Membership Reports |url = https://www.thearda.com/us-religion/census/congregational-membership?y=2020&y2=0&t=1&c=26 |access-date = June 29, 2023 |website = The Association of Religion Data Archives |archive-date = June 29, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230629154921/https://www.thearda.com/us-religion/census/congregational-membership?y=2020&y2=0&t=1&c=26 |url-status = live }}</ref> There's also a significant [[Independent Catholicism|Independent Catholic]] presence in Metro Detroit, including the [[Ecumenical Catholic Church of Christ]] established by Archbishop Karl Rodig; the see of this church operates in a former Roman Catholic parish church.<ref>{{Cite web |title = Unusual church in no-man's land welcomes everyone |url = https://www.detroitnews.com/story/opinion/columnists/donna-terek/2016/08/06/donnas-detroit-st-anthony-church/88354096/ |access-date = June 29, 2023 |website = The Detroit News |language = en-US |archive-date = June 29, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230629154922/https://www.detroitnews.com/story/opinion/columnists/donna-terek/2016/08/06/donnas-detroit-st-anthony-church/88354096/ |url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title = Cathedral of St. Anthony |url = https://historicdetroit.org/buildings/cathedral-of-st-anthony |access-date = June 29, 2023 |website = Historic Detroit |archive-date = June 29, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230629154922/https://historicdetroit.org/buildings/cathedral-of-st-anthony |url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title = Statement regarding "Archbishop" Karl Rodig and the Cathedral Abbey of St. Anthony |url = https://www.aod.org/announcements-newsroom/newsroom/2016/august/statement-regarding-archbishop-karl-rodig-and-the-cathedral-abbey-of-st-anthony |access-date = June 29, 2023 |website = Archdiocese of Detroit |language = en-US |archive-date = June 29, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230629154922/https://www.aod.org/announcements-newsroom/newsroom/2016/august/statement-regarding-archbishop-karl-rodig-and-the-cathedral-abbey-of-st-anthony |url-status = live }}</ref>

With the introduction of Protestantism to the state, it began to form the largest collective Christian group. In 2010, the Association of Religion Data Archives reported the largest Protestant denomination was the [[United Methodist Church]] with 228,521 adherents;<ref name="www.thearda.com3">{{cite web |title = State Membership Report |url = http://www.thearda.com/rcms2010/r/s/26/rcms2010_26_state_adh_2010.asp |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131202231401/http://www.thearda.com/rcms2010/r/s/26/rcms2010_26_state_adh_2010.asp |archive-date = December 2, 2013 |access-date = November 22, 2013 |publisher = The Association of Religion Data Archives }}</ref> followed by the [[Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod]] with 219,618, and the [[Evangelical Lutheran Church in America]] with 120,598 adherents. The [[Christian Reformed Church in North America]] had almost 100,000 members and more than 230 congregations in Michigan.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.thearda.com/denoms/D_921_d.asp |title = Christian Reformed Church in North America—Religious Groups |publisher = The Association of Religion Data Archives |access-date = January 31, 2014 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131101193825/http://www.thearda.com/denoms/D_921_d.asp |archive-date = November 1, 2013 |url-status = live }}</ref> The [[Reformed Church in America]] had 76,000 members and 154 congregations in the state.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.thearda.com/denoms/D_934_d.asp |title = Reformed Church in America—Religious Groups |publisher = The Association of Religion Data Archives |access-date = January 31, 2014 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131004233743/http://www.thearda.com/denoms/D_934_d.asp |archive-date = October 4, 2013 |url-status = live }}</ref> By the 2020 study, [[Nondenominational Christianity|non- and inter-denominational]] Protestant churches formed the largest Protestant group in Michigan, numbering 508,904. The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod grew to become the second-largest single Christian denomination, and United Methodists declined to being the third-largest. The Lutheran Protestant tradition was introduced by [[Germans|German]] and Scandinavian immigrants. Altogether, Baptists numbered 321,581 between the [[National Missionary Baptist Convention of America|National Missionary Baptists]], [[National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc.|National Baptists]], [[American Baptist Churches USA|American Baptists]], [[Southern Baptist Convention|Southern Baptists]], [[National Baptist Convention of America International, Inc.|National Baptists of America]], [[Progressive National Baptist Convention|Progressive National Baptists]], and [[Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship|Full Gospel Baptists]]; black Baptists formed the largest constituency.<ref name=":1" /> In West Michigan, Dutch immigrants fled from the specter of religious persecution and famine in the Netherlands around 1850 and settled in and around what is now Holland, Michigan, establishing a "colony" on American soil that fervently held onto Calvinist doctrine that established a significant presence of Reformed churches.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.crcna.org/pages/history_of_crc.cfm |title = Historical Journey of the CRC (Christian Reformed Church) |publisher = Christian Reformed Church of North America |access-date = November 5, 2011 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111105170420/http://www.crcna.org/pages/history_of_crc.cfm |archive-date = November 5, 2011 }}</ref>

In the same 2010 survey, Jewish adherents in the state of Michigan were estimated at 44,382, and Muslims at 120,351.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.thearda.com/rcms2010/r/s/26/rcms2010_26_state_family_2010.asp |publisher = The Association of Religion Data Archives |title = State Membership Report |access-date = November 22, 2013 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131202235330/http://www.thearda.com/rcms2010/r/s/26/rcms2010_26_state_family_2010.asp |archive-date = December 2, 2013 |url-status = dead }}</ref> The first Jewish synagogue in the state was [[Temple Beth El (Detroit, Michigan)|Temple Beth El]], founded by twelve German Jewish families in Detroit in 1850.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.tbeonline.org/aboutus/history |title = History |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090522202826/http://www.tbeonline.org/aboutus/history/ |archive-date = May 22, 2009 }}</ref>  Islam was introduced by immigrants from the Near East during the 20th century.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.thearda.com/mapsReports/reports/state/26_2000.asp |title = Michigan: Religions |access-date = September 13, 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080907142656/http://www.thearda.com/mapsReports/reports/state/26_2000.asp |archive-date = September 7, 2008 |url-status = dead }}</ref> Michigan is home to the largest mosque in North America, the [[Islamic Center of America]] in Dearborn. Battle Creek, Michigan, is also the birthplace of the [[Seventh-day Adventist Church]], which was founded on May 21, 1863.<ref name="Adventist org">{{cite web |title = United for Mission: One Hundred and Fifty Years |url = http://www.adventist.org/information/history/article/go/0/united-for-mission-one-hundred-and-fifty-years/ |date = September 18, 2013 |publisher = General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists |access-date = October 7, 2014 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20141008181409/http://www.adventist.org/information/history/article/go/0/united-for-mission-one-hundred-and-fifty-years |archive-date = October 8, 2014 |url-status = live }}</ref><ref name="New indian">{{cite news |last1 = Thiruvananthapuram |title = SDA Church Valedictory Fete |url = http://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/thiruvananthapuram/SDA-Church-Valedictory-Fete/2014/09/11/article2424923.ece |access-date = October 7, 2014 |agency = The New Indian Express Group |newspaper = The New Indian Express |date = September 11, 2014 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20141014072050/http://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/thiruvananthapuram/SDA-Church-Valedictory-Fete/2014/09/11/article2424923.ece |archive-date = October 14, 2014 |url-status = dead }}</ref>

==Economy==
{{See also|List of companies based in Michigan|Economy of metropolitan Detroit|Michigan locations by per capita income}}

{{Publicly traded companies in Michigan}}

In 2022, 3,939,076 people in Michigan were employed at 227,870 establishments, according to the [[United States Census Bureau|U.S. Census Bureau]].<ref name="CensusQuick"/>

The [[Bureau of Economic Analysis|U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis]] estimated Michigan's Q1 2025 [[List of U.S. states and territories by GDP|gross state product]] to be $725.897 billion, ranking 14th out of the 50 states.<ref name="BureauEco"/> According to the [[Bureau of Labor Statistics|U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics]], {{as of|2024|November|lc=y}}, the state's [[List of U.S. states by unemployment rate|seasonally adjusted unemployment rate]] was estimated at 4.8%.<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.bls.gov/news.release/laus.nr0.htm |title = State Employment and Unemployment Summary |publisher = U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics |access-date = January 5, 2024 }}</ref>

Products and services include automobiles, food products, information technology, aerospace, military equipment, furniture, and mining of copper and iron ore.{{quantify|date=March 2020}}<!-- What % of the GDP and/or employment are each? --> Michigan is the third-largest grower of [[Christmas tree]]s with {{convert|60520|acre|km2|0}} of land dedicated to Christmas tree farming in 2007.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.nass.usda.gov/census/census02/volume1/us/st99_2_035_036.pdf |title = 2002 Census of Agriculture – State Data |page = 511 |publisher = USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081217015711/http://www.nass.usda.gov/census/census02/volume1/us/st99_2_035_036.pdf |archive-date = December 17, 2008 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.christmastree.org/statistics_industry.cfm#findings |title = National Christmas Tree Association: Industry Statistics |publisher = National Christmas Tree Association |access-date = July 25, 2010 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100616024429/http://christmastree.org/statistics_industry.cfm |archive-date = June 16, 2010 }}</ref> The beverage [[Vernors Ginger Ale]] was invented in Michigan in 1866, sharing the title of oldest soft drink with [[Hires Root Beer]]. [[Faygo]] was founded in Detroit on November 4, 1907. Two of the top four pizza chains were founded in Michigan and are headquartered there: [[Domino's Pizza]] by [[Tom Monaghan]] and [[Little Caesars]] Pizza by [[Mike Ilitch]]. Michigan became the 24th [[Right-to-work law|right-to-work]] state in the U.S. in 2012, however, in 2023 this law was repealed.<ref>{{Cite web |last1 = Mikula |first1 = Christopher R. |last2 = Stuart |first2 = Eric C. |date = March 27, 2023 |title = Michigan Governor Signs Legislation Repealing Right-to-Work Law |url = https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/legal-and-compliance/state-and-local-updates/pages/michigan-law-right-to-work.aspx |publisher = Society for Human Resource Management |access-date = May 31, 2023 |archive-date = May 31, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230531153425/https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/legal-and-compliance/state-and-local-updates/pages/michigan-law-right-to-work.aspx |url-status = dead }}</ref>

Since 2009, GM, Ford and Chrysler have managed a significant reorganization of their benefit funds structure after a volatile stock market which followed the [[September 11 attacks]] and [[early 2000s recession]] impacted their respective U.S. pension and benefit funds ([[OPEB]]).<ref>{{cite news |last = Sloan |first = Allan |date = April 10, 2007 |url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/09/AR2007040901262.html |title = GM's High-Performance Pension Machine |newspaper = [[The Washington Post]] |page = D02 |access-date = September 5, 2017 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170525103845/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/09/AR2007040901262.html |archive-date = May 25, 2017 |url-status = live }}</ref> General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler reached agreements with the United Auto Workers Union to transfer the liabilities for their respective health care and benefit funds to a 501(c)(9) [[Voluntary Employee Beneficiary Association]] (VEBA). Manufacturing in the state grew 6.6% from 2001 to 2006,<ref name="NAM"/> but the high speculative price of oil became a factor for the U.S. auto industry during the [[Late-2000s recession|economic crisis of 2008]] impacting industry revenues. In 2009, GM and Chrysler emerged from [[Chapter 11]] restructurings with financing provided in part by the U.S. and Canadian governments.<ref name="Garrett">{{cite news |last = Garrett |first = Major |date = March 31, 2009 |url = https://www.foxnews.com/politics/white-house-plots-gm-bankruptcy-unsure-when-taxpayers-will-recoup-50-billion-investment/ |title = White House Plots GM Bankruptcy, Unsure When Taxpayers Will Recoup $50&nbsp;Billion Investment |publisher = Fox News |access-date = June 23, 2009 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090608134754/http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/05/31/white-house-plots-gm-bankruptcy-unsure-taxpayers-recoup-billion-investment/ |archive-date = June 8, 2009 |url-status = live }}</ref><ref name="Stoll">{{cite news |last1 = Stoll |first1 = John D. |first2 = Neil Jr. |last2 = King |date = July 10, 2009 |url = https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB124722154897622577 |title = GM Emerges From Bankruptcy |work = The Wall Street Journal |access-date = July 10, 2009 |name-list-style = amp |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150123211849/http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB124722154897622577 |archive-date = January 23, 2015 |url-status = live }}</ref> GM began its [[initial public offering]] (IPO) of stock in 2010.<ref name="IPO">{{cite news |last1 = Stoll |first1 = John D. |first2 = David |last2 = McLaughlin |date = July 2, 2009 |url = https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB124646098696280443 |title = General Motors Aims for IPO Next Year |work = The Wall Street Journal |access-date = July 10, 2009 |name-list-style = amp |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150123211343/http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB124646098696280443 |archive-date = January 23, 2015 |url-status = live }}</ref> For 2010, the Big Three domestic automakers have reported significant profits indicating the beginning of rebound.<ref>{{cite news |last = Shoenberger |first = Robert |date = May 25, 2010 |url = http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2010/05/rebounding_auto_industry_boost.html |title = Rebounding auto industry boosts Shiloh Industries' second-quarter sales, profit |work = Cleveland Plain Dealer |access-date = September 18, 2010 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100911204857/http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2010/05/rebounding_auto_industry_boost.html |archive-date = September 11, 2010 |url-status = live }}</ref><ref name="Schroeder">{{cite news |last = Schroeder |first = Robert |date = July 30, 2010 |url = http://www.marketwatch.com/story/obama-says-us-auto-industry-on-rebound-2010-07-30 |title = Obama says U.S. auto industry on rebound |work = The Wall Street Journal |access-date = September 9, 2010 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100802055246/http://www.marketwatch.com/story/obama-says-us-auto-industry-on-rebound-2010-07-30 |archive-date = August 2, 2010 |url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url = https://money.cnn.com/2010/08/12/news/companies/gm_results/index.htm |title = GM posts profit, CEO Whitacre to retire |work = CNN Money |publisher = CNN |access-date = September 18, 2010 |first = Chris |last = Isidore |date = August 12, 2010 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100914094523/http://money.cnn.com/2010/08/12/news/companies/gm_results/index.htm |archive-date = September 14, 2010 |url-status = live }}</ref><ref name="Cwiek">{{cite news |last = Cwiek |first = Sarah |date = November 30, 2010 |url = http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/michigan/news.newsmain/article/0/0/1731658/Michigan.Morning.Edition/New.study.shows.strong.economic.recovery.in.Metro.Detroit |title = New study shows strong economic recovery in Metro Detroit |publisher = NPR Michigan |access-date = December 4, 2010 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110511073749/http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/michigan/news.newsmain/article/0/0/1731658/Michigan.Morning.Edition/New.study.shows.strong.economic.recovery.in.Metro.Detroit |archive-date = May 11, 2011 |url-status = dead }}</ref>

{{As of|2002}}, Michigan ranked fourth in the U.S. in high-tech employment with 568,000 high-tech workers, which includes 70,000 in the automotive industry.<ref name="MEDCHiTech">{{cite web |date = November 16, 2002 |first = Jennifer |last = Kopp-Owens |publisher = Michigan Economic Development Corporation |url = http://www.michiganadvantage.org/Press-Releases/Michigan-The-High-Technology-Automotive-State/ |title = Michigan: The High-Technology Automotive State |access-date = February 21, 2013 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130110202105/http://www.michiganadvantage.org/Press-Releases/Michigan-The-High-Technology-Automotive-State/ |archive-date = January 10, 2013 |url-status = dead }}</ref> Michigan typically ranks third or fourth in overall [[research and development]] (R&D) expenditures in the United States.<ref name="MEDC1">{{cite web |publisher = Michigan Economic Development Corporation |year = 2009 |url = http://michiganadvantage.org/MIAdvantage/Getting-the-UpperHand/Default.aspx |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090321164030/http://michiganadvantage.org/MIAdvantage/Getting-the-UpperHand/Default.aspx |archive-date = March 21, 2009 |title = Michigan Advantage |access-date = June 23, 2009 }}</ref><ref name="NSF">{{cite web |last = Bennof |first = Richard J. |publisher = National Science Foundation |id = 01-320 |date = March 23, 2001 |url = https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/databrf/nsf01320/sdb01320.htm |title = R&D Spending is Highly Concentrated in a Small Number of States |access-date = April 6, 2018 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171013213616/https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/databrf/nsf01320/sdb01320.htm |archive-date = October 13, 2017 |url-status = live }}</ref> Its research and development, which includes automotive, comprises a higher percentage of the state's overall gross domestic product than for any other U.S. state.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.agiweb.org/gap/cvd/CVD04Michigan.pdf |title = Federal Scientific R&D in Michigan |access-date = November 5, 2011 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110724225809/http://www.agiweb.org/gap/cvd/CVD04Michigan.pdf |archive-date = July 24, 2011 |url-status = live }}</ref> The state is an important source of engineering job opportunities. The domestic auto industry accounts directly and indirectly for one of every ten jobs in the U.S.<ref>{{cite web |publisher = Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers (2006) |url = http://www.autoalliance.org/economic/ |title = From the 2003 Study "Contributions of the Automotive Industry to the U.S. Economy" University of Michigan and the Center for Automotive Research |access-date = January 3, 2009 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20040402045414/http://www.autoalliance.org/economic/ |archive-date = April 2, 2004 }}</ref>

{{multiple image
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 | image1 = Gordie Howe International Bridge - WDBA - Architect Erik Behrens - Photographer Matt Moniz.jpg
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 | caption2 = The [[Detroit-Windsor]] border crossing is the busiest international border crossing in North America by trade volume, with approximately one-third of all [[Canada–United States trade relations|Canada-U.S. trade]] passing through this link. Pictured above is the under-construction [[Gordie Howe International Bridge]], which will complement the existing [[Ambassador Bridge]], shown below.}}

Michigan was second in the U.S. in 2004 for new corporate facilities and expansions. From 1997 to 2004, Michigan was the only state to top the 10,000 mark for the number of major new developments;<ref name="NAM" /><ref>{{cite press release |publisher = Michigan Economic Development Corporation |date = March 3, 2005 |url = http://www.globeinvestor.com/servlet/ArticleNews/print/PRNEWS/20050303/2005_03_03_12_0813_1322091 |title = Michigan#2 in the Nation for New Corporate Facilities and Expansions in 2004 |access-date = June 27, 2006 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070927174401/http://www.globeinvestor.com/servlet/ArticleNews/print/PRNEWS/20050303/2005_03_03_12_0813_1322091 |archive-date = September 27, 2007 |url-status = dead }}</ref> however, the effects of the [[late 2000s recession]] have slowed the state's economy. In 2008, Michigan placed third in a site selection survey among the states for luring new business which measured capital investment and new job creation per one million population.<ref name="siteselection">{{cite journal |url = http://www.siteselection.com/issues/2009/may/Comp-Awards/ |title = King of the Hill: Top ten competitive states for 2008 |access-date = July 8, 2009 |journal = Site Selection Magazine |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090715214200/http://www.siteselection.com/issues/2009/may/Comp-Awards/ |archive-date = July 15, 2009 |url-status = live }}</ref> In August 2009, Michigan and Detroit's auto industry received $1.36 B in grants from the U.S. Department of Energy for the manufacture of electric vehicle technologies which is expected to generate 6,800 immediate jobs and employ 40,000 in the state by 2020.<ref name="priddle">{{cite news |last1 = Priddle |first1 = Alisa |first2 = David |last2 = Shepardson |date = August 6, 2009 |url = http://www.detnews.com/article/20090806/AUTO01/908060429/1148/auto01/Mich.+gets+$1.3B+battery+jolt |title = Mich. gets $1.3B battery jolt |work = The Detroit News |access-date = August 6, 2009 |name-list-style = amp }}{{dead link|date=December 2012}}</ref> From 2007 to 2009, Michigan ranked 3rd in the U.S. for new corporate facilities and expansions.<ref name="Lane">{{cite news |last = Lane |first = Amy |date = March 5, 2010 |url = http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20100305/BRIGHTSIDE/303059985 |title = Michigan retains 3rd-place ranking by Site Selection magazine |work = Crains Detroit Business |access-date = April 17, 2010 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110708201114/http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20100305/BRIGHTSIDE/303059985 |archive-date = July 8, 2011 |url-status = live }}</ref><ref name="Medernach">{{cite journal |last1 = Medernach |first1 = Karen |first2 = Mike |last2 = O'Conner |date = March 2010 |url = http://www.siteselection.com/issues/2010/mar/cover/0709_NewCorpFacilities.pdf |title = 2007–2009 New Corporate Facilities and Expansions |journal = Site Selection Magazine |access-date = April 17, 2010 |name-list-style = amp |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110716075455/http://www.siteselection.com/issues/2010/mar/cover/0709_NewCorpFacilities.pdf |archive-date = July 16, 2011 }}</ref>

[[Detroit Metropolitan Airport]] is one of the nation's most recently expanded and modernized airports with six major runways, and large aircraft maintenance facilities capable of servicing and repairing a [[Boeing 747]] and is a major hub for [[Delta Air Lines]]. Michigan's schools and colleges rank among the nation's best. The state has maintained its early commitment to public education. The state's infrastructure gives it a competitive edge; Michigan has 38 [[deep-water port|deep water ports]].<ref>{{cite web |publisher = Michigan Economic Development Corporation |year = 2006 |url = http://www.michigan.org/medc/miinfo/mimaps/combo.asp?ContentId=DD3B9F9F-FB6D-481B-B2F3-72491F7B6054&QueueId=1&ContentTypeId=10019 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060421094648/http://www.michigan.org/medc/miinfo/mimaps/combo.asp?ContentId=DD3B9F9F-FB6D-481B-B2F3-72491F7B6054&QueueId=1&ContentTypeId=10019 |url-status = dead |archive-date = April 21, 2006 |title = Commercial Ports }}</ref> In 2007, Bank of America announced that it would commit $25&nbsp;billion to community development in Michigan following its acquisition of LaSalle Bank in [[Troy, Michigan|Troy]].<ref name="Bank">{{cite news |work = Crain's Detroit Business |date = October 4, 2007 |url = http://www.metromodemedia.com/innovationnews/bankofamerica3807.aspx |title = Bank of America commits $25&nbsp;billion for community development in Michigan |access-date = January 3, 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071110093317/http://www.metromodemedia.com/innovationnews/bankofamerica3807.aspx |archive-date = November 10, 2007 |url-status = dead }}</ref>

Michigan was reported to have led the nation in job creation improvement in 2010 according to the Gallup Job Creation Index.<ref>{{cite web |last = Headapohl |first = Jackie |title = Michigan led the nation in job creation improvement in 2010 |url = http://www.mlive.com/jobs/index.ssf/2011/02/michigan_led_the_nation_in_job_creation.html |website = MLive |publisher = [[Booth Newspapers]] |access-date = March 8, 2011 |date = February 28, 2011 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110307000347/http://www.mlive.com/jobs/index.ssf/2011/02/michigan_led_the_nation_in_job_creation.html |archive-date = March 7, 2011 |url-status = live }}</ref> A 2015 release of the survey also placed Michigan toward the top of the rankings.<ref>{{Cite web |last = MRINetwork |date = January 29, 2016 |title = Gallup Index Sheds Light on Best U.S. States for Job Creation |url = https://mrinetwork.com/world-of-work/gallup-index-sheds-light-on-best-u-s-states-for-job-creation/ |access-date = August 3, 2025 |website = MRINetwork |language = en-US }}</ref>

On December 20, 2019, Governor [[Gretchen Whitmer]] signed a package of bills into law effectively legalizing [[online gambling]] activities in Michigan, which allowed commercial and [[tribal casinos]] to apply for internet gaming licenses.<ref>{{Cite press release |title = Governor Whitmer Signs Bipartisan Legislation Legalizing Sports Betting in Michigan |url = https://www.michigan.gov/whitmer/news/press-releases/2019/12/20/signs-bipartisan-legislation-legalizing-sports-betting-in-michigan-revenue |date = December 20, 2019 |access-date = March 21, 2023 |publisher = Office of the Governor |language = en-US |archive-date = March 21, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230321142245/https://www.michigan.gov/whitmer/news/press-releases/2019/12/20/signs-bipartisan-legislation-legalizing-sports-betting-in-michigan-revenue |url-status = live }}</ref>

===Taxation===

Michigan's personal [[income tax]] is a flat rate of 4.25%. In addition, 24 cities impose income taxes; rates are set at 1% for residents and 0.5% for non-residents in all but four cities.<ref name="city-income-tax">{{cite web |title = Taxes – Which cities impose an income tax? |url = https://www.michigan.gov/taxes/questions/iit/accordion/general/what-cities-impose-an-income-tax |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20250418081523/https://www.michigan.gov/taxes/questions/iit/accordion/general/what-cities-impose-an-income-tax |archive-date = April 18, 2025 |access-date = August 3, 2025 |publisher = Michigan Department of Treasury }}</ref> Michigan's state [[sales tax]] is 6%, though items such as food and medication are exempted. [[Property tax]]es are assessed on the local level, but every property owner's local assessment contributes six [[Mill (currency)|mills]] (a rate of $6 per $1000 of property value) to the statutory State Education Tax. Property taxes are appealable to local boards of review and need the approval of the local electorate to exceed millage rates prescribed by state law and local charters. In 2011, the state repealed its business tax and replaced it with a 6% corporate income tax which substantially reduced taxes on business.<ref>{{cite news |last = Luke |first = Peter |date = May 25, 2011 |url = http://www.mlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2011/05/gov_rick_snyder_signs_michigan.html |title = Gov. Rick Snyder signs Michigan business/income tax overhaul into law |work = Bridge Magazine |access-date = December 3, 2011 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111226130656/http://www.mlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2011/05/gov_rick_snyder_signs_michigan.html |archive-date = December 26, 2011 |url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last = Bell |first = Dawson |date = November 18, 2011 |url = http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20111118/NEWS04/311180025/Michigan-Supreme-Court-hands-Gov-Rick-Snyder-victory-plan-tax-pensions |title = Michigan Supreme Court hands Gov. Rick Snyder a victory on plan to tax pensions |work = Lansing State Journal |access-date = December 3, 2011 }}{{dead link|date=March 2017 |bot=Beta7 |fix-attempted=yes}}</ref> Article IX of the Constitution of the State of Michigan also provides limitations on how much the state can tax.

A 6% [[use tax]] is levied on goods purchased outside the state (that are brought in and used in state), at parity with the sales tax.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.michigan.gov/som/0,4669,7-192-41009-2226--,00.html |title = Find the difference between sales and use tax |publisher = State of Michigan |access-date = May 4, 2016 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160427083540/https://www.michigan.gov/som/0,4669,7-192-41009-2226--,00.html |archive-date = April 27, 2016 |url-status = live }}</ref> The use tax applies to internet sales/purchases from outside Michigan and is equivalent to the sales tax.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.legislature.mi.gov/(S(dxwui1r43fufigas1nqi2rnr))/mileg.aspx?page=GetObject&objectname=mcl-Act-94-of-1937 |publisher = Michigan Legislature |title = Act 94 of 1937 |access-date = May 4, 2016 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160505220436/http://www.legislature.mi.gov/(S(jqbdzetgaczaknsxmka4o5e5))/mileg.aspx?page=getObject&objectstate=mcl-Act-94-of-1937 |archive-date = May 5, 2016 |url-status = live }}</ref>

===Agriculture===
{{See also|Cherry production in Michigan}}

[[File:ChateauChantal.JPG|thumb|[[Chateau Chantal]], a winery and designated [[American Viticultural Area]], is located on the [[Old Mission Peninsula]]]]
[[File:Michigan Cherries, 2009 July.jpg|thumb|Michigan is the leading U.S. producer of [[Prunus cerasus|tart cherries]], [[blueberries]], [[pickled cucumbers]], [[navy beans]], and [[petunias]]]]

A wide variety of commodity crops, fruits, and vegetables are grown in Michigan, making it second only to California among US states in the diversity of its agriculture.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.senate.michigan.gov/sfa/Publications/Notes/2000Notes/NotesJulAug00Thiel.PDF |title = Michigan agricultural exports |first = Craig |last = Thiel |access-date = September 3, 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080909225027/http://www.senate.michigan.gov/sfa/Publications/Notes/2000Notes/NotesJulAug00Thiel.PDF |archive-date = September 9, 2008 |url-status = live }}</ref> The state has 54,800 farms utilizing {{convert|10000000|acre|km2}} of land which sold $6.49&nbsp;billion worth of products in 2010.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/Michigan/Publications/MichiganFactSheets/STHILGTS.pdf |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060515222949/http://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/Michigan/Publications/MichiganFactSheets/STHILGTS.pdf |url-status = dead |archive-date = May 15, 2006 |title = Number of farms and land in farms, 2009–2010 |publisher = National Agricultural Statistics Service, Michigan Field Office, Michigan Department of Agriculture |id = NR-09-77 |first = Jeff |last = Andersen |date = October 7, 2011 }}</ref> The most valuable agricultural product is milk. Leading crops include corn, soybeans, flowers, wheat, sugar beets, and potatoes. Livestock in the state included 78,000 sheep, a million cattle, a million hogs, and more than three million chickens. Livestock products accounted for 38% of the value of agricultural products while crops accounted for the majority.

Michigan is a leading grower of fruit in the US, including blueberries, [[Cherry production in Michigan|tart cherries]], apples, grapes, and peaches.<ref name="MIAG">{{cite web |url = http://web1.msue.msu.edu/fruit/bluberry.htm |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110720004949/http://web1.msue.msu.edu/fruit/bluberry.htm |archive-date = July 20, 2011 |title = Michigan Blueberries |author = Agriculture Experiment Station |publisher = Michigan State University |access-date = January 3, 2008 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last = Hanson |first = Eric |url = http://web1.msue.msu.edu/imp/modsr/sr589201.html |title = Small Fruit Crops |website = Ag Experiment Station Special Reports |date = July 28, 1998 |publisher = Michigan State University |access-date = January 3, 2008 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060417083215/http://web1.msue.msu.edu/imp/modsr/sr589201.html |archive-date = April 17, 2006 }}</ref> 
Michigan produces 70 percent of the country's cherries.  Most of these cherries are [[Montmorency cherries]].<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.9and10news.com/2023/07/01/what-makes-traverse-city-the-prime-place-for-cherries/ |title = What makes Traverse City the prime place for cherries? }}</ref>
Plums, pears, and strawberries are also grown in Michigan. These fruits are mainly grown in [[West Michigan]] due to the moderating effect of Lake Michigan on the climate. There is also significant fruit production, especially cherries, but also grapes, apples, and other fruits, in northwest Michigan along Lake Michigan. Michigan produces [[Michigan wine|wines]], beers and a multitude of processed food products. [[Kellogg's]] cereal is based in Battle Creek, Michigan and processes many locally grown foods. Thornapple Valley, [[Ball Park Franks]], [[Koegel Meat Company]], and [[Hebrew National]] sausage companies are all based in Michigan.

Michigan is home to very fertile land in the [[Tri-Cities (Michigan)|Saginaw Valley]] and Thumb areas. Products grown there include corn, sugar beets, navy beans, and soybeans. Sugar beet harvesting usually begins the first of October. It takes the sugar factories about five months to process the 3.7&nbsp;million tons of sugarbeets into 485,000 tons of pure, white sugar.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.michigansugar.com/about/education/growing.php |title = Michigan Sugar Company: Education |publisher = Michigansugar.com |access-date = July 25, 2010 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100821121324/http://www.michigansugar.com/about/education/growing.php |archive-date = August 21, 2010 }}</ref> Michigan's largest sugar refiner, [[Michigan Sugar Company]]<ref>{{cite web |url = http://michigansugar.com/ |title = Michigan Sugar Company |access-date = May 25, 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080514085038/http://www.michigansugar.com/ |archive-date = May 14, 2008 |url-status = live }}</ref> is the largest east of the Mississippi River and the fourth largest in the nation. Michigan sugar brand names are Pioneer Sugar and the newly incorporated Big Chief Sugar. Potatoes are grown in Northern Michigan, and corn is dominant in Central Michigan. Alfalfa, cucumbers, and asparagus are also grown.

===Tourism===
{{See also|List of National Historic Landmarks in Michigan|List of Registered Historic Places in Michigan|List of museums in Michigan}}

[[File:Holland MI 16M (3858254690).jpg|thumb|[[Holland, Michigan]], is the home of the [[Tulip Time Festival]], the largest [[tulip festival]] in the U.S.]]

As of 2011, Michigan's tourists spent $17.2 billion per year in the state, supporting 193,000 tourism jobs.<ref>{{cite news |last = Lane |first = Amy |date = May 25, 2011 |url = http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20110525/FREE/110529946/report-tourism-spending-increase-in-2010-was-biggest-ever-in-michigan# |title = Report: Tourism spending increase in 2010 was biggest ever in Michigan |work = Crain's Detroit Business |access-date = July 16, 2011 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110529015616/http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20110525/FREE/110529946/report-tourism-spending-increase-in-2010-was-biggest-ever-in-michigan |archive-date = May 29, 2011 |url-status = live }}</ref> Michigan's tourism website ranks among the busiest in the nation.<ref>{{cite web |publisher = Great Lakes IT Report |date = May 3, 2007 |url = http://www.glitr.com/Article.asp?id=401608&spid |title = Michigan's Tourism Website No. 1 in the U.S. |access-date = August 10, 2007 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070928210839/http://www.glitr.com/Article.asp?id=401608&spid |archive-date = September 28, 2007 }}</ref> Destinations draw vacationers, hunters, and nature enthusiasts from across the United States and Canada. Michigan is over 50% forest land,<ref>{{cite web |last = Cook |first = Bill |title = Facing the Facts |url = https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/facing-the-facts |publisher = MSU College of Agriculture and Natural Resources |date = September 5, 2019 |access-date = June 9, 2023 |archive-date = June 9, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230609113359/https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/facing-the-facts |url-status = live }}</ref> much of it quite remote. The forests, lakes and thousands of miles of beaches are top attractions. Event tourism draws large numbers to occasions like the [[Tulip Time Festival]] and the [[National Cherry Festival]].

In 2006, the Michigan State Board of Education mandated all public schools in the state hold their first day of school after Labor Day, in accordance with the new post-Labor Day school law. A survey found 70% of all tourism business comes directly from Michigan residents, and the Michigan Hotel, Motel, & Resort Association claimed the shorter summer between school years cut into the annual tourism season.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.imakenews.com/tourism/index000142517.cfm |title = Michigan Tourism Business |website = Imakenews.com |access-date = July 25, 2010 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110713013123/http://www.imakenews.com/tourism/index000142517.cfm |archive-date = July 13, 2011 }}</ref> However, a bill introduced in 2023 would cancel this requirement, allowing individual districts to decide when their school year should begin.<ref>{{cite news |last = LeBlanc |first = Beth |title = Michigan lawmakers weigh bill ditching post-Labor Day school start requirement |url = https://eu.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/michigan/2023/06/06/michigan-lawmakers-weigh-bill-ditching-post-labor-day-school-start-law/70290650007/ |access-date = June 13, 2023 |work = [[The Detroit News]] |date = June 6, 2023 |archive-date = June 6, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230606161432/https://eu.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/michigan/2023/06/06/michigan-lawmakers-weigh-bill-ditching-post-labor-day-school-start-law/70290650007/ |url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last = Bowie |first = Taylor |title = Bill aims to end mandate requiring Michigan public schools to start after Labor Day |url = https://www.michiganradio.org/education/2023-06-07/bill-aims-to-end-mandate-requiring-michigan-public-schools-to-start-after-labor-day |access-date = June 13, 2023 |work = [[Michigan Radio]] |date = June 7, 2023 |archive-date = June 13, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230613024414/https://www.michiganradio.org/education/2023-06-07/bill-aims-to-end-mandate-requiring-michigan-public-schools-to-start-after-labor-day |url-status = live }}</ref>

[[File:2007_Michigan_Mackinac_Island_Grand_Hotel_carriage.jpg|thumb|left|[[Mackinac Island]] is well known for cultural events and a wide variety of architectural styles, including the [[Victorian era|Victorian]] [[Grand Hotel (Mackinac Island)|Grand Hotel]].]]

[[Tourism in metropolitan Detroit]] draws visitors to leading attractions, especially [[The Henry Ford]], the [[Detroit Institute of Arts]], the [[Detroit Zoo]], and to [[sports in Detroit]]. Other museums include the [[Detroit Historical Museum]], the [[Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History]], museums in the [[Cranbrook Educational Community]], and the [[Arab American National Museum]]. The metro area offers four major casinos, [[MGM Grand Detroit]], [[Hollywood Casino at Greektown|Hollywood Casino]], [[Motor City Casino|Motor City]], and [[Caesars Windsor]] in Windsor, Ontario, Canada; moreover, Detroit is the largest American city and metropolitan region to offer casino resorts.<ref name="Mink">{{cite news |last1 = Mink |first1 = Randy |first2 = Karen |last2 = Mink |date = July 2001 |title = Detroit Turns 300: Detroit 300 Festival |work = Travel America |publisher = World Publishing Co., Gale Group |name-list-style = amp }}</ref>

Hunting and fishing are significant industries in the state. Charter boats are based in many Great Lakes cities to fish for salmon, trout, walleye, and perch. Michigan ranks first in the nation in licensed hunters (over one million) who contribute $2 billion annually to its economy. More than three-quarters of a million hunters participate in [[white-tailed deer]] season alone. Many school districts in rural areas of Michigan cancel school on the opening day of firearm deer season, because of attendance concerns.{{citation needed|date=December 2022}}<ref>{{Cite news |last = Meines |first = Caden |date = November 14, 2024 |title = Upper Peninsula schools give students, staff day off for deer hunting |url = https://www.uppermichiganssource.com/2024/11/14/upper-peninsula-schools-give-students-staff-day-off-deer-hunting/ |access-date = March 8, 2025 |work = WLUC }}</ref>

[[File:Downtown Marquette, Michigan in Autumn (43657514144).jpg|thumb|[[Marquette, Michigan]], is home to a vast [[snowmobile]] trail system.]]

Michigan's Department of Natural Resources manages the largest dedicated state forest system in the nation. The forest products industry and recreational users contribute $12 billion and 200,000 associated jobs annually to the state's economy. Public hiking and hunting access has also been secured in extensive commercial forests. The state has the highest number of golf courses and registered [[snowmobile]]s in the nation.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-38948-121641--,00.html |title = Economic Impact: Natural Resources Boost Michigan's Economy |publisher = Michigan Department of Natural Resources |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131016184133/http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0%2C1607%2C7-153-38948-121641--%2C00.html |archive-date = October 16, 2013 }}</ref>

The state has numerous [[historical marker]]s, which can themselves become the center of a tour.<ref>{{cite web |website = Michigan Historical Markers |url = http://www.michigan.gov/hal/0,1607,7-160-17449_18638_18654-107240--,00.html |title = Traveling Through time: A guide to Michigan Historical Markers |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090728042147/http://www.michigan.gov/hal/0%2C1607%2C7-160-17449_18638_18654-107240--%2C00.html |archive-date = July 28, 2009 }}</ref> The [[Great Lakes Circle Tour]] is a designated scenic road system connecting all of the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.great-lakes.net/tourism/circletour/ |title = Great Lakes Circle Tour |publisher = Great-lakes.net |date = July 5, 2005 |access-date = July 25, 2010 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100725204133/http://www.great-lakes.net/tourism/circletour/ |archive-date = July 25, 2010 }}</ref>

With its position in relation to the Great Lakes and the countless ships that have foundered over the many years they have been used as a transport route for people and bulk cargo, Michigan is a world-class scuba diving destination. The [[Michigan Underwater Preserves]] are 13 underwater areas where wrecks are protected for the benefit of sport divers.

==Culture==
===Arts===
====Music====
{{main|Music of Michigan}}

Michigan music is known for three music trends: early [[punk rock]], Motown/soul music and [[techno music]]. Michigan musicians include [[Tally Hall]], [[Bill Haley & His Comets]], [[the Supremes]], [[the Marvelettes]], [[the Temptations]], [[the Four Tops]], [[Stevie Wonder]], [[Marvin Gaye]] "The Prince of Soul", [[Smokey Robinson and the Miracles]], [[Aretha Franklin]], [[Mary Wells]], [[Tommy James and the Shondells]], [[? and the Mysterians]], [[Al Green]], [[The Spinners (American group)|The Spinners]], [[Grand Funk Railroad]], [[the Stooges]], the [[MC5]], [[the Knack]], [[Madonna]] "The Queen of Pop", [[Bob Seger]], [[Jack Scott (singer)|Jack Scott]], [[Ray Parker Jr.]], [[Jackie Wilson]], [[Aaliyah]], [[Eminem]], [[Babytron]], [[Kid Rock]], [[Jack White]] and [[Meg White]] ([[the White Stripes]]), [[Big Sean]], [[Alice Cooper]], [[Greta Van Fleet]], [[Mustard Plug]], and [[Del Shannon]].<ref>{{cite web |last = Perini |first = Mike |title = Del Shannon's "Runaway" tops charts 50 years ago this week |url = https://www.michiganradio.org/post/del-shannons-runaway-tops-charts-50-years-ago-week |access-date = June 21, 2020 |publisher = Michigan Radio |date = April 26, 2011 |archive-date = August 3, 2020 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200803215945/https://www.michiganradio.org/post/del-shannons-runaway-tops-charts-50-years-ago-week |url-status = live }}</ref>

====Performance arts====

Major theaters in Michigan include the [[Fox Theatre (Detroit)|Fox Theatre]], [[Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts|Music Hall]], [[Gem Theatre (Detroit)|Gem Theatre]], [[Detroit Masonic Temple|Masonic Temple Theatre]], the [[Detroit Opera House]], [[Fisher Theatre]], [[The Fillmore Detroit]], [[Saint Andrew's Hall]], [[Majestic Theater (Detroit, Michigan)|Majestic Theater]], and [[Orchestra Hall (Detroit)|Orchestra Hall]].

The [[Nederlander Organization]], the largest controller of Broadway productions in New York City, originated in Detroit.<ref name="Almanac2">{{Cite book |last1 = Gavrilovich |first1 = Peter |last2 = McGraw |first2 = Bill |title = The Detroit Almanac, 2nd edition |publisher = [[Detroit Free Press]] |year = 2006 |isbn = 978-0-937247-48-8 }}</ref>

===Sports===
{{Main|List of Michigan professional sports teams}}
{{see also|List of Michigan sport championships}}

[[File:Mackinacislandsailboatsafterporthuronrace2006.jpg|thumb|[[Mackinac Island]] Marina after the 2006 [[Port Huron to Mackinac Boat Race]]]]

Michigan's major-league sports teams include: [[Detroit Tigers]] baseball team, [[Detroit Lions]] [[American football|football]] team, [[Detroit Red Wings]] [[ice hockey]] team, and the [[Detroit Pistons]] men's basketball team. All of Michigan's major league teams play in the Metro Detroit area. The state also has a professional second-tier ([[USL Championship]]) soccer team in [[Detroit City FC]], which plays its home games at [[Keyworth Stadium]] in [[Hamtramck, Michigan]].

The Pistons played at Detroit's [[Cobo Arena]] until 1978 and at the [[Pontiac Silverdome]] until 1988 when they moved into [[The Palace of Auburn Hills]]. In 2017, the team moved to the newly built [[Little Caesars Arena]] in downtown Detroit. The Detroit Lions played at [[Tiger Stadium (Detroit)|Tiger Stadium]] in Detroit until 1974, then moved to the Pontiac Silverdome where they played for 27 years between 1975 and 2002 before moving to [[Ford Field]] in Detroit in 2002. The Detroit Tigers played at Tiger Stadium (formerly known as Navin Field and Briggs Stadium) from 1912 to 1999. In 2000, they moved to [[Comerica Park]]. The Red Wings played at [[Olympia Stadium]] before moving to [[Joe Louis Arena]] in 1979. They later moved to Little Caesars Arena to join the Pistons as tenants in 2017. Professional hockey got its start in 1903 in [[Houghton, Michigan]],<ref>{{cite news |url = http://abc10up.com/marquette-regional-history-center-will-host-houghton-hockey-history-talk/ |title = Marquette Regional History Center Will Host Houghton Hockey History Talk |date = March 25, 2014 |first = Mike |last = Hoey |location = Ishpeming, MI |publisher = [[WBUP-TV]] |access-date = May 8, 2014 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140513012308/http://abc10up.com/marquette-regional-history-center-will-host-houghton-hockey-history-talk/ |archive-date = May 13, 2014 |url-status = live }}</ref> when the Portage Lakers were formed.<ref>{{Cite web |title=ice hockey {{!}} History, Rules, Equipment, Players, & Facts |url=https://www.britannica.com/sports/ice-hockey |access-date=June 23, 2022 |website=Britannica |language=en |archive-date=November 3, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211103093203/https://www.britannica.com/sports/ice-hockey |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:DSCN0986 (6376855383).jpg|thumb|left|The [[2011 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series]] at [[Michigan International Speedway]] in [[Brooklyn, Michigan]]]]

The [[Michigan International Speedway]] is the site of [[NASCAR]] races and Detroit was formerly the site of a Formula One World Championship [[Detroit Grand Prix|Grand Prix]] race. From 1959 to 1961, [[Detroit Dragway]] hosted the [[NHRA]]'s U.S. Nationals.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.50th-usnationals.com/apcm/templates/50th_history.asp?articleid=802&zoneid=52 |title = 50th Anniversary Mac Tools U.S. Nationals: History |publisher = 50th-usnationals.com |access-date = November 5, 2011 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131017190407/http://www.50th-usnationals.com/apcm/templates/50th_history.asp?articleid=802&zoneid=52 |archive-date = October 17, 2013 }}</ref> Michigan is home to one of the major canoeing marathons: the {{convert|120|mi|km|adj=on}} [[Au Sable River Canoe Marathon]]. The [[Port Huron to Mackinac Boat Race]] is also a favorite.

Twenty-time Grand Slam champion [[Serena Williams]] was born in Saginaw. The [[2011 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships|2011 World Champion for Women's Artistic Gymnastics]], [[Jordyn Wieber]] is from DeWitt. Wieber was also a member of the [[Gymnastics at the 2012 Summer Olympics – Women's artistic team all-around|gold medal team]] at the London Olympics in 2012.

Collegiate sports in Michigan are popular in addition to professional sports. The state's two largest athletic programs are the [[Michigan Wolverines]] and [[Michigan State Spartans]]. They compete in the [[NCAA]] [[Big Ten Conference]] for most sports. The [[Michigan High School Athletic Association]] features around 300,000 participants.

==Education==
{{See also|List of colleges and universities in Michigan|List of high schools in Michigan|List of school districts in Michigan}}

{{Multiple image
| perrow            = 1
| total_width       = 250
| align             = right
| direction         = vertical
| width             = 
| header            = 
| image1            = A picture of the University of Michigan campus in Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.jpg
| caption1          = [[University of Michigan]], a [[research university]] in [[Ann Arbor, Michigan]]
| image2            = International Academy - Exterior (51159701410).jpg
| caption2          = [[International Academy]], a [[magnet school|magnet high school]] in Michigan
| image3            = Cranbrook11.jpeg
| caption3          = [[Cranbrook Kingswood School]], a college preparatory [[boarding school]]
}}

Michigan's education system serves nearly 1.4 million K-12 students in public schools as of the 2024–25 school year.<ref>{{Cite web |title = Student Enrollment Counts Report |url = https://www.mischooldata.org/student-enrollment-counts-report/ |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20250727133846/https://www.mischooldata.org/student-enrollment-counts-report/ |archive-date = July 27, 2025 |access-date = August 3, 2025 |website = www.mischooldata.org |language = en |url-status = live }}</ref> In 2008–09, more than 124,000 students attend private schools and an uncounted number are [[Homeschooling in the United States|homeschooled]] under certain legal requirements.<ref>[http://www.michigan.gov/documents/NPSHS_numbers_05_131608_7.pdf Number of Non Public Schools in Michigan] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100725125827/http://michigan.gov/documents/NPSHS_numbers_05_131608_7.pdf |date=July 25, 2010}}, Michigan Department of Education, 2010</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.michigan.gov/documents/numbsch_26940_7.pdf |title = Number of Public Schools in Michigan |publisher = Michigan Department of Education |year = 2010 |access-date = August 5, 2010 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100728085508/http://michigan.gov/documents/numbsch_26940_7.pdf |archive-date = July 28, 2010 |url-status = live }}</ref> The public school system had a $14.5 billion budget in 2008–09.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.michigan.gov/documents/mde/b1011-09_319754_7.pdf |title = 2008–2009 BULLETIN 1011 Analysis of Michigan Public School Districts Revenues and Expenditures |publisher = Michigan Department of Education |year = 2009 |access-date = August 5, 2010 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20101203012159/http://www.michigan.gov/documents/mde/b1011-09_319754_7.pdf |archive-date = December 3, 2010 |url-status = live }}</ref> From 2009 to 2019, over 200 [[private schools]] in Michigan closed, partly due to competition from [[charter schools]].<ref>{{cite web |author = Wisely, John |url = https://www.freep.com/story/news/education/2019/05/28/michigan-private-schools-closing-catholic/3757380002/ |title = 200 private schools have closed in Michigan in the last decade |work = [[Detroit Free Press]] |date = May 28, 2019 |access-date = May 2, 2020 |archive-date = July 29, 2020 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200729040341/https://www.freep.com/story/news/education/2019/05/28/michigan-private-schools-closing-catholic/3757380002/ |url-status = live }}</ref> In 2022, ''U.S. News & World Report'' rated three Michigan high schools among the nation's 100 best: [[City High Middle School]] (18th), the [[International Academy of Macomb]] (21st), and the [[International Academy]] (52nd). [[Ypsilanti Community Schools|Washtenaw International High School]] ranked 107th.<ref>{{cite web |title = Rankings: Best High Schools |url = https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/michigan/districts/grand-rapids-public-schools/city-high-middle-school-9981 |website = U.S. News & World Report |accessdate = May 1, 2020 |archive-date = June 13, 2019 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190613213407/https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/michigan/districts/grand-rapids-public-schools/city-high-middle-school-9981 |url-status = live }}</ref>

The [[University of Michigan]] is Michigan's oldest higher educational institution and among the oldest [[research universities]] in the nation. It was founded in 1817, 20 years before [[Michigan Territory]] achieved statehood.<ref>{{cite web |url = https://bentley.umich.edu/exhibits/umtimeline/general.php |title = University of Michigan Timelines: General University Timeline |publisher = Bentley Historical Library |date = July 5, 2007 |access-date = March 9, 2013 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090421020242/http://bentley.umich.edu/exhibits/umtimeline/general.php |archive-date = April 21, 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=JuYtUDLQCWMC&q=michigan+oldest+university&pg=PT143 |title = A to Zee Across America |first = Kay |last = Morris-Robertson |year = 2012 |publisher = AuthorHouse |isbn = 978-1-4685-0328-9 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last = Pence |first = Studio |date = October 16, 2016 |title = Why 1817 Matters |url = https://historyofum.umich.edu/why-1817-matters/ |access-date = July 6, 2024 |website = The History of the University of Michigan |language = en-US }}</ref> [[Kalamazoo College]] is the state's oldest private liberal arts college, founded in 1833 by a group of [[Baptist]] ministers as the Michigan and Huron Institute. From 1840 to 1850, the college operated as the Kalamazoo Branch of the University of Michigan. [[Methodist]] settlers in [[Spring Arbor Township]] founded [[Albion College]] in 1835. It is the state's second-oldest private liberal arts college.<ref>{{cite book |last1 = Dunbar |last2 = May |title = Michigan: A History of the Wolverine State |url = https://archive.org/details/michiganhistoryo01dunb |url-access = registration |chapter = Chapter 14 |year = 1980 |publisher = Eerdman |isbn = 9780802870438 |name-list-style = amp }}</ref>

[[Michigan Technological University]] is the first post-secondary institution in the [[Upper Peninsula of Michigan]], founded in 1885 as the Michigan Mining School. [[Eastern Michigan University]] was founded in 1849 as the Michigan State Normal School for the training of teachers.<ref>{{Cite web |date = January 4, 2008 |title = EMU : Historic Tour |url = http://www.emich.edu/walkingtour/hist.htm |access-date = March 8, 2025 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080104155406/http://www.emich.edu/walkingtour/hist.htm |archive-date = January 4, 2008 }}</ref> It was the nation's fourth-oldest [[normal school#United States|normal school]] and the first U.S. normal school outside [[New England]]. In 1899, the Michigan State Normal School became the nation's first normal school to offer a four-year curriculum. [[Michigan State University]] was founded in 1855 as the nation's first [[agricultural college]].

The [[Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching|Carnegie Foundation]] classifies eight of the state's institutions (Michigan State University, Michigan Technological University, Eastern Michigan University, [[Wayne State University]], [[Central Michigan University]], [[Western Michigan University]], [[Oakland University]], University of Michigan) as [[research universities]].<ref>{{cite web |title = The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education (RU/VH: Research Universities (very high research activity)) |publisher = The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching |year = 2010 |url = http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/datacenter/InstitutionList.aspx |access-date = March 9, 2011 |archive-date = February 20, 2021 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210220152013/https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/use-the-data |url-status = live }}</ref>

The state of Michigan has six [[List of medical schools in the United States|MD-granting medical schools]]: [[Central Michigan University|Central Michigan University College of Medicine]], [[University of Michigan Medical School]], [[Michigan State University College of Human Medicine]], [[Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine]], [[Wayne State University School of Medicine]], and [[Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine]]. Additionally, Michigan is home to five [[American Bar Association]] accredited [[List of law schools in the United States|law schools]]: [[Michigan State University College of Law]], [[Cooley Law School]], [[University of Detroit Mercy School of Law]], [[University of Michigan Law School]], and [[Wayne State University Law School]].

In 2006, the [[University Research Corridor]] in Michigan was formed with the University of Michigan, Michigan State University, and Wayne State University as members. It was renamed Research Universities for Michigan in May 2025, adding Michigan Technological University as its first new member.<ref name="University Research Corridor">{{cite web |title = University Research Corridor |url = http://www.urcmich.org |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100724184741/http://urcmich.org/ |archive-date = July 24, 2010 |access-date = July 25, 2010 |publisher = Urcmich.org }}</ref><ref name="Bruns">{{cite journal |last = Bruns |first = Adam |date = January 2009 |title = How Are You Helping Companies Grow? |url = http://www.siteselection.com/features/2009/jan/Michigan/ |url-status = live |journal = Site Selection Magazine |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090412011739/http://www.siteselection.com/features/2009/jan/Michigan/ |archive-date = April 12, 2009 |access-date = December 27, 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.dteenergy.com/dteEnergyCompany/economicDevelopment/whyMichigan.html |title = Economic development: Why Michigan |publisher = DTE |access-date = December 27, 2009 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100116043438/http://www.dteenergy.com/dteEnergyCompany/economicDevelopment/whyMichigan.html |archive-date = January 16, 2010 |url-status = live }}</ref>

== Infrastructure ==

=== Energy ===
{{see also|List of power stations in Michigan}}

[[File:Fermi_NPP.jpg|thumb|[[Enrico Fermi Nuclear Generating Station]] on the shore of [[Lake Erie]], near [[Monroe, Michigan|Monroe]]]]

In 2020, Michigan consumed 113,740- [[Kilowatt hour#Watt-hour multiples|gigawatt-hours]] (GWh) of electrical energy and produced 116,700  (GWh) of electrical energy.<ref name="MI-ESRP">{{cite web |url = https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2021-09/Michigan%20Energy%20Sector%20Risk%20Profile.pdf |title = State of Michigan Energy Sector Risk Profile |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220514093837/https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2021-09/Michigan%20Energy%20Sector%20Risk%20Profile.pdf |archive-date = May 14, 2022 |publisher = U.S. Department of Energy |date = March 2021 }}</ref>

[[Coal power]] is Michigan's leading source of electricity, producing roughly half its supply or 53,100 GWh of electrical energy (12.6 GW total capacity) in 2020.<ref name="MI-ESRP" /> Although Michigan has no active coal mines, coal is easily moved from other states by train and across the [[Great Lakes]] by [[lake freighter]]s. The lower price of natural gas is leading to the closure of most coal plants, with Consumer Energy planning to close all of its remaining coal plants by 2025;<ref>{{cite news |url = https://www.michiganradio.org/environment-climate-change/2022-04-20/consumers-energy-agrees-to-stop-burning-coal-by-2025 |title = Consumers Energy Agrees to Stop Burning Coal by 2025 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220514111051/https://www.michiganradio.org/environment-climate-change/2022-04-20/consumers-energy-agrees-to-stop-burning-coal-by-2025 |archive-date = May 14, 2022 |first = Sarah |last = Cwiek |publisher = Michigan Radio |date = April 20, 2022 }}</ref> DTE plans to retire 2100MW of coal power by 2023.<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.platts.com/latest-news/coal/louisville-kentucky/dte-electric-plans-to-keep-belle-river-monroe-10389797 |title = DTE Electric plans to keep Belle River, Monroe coal plants running: official |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180627091328/https://www.platts.com/latest-news/coal/louisville-kentucky/dte-electric-plans-to-keep-belle-river-monroe-10389797 |archive-date = June 27, 2018 |website = Platts |date = April 27, 2018 }}</ref> The coal-fired [[Monroe Power Plant]] in [[Monroe, Michigan|Monroe]], on the western shore of [[Lake Erie]], is the nation's 11th-largest electric plant, with a net capacity of 3,400 MW.

[[Nuclear power]] is also a significant source of electrical power in Michigan, producing roughly one-quarter of the state's supply or 28,000-[[Kilowatt hour#Watt-hour multiples|gigawatt-hours]] (GWh) of electrical energy (4.3 GW total capacity) in 2020.<ref name="MI-ESRP" /> The three active nuclear power plants supply Michigan with about 26% of its electricity. [[Donald C. Cook Nuclear Plant]], just north of [[Bridgman, Michigan|Bridgman]], is the state's largest [[nuclear power plant]], with a net capacity of 2,213 MW. The [[Enrico Fermi Nuclear Generating Station]] is the second-largest, with a net capacity of 1,150 MW. It is also one of the two nuclear power plants in the [[Detroit metropolitan area]] (within a 50-mile radius of Detroit's city center), about halfway between [[Detroit]] and [[Toledo, Ohio]], the other being the [[Davis–Besse Nuclear Power Station]], in [[Ottawa County, Ohio]]. The [[Palisades Nuclear Power Plant]], south of [[South Haven, Michigan|South Haven]], closed in May 2022.<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.woodtv.com/news/michigan/palisades-power-plant-shuts-down-early/ |title = Palisades Power Plant shuts down early |location = Grand Rapids, Michigan |publisher = WOOD-TV. |date = May 20, 2022 |access-date = June 19, 2022 |archive-date = June 1, 2022 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220601001125/https://www.woodtv.com/news/michigan/palisades-power-plant-shuts-down-early/ |url-status = live }}</ref> The [[Big Rock Point Nuclear Power Plant]], Michigan's first nuclear power plant and the nation's fifth, was decommissioned in 1997.

Utility companies were required to generate at least 10% of their energy from renewable sources by 2015, under Public Act 295 of 2008. In 2016, the legislature set another mandate to reach at least 12.5% renewable energy by 2019 and 15% by end of year 2021, which all utilities subject to the law successfully met. By the end of 2022, Michigan had at least 6 GW of renewable generating capacity, and was projected to have at least 8 GW by the end of 2026. Wind energy accounted for 59% of all Michigan energy credits in 2021.<ref>{{Cite web |last = Helms |first = Matt |date = September 29, 2023 |title = MPSC report on renewable energy, distributed generation finds utilities meeting 2021 goal, making progress toward 35% goal |url = https://www.michigan.gov/mpsc/commission/news-releases/2023/09/29/mpsc-report-on-renewable-energy-distributed-generation |access-date = May 29, 2024 |website = Michigan Public Service Commission |archive-date = May 31, 2024 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240531150405/https://www.michigan.gov/mpsc/commission/news-releases/2023/09/29/mpsc-report-on-renewable-energy-distributed-generation |url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title = Renewable Energy Filings |url = https://www.michigan.gov/mpsc/regulatory/electricity/renewable-energy/renewable-energy-filings |access-date = May 29, 2024 |website = Michigan Public Service Commission |archive-date = May 30, 2024 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240530004333/https://www.michigan.gov/mpsc/regulatory/electricity/renewable-energy/renewable-energy-filings |url-status = live }}</ref>

=== Transportation ===
==== International crossings ====

[[File:Lake_freighter_approaches_a_bridge_(32304530671).jpg|thumb|The [[Bluewater Bridge|Blue Water Bridge]], a twin-span bridge across the [[St. Clair River]] that links [[Port Huron]] and [[Sarnia, Ontario]]]]

Michigan has seven international crossings with Ontario, Canada:
* [[Ambassador Bridge]], North America's busiest international border, crossing the Detroit River
* [[Blue Water Bridge]], a twin-span bridge ([[Port Huron, Michigan]], and [[Point Edward, Ontario]], but the larger city of [[Sarnia]] is usually referred to on the Canadian side)
* [[Michigan Central Railway Tunnel|Canadian Pacific Railway tunnel]]
* [[Detroit–Windsor Tunnel]]
* [[Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge|International Bridge]] (Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, and [[Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario]])
* [[St. Clair Tunnel|St. Clair River Railway Tunnel]] (Port Huron and Sarnia)
* [[Walpole–Algonac Ferry]] ([[Algonac, Michigan]], and [[Walpole Island]] First Nation, Ontario)

The [[Gordie Howe International Bridge]], a second international bridge between Detroit and Windsor, is under construction. It is expected to be completed in early 2026.<ref>{{cite web |last = Battagello |first = Dave |date = February 28, 2020 |title = Gordie Howe bridge construction continues to ramp up, properties fully secured |url = https://windsorstar.com/news/local-news/howe-bridge-annual-general-meeting |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200403010239/https://windsorstar.com/news/local-news/howe-bridge-annual-general-meeting/ |archive-date = April 3, 2020 |access-date = June 16, 2020 |work = Windsor Star }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.partnershipborderstudy.com |title = Detroit River International Crossing Study Website |access-date = December 2, 2019 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100504083556/http://www.partnershipborderstudy.com/ |archive-date = May 4, 2010 |url-status = dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date = September 28, 2018 |title = $3.8B to build Gordie Howe bridge, complete by end of 2024 |url = https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/gordie-howe-bridge-construction-1.4842489 |access-date = June 16, 2020 |work = CBC |archive-date = October 10, 2021 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20211010101354/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/gordie-howe-bridge-construction-1.4842489 |url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last = Kostiuk |first = Lauren |date = October 21, 2025 |title = Despite 98% completion, Gordie Howe International Bridge opening delayed to 2026 |url = https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/local/2025/10/22/despite-98-completion-gordie-howe-international-bridge-opening-delayed-to-2026/ |access-date = October 22, 2025 |work = ClickOnDetroit.com |location = Detroit |publisher = [[WDIV-TV]] |language = en-US }}</ref>

Michigan only has one major ferry service still in operation with Ontario, the [[Walpole–Algonac Ferry]], after the closures of the [[Sombra–Marine City (Bluewater) Ferry|Bluewater Ferry]] and the [[Detroit–Windsor Truck Ferry]].<ref>{{Cite web |title = Walpole Island Ferry takes travelers from Algonac to Ontario |url = https://www.macombdaily.com/2022/07/20/walpole-island-ferry-takes-travelers-from-algonac-to-ontario/ |website = Macomb Daily |date = 2022-07-20 |access-date = 2025-11-30 |language = en-US }}</ref>

====Railroads====

{{See also|List of Michigan railroads|History of railroads in Michigan}}

Michigan is served by four [[Class I railroad]]s: the [[Canadian National Railway]], the [[Canadian Pacific Railway]], [[CSX Transportation]], and the [[Norfolk Southern Railway]]. These are augmented by several dozen [[short line railroad]]s. The vast majority of rail service in Michigan is devoted to [[freight rail|freight]], with Amtrak and various scenic railroads the exceptions.<ref>{{cite map |url = http://michigan.gov/documents/MDOT_Official_Rail_130897_7.pdf |title = Railroads Operating in Michigan |author = Michigan Department of Transportation |publisher = Michigan Department of Transportation |access-date = February 15, 2008 |format = PDF |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080216012417/http://michigan.gov/documents/MDOT_Official_Rail_130897_7.pdf |archive-date = February 16, 2008 |url-status = live }}</ref>

{{Main|Michigan Services}}

Three [[Amtrak]] passenger rail routes serve the state. The [[Pere Marquette (Amtrak train)|Pere Marquette]] from Chicago to Grand Rapids, the [[Blue Water (train)|Blue Water]] from Chicago to Port Huron, and the [[Wolverine (Amtrak train)|Wolverine]] from Chicago to Pontiac. There are plans for [[commuter rail]] for Detroit and its suburbs (see [[SEMCOG Commuter Rail]]).<ref>{{cite news |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070210234916/http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20070122%2FNEWS06%2F701220388%2F1001%2FBUSINESS05 |url = http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070122/NEWS06/701220388/1001/BUSINESS05 |title = Commuter rail plan to Detroit gets a push: Amtrak from Ann Arbor |date = January 22, 2007 |first = Kathleen |last = Gray |work = [[Detroit Free Press]] |archive-date = February 10, 2007 |url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.marp.org/detroitcommuter.htm |title = Commuter rail service facts |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080225102008/http://www.marp.org/detroitcommuter.htm |archive-date = February 25, 2008 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url = http://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/index.ssf/2009/03/commuter_rail_line_will_have_s.html |title = Commuter rail line will have stop in Ypsilanti |first = John |last = Mulcahy |work = The Ann Arbor News |date = March 10, 2009 |access-date = March 17, 2009 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090313043427/http://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/index.ssf/2009/03/commuter_rail_line_will_have_s.html |archive-date = March 13, 2009 |url-status = live }}</ref>

====Roadways====
{{See also|Michigan State Trunkline Highway System|List of County-Designated Highways in Michigan|l2=County-Designated Highways in Michigan}}

[[File:US2 Along Lake Michigan.jpg|thumb|[[U.S. Route 2 in Michigan|U.S. Highway&nbsp;2]] (US&nbsp;2) runs along [[Lake Michigan]] from [[Naubinway Island|Naubinway]] to its eastern terminus at [[St. Ignace, Michigan|St. Ignace]].]]
[[File:Mackinac Bridge from the air3.jpg|thumb|The [[Mackinac Bridge]], a suspension bridge spanning the [[Straits of Mackinac]] to connect the [[Upper Michigan|Upper]] and [[Lower Michigan|Lower]] peninsulas of Michigan]]
* [[Interstate 75 in Michigan|Interstate&nbsp;75]] (I-75) is the main thoroughfare between Detroit, Flint, and [[Saginaw, Michigan|Saginaw]] extending north to [[Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario|Sault Ste. Marie]] and providing access to Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. The freeway crosses the [[Mackinac Bridge]] between the Lower and Upper Peninsulas. Auxiliary highways include [[Interstate 275 (Michigan)|I-275]] and [[Interstate 375 (Michigan)|I-375]] in Detroit; [[Interstate 475 (Michigan)|I-475]] in Flint; and [[Interstate 675 (Michigan)|I-675]] in Saginaw.
* [[Interstate 69 in Michigan|I-69]] enters the state near the Michigan–Ohio–Indiana border, and it extends to [[Port Huron, Michigan|Port Huron]] and provides access to the [[Blue Water Bridge]] crossing into [[Sarnia]], Ontario.
* [[Interstate 94 in Michigan|I-94]] enters the western end of the state at the Indiana border, and it travels east to Detroit and then northeast to Port Huron and ties in with I-69. [[Interstate 194 (Michigan)|I-194]] branches off from this freeway in Battle Creek. I-94 is the main artery between Chicago and Detroit.
* [[Interstate 96|I-96]] runs east–west between Detroit and [[Muskegon, Michigan|Muskegon]]. [[Interstate 496|I-496]] loops through Lansing. [[Interstate 196|I-196]] branches off from this freeway at Grand Rapids and connects to I-94 near Benton Harbor. [[Interstate 696|I-696]] branches off from this freeway at [[Novi, Michigan|Novi]] and connects to I-94 near [[St. Clair Shores, Michigan|St. Clair Shores]].
* [[U.S. Route 2 in Michigan|U.S. Highway&nbsp;2]] (US&nbsp;2) enters Michigan at the city of [[Ironwood, Michigan|Ironwood]] and travels east to the town of [[Crystal Falls, Michigan|Crystal Falls]], where it turns south and briefly re-enters Wisconsin northwest of [[Florence (CDP), Wisconsin|Florence]]. It re-enters Michigan north of [[Iron Mountain, Michigan|Iron Mountain]] and continues through the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to the cities of [[Escanaba, Michigan|Escanaba]], [[Manistique, Michigan|Manistique]], and [[St. Ignace, Michigan|St. Ignace]]. Along the way, it cuts through the [[Ottawa National Forest|Ottawa]] and [[Hiawatha National Forest|Hiawatha]] national forests and follows the northern shore of Lake Michigan. Its eastern terminus lies at exit 344 on I-75, just north of the Mackinac Bridge.
* [[U.S. Route 23 in Michigan|US&nbsp;23]] enters Michigan at the Ohio state line in the suburban spillover of [[Toledo, Ohio]], as a freeway and leads northward to Ann Arbor before merging with I-75 just south of Flint. Concurrent with I-75 through Flint, Saginaw, and Bay City, it splits from I-75 at [[Standish, Michigan|Standish]] as an intermittently four-lane/two-lane surface road closely following the western shore of Lake Huron generally northward through Alpena before turning west to northwest toward Mackinaw City and I-75 again, where it terminates.
* [[U.S. Route 31 in Michigan|US&nbsp;31]] enters Michigan as Interstate-quality freeway at the Indiana state line just northwest of South Bend, Indiana, heads north to I-196 near Benton Harbor, and follows the eastern shore of Lake Michigan to Mackinaw City, where it has its northern terminus.
* [[U.S. Route 127 in Michigan|US&nbsp;127]] enters Michigan from Ohio south of [[Hudson, Michigan|Hudson]] as a two-lane, undivided highway and closely follows the [[Michigan meridian]], the principal north–south line used to survey Michigan in the early 19th century. It passes north through [[Jackson, Michigan|Jackson]] and Lansing before terminating south of [[Grayling, Michigan|Grayling]] at I-75, and is a four-lane freeway for the majority of its course.
* [[U.S. Route 131|US&nbsp;131]] has its southern terminus at the Indiana Toll Road roughly one mile south of the Indiana state line as a two-lane surface road. It passes through Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids as a freeway of Interstate standard and continues as such to [[Manton, Michigan|Manton]], where it reverts to two-lane surface road to its northern terminus at US&nbsp;31 in Petoskey.

====Intercity bus services====
*[[Amtrak Thruway]]
*[[Barons Bus Lines]]
*[[Flixbus]]
*[[Greyhound Lines]]
*[[Indian Trails]]
*[[Megabus (North America)|Megabus]]

====Airports====
{{See also|List of airports in Michigan}}

[[File:DTW McNamara Terminal from the air.jpg|thumb|Aerial view of [[Detroit Metropolitan Airport|Detroit Metro Airport]] (DTW)]]

[[Detroit Metropolitan Airport]] in the western suburb of [[Romulus, Michigan|Romulus]], was in 2010 the 16th busiest airfield in North America measured by passenger traffic.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.aci-na.org/sites/default/files/_rankings-2010nam_.xls |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120316105016/http://www.aci-na.org/sites/default/files/_rankings-2010nam_.xls |url-status = dead |title = Airports Council International 2010 Final Airport Traffic Report |archive-date = March 16, 2012 }}</ref> The [[Gerald R. Ford International Airport]] in Grand Rapids is the next busiest airport in the state, served by eight airlines to 23 destinations. Flint [[Bishop International Airport]] is the third largest airport in the state, served by four airlines to several primary hubs. Other frequently trafficked airports include [[Cherry Capital Airport]], in Traverse City; [[Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport]], serving the Kalamazoo and Battle Creek region; [[Capital Region International Airport]], located outside of Lansing; and [[MBS International Airport]] serving the [[Midland, Michigan|Midland]], [[Bay City, Michigan|Bay City]] and Saginaw tri-city region. Additionally, smaller regional and local airports are located throughout the state including on several islands.

== Government ==
{{See also|List of Governors of Michigan|United States congressional delegations from Michigan}}

===State government===
{{Main|Government of Michigan}}

[[File:Michigan state capitol.jpg|thumb|The [[Michigan State Capitol]] in [[Lansing]] houses the [[Michigan Legislature|legislative branch]] of the government of the US state of Michigan.]]

Michigan is governed as a republic, with three [[separation of powers|branches of government]]: the [[executive branch]] consisting of the [[Governor of Michigan]] and the other independently elected constitutional officers; the [[legislative branch]] consisting of the [[Michigan State House of Representatives|House of Representatives]] and [[Michigan Senate|Senate]]; and the [[judicial branch]]. The [[Michigan Constitution]] allows for the direct participation of the electorate by statutory [[Popular initiative|initiative]] and [[referendum]], [[recall election|recall]], and constitutional initiative and [[ratification|referral]] (Article II, § 9,<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.legislature.mi.gov/printDocument.aspx?objstate=mcl-article-ii-9&version=txt |title = Article II, § 9 of State Constitution |publisher = Michigan Legislature |access-date = June 27, 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130117041635/http://www.legislature.mi.gov/(S(dmjr2jejmjc0at2whhlicz55))/printDocument.aspx?objstate=mcl-article-ii-9&version=txt |archive-date = January 17, 2013 |url-status = live }}</ref> defined as "the power to propose laws and to enact and reject laws, called the initiative, and the power to approve or reject laws enacted by the legislature, called the referendum. The power of initiative extends only to laws which the legislature may enact under this constitution"). [[Lansing, Michigan|Lansing]] is the [[list of capitals in the United States|state capital]] and is home to all three branches of state government.

[[File:Michigan House of Representatives.jpg|thumb|The floor of the [[Michigan House of Representatives]]]]

The governor and the other state constitutional officers serve four-year terms and may be re-elected only once. The current governor is [[Gretchen Whitmer]]. Michigan has two official [[Michigan Governor's Residence|Governor's Residences]]; one is in Lansing, and the other is on [[Mackinac Island]]. The other constitutionally elected executive officers are the [[Lieutenant Governor of Michigan|lieutenant governor]], who is elected on a joint ticket with the governor; the [[Secretary of State of Michigan|secretary of state]]; and the [[Attorney General of Michigan|attorney general]]. The lieutenant governor presides over the Senate (voting only in case of a tie) and is also a member of the cabinet. The secretary of state is the chief elections officer and is charged with running many licensure programs including motor vehicles, all of which are done through the branch offices of the secretary of state.

The [[Michigan Legislature]] consists of a 38-member Senate and 110-member House of Representatives. Members of both houses of the legislature are elected through [[first past the post]] elections by single-member electoral districts of near-equal population that often have boundaries which coincide with county and municipal lines. Senators serve four-year terms concurrent to those of the governor, while representatives serve two-year terms. The [[Michigan State Capitol]] was dedicated in 1879 and has hosted the executive and legislative branches of the state ever since.

[[File:Michigan National Guard members participate in inauguration, Adjutant General swearing-in 190101-F-VX133-049.jpg|thumb|left|Governor Gretchen Whitmer speaking at a National Guard ceremony in 2019]]

The Michigan judiciary consists of two courts with primary jurisdiction (the Circuit Courts and the District Courts), one intermediate level appellate court (the [[Michigan Court of Appeals]]), and the [[Michigan Supreme Court]]. There are several administrative courts and specialized courts. District courts are trial courts of [[limited jurisdiction]], handling most traffic violations, small claims, [[misdemeanor]]s, and civil suits where the amount contended is below $25,000. District courts are often responsible for handling the preliminary examination and for setting bail in felony cases. District court judges are elected to terms of six years. In a few locations, municipal courts have been retained to the exclusion of the establishment of district courts. There are 57 circuit courts in the State of Michigan, which have [[original jurisdiction]] over all civil suits where the amount contended in the case exceeds $25,000 and all criminal cases involving [[felony|felonies]]. Circuit courts are also the only trial courts in the State of Michigan which possess the power to issue [[equitable remedies]]. Circuit courts have [[appellate jurisdiction]] from district and municipal courts, as well as from decisions and decrees of state agencies. Most counties have their own circuit court, but sparsely populated counties often share them. Circuit court judges are elected to terms of six years. State appellate court judges are elected to terms of six years, but vacancies are filled by an appointment by the governor. There are four divisions of the Court of Appeals in Detroit, Grand Rapids, Lansing, and Marquette. Cases are heard by the Court of Appeals by panels of three judges, who examine the application of the law and not the facts of the case unless there has been grievous error pertaining to questions of fact. The Michigan Supreme Court consists of seven members who are elected on non-partisan ballots for staggered eight-year terms. The Supreme Court has original jurisdiction only in narrow circumstances but holds appellate jurisdiction over the entire state judicial system.

===Law===
{{main|Law of Michigan}}

[[File:712 michigan hofj edit.jpg|thumb|[[Michigan Supreme Court]] at the Hall of Justice]]

Michigan has had four constitutions, the first of which was ratified on October{{nbsp}}5 and 6, 1835.<ref>{{cite web |first = Mark |last = Harvey |date = May 18, 2006 |title = Constitution of the State of Michigan of 1835 |url = http://michigan.gov/formergovernors/0,1607,7-212--56877--,00.html |publisher = State of Michigan |access-date = June 27, 2012 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120717032651/http://www.michigan.gov/formergovernors/0%2C1607%2C7-212--56877--%2C00.html |archive-date = July 17, 2012 }}</ref> There were also constitutions from 1850 and 1908, in addition to the current constitution from 1963. The current document has a preamble, 11 articles, and one section consisting of a schedule and temporary provisions. The current constitution also includes a provision beginning in the general election held in 1978, and every 16 years thereafter, the question of a general revision of the constitution shall be submitted to the electors of the state, next scheduled to be considered November 2026.<ref>{{Cite web |title = MCL - Article XII § 3 - Michigan Legislature |url = https://www.legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=mcl-Article-XII-3 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20250708144637/https://www.legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=mcl-Article-XII-3 |archive-date = July 8, 2025 |access-date = August 5, 2025 |website = www.legislature.mi.gov |language = en |url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last = Schuster |first = Simon D. |date = June 6, 2025 |title = Time to rewrite the Michigan Constitution? Voters will decide 2026 ballot proposal |url = https://bridgemi.com/michigan-government/time-rewrite-michigan-constitution-voters-will-decide-2026-ballot-proposal/ |access-date = August 5, 2025 |website = Bridge Michigan |language = en-US }}</ref> Michigan, like every U.S. state except [[Louisiana]], has a [[common law]] legal system.

===Politics===
{{main|Politics of Michigan}}

[[File:Michigan Presidential Election Results 2024.svg|thumb|[[2024 United States presidential election in Michigan|2024 U.S. presidential election results]] by county in Michigan {{leftlegend|#4389E3|Democratic}}{{leftlegend|#AA0000|Republican}}]]

Having been a [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]-leaning state at the presidential level since the 1990s, Michigan has evolved into a [[swing state]] after [[Donald Trump]] won the state in [[2016 United States presidential election|2016]]. He then won it again in [[2024 United States presidential election|2024]], after losing it by a slim 2.8% to Democrat [[Joe Biden]] in [[2020 United States presidential election|2020]]. Governors since the 1970s have alternated between the Democrats and [[Republican Party (United States)|Republicans]], and statewide offices including [[Michigan Attorney General|attorney general]], [[Michigan Secretary of State|secretary of state]], and [[United States Senate|senator]] have been held by members of both parties in varying proportion. Additionally, from [[1994 Michigan gubernatorial election|1994]] until [[2022 Michigan gubernatorial election|2022]], the governor-elect had always come from the party opposite the presidency. Following the [[2024 Michigan elections|2024 elections]], control of [[Michigan Legislature]] is split, with the Democratic Party having a slim majority of two seats in the Senate while the Republican Party holds a 58-seat majority in the House. The state's [[United States congressional delegations from Michigan|congressional delegation]] is commonly split, with one party or the other typically holding a narrow majority; as of 2025 Republicans have a 7–6 majority.

Michigan was the home of [[Gerald Ford]], the 38th president of the United States. Born in Nebraska, he moved as an infant to Grand Rapids.<ref>{{cite web |url = https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/history/presidents/gf38.html |title = Biography of Gerald R. Ford |date = August 9, 1974 |access-date = July 25, 2010 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100610172811/http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/history/presidents/gf38.html |archive-date = June 10, 2010 |via = [[NARA|National Archives]] |work = [[whitehouse.gov]] }}</ref><ref name="ford-Nebraska">{{cite news |last = Funk |first = Josh |year = 2006 |url = http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2006/12/27/nebraska_born_ford_left_state_as_infant/ |title = Nebraska-Born, Ford Left State As Infant |agency = Associated Press |work = [[The Boston Globe]] |access-date = October 6, 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090105223632/http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2006/12/27/nebraska_born_ford_left_state_as_infant/ |archive-date = January 5, 2009 |url-status = live }}</ref> The [[Gerald R. Ford Museum]] is in Grand Rapids, and the [[Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library]] is on the campus of his alma mater, the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

In a 2020 study, Michigan was ranked as the 13th easiest state for citizens to vote in.<ref>{{cite journal |last1 = J. Pomante II |first1 = Michael |last2 = Li |first2 = Quan |title = Cost of Voting in the American States: 2020 |journal = Election Law Journal: Rules, Politics, and Policy |date = December 15, 2020 |volume = 19 |issue = 4 |pages = 503–509 |doi = 10.1089/elj.2020.0666 |s2cid = 225139517 |doi-access = free |issn = 1533-1296 }}</ref> Amendments to the constitution in 2020 and 2022 also provide for voting by mail, audits of statewide election results, and to vote free of harassment, threats, and intimidation.<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 21, 2022 |title=Michigan Voters Pass Two Election-Related Constitutional Amendments {{!}} Municipal |url=https://www.michiganelectionlaw.com/michigan-voters-pass-election-amendments |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250428211012/https://www.michiganelectionlaw.com/michigan-voters-pass-election-amendments |archive-date=April 28, 2025 |access-date=August 5, 2025 |website=www.michiganelectionlaw.com |language=en}}</ref> The [[Cato Institute]] ranks Michigan 7th in its overall ranking for personal and economic freedom in the United States in the 2021 and 2023 editions of its ''Freedom in the 50 States'' index.<ref>{{Cite web |title = Freedom in the 50 States |url = https://www.freedominthe50states.org/ |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20250716105137/https://www.freedominthe50states.org/ |archive-date = July 16, 2025 |access-date = August 5, 2025 |website = www.freedominthe50states.org |publisher = [[Cato Institute]] }}</ref> In 2022, Michigan voters passed an amendment recognizing abortion and contraceptive rights within the [[Michigan Constitution|state's constitution]].<ref name="freep passage">{{cite news |last1 =  |first1 =  |date = November 9, 2022 |title = 2022 Michigan Proposal 3 - Reproductive Freedom Election Results |url = https://www.freep.com/elections/results/race/2022-11-08-ballot_initiative-MI-24627/ |access-date = November 9, 2022 |publisher = [[Detroit Free Press]] }}</ref>

==State symbols and nicknames==

[[File:Dwarf Lake Iris.jpg|thumb|[[Dwarf lake iris]]]]

Michigan is traditionally known as "The Wolverine State", and the University of Michigan uses the wolverine as its mascot. The association is well and long established: for example, many Detroiters volunteered to fight during the American Civil War and [[George Armstrong Custer]], who led the Michigan Brigade, called them the "Wolverines". The origins of this association are obscure; it may derive from a busy trade in wolverine furs in Sault Ste. Marie in the 18th century or may recall a disparagement intended to compare early settlers in Michigan with the vicious mammal. Wolverines are, however, extremely rare in Michigan. A sighting in February 2004 near [[Ubly, Michigan|Ubly]] was the first confirmed sighting in Michigan in 200 years.<ref name="msnbc">{{cite news |title = First Michigan wolverine spotted in 200 years |url = https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna4374309 |last = Runk |first = David |date = February 25, 2004 |agency = Associated Press |publisher = NBC News |access-date = December 23, 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130218042651/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/4374309 |archive-date = February 18, 2013 |url-status = live }}</ref> Another wolverine was found dead in 2010.<ref>{{Cite news |last = Bell |first = Dawson |date = March 15, 2010 |title = Only known wolverine in the Michigan wild dies |newspaper = Detroit Free Press |url = http://www.freep.com/article/20100315/NEWS06/100315027/1318/Only-wolverine-in-Mich.-wild-dies |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150706133328/http://www.freep.com/article/20100315/NEWS06/100315027/1318/Only-wolverine-in-Mich.-wild-dies |archive-date = July 6, 2015 }}</ref>
{{div col|colwidth=27em}}
* [[State nickname]]s: ''Wolverine State'', ''Great Lakes State'', ''Mitten State'', ''Water-Winter Wonderland''
* [[List of U.S. state mottos|State motto]]: ''[[Si quaeris peninsulam amoenam circumspice]]'' (Latin: "If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you") adopted in 1835 on the coat-of-arms, but never as an official motto. This is a paraphrase of the epitaph of British architect Sir [[Christopher Wren]] about his masterpiece, [[St. Paul's Cathedral]].<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.netstate.com/states/mottoes/mi_motto.htm |title = Michigan state motto, at least on its coat of arms |access-date = December 29, 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080125122529/http://www.netstate.com/states/mottoes/mi_motto.htm |archive-date = January 25, 2008 |url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.legislature.mi.gov/(S(1vf2tp45f2zrc43menveha55))/mileg.aspx?page=GetObject&objectname=mcl-2-22&queryid=21357829&highlight=state%20AND%20motto |title = Law enacting State Court of Arms |access-date = December 29, 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080919012357/http://www.legislature.mi.gov/(S(x4d3ut45vxppcyjp3qkmta55))/mileg.aspx?page=GetObject&objectname=mcl-2-22&queryid=21357829&highlight=state%20AND%20motto |archive-date = September 19, 2008 |url-status = live }}</ref>
* [[List of U.S. state songs|State song]]: "[[My Michigan]]" (official since 1937, but disputed amongst residents),<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.michigan.gov/hal/0,1607,7-160--54116--,00.html |title = Michigan's State Songs |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090802145532/http://www.michigan.gov/hal/0%2C1607%2C7-160--54116--%2C00.html |archive-date = August 2, 2009 }}</ref> "[[Michigan, My Michigan]]" (unofficial state song, since the civil war)
* [[List of U.S. state birds|State bird]]: [[American robin]] (since 1931)
* [[List of U.S. state mammals|State animal]]: [[wolverine]] (traditional)
* State game animal: [[white-tailed deer]] (since 1997)
* [[List of U.S. state fish|State fish]]: [[brook trout]] (since 1965)
* [[List of U.S. state reptiles|State reptile]]: [[painted turtle]] (since 1995)
* [[State fossil]]: [[mastodon]] (since 2000)
* [[List of U.S. state flowers|State flower]]: [[apple|apple blossom]] (adopted in 1897, official in 1997)
* State wildflower: [[dwarf lake iris]] (since 1998) a federally listed threatened species
* [[List of U.S. state trees|State tree]]: [[eastern white pine|white pine]] (since 1955)
* [[List of U.S. state minerals, rocks, stones and gemstones|State stone]]: [[Petoskey stone]] (since 1965). It is composed of fossilized [[coral]] (''Hexagonaria pericarnata'') from long ago when the middle of the continent was covered with a shallow sea.
* [[List of U.S. state minerals, rocks, stones and gemstones|State gem]]: [[Chlorastrolite|Isle Royale greenstone]] (since 1973). Also called ''chlorastrolite'' (literally "green star stone"), the mineral is found on [[Isle Royale]] and the Keweenaw peninsula.
* [[50 State Quarters|State quarter]]: US coin issued in 2004 with the Michigan motto "Great Lakes State".
* [[List of U.S. state soils|State soil]]: [[Kalkaska sand]] (since 1990), ranges in color from black to yellowish brown, covers nearly {{convert|1000000|acre|km2|adj=on}} in 29 counties.
{{div col end}}

==Sister regions==
* {{flagdeco|Japan}} [[Shiga Prefecture]], Japan<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.ci.birmingham.mi.us/home/index.asp?page=419 |title = Birmingham Sister City Program |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151105125506/http://www.ci.birmingham.mi.us/home/index.asp?page=419 |archive-date = November 5, 2015 }}</ref>
* {{flagdeco|PRC}} [[Sichuan|Sichuan Province]], People's Republic of China<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.scfao.gov.cn/2005/2.html |title = Briefing on Sichuan International Sister Cities Cooperation and Development Week 2005 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080607034115/http://www.scfao.gov.cn/2005/2.html |archive-date = June 7, 2008 }}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Michigan|Michigan highways}}
* [[Index of Michigan-related articles]]
* [[Outline of Michigan]]: organized list of topics about Michigan
* [[USS Michigan|USS ''Michigan'']], 3 ships
{{Clear}}

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=lower-alpha}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
{{Refbegin}}
* {{cite book |last = Bald |first = F. Clever |title = Michigan in Four Centuries |year = 1961 |location = New York |publisher = Harper |isbn = 978-0-06-000240-4 |oclc = 478659 }}
* {{cite book |last1 = Browne |first1 = William P. |first2 = Kenneth |last2 = VerBurg |title = Michigan Politics & Government: Facing Change in a Complex State |publisher = University of Nebraska Press |year = 1995 |name-list-style = amp |isbn = 978-0-8032-1209-1 |location = Lincoln, NE }}
* {{cite book |author = ((Bureau of Business Research)) |publisher = Wayne State University |title = Michigan Statistical Abstract |year = 1987 }}
* {{cite book |last1 = Dunbar |first1 = Willis F. |first2 = George S. |last2 = May |title = Michigan: A History of the Wolverine State |year = 1995 |publisher = Wm. B. Eerdmans |isbn = 978-0-8028-7055-1 |name-list-style = amp }}
* {{cite map |last1 = Groop |first = Richard E. |last2 = Press |first2 = Charles |display-authors = 1 |title = Michigan Political Atlas |year = 1984 |scale = Scale not given |location = East Lansing, MI |publisher = Center for Cartographic Research and Spatial Analysis |oclc = 11918446 }}
* {{cite book |last = Rich |first = Wilbur |title = Coleman Young and Detroit Politics: From Social Activist to Power Broker |publisher = Wayne State University Press |year = 1989 |location = Detroit |isbn = 978-0-8143-2093-8 }}
* {{cite book |last1 = Rubenstein |first1 = Bruce A. |first2 = Lawrence E. |last2 = Ziewacz |title = Michigan: A History of the Great Lakes State |edition = 4th |year = 2008 |location = Wheeling, IL |publisher = Harlan Davidson |isbn = 978-0-88295-257-4 |name-list-style = amp }}
* {{cite book |editor-last = Sisson |editor-first = Richard |editor2-first = Christian K. |editor2-last = Zacher |editor3-first = Andrew R.L. |editor3-last = Cayton |title = The American Midwest: An Interpretive Encyclopedia |year = 2006 |location = Bloomington, IN |publisher = Indiana University Press |isbn = 978-0-253-34886-9 |name-list-style = amp }}
* {{cite book |last1 = Weeks |first1 = George |first2 = Robert D. |last2 = Kirk |first3 = Paula L. |last3 = Blanchard |first4 = Don |last4 = Weeks |title = Stewards of the State: The Governors of Michigan |url = https://archive.org/details/stewardsofstateg0000week |url-access = registration |location = Ann Arbor, MI |publisher = Historical Society of Michigan |year = 1987 |isbn = 978-0-9614344-2-7 |name-list-style = amp }}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
{{Sister project links|voy=Michigan}}
* {{OSM relation|165789}}
* [https://www.michigan.gov/ State of Michigan government website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211119002757/https://www.michigan.gov/ |date=November 19, 2021 }}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20101229134254/https://tonto.eia.doe.gov/state/state_energy_profiles.cfm?sid=MI Energy Data & Statistics for Michigan]
* [https://www.infomi.com/city/ Info Michigan, detailed information on 630 cities] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240425004303/https://www.infomi.com/city/ |date=April 25, 2024 }}
* {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20231203005555/http://michmarkers.com/ Michigan Historic Markers]}}
* [https://www.hsmichigan.org/ Historical Society of Michigan] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240425004318/https://www.hsmichigan.org/ |date=April 25, 2024 }}
* [https://clarke.cmich.edu/ Clarke Historical Library, Central Michigan University, Bibliographies for Michigan by region, counties, etc.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130327201455/http://www.clarke.cmich.edu/ |date=March 27, 2013 }}.
* [https://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/states/michigan/ Michigan State Guide from the Library of Congress] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201119013419/https://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/states/michigan/ |date=November 19, 2020 }}
* [https://www.michigan.org/ Michigan Official Travel Site] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240425023107/https://www.michigan.org/ |date=April 25, 2024 }}
* [https://www.michiganbusiness.org/ Michigan Official Business Site] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240425004304/https://www.michiganbusiness.org/ |date=April 25, 2024 }}
* [https://www.mitalent.org/ Michigan Official Talent Site] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240430002843/https://www.mitalent.org/ |date=April 30, 2024 }}
* [https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/state-fact-sheets/state-data.aspx?StateFIPS=26&StateName=Michigan#.U8QpCrEXtQs Michigan State Fact Sheet] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160824212804/http://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/state-fact-sheets/state-data.aspx?StateFIPS=26&StateName=Michigan#.U8QpCrEXtQs |date=August 24, 2016 }} from the US Department of Agriculture
* [https://www.mml.org/ The Michigan Municipal League] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240426130608/https://mml.org/ |date=April 26, 2024 }}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070106165953/https://www.usgs.gov/state/state.asp?State=MI USGS real-time, geographic, and other scientific resources of Michigan]

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