Michigan Public Policy Survey - Regions of Michigan

Michigan is a large state with significant geographic diversity. Different regions of the state have varying economic bases, varying demographic and cultural characteristics, and so on. In order to better understand the data gathered through the MPPS, the web-based data tables and MPPS reports often breakdown the data by geographic region (in addition to breakdowns by jurisdiction type and population size of the respondent's community). For instance, the 2009 Spring MPPS found that falling property tax revenue was a much more common problem among jurisdictions in Southeast Michigan than in any other region of the state. In Southeast Michigan, 80 percent of local governments reported this problem in 2009, compared to only 48 percent of all local governments across the state. See this finding here.

The MPPS has followed the lead of Michigan State University's State of the State Survey (a survey of public opinion among Michigan citizens) in terms of identifying regions of the state. See the map and list of counties by region below for more information.