COUNTY PROFILE - CHIPPEWA, Michigan

 
LOCATION SERVICES
 
Sault Ste. Marie Econ. Dev. Corp.
1301 W. Easterday Ave.
Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan 49783
Contact: James Hendricks, PH: 906/635-9131/FAX: 906/635-1999
Chippewa County E.D.C.
119 Culley Avenue
Kincheloe, Michigan 49788
Contact: Kathy Noel; Phone: 906/495-5631; FAX: 906/495-5714
 
County Seat:  Sault Ste. Marie
 
POPULATION
 
1970 Census                    32412
1980 Census                    29029
1990 Census                    34604
Median Age (as of 1990)         32.2 years
 
 
LABOR FORCE
(1992 average)
 
Total Labor Force            18150
Employed                     16125
Total Unemployment            2000
Unemployment Rate             11.1%
3-Year Average                10.4%
 
 
PRINCIPAL ECONOMIC BASE EMPLOYERS
 
Firm                                Employees         Product/Service
 
Kinross Corr. Facilities, Kinross        1145  State prisons
Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians           950  Gaming
War Memorial Hosp.,Sault Ste. Marie       400  Health care
Lk. Superior State Univ.,S.S. Marie       350  University
Soo Plastics, Sault Ste. Marie            170  OEM auto parts, accessories
Olofsson Fabrication, Kinross             101  Steel fabrication
Eclipse, Kinross                           65  Bike/backpack luggage/access.
Wohlert Special Products, S.S.Marie        56  Welded rings, flywheels
Hoover Grp/Ultraspherics, S S Marie        39  Ballbearing, seals
American Drilbox, Kinross                  35  Assembled drillboxes
JAS Veneer & Lumber, S.S. Marie            24  Veneer & wood products
 
 
EARNING LEVELS
                                          Average Hourly Rate
Classification                           Minimum       Maximum
 
Assembler - Light                          $5.02         $7.47
Clerk, General Office                      $5.99         $7.83
Electronic Technician                      $7.21         $7.67
Forklift Operator                          $4.95         $7.21
General Laborer                            $5.05         $7.39
Inspector                                  $4.86         $7.35
Machine Operator                           $5.07         $8.34
Machinist                                  $5.68         $9.41
Secretary                                  $5.35         $8.04
Welder                                     $5.32         $9.52
 
Source:  Based on Bell Telephone Co. community survey, adjusted for
         inflation to 1991 using Consumer Price Index.
 
 
DISTANCE TO:
                   Miles    Kilometers
Chicago             490         788
Cleveland           510         820
Detroit             340         547
Indianapolis        470         756
Lansing             280         450
Toronto             420         675
 
 
TRANSPORTATION
 
Main Highways:  I-75, M-28, M-48, M-123, M-129, M-134, M-221
Bus Lines:      Dial-A-Ride; EUP Trans. Authority; Greyhound
Truck Lines:    14
Rail Lines:     Wisconsin Central
Ports:          Sault Ste. Marie on St. Mary's River; 780 ft dock-28 ft dpth
Airports:       Chippewa County International, Kinross; Sault Municipal
                Airport, Sault Ste Marie; Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
Airlines:       Air Canada, Nordair, Norontair, United Express (Great Lakes
                Airlines)
 
 
CLIMATE
As reported by weather station at Sault Ste. Marie WSO.
 
January Average Minimum:    5 F./-15 C.    Average Maximum:   21 F./ -6 C.
July Average Minimum:      52 F./ 11 C.    Average Maximum:   75 F./ 24 C.
Growing Season:       124 days
Days below 0 F or -18 C:   31      Average Annual Rainfall:   33 in./ 84 cm.
Days above 90 F or 32 C:    3      Average Annual Snowfall:  115 in./292 cm.
 
 
INDUSTRIAL SITES
(As of January 1993)
 
Community                  Sites    Acres    Hectares    Industrial Parks
 
Hulbert Twp.                  1         2           1              0
Kinross Twp.                 12       130          53              1
Sault Ste Marie               1         2           1              2
     COUNTY TOTAL            14       134          54              3
 
Zero acres indicates less than half an acre or no information available.
 
 
CONSTRUCTION PERMITS
 
                   Residential   Industrial      Office      Mercantile
                  Units  Value  Units  Value  Units  Value  Units  Value
 
1991:              155    $8.06                  1    $0.08    9    $0.54
3-Year Average:    136    $8.35    1    $0.16    2    $0.15   12    $0.71
 
Values are reported in millions of dollars. A 3-year average value of 1 may
indicate no construction activity in one or more of the last three years.
 
 
NEW INCORPORATIONS
 
Incorporations in 1992:     84          State Median:   68
Incorporation Rate:        243          State Median:  183
 
Incorporation Rate = incorporations per 100,000 population.
 
 
PROPERTY TAX BASE
(As of 1992)
 
Agricultural    Residential   Industrial    Commercial    Other
     6%             65%           3%           16%         10%
 
County Total State Equalized Value:             $362,162,328.00
County Average Tax Millage Rate (in 1991):                53.31
 
 
UTILITIES
                   Electric           Gas                Telephone*
 
Kinross Twp        Edison Sault       MichCon            GTE
Sault Ste Marie    Edison Sault       MichCon            Michigan Bell, EA
 
* D=digital switching; EA=equal access to interexchange carriers;
  see Source List note.
 
 
WATER
                                 Gallons           Liters         Pressure
                 Source      Capacity   Use    Capacity   Use   (lbs./sq.in.)
 
Kinross Twp      Wells           30       8       114      30     55
Sault Ste Marie  River           81      57       307     216     40-90
 
Capacity and maximum use in hundreds of thousands of gallons/liters per day.
 
 
SEWER
                                            Gallons            Liters
                     Type               Capacity   Load    Capacity   Load
 
Kinross Twp          Sec Trklg Fltr          12      12         45      45
Sault Ste Marie      Secondary              120      25        454      95
 
Capacity and present load in hundreds of thousands of gallons/liters per day.
 
 
MUNICIPAL SERVICES
                                   1990               Master   Public Library
Community        Phone Number   Population    Zoning   Plan      (Volumes)
 
Kinross Twp      906-495-5381        6566       yes    yes
Sault Ste Marie  906-635-5261       14689       yes    yes     100,108
 
 
                 ------- Fire Department -------    Police
Community        Class.    FT Paid    PT/Volunt.  (Full-Time)  Solid Waste
 
Kinross Twp       7/9                      15            2     Independent
Sault Ste Marie   5           19            8           21     Independent
 
 
County Sheriff Officers:    14      Licensed Landfills in County:    1
 
Other communities in Chippewa County (1990 population for incorporated
communities in parenthesis):
 
Barbeau, Bay Mills Twp. (787), Brimley, Bruce Twp. (1610), Chippewa Twp. (279),
Dafter Twp. (1083), De Tour (407), De Tour Twp. (806), De Tour Village,
Donaldson, Drummond Twp. (835), Eckerman, Fibre, Goetzville, Homestead, Hulbert
Twp. (208), Kelden, Kincheloe, McCarron, Munuscong, Paradise, Pickford Twp.
(1360), Raber Twp. (569), Raco, Rudyard Twp. (1270), Soo Twp. (2165), Stalwart,
Stirlingville, Strongs, Sugar Island Twp. (441), Superior Twp. (990), Trout
Lake Twp. (429), Whitefish Point, Whitefish Twp. (517)
 
 
EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES (1992-1993)
                                                  K-12    Instruc.     High
Community        School District                Students    Staff     Schools
 
Kinross Twp      Rudyard Area                      1163                   1
Sault Ste.Marie  Sault Ste. Marie Area             3452       153         1
 
 
COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES
(As of Fall 1991)
 
Name and Location                                               Enrollment
 
Bay Mills Community College, Brimley
Lake Superior State University, Sault Ste. Marie                      3503
Northern Michigan University, Marquette (150 mi.)                     8652
 
 
MEDICAL FACILITIES
 
Hospitals in County:           1     Total Beds:    138
Nearest Large Medical Center:  Sault Ste Marie, Ontario (5 miles); Petoskey, Michigan
                               (94 miles)
Extended Care Facilities:      2     Total Beds:    255
Physicians (MDs and DOs) in County:     32
 
 
HOUSING AND CHURCHES
(Housing as of 1990)
 
Owner occupied:     8472 (73.4%)     Median Home Value:   $37,500.00
Renter occupied:    3069 (26.6%)     Median Contract Rent:   $259.00
Churches:      Catholic:    8    Protestant:   34
Synagogues:    0   Nearest synagogue is in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
 
 
RECREATION, ATTRACTIONS, AND EVENTS
 
Recreational harbor facilities (Sault Ste. Marie, Whitefish Point on L.
Superior); 421 miles of shoreline along Lake Superior and St. Mary's River.
Soo Locks, Sault Ste. Marie - the world's largest and busiest locking
system. Lower Tahquamenon Falls, near Paradise. Great Lakes Shipwreck
Memorial Museum at Whitefish Point; Iroquois Point Lighthouse; Valley Camp
Museum Ship, Sault Ste. Marie.
 
 
COMMERCIAL SERVICES
(As of 1989)
 
General Building Contractors                   13
Metalworking Machinery                          0
Commercial Printing                             1
Advertising                                     1
Personnel Supply Services                       1
Computer and Data Processing Services           0
Legal Services                                 14
Accounting, Auditing and Bookkeeping            9
Retail Establishments                         233
Wholesale Establishments                       38
 
Hotel/Motel Rooms (as of 1986):              1173
Television Channels:    4 plus cable
Radio Stations:         3 local
Newspapers:     Sault Ste. Marie Evening News
 
 
FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS
(As of 1993)                                                       Offices
                                            Main Office           in County
 
Central Savings Bank                        Sault Sainte               4
First Northern National Bank                Manistique                 1
First of America Bank-Northern Michigan     Traverse City              3
Sault Bank                                  Sault Sainte               3
The Newberry State Bank                     Newberry                   2
 
EMPLOYMENT AND EARNINGS BY INDUSTRY
                                                               Earnings
                                   Employment                ($ millions)
                                1985        1990            1985          1990
 
Total Employment                10871       13447
Total Income                                              $271.65       $378.37
 
Earnings by Place of Work                                 $153.15       $223.03
 
  Components by Type:
  Wage and Salary                8765       11103         $127.04       $182.20
  Proprietors                    2106        2344          $15.13        $25.36
    Farm                          423         367           $0.70         $2.70
    Nonfarm                      1683        1977          $14.44        $22.66
 
  Components by Industry:
  Farm                            551         470           $1.32         $3.39
  Nonfarm                       10320       12977         $151.83       $219.64
    Private                      7028        9388          $88.22       $134.75
      Agric./For./Fish.            38          49           $0.55         $0.75
      Mining                       83          28           $2.41         $0.90
      Construction                437         579           $7.55        $11.21
      Manufacturing               729         747          $12.58        $12.96
        Non-Durable Goods         ---         ---           $1.86         $3.50
        Durable Goods             ---         ---          $10.72         $9.46
      Transp. & Utilities         631         640          $16.95        $20.64
      Wholesale Trade             249         206           $4.20         $4.95
      Retail Trade               1977        3101          $17.27        $31.64
      Fin./Ins./Real Est.         586         639           $4.43         $6.28
      Services                   2298        3399          $22.29        $45.42
    Government                   3292        3589          $63.61        $84.89
      Federal                     382         393           $9.57        $10.72
      Military, Civilian          225         211           $3.85         $4.06
      State and Local            2685        2985          $50.19        $70.11
 
Earnings by Place of Residence                            $147.92       $213.00
 
Zero values indicate confidential information or fewer than 10 employees
or less than $50,000.
 
Per Capita Income:      1985:     $8,774.00      1990:    $10,864.00