COUNTY PROFILE - DELTA, Michigan

 
LOCATION SERVICES
 
Central Upper Peninsula Planning and
Development Regional Commission
2415 - 14th Avenue, South
Escanaba, Michigan 49829
 
Contact:  David C. Gillis
Phone:    906/786-9234
FAX:      906/786-4442
 
County Seat:  Escanaba
 
POPULATION
 
1970 Census                    35924
1980 Census                    38947
1990 Census                    37780
Median Age (as of 1990)         35.2 years
 
 
LABOR FORCE
(1992 average)
 
Total Labor Force            18050
Employed                     15750
Total Unemployment            2275
Unemployment Rate             12.7%
3-Year Average                11.3%
 
 
PRINCIPAL ECONOMIC BASE EMPLOYERS
 
Firm                                Employees         Product/Service
 
Mead, Escanaba                           1450  Paper
Chicago & Northwestern, Escanaba          250  Railroad, stockpiling taconite
Valmet Logging Americas                   150  Heavy equipment
Lakeside Machine, Gladstone               108  Metal parts, casting, forging
Andex Industries, Escanaba                100  Material for packaging
Wisconsin Central Rail., Gladstone        100  Rail transportation
Cloverland Engineered Prods., Esc.         90  Rebuilt engines
Escanaba Daily Press, Escanaba             88  Newspaper
Northern Mich. Veneers, Gladstone          80  Spliced veneers
Escanaba & Lake Superior Railroad          75  Railroad
Lakestate Industries, Escanaba             65  Wood pallets, reels, boxes
Northern Land and Lumber, Escanaba         51  Wood products, log homes
Clare Bedding Mfg., Escanaba               41  Mattress mfg.
Rapid River Rustic, Rapid River            35  Cedar log homes
Sayklly's Candies, Escanaba                26  Candy mfg.
Anthony & Co., Escanaba                    24  Paint paddles & yardsticks
Bay Mfg., Gladstone                        24  Machining, fabricating
Pisces Industries, Gladstone               24  Fish cleaning equipment
 
 
EARNING LEVELS
                                          Average Hourly Rate
Classification                           Minimum       Maximum
 
Assembler - Light                          $6.12         $8.75
Clerk, General Office                      $6.40         $8.45
Electronic Technician                     $10.38        $14.94
Forklift Operator                          $8.29         $9.75
General Laborer                            $6.53         $8.60
Inspector                                 $10.38        $11.93
Machine Operator                           $8.27        $11.04
Machinist                                 $10.18        $11.93
Secretary                                  $6.22         $8.25
Welder                                     $8.33        $10.42
 
Source:  Based on Bell Telephone Co. community survey, adjusted for
         inflation to 1991 using Consumer Price Index.
 
 
DISTANCE TO:
                   Miles    Kilometers
Chicago             310         498
Detroit             430         691
Lansing             370         595
Milwaukee           250         402
Minneapolis         355         571
Toronto             656        1055
 
 
TRANSPORTATION
 
Main Highways:  M-35, M-183, US-2, US-41
Bus Lines:      Greyhound
Truck Lines:    2
Rail Lines:     Chicago & Northwestern; Escanaba & Lk. Superior; Wisc. Cent.
Ports:          Lake Michigan at Escanaba
Airports:       Escanaba
Airlines:       Great Lakes, Northwest Airlink, Thorin Aviation, U.P. Aero
 
 
CLIMATE
As reported by weather station at Escanaba.
 
January Average Minimum:    9 F./-13 C.    Average Maximum:   24 F./ -4 C.
July Average Minimum:      58 F./ 14 C.    Average Maximum:   75 F./ 24 C.
Growing Season:       152 days
Days below 0 F or -18 C:   20      Average Annual Rainfall:   28 in./ 71 cm.
Days above 90 F or 32 C:    3      Average Annual Snowfall:   50 in./127 cm.
 
 
INDUSTRIAL SITES
(As of January 1993)
 
Community                  Sites    Acres    Hectares    Industrial Parks
 
Escanaba                      5        15           6              1
Gladstone                     8        40          16              2
     COUNTY TOTAL            13        55          22              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:              119    $7.18    3    $0.30                  4    $2.87
3-Year Average:    112    $6.48    6    $1.78    0    $0.01    5    $1.38
 
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:     62          State Median:   68
Incorporation Rate:        164          State Median:  183
 
Incorporation Rate = incorporations per 100,000 population.
 
 
PROPERTY TAX BASE
(As of 1992)
 
Agricultural    Residential   Industrial    Commercial    Other
     3%             57%           5%           12%         24%
 
County Total State Equalized Value:             $438,848,083.00
County Average Tax Millage Rate (in 1991):                56.18
 
 
UTILITIES
                   Electric           Gas                Telephone*
 
Escanaba           Mun. & UP Pwr.     MichCon            Michigan Bell
Gladstone          U.P. Power         MichCon            Michigan Bell
 
* 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.)
 
Escanaba         Lake            80      16       303      61     58-70
Gladstone        Lake            30       7       114      26     35-55
 
Capacity and maximum use in hundreds of thousands of gallons/liters per day.
 
 
SEWER
                                            Gallons            Liters
                     Type               Capacity   Load    Capacity   Load
 
Escanaba             Act. Sludge             22      17         83      64
Gladstone            Bio-Disc.               10       5         38      19
 
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)
 
Escanaba         906-786-0240       13659       yes    yes     52,115
Gladstone        906-428-2311        4565       yes    yes     56,354
 
 
                 ------- Fire Department -------    Police
Community        Class.    FT Paid    PT/Volunt.  (Full-Time)  Solid Waste
 
Escanaba          6           37           38           35     Municipal
Gladstone         7           12           20           12     Municipal
 
 
County Sheriff Officers:    11      Licensed Landfills in County:    2
 
Other communities in Delta County (1990 population for incorporated communities
in parenthesis):
 
Baldwin Twp. (726), Bark River Twp. (1548), Bay de Noc Twp. (320), Brampton
Twp. (1142), Cornell Twp. (529), Ensign Twp. (669), Escanaba Twp. (3340),
Fairbanks Twp. (309), Fairport, Fayette, Ford River Twp. (2002), Garden (268),
Garden Corners, Garden Twp. (783), Hyde, Isabella, Lathrop, Maple Ridge Twp.
(829), Masonville Twp. (1709), Nahma Junction, Nahma Twp. (491), Perkins, Rapid
River, Rock, Schaffer, Stonington, Wells Twp. (5159)
 
 
EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES (1992-1993)
                                                  K-12    Instruc.     High
Community        School District                Students    Staff     Schools
 
Escanaba         Escanaba Area Public              3789       162         1
Gladstone        Gladstone Area                    1995        89         1
 
 
COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES
(As of Fall 1991)
 
Name and Location                                               Enrollment
 
Bay de Noc Community College, Escanaba                                2255
Michigan Technological University, Houghton (160 mi.)                 6921
Northern Michigan University, Marquette (65 mi.)                      8652
 
 
MEDICAL FACILITIES
 
Hospitals in County:           1     Total Beds:    110
Nearest Large Medical Center:  Marquette (65 miles)
Extended Care Facilities:      3     Total Beds:    239
Physicians (MDs and DOs) in County:     39
 
 
HOUSING AND CHURCHES
(Housing as of 1990)
 
Owner occupied:    11066 (76.2%)     Median Home Value:   $43,200.00
Renter occupied:    3465 (23.8%)     Median Contract Rent:   $233.00
Churches:      Catholic:   12    Protestant:   45
Synagogues:    0   Nearest synagogue is in Iron Mountain (52 miles)
 
 
RECREATION, ATTRACTIONS, AND EVENTS
 
Fishing on either Bay de Noc; Ice fishing and snowmobiling; Downhill and
cross-county skiing; Bay de Noc-Grand Island Trail; Hiawatha National
Forest; Fayette Historic State Park featuring restored iron smelting town;
recreational harbor facilities at Gladstone and Escanaba on Lake Michigan.
Delta County Historical Museum; Chip-In Casino featuring restored
iron-smelting town.
 
 
COMMERCIAL SERVICES
(As of 1989)
 
General Building Contractors                   13
Metalworking Machinery                          0
Commercial Printing                             6
Advertising                                     1
Personnel Supply Services                       2
Computer and Data Processing Services           2
Legal Services                                 15
Accounting, Auditing and Bookkeeping           13
Retail Establishments                         297
Wholesale Establishments                       68
 
Hotel/Motel Rooms (as of 1986):               703
Television Channels:    4 plus cable
Radio Stations:         4
Newspapers:     Escanaba Daily Press, Gladstone Delta Reporter, U.P. Action
                News
 
 
FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS
(As of 1993)                                                       Offices
                                            Main Office           in County
 
BayBank                                     Gladstone                  3
First Bank, Upper Michigan, NA              Gladstone                  2
First Northern National Bank                Manistique                 1
MFC First National Bank                     Escanaba                   3
Northern Michigan Bank                      Escanaba                   4
State Bank of Escanaba                      Escanaba                   2
 
EMPLOYMENT AND EARNINGS BY INDUSTRY
                                                               Earnings
                                   Employment                ($ millions)
                                1985        1990            1985          1990
 
Total Employment                14696       17489
Total Income                                              $414.20       $546.23
 
Earnings by Place of Work                                 $273.74       $363.68
 
  Components by Type:
  Wage and Salary               12031       14487         $217.95       $287.78
  Proprietors                    2665        3002          $33.82        $47.44
    Farm                          368         318           $3.63         $6.86
    Nonfarm                      2297        2684          $30.18        $40.57
 
  Components by Industry:
  Farm                            477         405           $4.13         $7.38
  Nonfarm                       14219       17084         $269.61       $356.30
    Private                     11991       14521         $224.04       $293.15
      Agric./For./Fish.                       331                         $0.63
      Mining                                   15                         $0.45
      Construction                526         789          $12.51        $20.04
      Manufacturing              3353        3439          $94.22       $116.42
        Non-Durable Goods         ---         ---          $70.63        $78.80
        Durable Goods             ---         ---          $23.59        $37.63
      Transp. & Utilities         993         928          $30.94        $30.26
      Wholesale Trade             301         404           $5.87         $8.91
      Retail Trade               2693        3929          $26.16        $40.55
      Fin./Ins./Real Est.         673         866           $7.09        $12.01
      Services                   3091        3820          $39.68        $63.87
    Government                   2228        2563          $45.57        $63.15
      Federal                     233         273           $5.73         $7.25
      Military, Civilian           94          92           $0.57         $0.70
      State and Local            1901        2198          $39.27        $55.21
 
Earnings by Place of Residence                            $253.97       $334.91
 
Zero values indicate confidential information or fewer than 10 employees
or less than $50,000.
 
Per Capita Income:      1985:    $10,817.00      1990:    $14,451.00