COUNTY PROFILE - LAKE, Michigan

 
LOCATION SERVICES
 
Business Development Center
Ferris State University, Alumni 226
901 South State Street
Big Rapids, Michigan 49307
 
Contact:  Lora Swenson
Phone:    616/592-3553
FAX:      616/592-3539
 
County Seat:  Baldwin
 
POPULATION
 
1970 Census                     5661
1980 Census                     7711
1990 Census                     8583
Median Age (as of 1990)         40.9 years
 
 
LABOR FORCE
(1992 average)
 
Total Labor Force             3825
Employed                      3400
Total Unemployment             425
Unemployment Rate              11.%
3-Year Average                10.6%
 
 
PRINCIPAL ECONOMIC BASE EMPLOYERS
 
Firm                                Employees         Product/Service
 
Peacock Industries, Baldwin                60  Metal fabricating/tooling
Miller Jerome Lumber, Baldwin              23  Grade lumber, chips
Austin Tube Products, Baldwin              15  Fabricated metal products
Packing Materials Co.                      12  Pallettes
Hickman Fluid Power, Baldwin               10  Hydraulic wholesale
Sweetwater Forest Prod.                    10  Kiln dried dim. lumber pallets
 
 
EARNING LEVELS
                                          Average Hourly Rate
Classification                           Minimum       Maximum
 
Assembler                                  $8.04         $8.96
Clerk, General Office                      $5.88         $8.05
Forklift Operator                          $7.47         $9.96
General Laborer                            $6.86         $8.03
Inspector                                  $9.96        $12.76
Maintenance Mechanic                      $10.59        $12.45
Maintenance, Building                      $7.47         $9.96
Receptionist                               $6.23         $9.96
Tool & Die Maker                          $10.59        $17.44
 
Source:  Based on Consumers Power community survey, adjusted for inflation
         to 1991 using Consumer Price Index.
 
 
DISTANCE TO:
                   Miles    Kilometers
Chicago             280         450
Cleveland           330         530
Detroit             220         353
Indianapolis        340         547
Lansing             140         225
Toronto             420         675
 
 
TRANSPORTATION
 
Main Highways:  M-37, US-10
Bus Lines:      None
Truck Lines:    None
Rail Lines:     Chesapeake & Ohio
Ports:          None
Airports:       Manistee (45 miles)
Airlines:       Simmons
 
 
CLIMATE
As reported by weather station at Baldwin.
 
January Average Minimum:   11 F./-12 C.    Average Maximum:   29 F./ -2 C.
July Average Minimum:      55 F./ 13 C.    Average Maximum:   83 F./ 28 C.
Growing Season:       111 days
Days below 0 F or -18 C:   19      Average Annual Rainfall:   34 in./ 86 cm.
Days above 90 F or 32 C:   12      Average Annual Snowfall:   83 in./211 cm.
 
 
INDUSTRIAL SITES
(As of January 1993)
 
Community                  Sites    Acres    Hectares    Industrial Parks
 
Pleasant Plains Twp.          3       125          51              1
Webber Twp.                   1        14           6              0
     COUNTY TOTAL             4       139          56              1
 
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:               62    $3.11
3-Year Average:     56    $3.07    0    $0.00    0    $0.00    0    $0.06
 
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:      6          State Median:   68
Incorporation Rate:         70          State Median:  183
 
Incorporation Rate = incorporations per 100,000 population.
 
 
PROPERTY TAX BASE
(As of 1992)
 
Agricultural    Residential   Industrial    Commercial    Other
     7%             78%           0%            6%          9%
 
County Total State Equalized Value:             $183,920,597.00
County Average Tax Millage Rate (in 1991):                46.71
 
 
UTILITIES
                   Electric           Gas                Telephone*
 
Baldwin            Consumers          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.)
 
Baldwin          Wells
 
Capacity and maximum use in hundreds of thousands of gallons/liters per day.
 
 
MUNICIPAL SERVICES
                                   1990               Master   Public Library
Community        Phone Number   Population    Zoning   Plan      (Volumes)
 
Baldwin          616-745-3061         821       no     no      17,438
 
 
                 ------- Fire Department -------    Police
Community        Class.    FT Paid    PT/Volunt.  (Full-Time)  Solid Waste
 
Baldwin           7                        20
 
 
County Sheriff Officers:     8      Licensed Landfills in County:    0
 
Other communities in Lake County (1990 population for incorporated communities
in parenthesis):
 
Bristol, Chase Twp. (999), Cherry Valley Twp. (248), Dover Twp. (318), Eden
Twp. (235), Elk Twp. (580), Ellsworth Twp. (622), Idlewild, Irons, Lake Twp.
(700), Luther (343), Luther, Newkirk Twp. (586), Nirvana, Peacock Twp. (344),
Pinora Twp. (414), Pleasant Plains Twp. (1464), Sauble Twp. (297), Sweetwater
Twp. (223), Webber Twp. (968), Yates Twp. (585)
 
 
EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES (1992-1993)
                                                  K-12    Instruc.     High
Community        School District                Students    Staff     Schools
 
Baldwin          Baldwin Community                  804        40         1
 
 
COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES
(As of Fall 1991)
 
Name and Location                                               Enrollment
 
Ferris State University, Big Rapids (35 mi.)                         12422
West Shore Community College, Scottville (25 mi.)                     1326
 
 
MEDICAL FACILITIES
 
Hospitals in County:           0     Total Beds:      0
Nearest Large Medical Center:  Cadillac (45 miles); Traverse City (60 miles)
Extended Care Facilities:      1     Total Beds:    135
Physicians (MDs and DOs) in County:      5
 
 
HOUSING AND CHURCHES
(Housing as of 1990)
 
Owner occupied:     2856 (80.8%)     Median Home Value:   $29,800.00
Renter occupied:     680 (19.2%)     Median Contract Rent:   $204.00
Churches:      Catholic:    2    Protestant:   10
Synagogues:    0   Nearest synagogue is in Muskegon (75 miles)
 
 
RECREATION, ATTRACTIONS, AND EVENTS
 
Irons Area Snowmobile Trails (40 miles); Timberlane Nordic Ski Center - 4
cross-country trails (25 km); Rayles Trails - groomed, rates, marked
cross-country trails. Shrine of the Pines, Baldwin. Flea Market & Ox
Roasts, Irons (June); Troutorama, Baldwin (July); Arts & Crafts Fair,
Baldwin (July).
 
 
COMMERCIAL SERVICES
(As of 1989)
 
General Building Contractors                    2
Metalworking Machinery                          0
Commercial Printing                             0
Advertising                                     0
Personnel Supply Services                       1
Computer and Data Processing Services           0
Legal Services                                  2
Accounting, Auditing and Bookkeeping            1
Retail Establishments                          55
Wholesale Establishments                        5
 
Hotel/Motel Rooms (as of 1986):               134
Television Channels:    n/a
Radio Stations:         n/a
Newspapers:     Big Rapids Pioneer, Ludington Daily News
 
 
FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS
(As of 1993)                                                       Offices
                                            Main Office           in County
 
Lake-Osceola State Bank                     Baldwin                    2
 
EMPLOYMENT AND EARNINGS BY INDUSTRY
                                                               Earnings
                                   Employment                ($ millions)
                                1985        1990            1985          1990
 
Total Employment                 1674        1915
Total Income                                               $67.59        $93.69
 
Earnings by Place of Work                                  $20.20        $30.67
 
  Components by Type:
  Wage and Salary                1156        1344          $13.48        $19.43
  Proprietors                     518         571           $5.58         $9.54
    Farm                          135         117           $0.85         $1.56
    Nonfarm                       383         454           $4.74         $7.98
 
  Components by Industry:
  Farm                            142         122           $0.91         $1.62
  Nonfarm                        1532        1793          $19.29        $29.05
    Private                      1098        1331          $12.53        $20.06
      Agric./For./Fish.                                     $0.19
      Mining                                    0           $0.21         $0.11
      Construction                 71          90           $1.09         $1.20
      Manufacturing                73         124           $0.90         $2.17
        Non-Durable Goods         ---         ---
        Durable Goods             ---         ---
      Transp. & Utilities          35          27           $1.43         $3.05
      Wholesale Trade              19          30           $0.40         $1.00
      Retail Trade                379         500           $3.23         $4.68
      Fin./Ins./Real Est.         124         116           $0.78         $1.09
      Services                    382         438           $4.30         $6.79
    Government                    434         462           $6.76         $8.99
      Federal                      49          70           $1.02         $1.39
      Military, Civilian           19          20           $0.10         $0.13
      State and Local             366         372           $5.64         $7.47
 
Earnings by Place of Residence                             $26.45        $38.15
 
Zero values indicate confidential information or fewer than 10 employees
or less than $50,000.
 
Per Capita Income:      1985:     $8,337.00      1990:    $10,871.00