County Profile & Overview
Located in Western Michigan, Kent
County is the fourth largest population
center in Michigan. Covering 864 square
miles, the County is home to 604,142
people. The County is composed of
twenty-one townships, five villages and
nine cities.
The County seat, Grand Rapids, has a population of 201,835 and is 150 miles west of Detroit; 180 miles northeast of Chicago; and 30 miles from Lake Michigan. The greater Grand Rapids area forms the urban center of the County. Grand Rapids is known for being the home of the 38th President of the United States, Gerald R. Ford. The Gerald R. Ford Museum is located in the City of Grand Rapids and the Gerald R. Ford International Airport is located within the County.
The Grand River, the largest in Michigan, runs through the County. On its west bank are burial mounds, remnants of the Hopewell Indians who once lived there. The valley of the river served as an important center for the fur trade in the early 1800s. By the end of the century, stimulated by the construction of several sawmills, the area was a significant center for agriculture, logging, and manufacturing furniture.
The County was organized as a county by the territorial legislature on March 24, 1836. The County is governed by a Board of Commissioners (Board) whose numbers ranged from three in 1836 up to 77 as recently as 1968. As a result of a United States Supreme Court decision in 1969, the number of commissioners was reduced to 21. The Board took action in 1992 to reduce further the number of members to 19 effective January 1993.
The County provides a wide and varied range of services to its citizens. The services include mandated
services (i.e. law enforcement, correctional facility, justice system, public health, drain maintenance, general
government, elections administration, equalization, Friend of the Court, and solid waste management) and
discretionary functions (i.e. parks, zoo, airport, economic development, property description and mapping,
and extension services).
High Quality of Life
With a healthy economy, one of the lowest property tax levies in the State of Michigan, affordable housing, and Midwestern hospitality, Kent County offers the best in both business and family location. Kent County is the economic and manufacturing center of West Michigan. Major employers include Spectrum Health, Meijer Incorporated, Steelcase Incorporated, Alticor Incorporated and Spartan Stores. It is also the home of the Frederik Meijer Gardens, a significant cultural landmark of the Midwest.
Kent County offers a thriving arts community and a diverse range of entertainment options for every season. The County has over 50 parks, offering activities such as golfing, swimming, biking, roller blading, walking, cross country skiing, fishing, boating, camping, and a variety of playing fields. The award-winning 12,000 seat Van Andel Arena, located in Grand Rapids, is home to the Griffins hockey team and the Rampage arena football team, as well as major concerts and sporting events.
Local Economy
Major industries located within the boundaries
of Kent County or in close proximity include
manufacturers of office equipment and furniture,
heating controls, and automotive parts as well as
several financial institutions, health care, retail food
and merchandise, and insurance companies. The
Grand Rapids metropolitan area, which is the hub
of the County, is one of the fastest growing regions
of the State. The area has begun to experience
significant employment increases in the educational
and health services industry. Several projects that
will provide additional employment opportunities in
this industry are either recently completed, nearing
completion or about to break ground. These projects
and a brief description of each include:
- Spectrum Health - Lemmen Holton Cancer Pavilion – The project cost an estimated $78 million and opened in late 2008. The new, 200,000 square foot, facility will provide a comprehensive cancer treatment program.
- Spectrum Hospital – Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital - The hospital began construction of a new 400,000 square foot facility in early 2007. This new $286 million facility is scheduled to open in December 2010.
- Metro Hospital – The hospital has moved into a new 208-bed facility located in southwest Kent County. This $190 million facility opened in September 2007.
- VanAndel Institute – This medical research facility broke ground, in 2007, on construction of a 240,000 square foot addition to its existing research complex. This $170 million project is scheduled for opening in 2009. When fully built out, the facility will have space to accommodate 800 researchers and administrative staff.
- Michigan State University Medical School – Construction of a new $90 million, 180,000 square foot, medical school began in the spring of 2008. The MSU college of Human Medicine began to transition its programming to temporary facilities in the fall of 2008. The new medical facility will be opened in 2010 and is expected to reach capacity of 400 students in 2013.
- Saint Mary’s Health Care - Hauenstein Center - The hospital broke ground, in 2006, on the construction of a new 145,000 square foot neurosciences services facility. This $60 million facility opened in February 2009.
Factors that have encouraged major projects and
have attracted numerous firms from outside the area
are: a strong but highly diversified base of industries,
an excellent work force, educational opportunities,
excellent employer/employee relations, good location
and transportation facilities, utilities and possibly
the most important, quality of life.
The County has experienced a favorable local economic environment for a number of years. The area has a diversified employment base, which adds to the strength of the local economy. However, recently the County has experienced weak job growth and a poor housing market. During the past eight years, the unemployment rate has fluctuated from a decade low of 4.6% (2001) to a decade high of 7.3% (2003), to the current rate of unemployment as of December 2008 at 6.9%. Unemployment is expected to remain stable or decrease still further due to the economy discussed above.
Population Statistics
In terms of population, Kent County is the fourth largest county in the State of Michigan, and growing. According to the 2000 Census, the County grew by 14.7% over the prior 10 years. The growth for the State of Michigan over the same period was 6.9%. Current projections indicate that the County’s population will grow to an estimated 620,936 in year 2013. The combination of diverse employment opportunities, cost of living, and a high quality of life has Kent County growing at a much faster rate than the State of Michigan.
According to 2008 Right Place estimates, there were 604,142 people. The racial makeup of the County was 73.90% White, 8.60% Hispanic or Latino, 8.48% Black or African American, 2.01% Asian, 4.57% from other races, and 2.44% from two or more races.
Per the U.S. Census Bureau, the County population was spread out with 7.8% under the age of 5, 22.3% from 5 to 19, 14.1% from 20 to 29, and 14.0% from 30 to 39, 15.4% from 40 to 49, 12.1% from 50 to 59, and 14.1% were 59 years of age or older. The median age was 34.3 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.02 males.
Education Statistics
There are 26 school districts and five intermediate school districts located, in whole or in part, in the County. There are numerous non-public schools serving diversified religious denominations and 17 charter schools in the County. Aquinas College, Calvin College, Cornerstone University, Grand Valley State University, Grand Rapids Baptist College, Grand Rapids Community College, Ferris State University, Davenport University, Kendall College of Art and Design of Ferris State University, the University of Phoenix and Western Michigan University have campuses located within the County. The main campuses of Grand Valley State University, Western Michigan University and Michigan State University are located within commuting distance of the County.
- 84.9% of people 25 years and over had at least graduated from high school.
- 24.3% of Kent County residents, 25 years and over, had a bachelor’s degree or higher.
- Among people 25 years and over, 15.1% were not high school graduates.
Employment Statistics
Manufacturing, educational services and business services, in terms of United States location quotient, are the most dominant in the County. The Manufacturing industry has an LQ of 1.63. In other words, the percent of total jobs in the Manufacturing sector is 1.63 times greater than the U.S. average, showing signs that Kent County produces more than its local requirement of products and/or services of Manufacturing.
Educational & Health Services is the industry that has grown the most in terms of employment from 2003-2007 in Kent County, moving a total of 12.1% or 6,400 jobs. The State of Michigan underwent an employment change in the industry of 9.0%, over the same period of time.
Manufacturing between the years 2003 and 2007, saw the greatest loss of jobs in Kent County. The sector dealt with a loss of 2,600 jobs during the period, or 3.5% of jobs in the industry. The losses in this industry made up 26.3% of all employment losses in the County.
The median income for a household in the County was $46,826, and the median income for a family was $57,288. Males had a median income of $43,464 versus $32,070 for females. The per capita income for the County was $33,627. Of the population for whom poverty status is determined, 12.9% is below the poverty level. Out of the total people living in poverty, 36.2% are under the age of 18 and 6.80% are 65 or older.
Kent County/Michigan Quick Facts |
Kent County |
Michigan |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population, 2007 estimate | 604,330 |
10,071,822 |
| Population, percent change, April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2007 | 5.2% |
1.3% |
| Population, 2000 | 574,335 |
9,938,444 |
| Persons under 5 years old, percent, 2007 | 7.7% |
6.3% |
| Persons under 18 years old, percent, 2007 | 27.2% |
24.3% |
| Persons 65 years old and over, percent, 2007 | 10.3% |
12.7% |
| Female persons, percent, 2007 | 50.5% |
50.8% |
| White persons, percent, 2007 | 86.1% |
81.2% |
| Black persons, percent, 2007 | 9.4% |
14.3% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native persons, percent, 2007 | 0.5% |
0.6% |
| Asian persons, percent, 2007 | 2.1% |
2.4% |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, percent, 2007 | 0.1% |
- |
| Persons reporting two or more races, percent, 2007 | 1.8% |
1.5% |
| Persons of Hispanic or Latino origin, percent, 2007 | 9.2% |
4.0% |
| White persons not Hispanic, percent, 2007 | 77.8% |
77.6% |
| Living in same house in 1995 and 2000, pct 5 yrs old & over | 52.4% |
57.3% |
| Foreign born persons, percent, 2000 | 6.6% |
5.3% |
| Language other than English spoken at home, pct age 5+, 2000 | 10.2% |
8.4% |
| High school graduates, percent of persons age 25+, 2000 | 84.6% |
83.4% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher, pct of persons age 25+, 2000 | 25.8% |
21.8% |
| Persons with a disability, age 5+, 2000 | 85,304 |
1,711,231 |
| Mean travel time to work (minutes), workers age 16+, 2000 | 20.7 |
24.1 |
| Housing units, 2007 | 243,481 |
4,527,655 |
| Homeownership rate, 2000 | 70.3% |
73.8% |
| Housing units in multi-unit structures, percent, 2000 | 26.9% |
18.8% |
| Median value of owner-occupied housing units, 2000 | $115,100 |
$115,600 |
| Households, 2000 | 212,890 |
3,785,661 |
| Persons per household, 2000 | 2.64 |
2.56 |
| Median household income, 2007 | $49,703 |
$47,931 |
| Per capita money income, 1999 | $21,629 |
$22,168 |
| Persons below poverty, percent, 2007 | 13.1% |
13.9% |
| Business | ||
| Private nonfarm establishments, 2006 | 16,264 |
235,750 |
| Private nonfarm employment, 2006 | 326,148 |
3,819,537 |
| Private nonfarm employment, percent change 2000-2006 | -2.9% |
-6.2% |
| Nonemployer establishments, 2006 | 37,897 |
627,284 |
| Total number of firms, 2002 | 45,993 |
735,531 |
| Black-owned firms, percent, 2002 | 3.8% |
6.0% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native owned firms, percent, 2002 | 0.6% |
0.7% |
| Asian-owned firms, percent, 2002 | 1.6% |
2.1% |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander owned firms, percent, 2002 | - |
0.0% |
| Hispanic-owned firms, percent, 2002 | 1.5% |
1.3% |
| Women-owned firms, percent, 2002 | 28.7% |
29.6% |
| Manufacturers shipments, 2002 ($1000) | 13,712,152 |
221,433,262 |
| Wholesale trade sales, 2002 ($1000) | 16,690,424 |
165,958,945 |
| Retail sales, 2002 ($1000) | 8,203,468 |
109,350,139 |
| Retail sales per capita, 2002 | $13,985 |
$10,889 |
| Accommodation and foodservices sales, 2002 ($1000) | 773,516 |
12,248,269 |
| Building permits, 2007 | 1,388 |
17,767 |
| Federal spending, 2007 ($1000) | 2,958,457 |
71,651,573 |
| Geography | ||
| Land area, 2000 (square miles) | 856.17 |
56,803.82 |
| Persons per square mile, 2000 | 671 |
175 |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau: State and County Quick Facts | ||
