Demographic Profile of Senior in Wayne County, Michigan

The largest numerical decrease, 3,037, occurred in Sector 4, while Sectors 6 and 3 also
experienced large declines – 1,832 and 1,406, respectively.
Table 21. Population 60 Years and Over in Poverty by Sector, 1989 - 1999
Sectors
Total
Persons
Poverty in 1989 Poverty in 1999
Above Below Percent Total Above Below
Poverty poverty below Persons Poverty poverty
Percent
below
1 17,335 14,198 3,137 18.1% 12,640 10,101 2,539 20.1%
2 13,416 11,497 1,919 14.3% 8,179 6,862 1,317 16.1%
3 21,735 16,460 5,275 24.3% 15,968 12,099 3,869 24.2%
4 18,661 12,062 6,599 35.4% 11,969 8,406 3,562 29.8%
5 15,799 12,626 3,173 20.1% 10,723 8,537 2,186 20.4%
6 23,106 17,958 5,148 22.3% 16,083 12,767 3,316 20.6%
7 17,134 14,641 2,493 14.6% 13,866 11,781 2,085 15.0%
8 10,043 8,609 1,434 14.3% 8,852 7,555 1,298 14.7%
9 11,882 9,762 2,120 17.8% 13,726 11,616 2,110 15.4%
10 12,908 11,409 1,499 11.6% 12,720 11,435 1,285 10.1%
11 8,000 6,025 1,975 24.7% 6,046 4,516 1,531 25.3%
12 15,871 15,294 577 3.6% 12,781 12,341 440 3.4%
Region Totals 185,890 150,541 35,349 19.0% 143,552 118,016 25,537 17.8%
As the State of Michigan uses 150% of poverty as a criterion of need, the author has
extended the estimates of poverty to include poverty ratios. Table 22 provides an
analysis of the population 60+ with regard to the ratio of their income to the poverty
threshold. This table brackets the poverty data from Table 21 by including the population
falling below 50 percent of poverty (extreme poverty) and ending with the population at
150% of poverty. While reflecting the same trends as were seen in Table 20, one is able
to see in more detail the degree of poverty that exists in Region 1-A. Of particular note
are Sectors 3, 4 and 11 where well over 1/3 of all seniors (almost half in Sector 4) fall
below 150% of poverty.
Table 22. Percent of the Population 60+ by Ratio to Poverty by Sector, 1999
Sectors
Total Persons
65+
Percent of Persons Less than _ % of Poverty
50 75 100 125 150
1 12,640 7.7 12.1 20.1 27.6 33.4
2 8,179 5.7 9.8 16.1 21.6 27.3
3 15,968 8.3 14.4 24.2 31.5 38.1
4 11,969 8.7 17.6 29.8 39.6 45.7
5 10,723 8.1 13.4 20.4 27.1 34.0
6 16,083 8.2 13.2 20.6 27.3 33.5
7 13,866 5.6 9.2 15.0 20.5 27.1
8 8,852 5.6 8.5 14.7 19.9 24.4
9 13,726 5.5 9.0 15.4 20.5 25.8
10 12,720 3.6 6.1 10.1 14.5 18.0
11 6,046 8.7 14.4 25.3 32.0 38.6
12 12,781 1.3 2.3 3.4 4.6 6.4
Region Totals 143,552 6.4 10.8 17.8 23.7 29.2
A Demographic Profile of Seniors in PSA 1-A 20