OCRP Voters Guide 2016 | Page 6

COUNTY DEMOGRAPHICS Demographics • • • • • • • • • With more than 1.2 million residents, Oakland County is the 2nd most populous county in Michigan and 31st most populous nationally Oakland County is home to nearly 30% of the 6-county Metro Detroit region's population Since 2010, Oakland County's population has grown by 3% - the fastest rate of growth in Metro Detroit Oakland County has nearly 500,000 households, the 29th most among all counties, and an average household size of nearly 2.5 residents 70% of Oakland County's households are owner-occupied Nearly 30% of all Oakland County households have children younger than 18 living at home There are more than 208,000 school-aged children (children aged 6-17) living in Oakland County, nearly 30% of the region's total school-aged population 21% of Oakland County's residents are age 65 or over 44% of Oakland County residents have at least a bachelor's degree, the second highest percentage in Michigan Source: U.S. Census Bureau Economic Data • • • • • • • • • Oakland County is Michigan's employment hub with nearly 690,000 workers employed here More than 260,000 workers commute into Oakland County everyday The County has seen the addition of more than 97,000 jobs since the low-point of the recent recession in the first quarter of 2010 Oakland County is forecast to add another 49,032 jobs through 2017 Oakland County has a diverse economy with the top three employment sectors being Professional and Business Services (26%); Trade, Transportation, and Utilities (18%), and Private Education and Health Services (16%) The County's unemployment rate has dropped to 4.9% since hitting a high of 15.0% in July 2009; the rate is forecast to drop even further, to 4.3%, by 2017 With a per capita income of $57,035, Oakland County has the highest per capita income in the state and the 12thhighest nationally among all counties with at least a million residents Oakland County is home to nearly 1,000 firms from 39 foreign countries With nearly $54 billion in goods exported from the area, the Metro Detroit region ranks 4th nationally for total exports Sources: U.S. BLS, U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. ITA, Oakland County Economic Outlook