1

Population and Employment• Static in population and employment since 1970• Local growth is in the bottom 5% of all US metros• Employees living in BC: 15,550• Employees working outside of BC: 7,745 (50%)• Employees living and working inside BC: 7,805

(50%)• Employment/Population ratio in BC: 49% (2012)*

*These trends are not mirrored in the adjacent metro area

Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis (U.S. Department of Commerce 2012)

2

Population and Employment

19691971

19731975

19771979

19811983

19851987

19891991

19931995

19971999

20012003

20052007

20092011

-

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

Population Comparisons since 1969

Battle Creek Metro Fargo MetroIowa City Metro Sioux Falls Metro

19691972

19751978

19811984

19871990

19931996

19992002

20052008

2011 -

20,000

40,000

60,000

80,000

100,000

120,000

140,000

160,000

Comparison of Employment Trends

Battle Creek Fargo, NDIowa City, IA Sioux Falls, SD

Iowa City & Sioux Falls

Fargo

Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis (U.S. Department of Commerce 2012)

3

Community Priorities• Graduation Rates 2012

– Battle Creek Public Schools 40.7% – Lakeview Public Schools 91.5% (Source: Calhoun County Intermediate School District Center for Educational Performance &

Information. 2013)

• School Readiness– 7% of kindergartners entered school “very ready” (2011 EDI Data)

• Access to Primary Care – 14.2% have no healthcare coverage in Calhoun County– 16.1% no access due to costs (Source: Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey 2009)

• Safety– Crime Index is 6 which means 94% of the United States cities have lower crime rates than

Battle Creek (Source: Neighborhood Scout.com– FBI Crime data)

• Jobs– Employment/Population ratio in BC: 49% (2012) (Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis (U.S. Department of Commerce

2012)

Source: Project 20/20 2014 Annual Report

4

Early Community Wins• Early Childhood Connections Program

– 82% of children have increased or maintained positive developmental milestones greatly increasing their future health and educational success (reach: approximately 500 children)

• Early Grade Reading Program– 74% of 1st graders at Coburn Elementary School read at or above proficiency, a

significant increase from the 33% achievement rate the prior year (reach: approximately 450 students)

• EDGE Program (Essential Skills Demanded by Great Employers)– 80% of participants retained employment after 30 days compared to an average

retention rate of 50% (reach: 53 participants)

Source: WKKF program evaluations

Battle Creek

How does your growth rate compare over last 20 years?

Nation (22.7%)

Michigan (+2.4%)

All Metros (+22.5%)

Distribution of employment growth in all 369 metros

Bottom 25% Middle 25% Upper Middle 25% Top 25%

+9.4% +22.5% +36.5%

Battle Creek -9.5%

Distribution of employment growth in 169 metros between 50-150k workers

Bottom 25% Middle 25% Upper Middle 25% Top 25%

+9.2% +25.0% +41.5%

Battle Creek -9.5%

The Top Middle MSA’sMetro Growth

RateGrowth Rate

Iowa City 55% Auburn, AL 45%

Las Cruces, NM 51% Warner Robbins, GA 56%

El Centro CA 33% Laredo, TX 84%

Dover, DE 39% Fargo, ND 61%

Sioux Falls, SD 57% Kennewick-Richland, WA 50%

Bowling Green, KY 47% Provo-Orem, UT 91%

Greeley, CO 72% Bismarck, ND 58%

Logan, UT 67% Odessa, TX 60%

Morgantown, WV 41% Midland, TX 78%

Preliminary findings about Battle Creek

1. The MSA and city have been static in population and employment since 1970, in contrast to the nation, state and other metro areas in the USA. Local growth is in the bottom 5% of all US metros

2. The proportion of the population in Battle Creek that is employed is significantly lower than in other metro areas in the Midwest of similar size. The employment/population ratio in the Battle Creek MSA in 2012 was 49% while it was 61% in Sioux Falls and 63% in Fargo. The difference is not explained by age differences. Battle Creek has more retirees (4% deviation) than these other metros but the same percentage of school age children.

3. Per capita incomes in Battle Creek have been dropping relative to the nation, state and other metro regions since 1980.

4. These trends are not mirrored in the adjacent Kalamazoo MSA. This suggests that institutional or business climate issues-- more than operating costs-- are dragging down performance. This is a central issue to investigate in the business engagement process.

Commuting flows in City of Battle Creek 2011

Commuting flows in City of Kalamazoo 2011

Commuting flows in City of Marshall 2011

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Some additional links:

• Link to the June 2014 metro report. Employment in Battle Creek MSA was 58,900. http://email15.secureserver.net/webmail.php?login=1

• Underemployment, http://www.bls.gov/lau/stalt.htm which for the state of Michigan right now is about 14.7% if you consider total unemployed, plus all marginally attached workers, plus total employed part time for economic reasons, as a percent of the civilian labor force plus all marginally attached workers.