One-third of Michigan residents receive government assistance

One-third of Michiganders now depend on the state government for at least one form of financial assistance, according to the latest Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. The number has increased 30% since Gov. Gretchen Whitmer entered office.

Some 3.3 million people received benefits from at least one state program, according to the latest annual report from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. In the average month between October 2014 and September 2018, approximately 2.6 million people received benefits. Whitmer took office in January 2019. In the average month between October 2018 and September 2023, the comparable number was 2.9 million, an increase of 13%.

But the 3,339,705 average monthly recipients of government assistance in 2023 is 30% higher than the roughly 2.6 million served in 2019, when Whitmer took office.

State welfare assistance programs include the following: Medicaid, food stamps, State Emergency Relief, the Family Independence Program, State Disability Assistance and Child Development and Care.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services did not return a request for comment.

The average median household income in Michigan is currently $66,986, according to the U. S. Census Bureau. The average household income in the country was $74,580 in 2022. Michigan’s poverty rate is 13.4% while the U.S. average is slightly lower at 12.8%.