The following section provides an overview of the user guide, glossary of terms found on this site, and data sources.
On the Data Portal Page, users can quickly access key data snapshots for specific geographies and compare those geographies to other places in Michigan. From there, selecting the link to Generate a Full Report will automatically generate a more detailed and comprehensive housing and demographic analysis and report for the location selected.
Step 1: Geographies
Select the geography from the top menu to change the information (will be listed as Michigan to start).
There are four geography types currently available: State, County, Combined Statistical Area (CBSA), and Cities/Towns. A city or town is an individual urban locality with its own local government, while a Combined Statistical Area (CBSA) is a broader regional entity composed of adjacent metropolitan and micropolitan areas that share economic and social ties. County subdivisions, colloquially known as “townships” or “corporations,” are not currently included, but may be added in future site iterations.
Please note that due to data availability, some rural communities are mapped using census tract boundaries, which may extend beyond the edges of smaller communities. If the center of a census tract is not within the city or town, it is excluded from the analysis. For ACS data, all values on the chart reflect the "place" values (Census geography level 160).
Image of button to select geography.
Step 2: View Trends based on Statewide Goals
Indicators are bucketed into categories on the data portal. There are seven categories: demographics, housing supply, housing equity, homeownership, housing affordability, health & housing, and jobs. Click the buttons to view different indicators for each category.
View of example toggles found on the data portal.
Step 3: Download Individual Datasets
Click the download button to download individual chart data to a CSV, which you can then use for your own reports. To learn more about the data sources for these charts, please visit the data sources page.
View of the dark blue download button, found on the data portal and comparison pages.
Step 4: Generate a Housing Needs Assessment
Export a housing needs assessment for your selected geography. This will generate a full grouping of charts, included automated text, for your selected geography. You will be brought to a new tab with a new link. In the new tab, you can click the ‘download’ button to download the report as a CSV (Excel) or PDF.
View of the orange export button, found on the data portal and comparison pages.
Step 5: Compare to Other Geographies
Back on the main data portal tab, click Comparison View. This view allows the user to add additional geographies in the State of Michigan, by clicking the + Add Another Geography Button.
View of the data comparison block. Click the green button to add additional geographies.
