POPULATION: 10,071,822 (2007)

LABOR FORCE: 5,020,000 (2007)

RIGHT TO WORK: No

INDUSTRIES: Life sciences, advanced automotive technologies, homeland security/defense, alternative energy technologies, auto-related R&D, advanced materials, telematics, tourism, agriculture, information technologies, micro- and nanotechnology, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, instrumentation and diagnostics, research and ancillary services

COLLEGE GRADUATES: (Age 25 and over) 26.1% (2006)

BASIC BUSINESS TAXES:
Michigan Business Tax (effective Jan. 1, 2008): 4.95 percent of business income in Michigan, .08 percent of modified gross receipts t credit for taxes paid on owned industrial personal property; tax credits provided for capital investment, R&D expenditures, and compensation; certain small businesses may use an alternative 1.8 percent profits tax; filing threshold of $350,000 in Michigan gross receipts

Sales and Use Tax: 6 percent; no local sales tax allowed

Property Tax: Assessed at 50 percent market value; assessment increases limited to 5 percent or inflation, whichever is less; owned industrial personal property gets automatic 12-mill exemption; property tax abatements are available for up to 12 years

BUSINESS INCENTIVES:
MIchigan Business Tax Credits (for capital investment, R&D expenditures, and compensation)
$2 Billion 21st Century Jobs Fund
21st Century Investment Fund (available to venture capital, mezzanine, and private equity funds with a Michigan focus)
Michigan Economic Growth Authority (state tax credits for job creation and retention, including high tech and alternative energy)
Tax-Free Renaissance Zones
Tax-Free Tool & Die Recovery Zones
NextEnergy Zone (tax free for alternative energy)
Smart Zones (high-tech clusters of businesses and resources)
Private Activity Bond Program (taxable and tax-exempt)
Economic development job training grants
Brownfield Redevelopment State Tax Credits and TIF
Capital Access Program (loans for Michigan companies)
Community development block grants (for economic development)
Industrial property tax abatement
SelectSites Program (prime properties ready for development)
Web access to Commercial Property Info Exchange (CPIX)
Foreign-trade zones
Certified business parks
Technology and productivity consulting
Ombudsman services
Worker recruitment assistance
Permit coordination
Site proposal assistance