LANSING – Michigan’s University Research Corridor added $958 million in economic activity to the city of Detroit in 2015, or the equivalent of $1,400 per Detroit resident, along with hundreds of programs that improve lives and advance neighborhoods, contends a new report.
Beyond jobs and economic investments, “Engaging Detroit: URC’s Contributions to Resurgence in the Motor City,” prepared by Public Sector Consultants, documented the URC’s commitment to the people of Detroit through teaching and research, volunteer work, business incubators and other initiatives.
“The URC universities believe in the city of Detroit and the indomitable spirit of its people,” said URC Executive Director Jeff Mason. “Detroit’s resurgence is an ongoing effort that requires the tireless work of many for the betterment of the whole, and this report brings to light the important role that our three universities have played, and will continue to play, in that effort.”
The report also found that the three universities that make up the URC – Michigan State University, the University of Michigan and Wayne State University – contributed roughly one in 20 jobs in Detroit, or more than 11,600 jobs.
Those jobs include more than 8,000 faculty and staff working in Detroit, as well as an additional estimated 3,600 jobs created through economic activity. There were also another 28,000 students being educated in the city, contributing to the city’s economic activity and workforce retention. In addition to the jobs and economic activity created by university expenditures, the spending of alumni and students living in the city also makes an important contribution to Detroit’s economy.
The universities’ economic activity included more than $10 million in Detroit tax payments in 2015 alone, translating to critical funding for public services. To estimate the impact of the URC in Detroit, the report included only zip codes located primarily within the city’s boundaries.
The full report is available and can be viewed at http://urcmich.
