homestate Michigan
By Ben Everidge for Thomas
Photo Credit: Pure Michigan
michigan at the Crossroads: 10 Issues That Define the great lakes state’s Future
“Michigan built the machines that built America. Now it must rebuild itself. The future won’t be forged on an assembly line, but in whether the state that made things can remember how to make hope as well.”
- Ben Everidge
Michigan has always been a symbol of American possibility. A place where innovation, labor, and industry once built the middle class. Today, it’s again on the front line of economic and environmental change. From Detroit’s resurgence to small towns fighting decline, Michigan’s future depends on whether it can turn its legacy of manufacturing might into a model of modern resilience. The Great Lakes State stands at a crossroads: rebuild or retreat, lead or follow.
1. Manufacturing Reinvention and Electric Vehicle Transition
Michigan’s auto industry is rewriting itself for the 21st century. Billions in EV and battery investments promise jobs, but global competition and automation are reshaping the workforce. The challenge is ensuring workers and communities share in the gains of the green economy.
2. Economic Inequality and Regional Recovery
Detroit, Grand Rapids, and Ann Arbor are thriving, but much of rural and northern Michigan is still struggling. Bridging this divide through targeted investment, broadband, and small business development will be essential to statewide growth.
3. Education, Workforce, and the Skills Gap
Michigan’s manufacturing shift demands new technical skills. Yet teacher shortages, low test scores, and declining college enrollment threaten readiness. Investing in early education and lifelong learning will determine Michigan’s competitiveness.
4. Infrastructure and Water Systems
The Flint water crisis remains a painful reminder of government failure. Across the state, aging pipes, bridges, and roads require urgent repair. Federal infrastructure funds offer a chance for redemption if managed with transparency and foresight.
5. Energy and Climate Leadership
Surrounded by freshwater but threatened by pollution, Michigan must balance industrial progress with environmental responsibility. Expanding clean energy, reducing carbon emissions, and protecting the Great Lakes will define its ecological identity.
6. Urban Renewal and Affordable Housing
Detroit’s comeback tells a story of resilience, but affordability and equity remain challenges. The next chapter of revitalization must focus on inclusive growth: housing for all, not just those who can afford to return.
7. Public Health and Community Stability
Michigan’s population is aging, and health disparities remain sharp between urban and rural areas. Expanding healthcare access and addressing behavioral health will be key to building community strength.
8. Political Division and Governance Reform
Michigan remains one of the most politically divided states in the nation. Redistricting reform and independent voter engagement could help rebuild trust in a state where razor-thin margins often decide elections.
9. Labor, Unions, and the New Economy
Once the beating heart of the labor movement, Michigan is redefining what worker power looks like in the age of automation and gig work. The strength and modernization of unions will help determine the balance between corporate innovation and fair wages.
10. Great Lakes Stewardship and Regional Leadership
The Great Lakes are Michigan’s greatest treasure and its most significant responsibility. Water quality, invasive species, and climate change threaten a resource that supports millions. Michigan’s stewardship could set the standard for environmental federalism in the 21st century.
The Thomas Take
Michigan’s story has always been one of reinvention, from timber to steel, from assembly lines to algorithms. But its future depends on more than manufacturing. It depends on leadership that remembers who built this state: the workers, the dreamers, and the families who believed in it. If Michigan can pair its ingenuity with integrity, it may once again show America how to build something that lasts.
To learn more about Michigan’s issues, read: