Michigan is in peril. The state is in one of the worst crises of our lifetime. Wayne County is impeded from growing due to uncertainty in the auto industry. The good news is that there's been a steady, consistent trend toward better news.
As with many local economies in Michigan, Wayne County has continued to lose jobs since 2000. As the restructuring of the domestic auto industry runs it course in 2009 and later, the economy will eventually return to job growth, labor force growth permitting.