Detroit was named the nation's most impoverished metropolis, with 33.6 percent of its residents living in poverty, according to a U.S. Census Bureau survey released Tuesday.
The 2004 American Community Survey regards a metropolis as an area with 250,000 or more people.
Some MSU students from Detroit however, do not feel the title of "most impoverished metropolis" is an accurate description of the entire city.
"I do get that (vibe) in certain places, but not throughout the whole city," packaging junior Darian Flewellen said. "I think that's a little overboard calling it the number one most impoverished (metropolis)."
Howard Hughey, spokesperson for Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, said in a statement that the city has been working to advance its economy.
"Since 2002, we have been working on several strategies to improve the financial condition of our city," Hughey said. "There are several factors to consider when addressing the issue of poverty, but the biggest are employment and education - areas we have worked steadfastly to improve."
Hughey also said in the statement that bringing in new businesses such as Saab and OnStar are helping to improve the city's welfare.
The American Community Survey looks at information collected from U.S. households, such as income, time involved in work travel, home value and veteran status, among other vital factors, in an effort to replace the long form of the 2010 U.S. Census.
Data from this year's survey included all 50 states and the District of Columbia, 241 counties, 206 congressional districts, and most metropolitan areas with populations of 250,000 people or more
Economics professor Charles Ballard, said this new label will not be detrimental to Detroit's economy because people already know Detroit has economic problems.
"If it gets labeled in a particular way it doesn't necessarily give us a whole lot of new info," Ballard said. "It doesn't change the fact that Detroit has a less than healthy economy than we would like."
Premedical freshman Nakeisha Butler also said the title isn't an accurate description of her hometown.
"It's probably too extreme," Butler said. She added that there are only "certain areas you'll go in and you'll see (the poverty)."
Other students, such as political theory and constitutional democracy junior Patrick Carey, felt the new label of Detroit should not be viewed as entirely negative.
"There is a lot of poverty around Detroit, but it doesn't necessarily dictate as negative a tone as it sounds," Carey said. "You can see examples of poverty in any city, but that's not the most important thing about Detroit."
Kristen Daum can be reached at daumkris@msu.edu
