Most Older Michiganders Rate the State Well for Aging, but a 2026 U-M Poll Found 4 Areas With Mixed Reviews

Getting older brings a long list of questions about where you’ll live and how you’ll get by.

A university poll asked older Michiganders how the state treats people their age, and the overall grades were fairly good, with a few soft spots.

Here’s what the poll found.

How the Poll Was Done

The poll’s results were released on May 5, 2026, and Bridge Michigan covered them the next day.

The poll is affiliated with the National Poll on Healthy Aging, which is based at the University of Michigan’s Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation.

The research organization NORC at the University of Chicago ran the survey online and by phone in January 2026.

Respondents came from a survey panel called AmeriSpeak, and none were younger than 50.

If you’re 50 or older, the poll was built to hear from you.

People graded the state and several topics as excellent, very good, good, fair or poor for people their age.

Grades of excellent, very good or good together made up that 82%.

That share was 87% among Michiganders 65 and older and 77% among ages 50 to 64.

The researchers weighted the answers so the 1,293 responses stand for all Michigan adults 50 and older.

The poll was taken in January, which was colder than normal.

The Midwestern Regional Climate Center reports that low temperatures in Detroit during the last two weeks of January were the coldest in its 153-year record.

Perceptions were more mixed on cost of living, housing, transportation and weather.

Cost of living and weather are topics the poll graded, and housing and transportation are topics it asked about by how easy they were to find.

Within each pair, the topic with the larger share of unfavorable answers comes first, with weather (52%) ahead of cost of living (45%) and housing (29%) ahead of transportation (26%).

1. Weather

Weather is an area with mixed reviews because 52% of the poll’s older Michiganders rated it fair or poor.

It was the only aspect of aging in Michigan that a majority of respondents didn’t view favorably, according to the U-M release.

There were no major differences by region or other factors.

If you gave the weather a low grade, you were in the majority.

2. Cost of Living

Cost of living is an area with mixed reviews because only 55% rated it favorably, which put it second from the bottom among the rated topics.

The other 45% called it fair or poor.

The question asked about the cost of living for people your age in your part of the state, not a statewide average.

Among Michiganders in fair or poor physical or mental health and those with a disability that limits activity, 58% to 66% gave it a fair or poor grade.

3. Housing

In the poll, housing is an area with mixed reviews because 29% of older Michiganders said finding housing that meets their needs is very or somewhat difficult.

Your age matters here: 34% of ages 50 to 64 reported that trouble, against 22% of those 65 and older.

Your region matters too, with 39% in both Northern Michigan and the South/Southwest region reporting difficulty, against 24% in the Southeast.

Among Michiganders with an activity-limiting disability, 40% reported difficulty, compared with 21% of people with no such limit.

For context, the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey puts the median gross rent for all Michigan households at $1,129 a month for 2020 through 2024.

Median monthly costs for owners with a mortgage were $1,569 over the same years.

4. Transportation

Transportation is another area with mixed reviews, with 26% of the poll’s older Michiganders saying safe and reliable transportation is very or somewhat difficult to find.

The U-M release says the 26% held regardless of household income.

In Northern Michigan the share was 33%, while the other regions ranged from 25% to 26%.

Michiganders with an activity-limiting disability reported 32%, against 23% of people with no such limit.

If you care for another adult regularly, you’re in the group that reported 31%, against 24% for those who don’t.

The Michigan Department of Transportation’s $8 million Michigan Mobility Challenge included a project in Delta, Schoolcraft and Dickinson counties.

That project aimed at better transportation, especially for older adults, people with disabilities and veterans.

The state says the Upper Peninsula agencies ended that project because they didn’t find the software mature enough to continue.

How Michigan Prices Compare With the Nation

The poll’s cost-of-living reviews can be set beside a statewide price measure.

Michigan’s overall price level was about 4% below the national level in 2024, based on regional price parities from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Put another way, a basket of goods and services that costs $1,000 nationally cost about $962 in Michigan.

The poll asked about your part of the state, which a statewide figure can’t show.

The Northern Care Gap

Older Michiganders gave health care among the poll’s best grades, with 84% rating health care quality in their region favorably.

Access was another story in Northern Michigan, where 58% said high-quality care is easy to find.

Where you live changes the answer: 86% in the Southeast said so, and 75% did in Central Michigan and the South/Southwest.

Statewide, 78% found it easy and 19% found it difficult.

Northern Michigan trails the Southeast by 28 points on that question.

Local Aging Services

The poll’s grades for aging services were high, with 77% of older Michiganders rating the programs in their area favorably.

Awareness was lower.

When the poll asked adults 65 and older whether they knew about those programs, 39% said they weren’t familiar with them.

Familiarity was highest among people 65 and older who regularly care for another adult, at 75%, against 57% for those who don’t.

Of Michiganders 65 and older, 18% said they attended a senior center event or activity in the past year.

If you’re unsure where to start, the state’s health department says to contact your local Area Agency on Aging.

Groups That Rated the State Lower

Michigan's overall grade was lower among several groups of older adults, so you may rate Michigan above or below the 82%.

Among people in fair or poor physical health, 70% rated the state favorably, against 85% of those in better health.

For mental health, the split was 68% against 84%.

Adults with an activity-limiting disability gave a 76% favorable rating, against 86% of those without a disability.

Household income made a difference in how people graded aging services, which 72% of households under $60,000 rated favorably, against 83% of households at $60,000 or more.