The Mackinaw City Village Planning Commission reviewed and accepted a draft version of the village's overall demographics to be added to the village master plan, which is under revision. The draft chapter was accepted at the Thursday, April 23, commission meeting and will be updated as new data from secondary sources and the 2010 census becomes available.

The draft will be finalized when the commission approves the entire master plan, which has no set completion date, Village Manager Jeff Lawson said.

"We're not going to change the format or the structure or the information in there," he said. "With statistical information, it's pretty straightforward. There's not really a lot the planning commission can comment on because it's information from the census or it's from statistical information we gather from secondary sources."

Mr. Lawson said demographic data is used to guide the commission and council when moving forward with capital improvements, taking into account the large influx of seasonal residents and tourists. The population of the village is 859, but swells to between 6,000 and 10,000 per day between May and October.

"Our capacity is built for our visitor population. There are communities that have a base population larger than 859 that don't have water or sewer facilities. We have to build that facility actually for a base population between 6,000 to 10,000," he said. "We also have a much larger major street network . . . because we have a lot more traffic in the summertime."

Data contained in the draft includes population trends, ages, ethnicity, income, education, employment, and mobility.

According to the 2000 census, the village has a higher percentage of high school graduates, 88.9%, than the state average of 83.4%, however, is 0.5% lower for total residents with a bachelor's degree, 21.3% and 21.8%, respectively.

The median income in the village is $37,031, about $7,600 below the state median. Like most of the Straits area, the village has a higher than average unemployment rate at 22%, attributed to the seasonality of the tourist industry.

Median age for the village is 44.7.

The data was based on hotel occupancy, seasonal homes, employees, Mackinac Bridge crossings, state park attendance, ferry service to Mackinac Island, and the 2000 census.

"The basis with demographics is to understand the population and things associated with the population," Mr. Lawson said. "You'll have better understanding on how to plan for the community."