Branch County

Branch County is located in the southern part of the lower peninsula, bordering Indiana. It is traversed by I-69, US-12, M-60 and US-27. Branch County is 15 miles south of I-94 and their southern border is 3 miles from I-80/90. The county contains 508 square miles and ranks 69th in the state in terms of size. The county seat is Coldwater. Branch County is largely agricultural with 70 percent of the land in farms. About one-third of the work force is engaged in manufacturing, particularly plastics products, fabricated metals and metal doors, sash and trim. Hunting, fishing, boating and other outdoor recreation activities are offered in abundance.

Local Area - Click to Enlarge

General Data

DISTANCE	MILES	KM
Chicago	35	56
Cleveland	160	257
Detroit	200	321
Indianapolis	110	176
Lansing	70	112

YEARS	POPULATION
2002	46,503
2003	46,502
2004	46,557
2005	46,460
Source:Population Division, U.S. Census Bureau, March 16, 2006

WORKFORCE
LABOR	2006
Total Workforce	23,421
Number Employed	21,741
Number Unemployed	1,679
Unemployment Rate	7.2
Source:Michigan Employment Service Agency, 2006

CHARACTERISTICS OF LABOR FORCE
LABOR	2000
Workers 16 years and over	20,737
Percentage who work outside of county	29.2%
Percentage who work at home	4.5%
Source:U.S. Bureau of the Census, Census of Population and Housing, 2000

EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENTS
CLASSIFICATION	2000
Persons 25 years of age or older	30,300
Percentage with high school diploma	80.0%
Percentage with bachelor's degree	10.63%
Source:U.S. Bureau of the Census, Census of Population and Housing, 2000

TRANSPORTATION
ACCESS TO MARKETS
Main Highways	I-94, I-69, I-90, I-80, US-27, US-12, M-60
Bus Lines	Branch Area Transit Authority
Truck Lines	40
Rail Lines	Indiana Northeastern, Norfolk Southern
Ports	Benton Harbor (70 miles-Lake Michigan)
Airports	W.K. Kellogg, Branch County Memorial, Kalamazoo, Battle Creek International
Airlines	American, Northwest, US Air, United
Source: MI State Transportation Commission, 1995

Economy

PERSONAL INCOME (In Thousands of Dollars)
Components by Type	2002	2003	2004	2005
Personal income	1,003,708	1,038,912	1,059,480	1,087,570
Population (persons)	46,502	46,467	46,503	46,275
Per capita personal income (dollars)	21,584	22,358	22,783	23,502
Farm proprietors' income	-9,712	1,275	9,234	7,668
Nonfarm proprietors' income	69,661	67,886	78,410	83,140
Components by Industry	2002	2003	2004	2005
Farm earnings	757	9,456	18,934	16,030
Nonfarm earnings	651,206	669,817	678,704	694,730
Private earnings	499,092	515,314	517,551	526,004
Forestry, fishing, related activities, and other	0	0	0	0
Mining	0	0	0	0
Utilities	0	0	0	0
Construction	37,987	34,448	34,399	36,851
Manufacturing	155,678	163,545	156,755	156,470
Durable goods manufacturing	136,032	143,725	136,815	135,751
Wholesale trade	0	0	0	0
Retail Trade	68,670	69,611	65,467	62,482
Transportation and warehousing	63,035	75,377	78,683	79,886
Information	7,761	7,491	7,381	7,505
Finance and insurance	28,701	30,721	30,138	31,054
Real estate and rental and leasing	19,520	16,631	21,355	23,655
Professional and technical services	0	0	0	0
Government and government enterprises	152,114	154,503	161,153	168,726
Federal, civilian	5,776	5,639	5,790	5,937
Military	1,973	2,794	3,019	3,423
State and local	144,365	146,070	152,344	159,366
Source:Bureau of Economic Analysis, US Department of Commerce, Issued May 2007

EMPLOYMENT BY INDUSTRY (Number of Jobs)
Components by Type	2002	2003	2004	2005
Total employment	22,213	22,329	21,967	21,951
Wage and salary employment	16,418	16,250	15,670	15,383
Proprietors employment	5,795	6,079	6,297	6,568
Farm employment	1,396	1,383	1,385	1,368
Nonfarm employment	20,817	20,946	20,582	20,583
Components by Industry	2002	2003	2004	2005
Private employment	17,224	17,423	17,147	17,121
Forestry, fishing, related activities, and other	0	0	0	0
Mining	0	0	0	0
Utilities	0	0	0	0
Construction	1,165	1,176	1,177	1,223
Manufacturing	3,583	3,622	3,395	3,302
Wholesale trade	0	0	0	0
Retail Trade	3,517	3,440	3,213	2,977
Transportation and warehousing	1,557	1,717	1,739	1,751
Finance and insurance	758	768	764	789
Real estate and rental and leasing	614	662	733	801
Professional and technical services	0	0	0	0
Government and government enterprises	3,593	3,523	3,435	3,462
Federal, civilian	103	100	92	94
Military	93	91	89	84
State and local	3,397	3,332	3,254	3,284
Source:Bureau of Economic Analysis, US Department of Commerce, Issued May 2007

PRINCIPAL EMPLOYERS
NAICS	COMPANY NAME	LOCATION	EMPLOYEES	PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
493110	Wal-Mart Stores Inc	Coldwater	684	Business Association
622110	Community Health Center of	Coldwater	674	General Medical & Surgical Hospital
332710	GME Construction Products	Union City	450	Machine shop, jobbing & repair services; sheet metal fabricator; steel fabricator
336330	Asama Coldwater Manufacturing	Coldwater	380	Manufactures motor vehicle steering systems & components
336399	Hutchinson Fts Inc	Quincy	300	Manufactures motor vehicle air conditioner parts
452112	Wal-Mart Stores Inc	Coldwater	300	Dept Stores Discount
922140	Department of Corrections MI	Coldwater	300	Women's Prison
922140	Department of Corrections MI	Coldwater	300	Prison
452112	Wal-Mart Stores Inc	Coldwater	264	Department Store Ret Groceries Ret Drugs/Sundries
336399	Crotty Corp	Quincy	250	Manufactures motor vehicle parts & accessories; manufactures rubber oil seals; manufactures hardware
611110	Quincy Community School Dist	Quincy	240	School Corp
336330	Douglas Autotech Corp	Bronson	232	Manufactures motor vehicle steering mechanisms; employment agency services
611110	Branch Intermediate School	Coldwater	225	Elementary/Secondary School
332721	Oak Royal Industries Inc	Bronson	200	Manufactures screw machine products; machine shop, jobbing & repair services
452112	Meijer Inc	Coldwater	200	Department Store Gasoline Service Station
332611	Quality Spring Togo Inc	Coldwater	195	Manufactures steel springs; manufactures motor vehicle parts & accessories; manufactures precision mechanical springs; wholesales automotive supplies & parts; manufactures hardware
326150	Sekisui America Corp	Coldwater	180	Manufactures plastic foam products; manufactures plastics materials & resins
921120	County of Branch	Coldwater	150	Legislative Body
623110	Oak Health Care Investors of	Coldwater	142	Nursing/Personal Care Skilled Nursing Care Facility
423450	Griswold Machine & Engineering	Union City	109	Whol Medical/Hospital Equipment
311613	Darling International Inc	Coldwater	106	Manufactures rendered inedible grease; manufactures animal feed
621610	County of Branch	Coldwater	103	Home Health Care Services Medical Doctor's Office Management Services
444110	Home Depot USA Inc	Coldwater	100	Ret Lumber/Building Materials
611110	Coldwater Community Schools	Coldwater	100	Elementary/Secondary School
621610	Arcadia Health Services Inc	Coldwater	100	Home Health Care Services
921110	County of Branch	Coldwater	97	Executive Office
611110	Coldwater Community Schools	Coldwater	95	Elementary/Secondary School
562920	Imco Recycling of Michigan LLC	Coldwater	90	Waste material recycling services; manufactures secondary nonferrous metals
445110	Spartan Stores Inc	Coldwater	85	Grocery store; commercial bakery; retail bakery; florist; pharmacy & drug store; retail music store
624410	Branch Intermediate School	Coldwater	80	Child Day Care Services
311812	Perfection Bakeries Inc	Coldwater	80	Manufactures fresh or frozen bread
444190	Kitchen Shop Outlet	Coldwater	80	Ret Lumber/Building Materials
238140	Bracy & Jahr Inc	Quincy	80	Masonry/Stone Contractor
321211	Coldwater Veneer Inc	Coldwater	75	Manufactures hardwood veneer stock
333131	Griswold Machine & Engineering	Union City	75	Mfg Mining Machinery
611110	Quincy Community School Dist	Quincy	75	Elementary/Secondary School
484121	TEAM Transit Inc	Coldwater	74	Trucking Operator-Nonlocal
611110	Quincy High School	Quincy	72	Elementary/Secondary School
441229	White Star Auction Inc	Bronson	71	Ret Misc Vehicles Ret Motorcycles
423320	Quincy Aggregate Resources	Quincy	70	Whol Brick/Stone Material
922140	Department of Corrections MI	Coldwater	70	Correctional Institution
325314	Sun Gro Horticulture Distbn	Quincy	70	Manufactures potting soil; horticulture consulting services
722110	Ponderosa	Coldwater	65	Steak Restaurant
522110	Southern Michigan Bancorp Inc	Coldwater	65	State Commercial Bank
331314	Alchem Aluminum Inc	Coldwater	60	Aluminum refining & smelting; wholesales nonferrous metals scrap
611110	Coldwater Community Schools	Coldwater	60	Elementary/Secondary School
624310	Adapt Inc	Coldwater	60	Sheltered Workshop
611110	Bronson Community School Dist	Bronson	59	Elementary/Secondary School
722110	Bob Evans Farms Inc	Coldwater	53	Eating Place
321918	Middletons Mouldings Inc	Coldwater	53	Manufactures wooden railings; manufactures wooden kitchen cabinets; manufactures partitions & fixtures; manufactures metal doors, sash & trim
623990	CHRC Inc	Coldwater	53	Residential Care Services Specialty Outpatient Clinic Health Practitioner's Office
332312	Eab Fabrication Inc	Quincy	52	Steel fabricator
Source: Harris Publishing Company, 2008 InfoSource

OTHER MAJOR EMPLOYERS
SIC	FIRM	LOCATION	EMPLOYEES	PRODUCT
	Wal-Mart Distribution	Coldwater	1,000	Retail
8062	Community Health Center of Branch County	Coldwater	594	Health Services
8211	Coldwater Community Schools	Coldwater	450	Education
9223	Florence Crane Correctional Facility	Coldwater	394	Correctional Facility
5311	Wal-Mart Supercenter	Coldwater	390	Retail, Grocery
5311	Meijer	Coldwater	378	Retail, Grocery
9223	Lakeland Correctional Facility	Coldwater	371	Correctional Facility
3714	Asama Coldwater Manufacturing	Coldwater	330	Manufacturer
3537	Griswold Machine & Engineering	Union City	300	Manufacturer
3714	Douglas Autotech Corporation	Bronson	280	Manufacturer
8211	Branch Intermediate School District	Coldwater	265	Education
3714	Crotty Corporation	Quincy	250	Manufacturer
2013	ConAgra Foods, Inc.	Quincy	200	Food Processing
Source: Local County Economic Development Contact

NUMBER OF ESTABLISHMENTS
Type of Service	2004
Total	918
Mining	1
Utilities	2
Construction	92
Manufacturing	91
Food mfg	5
Beverage & tobacco product mfg	1
Textile mills	1
Textile product mills	2
Apparel manufacturing	1
Wood product mfg	6
Printing & related support activities	3
Petroleum & coal products mfg	1
Chemical mfg	1
Plastics & rubber products mfg	4
Nonmetallic mineral product mfg	4
Primary metal mfg	6
Fabricated metal product mfg	22
Machinery mfg	11
Electrical equip, appliance & component mfg	1
Transportation equipment mfg	9
Furniture & related product mfg	6
Miscellaneous mfg	7
Wholesale trade	37
Retail trade	170
Transportation & warehousing	26
Information	14
Publishing industries	3
Motion picture & sound recording industries	2
Finance & insurance	56
Real estate & rental & leasing	30
Professional, scientific & technical services	50
Management of companies & enterprises	1
Admin, support, waste mgt, remediation services	36
Educational services	5
Health care and social assistance	85
Arts, entertainment & recreation	21
Accommodation & food services	85
Other services (except public administration)	104
Unclassified establishments	12
Source:Source:U.S. Department of Commerce and Bureau of the Census, County Business Patterns, Issued July 2006

Quality of Life

EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES
PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT INFORMATION
COMMUNITY	SCHOOL DISTRICT	STUDENTS	INSTRUCTORS	HIGH SCHOOLS
Bronson	Bronson Community Schools	1,491	64	1
Coldwater	Coldwater Community Schools	3,466	173	1
Quincy	Quincy Community Schools	1,515	71	1
Source: MI Department of Education, 1997

TWO YEAR COLLEGES AND TECHNICAL SCHOOLS
NAME	LOCATION	ENROLLMENT
Kellogg Community College	Battle Creek	15,386

FOUR YEAR COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES
NAME	LOCATION	ENROLLMENT
Albion College	Calhoun County	1,492
Source: MI Department of Education, 1996

MEDICAL FACILITIES
TYPE OF FACILITY	# IN COUNTY	# OF BEDS
Hospitals	1	80
Source: MI Department of Consumer and Industry Services, 1998

HOUSING (2000)
OWNER OCCUPIED	MEDIAN VALUE	RENTER OCCUPIED	MEDIAN RENT
9,000	$85,000	3,257	$477
Source:U.S. Bureau of the Census, Census of Population and Housing, 2000

CLIMATE
MONTH	AVG. MIN TEMP	AVG. MAX TEMP.
January	15F/-9C	30F/-1C
July	59F/15C	82F/28C
PRECIPITATION	RAINFALL	SNOWFALL
Average Annual	33in./83cm	48in./122cm.
GROWING SEASON	DAYS ABOVE 90F/32C	DAYS BELOW 0F/-18C
150	10	10
Source: NOAA Climate Summary, 1995

RECREATION

COUNTY HIGHLIGHTS

107 lakes; Two chains of lakes totaling 21 square miles; 5 golf courses (2 in Coldwater, 1 each in Quincy, Bronson, and Union City); Tibbits Opera House, Coldwater; Historic District, Coldwater; Branch County 4-H Fair; Several annual festivals including Polish days (Bronson), Carp Rodeo (Union City), and Applefest (Coldwater).

Source: Local County Economic Development Contact

Municipal Services

UTILITIES
COMMUNITY	ELECTRIC	GAS
Gilead, Batavia, Bethel, Bronson, Butler, Algansee,	Consumers Energy	Aquila
Matteson, Noble, Ovid, Quincy, Sherwood, California
Coldwater, Girard, Batavia	CBPU	Aquila
Source: Local County Economic Development Contact

TELECOMMUNICATIONS
Local Phone Companies	Coldwater BPU, Verizon
Long Distance Companies
Source: Local County Economic Development Contact

LICENSED LANDFILLS
COMMUNITY	OWNER/MANAGER
None in county
Source: MDEQ Waste Management Division, 1998

PROPERTY TAX (2004)
Agriculture	Commercial	Industrial	Residential	Other
11.90%	23.10%	9.80%	52.40%	2.80%
Source:MI Department of Treasury State Tax Commission, 2006

GOVERNMENT
COMMUNITY	PHONE NUMBER	COMMUNITY	PHONE NUMBER
Algansee Twp	(517) 639-4871	Kinderhook Twp	(517) 238-8182
Batavia Twp	(517) 741-7523	Matteson Twp	(517) 369-1678
Bethel Twp	(517) 369-2512	Noble Twp	(517)369-1232
Branch County	(517) 279-4300	Ovid Twp	(517) 238-9308
Bronson Twp	(517) 369-9456	Quincy Twp	(517) 639-5463
Bronson (City of)	(517) 369-7334	Quincy (Village of)	(517) 639-9065
Butler Twp	(517) 639-4556	Sherwood Village	(517) 741-4186
California Twp	(517) 238-5442	Sherwood Twp	(517) 741-7281
Coldwater Twp	(517) 279-9388	Union City (Village)	(517) 741-8591
Coldwater (City of)	(517) 279-9501	Union Twp	(517) 741-4169
Gilead Twp	(517) 369-9193
Girard Twp	(517) 279-2323
Source: Local County Economic Development Contact

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CONTACT

Mr. Gib Turner, Executive Director Branch County Economic Growth Alliance, Inc. One Grand Street Coldwater, MI 49036-1620

Phone: (517) 278-4146 Fax: (517) 278-2947

Website:  www.bcega.com Email: bcega@bcega.com

Source: Local County Economic Development Contact