Ypsilanti is a medium-sized city located in the state of Michigan. With a population of 19,732 people and 37 associated neighborhoods, Ypsilanti is the 65th largest community in Michigan.Unlike some cities where white-collar or blue-collar occupations dominate the local economy, Ypsilanti is neither predominantly one nor the other. Instead, it has a mixed workforce of both white- and blue-collar jobs. Overall, Ypsilanti is a city of professionals, service providers, and sales and office workers. There are especially a lot of people living in Ypsilanti who work in food service (12.07%), sales jobs (11.20%), and teaching (10.83%). Also of interest is that Ypsilanti has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US. Of important note, Ypsilanti is also a city of artists. Ypsilanti has more artists, designers and people working in media than 90% of the communities in America. This concentration of artists helps shape Ypsilanti’s character. A relatively large number of people in Ypsilanti telecommute to their jobs. Overall, about 13.56% of the workforce works from home. While this may seem like a small number, as a fraction of the total workforce it ranks among the highest in the country. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes. Ypsilanti is a place where college students are a big part of the character and culture of the town. Small towns have often struggled with declining populations over the past few decades, but the presence of such a large college student population has helped Ypsilanti to fight this trend. Not only does the college population add spending and jobs to local economy, but it also contributes a very tangible, youthful energy to the town. Despite the fact that it is a small city, Ypsilanti has quite a few people who take public transportation – mostly the bus - for their daily commute to work. This helps to fill a real need in the city for affordable transportation.Ypsilanti is one of the most well-educated cities in the nation. 44.01% of adults in Ypsilanti have at least a bachelor's degree. Compare that to the average community in America, which has just 21.84% with a bachelor's degree or higher. The per capita income in Ypsilanti in 2022 was $30,863, which is middle income relative to Michigan and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $123,452 for a family of four. However, Ypsilanti contains both very wealthy and poor people as well. Ypsilanti is an extremely ethnically-diverse city. The people who call Ypsilanti home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Ypsilanti residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Important ancestries of people in Ypsilanti include German, Irish, Italian, Polish, and English. The most common language spoken in Ypsilanti is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Arabic.
