Living Alone? In Michigan, You’re Not Alone
Michigan ranks in the top ten nationally with households with only one person in it. And that's probably not a good thing. Or is it?
Michigan Ranks Tenth In Nation
24/7 Wall Street has come out with a report revealing the states where most people live alone.
They used Census data to judge states by the share of non-family households out of all households.
Michigan wound up tenth in the survey, with 30.49% of our households being single person households, and 15.15% of adults living alone out of the adult population.
North Dakota is the state with the most people living alone, with 19% of adults living alone, which translates to 34% of households.
Low rents, economic opportunity and cheap housing could be the reason for so many solo households.
Utah is the state with the fewest people living alone, just over 8% of adults, translating into 19% of households.
Top 10 States With The Most People Living Alone
North Dakota
Vermont
New Mexico
Maine
Ohio
Rhode Island
Illinois
Montana
New York
Michigan
Is Living Alone Necessarily A Bad Thing?
Most experts that solo living is not good for those who choose it. The National Health Service called loneliness an 'epidemic' a few years back, with more people choosing to live alone, including 25% of people over 60.
In a New York Times article, the effects of being alone were laid out this way:
“Individuals with less social connection have disrupted sleep patterns, altered immune systems, more inflammation and higher levels of stress hormones. One recent study found that isolation increases the risk of heart disease by 29 percent and stroke by 32 percent.”
So We're Not Alone Being Alone?
As Sting sang in the Police hit 'Message In A Bottle': "it seems I'm not alone at being alone. A hundred billion castaways looking for a home."
From a personal perspective, I have only lived alone for the past eight years. Prior to that I always lived with someone else, having been born into a big family, and then getting married and having three kids of my own.
I hate admitting this, but after living with people my whole life, it was refreshing being alone. I could move at my own pace, unburdened by the demands of others.
Where Are The Solo Role Models?
I began thinking that pop culture paints lonely people as flawed, cranky people who need others to have worth. Perhaps if there were more "alone" role models, we could accept our fate, and not feel pressured to find companionship.
That being said, as I get older, I realize it would be nice to have someone share a little of the burden, to have someone to talk with about the events of the day.
Never say never. But in the meantime, alone is what I am. And by the way, that doesn't necessarily mean that I'm lonely. There is a difference.
House Of The Cat Lady