The 2025 Lapeer Community Health Report, in Plain English

The 2025 Lapeer Community Health Report, in Plain English (With the Numbers That Matter)

Most “community health” reports feel like they were written for a conference room. This one actually has a lot of practical truth in it—if somebody takes the time to translate it.

Below is a section-by-section breakdown of the 2025 Lapeer Community Health Needs Assessment (attached), explained in everyday terms, with the key statistics pulled forward—especially the ones that matter to families with kids and empty nesters in Lapeer County.

Section: What this report is and why it exists

This report is a “Community Health Needs Assessment” (CHNA). It’s required on a regular cycle, and the goal is simple: figure out the biggest health-related problems in the community so local organizations can focus their time and dollars where it will actually help.

In other words, it’s not a feel-good brochure. It’s meant to steer real priorities and real projects.

What it means for readers: If something shows up as a top priority in this report, you’re more likely to see community programs, screenings, education, partnerships, and resources aimed at it over the next few years. This is the “why” behind a lot of what gets planned.

Section: Who the report is talking about

The report defines McLaren Lapeer Region’s primary service area using 14 zip codes. Using the 2023 American Community Survey, it lists the service-area population as 99,784 people.

Here’s the part that speaks directly to our core Lapeers Best audience:

• 20.2% of the population is under age 18 (hello, families with kids).
• 19.7% of the population is over age 65 (hello, empty nesters and grandparents).

That’s a huge takeaway: kids and older adults together make up about 4 out of every 10 people in this service area. So when the report talks about “community needs,” it’s not abstract—it’s literally describing the two life stages that shape Lapeer County’s daily life.

The report also notes the area has limited racial diversity, listing 90.6% Caucasian, 4.8% Hispanic, and smaller percentages across other categories.

What it means for readers: This report is describing your neighbors. School families. Grandparents. Retirees. Working households. If you want to understand why certain issues keep popping up in Lapeer County conversations, this section is the “who.”

Section: Education, income, and work (the stuff that quietly shapes health)

This is one of the most important sections in the whole report because it explains why “health” isn’t just about clinics.

Key numbers the report highlights:

• 18.7% of people age 25+ have a bachelor’s degree or higher (compared to 31.8% for Michigan and 35.0% for the U.S.).
• Average (mean) household income in the service area is $91,842 (compared to Michigan’s $96,229).
• 3.2% unemployment (compared to Michigan’s 3.6%).
• 6.2% report having no health insurance (compared to Michigan’s 5.0%).
• 10.5% are self-employed (Michigan: 9.5%; U.S.: 11.0%).

What it means for readers: If fewer people have degrees that typically connect to jobs with strong benefits, and more people are self-employed, it can mean more households are piecing together coverage—or going without. For families, that can lead to putting off appointments. For empty nesters, it can mean delaying screening and routine care until something becomes urgent.

Section: Poverty rates vary a lot—by zip code

The report doesn’t treat poverty like a single county-wide number. It points out that poverty can look very different depending on where you live—and it lists poverty rates by zip code in the service area.

It also provides a comparison point: Michigan’s poverty rate is 8.8%.

In the service-area zip code table, the listed poverty rates range from 3.3% (zip 48428) up to 12.4% (zip 48453). Several other zip codes are listed above 8% (including 48446 at 8.3% and 48444 at 10.7%).

What it means for readers: This matters because poverty is connected to the real-life barriers families feel: groceries, gas, heat, childcare, co-pays, and the ability to take time off work. For empty nesters, it can show up as “fixed income stress,” medication costs, and postponing care.

Section: Representing the community (who answered the survey)

The report includes results from a 2024 Community Health Survey. For the McLaren Lapeer Region service area, the report references 100 individuals from the service area.

Two major takeaways:

• 61.0% of respondents said they represented a vulnerable population.
• The survey intentionally included input from organizations and agencies serving vulnerable groups (including seniors, low-income services, early childhood services, and more).

It also breaks down which vulnerable populations were represented (respondents could identify with more than one):

• 46% said they experience a mental health condition/disability or special education needs
• 33% low income
• 25% healthcare or human service provider
• 25% victim of domestic abuse or child abuse
• 21% substance use disorder/alcoholism or in recovery
• 18% veteran
• 16% senior citizen
• 11% physically disabled
• 8% minority race/ethnic background
• 8% homeless
• 3% seasonal/part-time resident

What it means for readers: This section is basically saying, “We didn’t just survey the easiest people to reach.” The report is intentionally listening to households that often face the biggest obstacles. For families and empty nesters, that’s important—because the supports created from this plan are often designed to remove barriers, not just hand out advice.

Section: Data findings (the parts people feel the most)

This is where the report gets very practical, very fast.

Workforce development: The report notes 250+ job openings across 23 local health and human services agencies that appear on a weekly job bulletin.

What it means for readers: If agencies are short-staffed, services can be harder to access, slower to respond, and tougher to coordinate. That affects everyone—but families feel it when they’re trying to find counseling support or services for kids, and empty nesters feel it when they’re trying to navigate multiple appointments and referrals.

Coordination of services: Here’s a major headline statistic: 47% of service-area respondents said coordination of services is a weakness or major weakness of the health care system.

What it means for readers: The frustration isn’t only “we need more.” It’s also “I don’t know where to start,” “I called three places,” “I got bounced around,” and “I’m the one doing all the coordinating.” This is a very real pain point for busy parents and for older adults juggling multiple providers.

Health insurance access: The report states 34% of service-area respondents felt that access to health insurance was a weakness or major weakness.

What it means for readers: Coverage and affordability affect whether people seek care early or delay until it’s serious. Families might postpone visits or therapies. Empty nesters might put off screening or follow-ups. This number is the report saying, “Cost and coverage are still barriers in our area.”

Section: Behavioral health (mental health and substance-related outcomes)

The report includes behavioral health data and calls out a key regional fact: Over the past 10 years, 82% of suicide deaths in the Thumb were men.

What it means for readers: For families, this is a reminder that mental health isn’t only “a teen issue” or “a women’s issue.” For empty nesters, it’s a reminder that older men can be especially at risk when stress piles up, life changes, or isolation increases—especially in long Michigan winters. The takeaway isn’t fear. It’s awareness and normalization: check on your people, and take stress seriously.

The report also notes that Lapeer County did not participate in the School Health Survey, meaning some school-based youth data isn’t available in the same way it may be for other areas.

Section: Cancer (one of the top focus areas)

Here are the cancer mortality rates the report lists for Lapeer County (rates per 100,000), using 2017–2021 data:

• Lung cancer: 43.4
• Breast cancer (females): 27.6
• Colorectal cancer: 14.1
• Prostate cancer (males): 19.2

What it means for readers: This is why cancer made the “Focus Areas” list. For empty nesters, it reinforces the value of screening and prevention conversations with your provider. For families, it’s also a reminder that the habits and routines at home matter long-term—and family history conversations shouldn’t wait until someone is sick.

Section: Community needs and priorities (the “final list”)

After reviewing the data and the survey input, the CHNA team selected priorities in three buckets—because focusing on a smaller number makes it more likely you’ll see real progress:

• Focus Areas: Cancer; Chronic Disease; Access to Care
• Priorities: Nutrition; Social Determinants of Health; Mental Health
• Collaborative Needs: Prenatal Care; Substance Use Disorders; Poverty & Homelessness; Transportation

What it means for readers: If you’re wondering “what’s Lapeer County trying to improve?”—this is the answer. It’s not just “eat better.” It’s also “make care easier to access,” “reduce barriers like transportation and poverty,” and “treat mental health like a real health issue.”

Section: Responding to the needs (what happens next)

The report says the next step is a resource assessment—figuring out what programs already exist, where gaps are, and how to avoid duplicating efforts.

What it means for readers: This is where planning turns into action. And it’s also where local awareness matters. A resource is only helpful if people know it exists and can get to it.

The “so what?” for families and empty nesters in Lapeer County

If you want the entire report reduced to one plain-English sentence, it’s this:

Lapeer County’s biggest health wins will come from making everyday life easier to manage—food, stress, transportation, coverage, and access—while keeping prevention (cancer and chronic disease) on the radar.

Here are the most shareable, practical takeaways:

• Families: If the system feels hard to navigate, you’re not imagining it—nearly half of local survey respondents said coordination is a weakness (47%). That’s why simple, local “where to start” guides matter.
• Empty nesters: Cancer is a top focus for a reason, and the report lists Lapeer County cancer mortality rates by type (lung: 43.4; breast: 27.6; colorectal: 14.1; prostate: 19.2 per 100,000). Screening and prevention aren’t “extra credit.”
• Everyone: Insurance access and affordability still block care for many households (34% said it’s a weakness). When people delay care, problems get bigger and harder to fix.
• Community reality: This service area is built around kids (20.2% under 18) and older adults (19.7% over 65). If initiatives help these two groups, they help most of the community.

And that’s the real purpose of the report: not to make people feel lectured—but to point to the friction points Lapeer County can reduce next.

Sources: 2025 Lapeer Community Health Needs Assessment; McLaren Lapeer Region; Thumb Community Health Partnership; U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey); United Way ALICE Report; County Health Rankings & Roadmaps; Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Vital Statistics