According to a study released in February by the Seniors Count! project at the Wayne State University Institute of Gerontology, a senior-headed household in Michigan brings in an average of $30,787 a year. Keeping that money in Michigan is critical, said Tom Jankowski, one of the authors of the study. After all, even though some of it goes to pay bills, some of it is expendable income -- and almost all of it goes into the local economy. Jacqueline Morrison, manager for state operations for AARP Michigan, is more blunt: "Don't let them leave with their pension checks," she said, laughing.

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Local communities may need to shoulder more of the responsibility of paying for senior services as Michigan baby boomers hit 65. The pressure will grow exponentially in the coming years, fueled not by the sheer numbers of aging baby boomers, but by the economy in which they wrapped up their working years, said Joan Jackson Johnson, head of community services for the City of Lansing. "With the employment in the state and what's happened to retirement plans and the stock market, you've got seniors who thought they were set for life but now are wondering, 'Am I going to lose my house? Can I eat?' " she said. In 63 of Michigan's 83 counties, dwindling federal and state dollars have been supplemented with countywide senior-dedicated millages.

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Every hour, 10 more Michiganders turn 65. One of the most pronounced shifts is in southeast Michigan, where by 2035, one in four residents will be 65 or older. It's a trend fueled by fewer births and an exodus of young people looking for work. In a state where funding has continued to shrink for senior services, advocates worry whether there will be adequate money to care for an avalanche of aging baby boomers.

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http://www.freep.com/article/20101003/NEWS06/10030402/How-aging-boomers-will-transform-Michigan