FEATURE Numbers Paint a
FEATURE Numbers Paint a Picture Walsh College survey reveals striking demographic data about Metro Detroit’s Chaldeans BY CAL ABBO Walsh College, in partnership with the Chaldean American Chamber of Commerce, recently published results of its extensive survey on the demographics of Chaldeans in metro Detroit. This follows the last survey which was published in 2018 by the CACC and University of Michigan Dearborn and an earlier survey from 2008 that was conducted by Walsh College. The 2018 survey sent a directmail piece to 1,772 random Chaldean households and received responses from 13% of them. It collected demographic data like education, household income, business ownership, and investments. One key finding showed that Chaldeans in metro Detroit had an annual economic impact of .7 billion, up from .7 billion in 2008. The 2018 report estimated 160,000 Chaldeans in Detroit compared to 113,000 from 2008. The 2023 survey was distributed online through the Chamber’s network and social media accounts, and was sent to thousands of Chaldeans via email. In total, the new survey received more than 1,200 responses and estimated that 183,500 Chaldeans live in metro Detroit and the community’s economic impact is .6 billion. In general, many surveys tend to undercount minorities for several reasons. A language barrier, for example, could prohibit many Chaldeans from participating. For that reason, in addition to the online survey, which was only available in English, the CACC distributed some paper versions in Arabic. Chaldean Americans may also be more cautious than other Americans about providing personal information in a survey, and they might not trust the survey’s anonymity, especially if they are undocumented. This can .7 BILLLION 113,000 POPULATION 62% GROWTH SINCE 2008 also introduce a bias into the surveys. Chaldeans who are older along with more recent immigrants tend to speak less English and are not as plugged into the Chamber’s network. These demographics may have responded to the survey at a lower rate than others. One quarter of the survey’s responses came from someone 18 years or younger, which is an astounding result that suggests the Chaldean community is extremely young and full of children who are mature enough to take the survey or took it in place of their non-English speaking parents. For comparison, only 22% of the United States is under 18, and few are old enough to answer a complex survey like the one created by Walsh. It also CHALDEAN STORY .7 BILLLION 160,000 ECONOMIC IMPACT 475% GROWTH SINCE 2008 .6 BILLLION (ESTIMATE) ECONOMIC IMPACT IN MICHIGAN 183,500 (ESTIMATE) METRO DETROIT CHALDEAN POPULATION 2008 2018 2023 hints at the future of the Chaldean community and shows that it’s still growing at a significant rate in metro Detroit. Walsh College used a direct linear formula to calculate the Chaldean population in metro Detroit based on the two previous surveys. Since these figures come from a simple estimate, it’s possible they underrepresent the Chaldean community, and the real population surpasses 200,000. In the United States, according to the Census Bureau, the average household consists of 3.13 people. In the Chaldean community, according to the newest survey, that number is 4.08, almost an entire person more than the rest of the U.S., showing This report is made possible with generous support from Michigan Stories, a Michigan Humanities Grants initiative. how the community’s living situations are still family oriented. The 2023 survey also asked for data regarding businesses owned, type of work, income, business worth, and real estate worth. More than 31% of the responders own a business and 32% have a career in a profession. These are not mutually exclusive, as many Chaldean professionals own and run their own business. Over the last 17 years, since the first survey was conducted, the economic activity of Chaldeans has continued to shift from small-time entrepreneurs to larger and more diverse businesses as well as educated professions like doctors, lawyers, engineers, realtor, and more. More than 40% of Chaldeans’ real estate values total less than 0,000, and the percentage slowly tapers off as the value gets higher. In contrast, more than 20% of Chaldeans have real estate holdings worth more than million. The most common zip code that the survey collected was 48322, a section of West Bloomfield. The second most common zip code was 48323, which represents parts of West Bloomfield, Orchard Lake, and Commerce Township. The next most common zip codes were 48310 in Sterling Heights and 48331 in Farmington Hills. By analyzing the individual responses and correlating them to the zip codes, we can approximate a picture of income inequality in the Chaldean community. Among Chaldeans who live in 48323, nearly 20% of households bring in over 0,000 per year in income and only about 13% bring in less than 0,000 per year. On the other hand, in the Sterling Heights zip code 48310, more than 40% of Chaldean households make less than 0,000 and only 1 person responded that their household makes 0,000 or more. This data is important when considering where to place different kinds of social services for the community. In total, the survey is a selling point for the Chaldean community and a celebration of our success in the diaspora. Business organizations like the Chaldean American Chamber of Commerce can use this data to make the case to corporations that Chaldeans are worth paying attention to. 44 CHALDEAN NEWS CHALDEAN STORY
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