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Both nationally and in Michigan, the proportion of adults in middle-class households declined between 1999 and 2014. However, nationally the percentage of adults in high-income households increased while in Michigan, that share decreased, according to the Pew Research Center. The study defined middle-class as between $42,000 to $125,000 annually for a household of three.

The middle class in the United States has been shrinking since 2000, and nowhere is the trend more evident than Michigan, according to a study released this week by the Pew Research Center.

What makes the Michigan numbers especially distressing: In three-quarters of U.S. metro areas analyzed, the shrinking middle class was partially offset by a rise in affluent households, a trend that didn't occur in most of Michigan.

Adjusted for household size and inflation, Michigan's median household income declined 17 percent between 1999 and 2014 -- from a median of $75,370 in 1999 to $62,608 in 2014 -- the biggest drop among the 50 states and District of Columbia, the Pew study found.

In 1999, Michigan ranked ninth in U.S. median household incomes. By 2014, the state had fallen to No. 30, according to Pew's data.

The study, titled "America's Shrinking Middle Class: A Close look at Changes Within Metropolitan Areas," analyzed 229 U.S. metro areas, including 10 in Michigan: Ann Arbor, Detroit, Grand Rapids, Jackson, Kalamazoo, Lansing, Monroe, Muskegon, Niles/Benton Harbor and Saginaw.

Pew divided American adults into three categories: Low middle and upper income. For a household of three, the study defined middle class as those with an income between $41,641 and $124,925 in 2014.

Incomes in each metropolitan area were adjusted for the cost of living in the area relative to the national average cost of living.

The take-aways nationally:

The middle class was shrinking in 203 of the 229 metro areas studied. That was true in all 10 of Michigan metro areas.

The percentage of adults in low-income households grew in 160, or 70 percent, of the 229 metro areas, a trend found also in all 10 Michigan regions.

The percentage of adults high-income households grew in 172, or 75 percent, of the 229 metro areas. Niles-Benton Harbor was the only Michigan region with an increase in the upper-income tier.

Households in all income tiers saw a decrease a median income between 1999 and 2014, a trend that held true throughout Michigan.

Tim Bartik, a senior economist at the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research in Kalamazoo, said the methodology of the Pew study was "reasonable" and, when combined with other research on the income trends, appears to reflect the changes in the U.S. job market, particularly in regards to manufacturing.

Michigan had the nation's biggest decrease in median household income between 2000 and 2014, according to a new study by the Pew Research Center.

Many of the manufacturing jobs lost were relatively well-paying, while "the jobs that are left pay less," he said.

"Clearly, there's been a huge decline in manufacturing employment and that plays a huge role in the case of Michigan," Bartik said.

He pointed to another recent study that indicated wages for white men who lack a college education have dropped significantly since the recession, the result of fewer well-paying jobs in manufacturing and construction.

Below is what the study data said about each of the 10 Michigan regions analyzed. Income figures have been adjusted for inflation and cost of living in that area, and is based on a household of three people.

Ann Arbor: Median income declined 15 percent from 1999 to 2014, from $83,378 to $70,566. The percent in the middle class dropped by 1.9 points to 49.3 percent. Percent of high-income households was 25.1 percent, down 1.8 points, and percent in low-income households was 25.6 percent, up 3.7 points.

Metro Detroit: Median income declined 18 percent from 1999 to 2014, from $80,140 to $65,641. The percent in the middle class dropped by 3.7 points to 51.4 percent. Percent of high-income households was 20.5 percent, down 3.2 points, and percent in low-income households was 28.1 percent, up 6.9 points.

Grand Rapids: Median income declined 16 percent from 1999 to 2014, from $78,194 to $65,310. The percent in the middle class dropped by 6 points to 56.8 percent. Percent of high-income households was 18.4 percent, down 0.8 points, and percent in low-income households was 24.8 percent, up 6.8 points.

Jackson: Median income declined 20 percent from 1999 to 2014, from $73,783 to $59,575. The percent in the middle class dropped by 6.3 points to 56.4 percent. Percent of high-income households was 13.3 percent, down 4.1 points, and percent in low-income households was 30.3 percent, up 10.4 points

Kalamazoo: Median income declined 15 percent from 1999 to 2014, from $74,783 to $61,232. The percent in the middle class dropped by 5.8 points to 52.5 percent. Percent of high-income households was 16.5 percent, down 0.8 points, and percent in low-income households was 31 percent, up 6.5 points

Lansing: Median income declined 14 percent from 1999 to 2014, from $75,117 to $64,756. The percent in the middle class dropped by 2.3 points to 55.1 percent. Percent of high-income households was 16.6 percent, down 2.6 points, and percent in low-income households was 28.4 percent, up 4.9 points.

Monroe: Median income declined 15 percent from 1999 to 2014, from $80,117 to $64,756. Percent in middle class dropped by 3 points to 58.1 percent. Percent of high-income households was 17.9 percent, down 2.8 points, and percent in low-income households was 24 percent, up 5.8 points.

Muskegon: Median income declined 16 percent from 1999 to 2014, from $66,672 to $56,243. The percent in the middle class dropped by 3.9 points to 56.1 percent. Percent of high-income households was 12.4 percent, down 2.2 points, and percent in low-income households was 31.5 percent, up 6.1 points.

Niles-Benton Harbor: Median income declined 16 percent from 1999 to 2014, from $68,809 to $57,993. The percent in the middle class dropped by 11.9 points to 46.4 percent. Percent of high-income households was 22 percent, up 5.7 percent, and percent in low-income households was 31.6 percent, up 6.1 points.

Saginaw: Median income declined 12 percent from 1999 to 2014, from $69,030 to $60,486. The percent in the middle class dropped by 0.1 point to 58.5 percent. Percent of high-income households was 14.9 percent, down 1.8 points, and percent in low-income households was 26.7 percent, up 1.9 points.

Look up 229 metro areas

This database allows you to look up the Pew Research Center data on all 229 metro area analyzed in their study on middle-class households. It shows the percentage of adults living in low, middle and high income households in 1999 compared to 2014.

Database: Household income by U.S. metro region

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Julie Mack is a reporter for MLive.com. Email her at jmack1@mlive.com, call her at 269-350-0277 or follow her on Twitter @kzjuliemack.