Mayor Duane Parry tossed a miniature beach ball to the crowd after his State of the City address Friday morning to watch the ball bounce, emphasizing his theme that the city is bouncing back.

“Michigan City has jobs, and our people are working. What is needed are better paying jobs with benefits and opportunity for advancement,” Parry said.

The city’s unemployment rate dropped from 5.4% to 2.9% last year, compared to the state’s rate dropping from 3.7% to 2.7%, he said.

“Per IRS statistics, Michigan City is a struggling community — 70% of our families are low-income; 1 in 4 families live in poverty,” Parry said.