Thanks for the reply Dan.
If I remove it from the project, save the project, then restart and reopen the project, it still reads the field as text.
So I went into Windows Explorer and changed the filename. I tried to re-add the file, but the ArcGIS Pro "Add Data" dialog still shows me the old file name. If I try to open that, I get an error ("The file doesn't exist"...no $%#&*, I just renamed it). I have to restart ArcGIS Pro for it to see the file with the new name. Unbelievable.
After I have restarted the application, reopened my project, and re-added the renamed file, the application FINALLY reinterprets the data, realizes that there is no longer a call that says "Grand Total" and correctly interprets the column as numeric. At this point I've only torn out half the hair on my head.
Just for kicks I try making a new project, but in the dialog to set the path for my new project, I cannot create a new folder. I have to go back to Windows Explorer to create a new folder for my project. That's why my company is paying thousands of dollars for an ArcGIS license....because we want to have to open a whole separate program to create a folder (*sarcasm*).
ESRI software makes me reconsider my career choice as an urban planner.