Michigan Takes Huge Census Hit

Yes, we are the only State to lose population from 2000 to 2010, dropping 0.6% of our residents and ending with a head count of 9,883,640. Large cities dependent on auto manufacturing fared the worst. Detroit lost 237,000 people for a 25% drop, Flint lost 18%, Saginaw 17%, and Pontiac lost just over 10% of it's population. But some areas gained in population.

My ‘home base’ – Livingston County – actually fared well in the census, gaining 15.3% or 24,024 people since 2000, the second highest gain among Michigan counties. Clinton County was the winner with a 16.5% population gain. The other 81 counties were either negative or slightly more than 2000 census levels.

Some other counties that gained were Macomb at 6.7%, Washtenaw at 6.8%, and Ottawa County with a 10.6% gain. Ottawa County is on the west side of the state. Recognizable cities in Ottawa County include Grand Haven, Zeeland and Holland.

Among Michigan’s top 20 largest cities, only 5 remained unchanged or gained in population, with Sterling Heights in Metro Detroit leading the way at a 4.2% increase, and Wyoming, near Grand Rapids showing a 4.0% gain. Detroit, Flint and Pontiac were the biggest losers in this category, with -25.0%, -18.0% and -10.3%, respectively.

For an easy to use interactive map, go to http://www.detnews.com/article/20110322/SPECIAL05/110321001/1413/Interactive-map--Population-changes-by-Metro-Detroit-community this link on the Detroit News web site.

For more 2010 State census data, visit Michgan’s web site at: http://www.michigan.gov/cgi/0,1607,7-158-54534---,00.html