LANSING – Detroit’s population in 2010 falling to a level not seen in a century, and a major population shift to the western part of Michigan, were among the most astonishing facts to come out of the U.S. Census data released on Tuesday.
The state also saw a startling increase in both the Hispanic and Asian/Pacific populations. While combined the two populations are still less than 7 percent of Michigan’s 9.833 million residents, both populations grew by better than one-third during the decade while the populations of white and black residents both declined.
Governor Rick Snyder said the data shows how critical it is for the state to reinvent itself, and how his proposals will help accomplish that goal.
“These strategies are essential if we are to reverse the negative population trends. We cannot successfully transition to the ‘New Michigan’ if young, talented workers leave our state. By the same token, Michigan will not succeed if Detroit and other major cities don’t succeed. We all must be partners in Michigan’s reinvention,” Snyder said.
The initial focus on the data release is on the upcoming task of drawing district lines for Congress and the Legislature. With dramatic shifts in population as well as changes in voter behavior, observers said the task will not be easy. One said it will be extremely unlikely that legislators, who will draw the lines, will be able to gerrymander many safe seats for either Republicans or Democrats.
Most of the focus was on the dramatic decline in Detroit’s population.
Detroit’s population fell by 25 percent from 2000 to 2010, dropping the city from some 980,000 people to 714,000. In so doing, Michigan’s largest city is now smaller than Columbus, Ohio, and Indianapolis. In the 1950 census, Detroit had more than 1.8 million people and was the fifth-largest city in the United States behind New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Philadelphia. Now it hovers near the 20th largest city in the United States.
Mayor Dave Bing vowed to challenge the Census count, saying he hoped to boost the number by 40,000.
“I am confident our count will be revised,” he said in a Twitter posting. “We must confront the reality that Detroit is losing population and commit to operating differently.”
In the mid-1960s, 25 House members came from Detroit. It is unlikely the city will have more than eight representatives after the latest redistricting.
Detroit’s decline will also hurt it financially as well, costing it in state and federal funds, and comes at a time when city officials are struggling to manage its budget. Many statutes could be revised to reflect Detroit’s drop below 750,000. Several laws affecting Detroit are drafted to refer to cities of 750,000 people or more.
Snyder said the administration is still studying the Census numbers and what they might mean, including any legislation that might be needed to accommodate the population drop in Detroit.
But Detroit was not the only city to see large drops in population. Flint saw its population drop by 18 percent to 102,400. Saginaw saw its population drop by 16.6 percent to about 51,500. Pontiac’s population dropped by 11.9 percent to about 59,500.
In the 2000 census, Grand Rapids grew. Not so with the 2010 census, with Michigan’s second-largest city watching its population fall by 4.9 percent to 188,000.
Sterling Heights was the only city of more than 100,000 to see its population grow, by 4.2 percent to 129,700.
Other cities grew as well. Midland saw its population grow by 0.2 percent to nearly 41,900. And Marquette grew by 3.1 percent to nearly 21,400. Houghton grew by 9.1 percent to 7,700 and its adjoining city of Hancock grew by 7.1 percent to 4,630.
Ken Darga, Michigan’s demographer, said the census data showed that cities of populations of 100,000 or more dropped by 15.5 percent in aggregate. Cities overall saw populations fall by 4.2 percent, while townships grew by 6.2 percent.
Darga also said the seven counties in the Grand Rapids area grew a combined 6 percent.
The counties surrounding Traverse City grew by 5.8 percent, even though Traverse City just grew by 1 percent.
As cities lost population, their most far-flung suburbs ballooned. Livingston, northern and western Oakland, northern Macomb and western Wayne counties, on the outskirts of the Detroit suburbs, posted big growth.
A map of the state’s counties in terms of populations is striking. Most of the counties in southeast Michigan grew in population, Wayne County being the notable exception.
Most the counties in the extreme southwest part of the state, except for Cass and Kalamazoo showed population declines.
But from the thumb north and east, virtually every county declined in population. Most of the counties west of the central Lower Peninsula grew.
In the Upper Peninsula, just Marquette, Baraga and Houghton counties grew. All the rest lost population.
In total, 43 counties saw population growth. Five counties – Livingston, Clinton, Isabella, Ottawa and Grand Traverse – grew by 10 percent or more. Clinton County led the way with 16.5 percent growth. Another six grew by better than 5 percent: Macomb, Washtenaw, Allegan, Mecosta, Wexford and Benzie.
But 16 counties lost 5 percent of their population or more from the 2000 census. Wayne County lost 11.7 percent of its population, but is still the state’s largest county at 1.8 million.
In terms of racial makeup, white residents saw their numbers fall by 3 percent to makeup 76.6 percent of the population.
Black residents fell by 1.3 percent to make up 14 percent of the total.
The state’s population is now 23.3 percent minority when the populations for Hispanic, black, Asian/Pacific, American Indian and multi-racial residents are combined.
Hispanics grew by 34.7 percent during the decade, and now account for 4.4 percent of the state population. Asian/Pacific residents grew by 34.5 percent and account for 34.5 percent.
The growth of multi-racial residents also jumped by 16.5 percent while the number of American Indian residents jumped by 2.3 percent.
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