Michigan second-slowest growing state in nation
(The Center Square) – The 2020 U.S. census shows Detroit’s population fell another 10.5%, about 74,666 people, over the last decade. The Detroit city government disputes the number, saying it undercounts Detroit’s population.
It’s the seventh-straight decade of resident outflow for the Motor City, recording Detroit’s population dropping from 713,777 in 2010 to 639,111 in 2020. About 1.8 million people lived in Detroit in the 1950s.
Delayed census data released Thursday maps nationwide population changes over the last 10 years used for political redistricting.
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan alleged at least a 10% undercount in a statement Thursday afternoon, saying the city will pursue “legal remedies to get Detroit an accurate count.”
Census data says Detroit has only 254,000 occupied households, but Duggan cited DTE Energy reports that nearly 280,000 residential households currently pay electric bills.
Crain’s reported Detroit’s census response rate was 51%, the lowest among all large American cities, or those with more than 500,000 residents.
Flint lost 20.7% of its population falling to 81,252, while Grand Rapids rose 5.8% to 198,917, Ann Arbor grew by 8.7%, and Dearborn grew nearly 14%, according to Bridge’s interactive tool.
Overall, the numbers could help determine control of the U.S. House in the 2022 elections and shape the distribution of billions of federal spending.
Numbers from the once-a-decade count are used to divvy up nearly $1.5 trillion in federal spending and determine states’ Electoral College votes and congressional seats.
Michigan’s population grew by just 2% since the 2010 Census to reach nearly 10.1 million, snagging the spot for the second-slowest growing state in the country.
The only states with slower or negative population growth were Connecticut (.9%), Illinois (-.1%), Mississippi, (-.2%), and West Virginia (-3.2%).
The data will help Michigan’s first-ever independent redistricting commission redraw political boundaries for 2022 as the state loses a congressional seat due to stagnant to little growth compared to booming southern states.
2020 Census data will “be used for the next 10 years to shape the future of our country,” acting Census Bureau Director Ron Jarmin said in a Thursday press conference.
“Local leaders can use this data to make decisions such as where to build roads and hospitals, and how to help our nation recover from the pandemic,” he said. And it will “help inform how hundreds of billions in federal funds will be distributed each year.”
The independent commission is showing its independence by planning to miss a Sept. 17 deadline to pitch maps and adopt them by Nov. 1, the Detroit News reported. Instead, it will wait for tabulated census data expected by September to begin finalizing its maps, which could delay final boundary adoption, possibly sparking lawsuits.
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