Hammered by the car industry's slump, Detroit has seen its population plummet 25 per cent over the past decade, according to census data released yesterday that reflects the severity of an economic downturn in the only American state whose population declined since 2000. The statistics show that the Motor City's population fell to 713,777 in 2010, compared to 951,270 in 2000.
Although a significant drop was expected, state demographer Ken Darga said the number was "considerably lower" than the Census Bureau's estimate last year.
"That's just incredible," said Kurt Metzger, a demographer with Data Driven Detroit, a nonprofit organisation. "It's certainly the largest population loss percentage-wise that we've ever had in this city."
Mayor Dave Bing disputed the numbers, claiming his city has at least 750,000 residents, an important threshold for qualifying for some state and federal funds. He didn't explain how so many people were missed by census workers, but he said he planned to appeal.
Detroit's population peaked at 1.8 million in 1950, when it ranked fifth nationally. Yesterday's numbers reflect the decline of the auto industry - the city's lifeblood for a century - and an exodus of many residents to the suburbs.
"The census figures clearly show how crucial it is to reinvent Michigan," Governor Rick Snyder said. "We cannot cling to the old ways of doing business."
Metzger said the drop-off in Detroit partially reflected the migration of middle-class blacks to suburban counties, a trend begun by whites decades ago. But the numbers also show many blacks have given up on Michigan altogether: the state's non-Hispanic black population fell by 1.8 per cent.
That marks Michigan's first drop in black residents since statehood, and a significant change for a state that was long a magnet for blacks leaving the South to escape discrimination and seek jobs, said William Frey, a Brookings Institution demographer.
The statewide population fell 0.6 per cent over the decade, although it did make gains with Hispanics and residents of Asian origin. The non-Hispanic Asian population was 236,490, up 35 per cent over the decade - Michigan's fastest growing racial group. Asians now account for 2.4 per cent of the state's residents.
Michigan's Hispanic population grew by 34.7 per cent, to 436,358 or 4.4 per cent of the overall population.AP
Although a significant drop was expected, state demographer Ken Darga said the number was "considerably lower" than the Census Bureau's estimate last year.
"That's just incredible," said Kurt Metzger, a demographer with Data Driven Detroit, a nonprofit organisation. "It's certainly the largest population loss percentage-wise that we've ever had in this city."
Mayor Dave Bing disputed the numbers, claiming his city has at least 750,000 residents, an important threshold for qualifying for some state and federal funds. He didn't explain how so many people were missed by census workers, but he said he planned to appeal.
Detroit's population peaked at 1.8 million in 1950, when it ranked fifth nationally. Yesterday's numbers reflect the decline of the auto industry - the city's lifeblood for a century - and an exodus of many residents to the suburbs.
"The census figures clearly show how crucial it is to reinvent Michigan," Governor Rick Snyder said. "We cannot cling to the old ways of doing business."
Metzger said the drop-off in Detroit partially reflected the migration of middle-class blacks to suburban counties, a trend begun by whites decades ago. But the numbers also show many blacks have given up on Michigan altogether: the state's non-Hispanic black population fell by 1.8 per cent.
That marks Michigan's first drop in black residents since statehood, and a significant change for a state that was long a magnet for blacks leaving the South to escape discrimination and seek jobs, said William Frey, a Brookings Institution demographer.
The statewide population fell 0.6 per cent over the decade, although it did make gains with Hispanics and residents of Asian origin. The non-Hispanic Asian population was 236,490, up 35 per cent over the decade - Michigan's fastest growing racial group. Asians now account for 2.4 per cent of the state's residents.
Michigan's Hispanic population grew by 34.7 per cent, to 436,358 or 4.4 per cent of the overall population.AP
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