By Ben Warren, bwarren@detroitnews.com
Michigan’s population grew by about 28,000 people from July 2024 to July 2025, according to census bureau estimates released this week. That growth hinged mostly on international immigration, though domestic migration from other states reached a net positive for the first time in decades.
Michigan is now home to about 50,000 more residents than in 2020, the date of the last decennial census. The state’s 0.5% population growth rate since 2020 ranks 41st among U.S. states and Washington, D.C. and trails the 1% growth across the Midwest region.
Kurt Metzger, a demographer and the founder and director emeritus of Data Driven Detroit, said the population data was “cautiously optimistic” for Michigan.
“The most important is the fact that we saw net positive domestic migration. I go back to 1991 in my data and we’ve never seen it,” Metzger said.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer celebrated the population figures, citing them as a signal that Michigan was becoming more attractive to families.
“Amid rising costs and so much national economic uncertainty, families are looking to put down roots somewhere they can still afford to live a good life,” she said.
But Metzger said the total population growth figure was less convincing. He pointed out that the Census Bureau revised its previous estimate of Michigan’s 2024 population down by 40,000 in the new numbers.
“I’d say Michigan is holding its own,” said Metzger, a former mayor of Pleasant Ridge. “Let’s not get too excited.”
Nationally, the U.S. population grew at the slowest rate since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, increasing just 0.5%.
“The slowdown in U.S. population growth is largely due to a historic decline in net international migration, which dropped from 2.7 million to 1.3 million in the period from July 2024 through June 2025,” said Christine Hartley, assistant division chief for estimates and projections at the Census Bureau, in a statement.
“With births and deaths remaining relatively stable compared to the prior year, the sharp decline in net international migration is the main reason for the slower growth rate we see today,” she said.
Every year, the Census Bureau estimates state population totals by modifying the latest decennial census tallies. Demographers estimate the number of births and people who moved into the state since the previous year, adding them to the count. Then they subtract the number of deaths and the number of people who moved out of the state.
Less international, more domestic migration
Michigan’s growth over the last half-decade has relied entirely on immigration, since deaths have outpaced births and domestic migration was a net negative before 2025.
“The good part for the 2025 numbers is the domestic migration,” said Metzger, the demographer. But he pointed out that international immigration to Michigan dropped dramatically.
While most of the state’s growth still came from international migration, the 30,000 people who moved to Michigan from other countries was less than half the net total from a year before. As a result, Michigan’s total population growth was slower than the year prior.
Domestic migration played a smaller role, with about 1,800 more people moving to Michigan from other states than moving out of Michigan. Still, that marked a departure from a trend of domestic outmigration from the Great Lakes State.
In her statement, Whitmer said, “for the first time since the early 90s, more people moved into Michigan from other states than moved out. Our work to get things done on the kitchen-table issues that make a real difference in people’s lives is paying off.”
The pattern of positive domestic migration was also consistent across the region. During the same period, total net domestic migration across the Midwest was 16,000, compared to migration losses in 2021 and 2022 that reached -175,000.
As President Donald Trump’s administration clamps down on legal immigration, Metzger said residents of other states moving to Michigan is the state’s best chance at population growth moving forward.
“Michigan is not going to grow from a natural increase. It’s probably not going to grow from immigration, so long as the Trump administration has its way,” Metzger said. “So, the only hope is domestic migration.”
Population growth still lags nation
Despite overall population growth, Michigan continued to lag the US and other states in the Midwest, the census bureau data showed.
While Michigan’s population has grown 0.5% since 2020, the total US population has grown by 3% and the population of the Midwest region has increased 1%.
According to the Census Bureau, the Midwest was the only region in the country where every state experienced population growth from mid-2024 to mid-2025.
Other midwestern states like Indiana (3% growth since 2020), Minnesota (2%) and Ohio (1%) have grown their populations more quickly than Michigan. Among nearby states, only Illinois, which has lost population since 2020, grew more slowly.
In her statement, Whitmer acknowledged that more needs to be done to spur Michigan’s growth.
“While this growth is a sign that our strategy is working, we have to double down,” she said.
