LANSING — Though Michigan’s population grew by 2% between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, most Michigan counties lost residents, according to data released Thursday.
Of Michigan’s 83 counties, 50 lost residents over the 10-year period.
And no counties lost residents at higher rates than ones in the Upper Peninsula.
Michigan’s fastest-shrinking counties, in percentage terms, were:
- Luce County, in the eastern U.P., where the population dropped 19.5%, to 5,339
- Ontonagon County, in the western U.P., which slipped 14.2%, to 5,816
- Gocebic County, in the western U.P., which lost 12.5% of its residents, leaving it with 14,380
- Isabella County, in the central Lower Peninsula, where the population dropped 8.4%, to 64,394
- Baraga County, in the western U.P., which slipped 7.9%, to 8,158
Though the above five counties shrank the most in percentage terms, none of them was tops in Michigan for losing the most residents.
More:These are the 5 fastest-growing counties in Michigan by population
More:Detroit’s population decline continues as diversity lifts state total
That distinction goes to Wayne County, which lost just over 27,000 residents when its population shrank 1.5%. Next was Genesee County, which lost close to 20,000 residents, the data show.
Contact Paul Egan: 517-372-8660 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @paulegan4. Read more on Michigan politics and sign up for our elections newsletter.
