Where Michiganders are moving
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When Michiganders move out of state, they often head for warmer weather and sunshine.
The big picture: Overall, moving rates are at a record low across the U.S., but state-to-state migration is on the rise — which can affect the workforce and tax base.
State of play: Florida was the top state for transplants, with 23,664 Michiganders moving there from 2018-2022.
- Texas was the fifth most popular state, with 9,326 people from Michigan who moved there.
Yes, but: Many people who have left didn't go far. Nearby Midwest states rounded out the top-five destinations for Michiganders who moved: Ohio (13,032), Indiana (10,134) and Illinois (9,547).
- Florida and Texas saw 32,990 Michiganders move there combined — a hair more than the Midwest trio of Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, which received 32,713 Michiganders altogether, the data shows.
Zoom in: Illinois' Cook County, which includes Chicago, ranked as the top county Michiganders moved to, with more than 5,500 people. The other top counties and their cities were:
- Lucas County, Ohio (Toledo)
- Maricopa County, Ariz. (Phoenix)
- Lee County, Fla. (Fort Myers)
- Clark County, Nev. (Las Vegas)
The fine print: The maps are based on new 2018-2022 five-year state-to-county migration estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey.
- The estimates are best understood as a pooled average covering that time frame.
Why it matters: Michigan was among 14 states that lost residents from 2021-22, falling from 10.05 million people in 2021 to 10.03 in 2022, U.S. Census data shows.
- A report released in April raised more population loss concerns, warning that nearly 700,000 fewer residents could live here by 2050.
- The population decline has Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's attention — her administration has sought to reverse the trend by appointing a population czar and creating a bipartisan commission to identify a population goal.
Zoom out: Florida was the most popular destination for Ohioans and Pennsylvanians and it drew the second-highest number of transplants from neighboring Illinois and Indiana.
- Economist Sean Snaith told Voice of America last year the main reasons people move to Florida include weather, a strong labor market and no state income tax.
- The same principles apply to Texas.
Go deeper: Where out-of-state movers are going