Mapped: Michigan's population changes

• Though Detroit recently saw its first estimated population increase in decades, the long-term problem lacks clear, effective solutions — and an April report projecting population through 2050 expects Michigan to grow slowly and then decline.

How it works: Axios' zoomed-in view offers a close look at population change within states and counties via the U.S. Census Bureau's 2019–2023 American Community Survey.

• Browse county-by-county changes in our interactive map here.

By the numbers: Michigan's population grew by around 1%, increasing from a five-year average of about 10 million in 2014–2018 to about 10.1 million in 2019–2023.

• For comparison, Colorado saw a 5.1% change during the same period, Texas saw 6.3% growth and Ohio recorded 1.2%.
• The Mitten State county with the biggest increase in that period was central Michigan's Montcalm County (6.3% growth), followed by Lake County (5.4%).

The intrigue: No Metro Detroit counties cracked the top 20 for population growth in Axios' analysis.

• Oakland County ranked 26th with a 1.7% increase and Wayne County's was 0.7%.

Zoom out: Texas, Florida and Iowa are home to some of the country's fastest-growing large counties.

• Some of the U.S.'s fastest-growing areas are also among the most vulnerable to climate change.

Between the lines: Although Americans often move states in search of things like better jobs and lower costs, international migration is still the main driver of population growth at the national level.

• Migration "accounted for 84% of the nation's 3.3 million increase in population between 2023 and 2024," the Census Bureau said in a recent write-up of separate data.
• "This reflects a continued trend of rising international migration, with a net increase of 1.7 million in 2022 and 2.3 million in 2023."