Mar 17, 2025 - News
Metro Detroit adds residents, census shows
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Metro Detroit's population has grown by 15,133 people since 2020, according to new census data.
Why it matters: Any regional population gain is welcome after periods of dramatic declines going back to the 1950s in Detroit.
- Data specific to the city was released in May, showing its population rose by 1,852 people in 2023 from the previous year to 633,218.
Zoom out: City-dwellers exited many U.S. metros during the COVID-19 pandemic, but some areas are now clawing back residents (and their productivity, creativity, tax dollars, etc.).
- The number of people living in U.S. metro areas rose by almost 3.2 million between 2023 and 2024, the Census Bureau said last week — a gain of about 1.1%.
Between the lines: Many cities can thank international migration for this latest population increase.
- "All of the nation's 387 metro areas had positive net international migration between 2023 and 2024, and it accounted for nearly 2.7 million of the total population gain in metro areas," the bureau said in a statement accompanying the new data.