We're Still Losing People

Michigan was one of three states which experienced a population drop between April of 2010 and July of 2011. It doesn't seem much, about 0.1%. Yet it raises questions about the direction we're heading.

It appears to be a larger proportional drop than what happened between the 2000 and 2010 Census readings, which showed Michigan losing about 55,000 residents. So long as our numbers keep dropping, it makes us wonder what perception the rest of the country might have for our state, or even what Michigan citizens themselves think about Michigan. It might open eyes to note that that drop of 0.1% equals around 7,000 people. That rate, if it continues, would result in a larger population loss between 2010 and 2020 than in the prior Census period.

If people are still leaving, then we still haven't gotten back to the point where there's enough here to merit staying. Similarly, if people aren't moving in, then we aren't where we need to be in order to attract them.

Michigan has always been a bit off the beaten path. When the nation was expanding many settlers blew by us, preferring to move more directly west. That's why so many states farther west than Michigan became states ahead of us. Part of the trouble then was the perception that Michigan was little more than a swampland. How was that overcome? The discovery of copper, the logging industry, and more recently, the automotive industry. What do all those have in common? They are single industries.

And that's where Michigan needs to improve. We need a diverse economy. We've needed it for a long time. We cannot be so dependent on any one thing. To be sure, there have been efforts to do this, and they have borne fruit. But we're clearly behind the curve, and have some catching up to do.