Detroit is far from the only major city in Michigan to lose population by 2020. Many of Michigan’s largest communities have shrunk during the same period — Grand Rapids, Michigan’s second most populous city, has seen a 1.15% decrease since April 1, 2020, to 196,608. July 1, 2023, while Warren, the state’s third-largest city, fell 2% to 136,655 people.
Nine of Michigan’s 10 largest cities shrank at least some in the three years to 2020. Macomb Township was the exception, gaining 480 people to 92,747, or about 1.19%.
By and large, some smaller communities across the state have grown since 2020, helping to slow the state’s population decline. Like Detroit, Michigan shrank from 2020 — it had 10,077,674 — but grew to 10,037,261 between 2022 and 2023. Two-thirds of Michiganders live in cities with fewer than 50,000 people, higher than the national average of 61%.
The area that saw the largest percentage growth between 2020 and 2023 was Springdale Township in Manistee County, northwest Michigan, according to the Census Bureau. This is 43.85% – from 853 people in 2020 to 1,227 in 2023, a growth of 374 people.
Some local officials were shocked about the progress. But Springdale Township Clerk Penny Nelson said the increase in registered voters in recent years shows that’s true.
“The statistics don’t lie,” Nelson said. “There are too many people here. It’s the people who live here, it’s the snowbirds. We have some people who build vacation homes and stay here, but they work downstream.”
There are many reasons people choose Springdale Township, he said. Taxes are low, and the city is close to vacation spots like Crystal Mountain. Even if people wanted to expand, they couldn’t: The city’s infrastructure was built for a small community, not a large subdivision, Nelson said.
It’s not perfect, she said – there is a road that can be rebuilt. To shop, she travels about 40 minutes to Traverse City. One avid shopper joked that cities like his help keep Amazon in business.
But being in a small town offers a break that other places can’t, Nelson said. She and her husband were originally from Chicago, then moved to Walled Lake and eventually ended up in Springdale Township.
“People have had enough of big cities,” Nelson said. “It drives me crazy driving through Downstate, and then I come back here, and I think it’s a beautiful place. In big cities, people look around and say, ‘Is this the life I want to live? What are my values? ‘ Here, you can have a lot of property and enjoy the place. .”
What caused the small town to grow?
That’s pushing many people to smaller cities, said Reynolds Farley, professor emeritus at the University of Michigan’s Center for Population Studies. The costs of living in large communities can be high for people. Housing, in particular, has become more expensive, especially near cities, and that’s pushing people out, Reynolds said.
But Michigan is still more affordable than many states, he said. The state itself is relatively financially secure, and the environment is “attractive,” Farley said. The growth of small towns is a good sign for Michigan and what’s to come, he said.
“I think people should be in a place where they feel welcome,” Farley said. “For some, it’s Detroit with its amenities, for others, it’s a small town with low taxes and land. Michigan has something for everyone.”
hharding@detroitnews.com
