Michigan population, age, ancestry and more

A record high, barely above 2000

Michigan's July 2025 estimate of 10,127,884¹ is the largest population the state has ever had. The gain behind it is small. The 2000 Census counted 9,938,444 residents; the 2010 Census counted fewer, 9,883,640; and the 2020 Census counted 10,077,331. Growth between the last two censuses was 2.0%, the 5th lowest rate among the states and 5.4 percentage points below the US figure (7.4%)⁶.

MichiganOhioIllinoisUnited States

Source: Census Bureau, Intercensal Estimates of the Resident Population for States, 2000-2010; Census Bureau, Intercensal Estimates of the Resident Population for States, 2010-2020; Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025. July 1 estimates: intercensal series for 2000–2019, Vintage 2025 for 2020–2025.

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Year	Michigan	Ohio	Illinois	United States
2000	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0
2001	100.4	100.2	100.4	101.0
2002	100.6	100.4	100.7	101.9
2003	100.9	100.6	101.0	102.8
2004	101.0	100.8	101.3	103.8
2005	101.0	100.9	101.4	104.7
2006	100.8	101.0	101.7	105.7
2007	100.5	101.2	102.1	106.8
2008	99.9	101.3	102.5	107.8
2009	99.5	101.5	102.9	108.7
2010	99.3	101.6	103.3	109.6
2011	99.4	101.7	103.7	110.5
2012	99.7	101.8	104.0	111.4
2013	100.0	102.2	104.2	112.2
2014	100.2	102.5	104.3	113.1
2015	100.4	102.7	104.3	114.1
2016	100.7	103.0	104.1	115.0
2017	101.0	103.3	103.9	115.8
2018	101.2	103.5	103.6	116.4
2019	101.3	103.7	103.3	117.0
2020	101.2	103.8	102.9	117.5
2021	100.9	103.5	102.2	117.7
2022	100.9	103.5	101.4	118.4
2023	101.1	103.9	101.6	119.3
2024	101.5	104.4	102.2	120.5
2025	101.8	104.7	102.3	121.1

The estimates trace the path in between: a rise to 10,055,315¹⁰ in 2004, a decline to 9,880,111¹¹ in 2010, a slow recovery, a dip after 2020 and new highs in 2024 and 2025. Since the April 2020 census base the state has added 48,522 residents, a gain of 0.48%, 2.6 percentage points below the US figure (3.10%)¹.

Slow growth has cost Michigan ground against other states. It ranked 7th of 51 at the 1920 Census and kept that place through 1970. It ranked 8th of 51¹² in 1980 and 10th of 51⁶ in 2020. Reapportionment after the 2020 Census changed its House delegation by −1 seat, to 13¹³. Today Michiganders are 2.96%¹ of the US population.

Source: Census Bureau, Historical Census Statistics on Population Totals by Race, 1790 to 1990; Census Bureau, 2020 Census apportionment results and historical resident population 1910-2020; Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025. Census counts every ten years (April 1); estimates for July 1 after 2020.

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Year	Michigan
1840	212,267
1850	397,654
1860	749,113
1870	1,184,059
1880	1,636,937
1890	2,093,890
1900	2,420,982
1910	2,810,173
1920	3,668,412
1930	4,842,325
1940	5,256,106
1950	6,371,766
1960	7,823,194
1970	8,875,083
1980	9,262,078
1990	9,295,297
2000	9,938,444
2010	9,883,640
2020	10,077,331
2021	10,042,362
2022	10,043,906
2023	10,062,124
2024	10,099,962
2025	10,127,884

The long view shows how fast the state once grew: from 212,267 people in 1840 to 2,420,982 in 1900 and 8,875,083¹² in 1970. The population now is 1.6 times its 1950 size and 4.2 times¹ its 1900 size.

More deaths than births, newcomers from abroad

Population change has three parts: births minus deaths, moves between states, and moves to and from other countries. In Michigan the first has turned negative. In the year to June 2025 the state recorded 99,680 births and 104,678 deaths, a natural change of −4,998. Michigan was one of 17 states that recorded more deaths than births in the year to June 2025; its natural decrease was the 4th lowest in the country and lower than every bordering state (Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin)¹.

Births+533,883

Deaths−578,484

Net domestic migration−65,699

Net international migration+156,577

Residual (estimation adjustment)+2,245

Total change+48,522

Source: Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025. Each bar starts where the previous one ended. The residual is the part of the change the Census Bureau cannot assign to a component.

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Component	People
Births	533,883
Deaths	−578,484
Net domestic migration	−65,699
Net international migration	156,577
Residual (estimation adjustment)	2,245
Total change	48,522

Added up since the 2020 Census base, natural change was −44,601 and net migration to and from other states was −65,699. Net international migration, 156,577¹, more than offset both, and is the reason the population is higher than in 2020.

What changed in 2025 was the domestic balance. Net domestic migration was negative in every earlier year of the series: −28,290 in the year to June 2021, −17,137 in 2023 and −8,065 in 2024. Then Michigan gained 1,796 more residents from other states than it lost in the year to June 2025. That small surplus made it one of 31 states that gained more residents from other states than they lost in the year to June 2025. International arrivals fell over the same year, from 50,486 to 30,706, so total population growth slowed to 27,922¹.

Births have drifted down: 104,377 in the year to June 2022, 99,680¹ in 2025. The CDC's 2024 data put the total fertility rate at 1.52 births per woman, 5% below the US figure (1.60), and the birth rate at 9.8 per 1,000 residents, lower than every bordering state (Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin)¹⁴.

Muslim, Christian and Jewish congregations, and Arab ancestry

Many readers ask what share of Michigan is Muslim, Christian or Jewish. The census does not ask about religion; the U.S. Religion Census, which counts congregations and their adherents, comes closest. Its 2020 mosque study estimated 241,828 people taking part in Michigan mosques, 2.40% of residents, the 5th highest share. Synagogues counted 39,895 members (0.40%¹⁵). Neither is an estimate of the whole Muslim or Jewish population.

Christian congregations counted 36.5% of residents, the 8th lowest share, with the Catholic Church the largest single body (14.8%). Michigan's overall adherence rate, 39.7%, is lower than every bordering state (Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin)¹⁵; it was 42.1%¹⁶ in the 2010 study, when fewer bodies were counted. These are membership counts kept by congregations, not a survey of belief (how to read them).

What the American Community Survey does record is ancestry, the ethnic origin people report for themselves. In 2025, 215,257 Michiganders (±17,014) reported Arab ancestry, 2.1%¹⁷ of the population. Comparing every state on the 2020–2024 five-year data, Michigan has the highest Arab share, 2.2%, ahead of New Jersey at 1.3%, and the second-largest number after California¹⁸. Ancestry describes origin, not faith, and people of Arab origin belong to several religions.

Within the Arab total, Lebanese (65,497) and Iraqi (42,736) are the largest groups named, and Michigan has more people of Iraqi origin than any other state. The Census Bureau counts Assyrian, Chaldean and Syriac ancestry separately from the Arab total; with 41,363¹⁷ people, Michigan is the largest¹⁸ home of that group too. Arabic is spoken at home by 1.8% of residents aged five and older, 1.4 percentage points above the US figure (0.4%)¹⁹.

Older residents now outnumber children

On July 1, 2025, Michigan had 2,076,467 residents aged 65 and older and 2,062,770 under 18. In 2020 children were the larger group. Since then the number of children has gone down from 2,164,785 in 2020, a fall of 102,015 (4.7%), while the 65-and-older population has gone up from 1,812,224 in 2020, a rise of 264,243 (14.6%)²⁰.

MenWomenUnited States

MenWomen

85+

80–84

75–79

70–74

65–69

60–64

55–59

50–54

45–49

40–44

35–39

30–34

25–29

20–24

15–19

10–14

5–9

0–4

Source: Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025. Share of the total population in each age group. Vertical ticks: the United States.

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Age	Men (%)	Women (%)	US men (%)	US women (%)
0-4	2.60	2.48	2.76	2.65
5-9	2.88	2.75	2.96	2.83
10-14	3.03	2.89	3.08	2.95
15-19	3.17	3.01	3.31	3.16
20-24	3.49	3.36	3.43	3.28
25-29	3.25	3.12	3.46	3.37
30-34	3.32	3.25	3.41	3.38
35-39	3.25	3.25	3.38	3.40
40-44	3.03	3.03	3.21	3.27
45-49	2.84	2.88	2.93	3.03
50-54	2.86	2.94	2.83	2.96
55-59	3.04	3.14	2.86	3.02
60-64	3.22	3.42	2.96	3.21
65-69	3.09	3.39	2.75	3.08
70-74	2.53	2.89	2.26	2.64
75-79	1.83	2.20	1.71	2.08
80-84	1.05	1.39	1.00	1.32
85+	0.81	1.33	0.78	1.28

Residents 65 and older are 20.5% of the population, 1.6 percentage points above the US figure (18.9%) and up from 18.0% in 2020. The share of residents under 18 (20.4%) is lower than every bordering state (Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin). For every 100 people of working age there are 34.7 people 65 and older, up from 29.7 in 2020²⁰.

The median age in the American Community Survey was 40.9 years (±0.2 years) in 2025, up from 40.4 years in 2024. In 2005 it was 36.9 years²¹. Michigan is the 16th oldest state (between 14th and 17th) and 2nd oldest in the Midwest. Women are older than men: their median age is 42.2 years, against 39.5 years³ for men, and Michigan has 143,128²² more females than males.

MichiganUnited States

Source: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2005-2019 and 2021-2025. ACS 1-year estimates; no standard 1-year release for 2020. Shaded band: 90% margin of error.

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Year	Michigan	United States
2005	36.9 ±0.1	36.4 ±0.2
2006	37.3 ±0.2	36.4 ±0.2
2007	37.6 ±0.2	36.7 ±0.1
2008	38.0 ±0.1	36.9 ±0.1
2009	38.5 ±0.1	36.8 ±0.1
2010	39.0 ±0.1	37.2 ±0.1
2011	39.2 ±0.2	37.3 ±0.1
2012	39.5 ±0.1	37.4 ±0.1
2013	39.6 ±0.1	37.5 ±0.1
2014	39.6 ±0.1	37.7 ±0.1
2015	39.7 ±0.1	37.8 ±0.1
2016	39.7 ±0.2	37.9 ±0.1
2017	39.8 ±0.1	38.1 ±0.1
2018	39.8 ±0.1	38.2 ±0.2
2019	39.8 ±0.2	38.5 ±0.1
2021	40.2 ±0.1	38.8 ±0.1
2022	40.3 ±0.1	39.0 ±0.1
2023	40.5 ±0.2	39.2 ±0.1
2024	40.4 ±0.2	39.2 ±0.1
2025	40.9 ±0.2	39.5 ±0.1

A population that stays put

75.2% of Michigan residents (±0.3 percentage points) were born in the state in 2025. Only Louisiana has a higher share (76.4%). The share born in another US state, 16.2%, is the 3rd lowest and 10.8 percentage points below the US figure (27.0%)⁹.

Louisiana76.4% ±0.4

Michigan75.2% ±0.3

Ohio73.3% ±0.3

Mississippi69.4% ±0.6

Wisconsin69.2% ±0.4

Pennsylvania69.1% ±0.3

Iowa68.8% ±0.6

Minnesota66.4% ±0.4

Indiana66.2% ±0.4

Illinois65.6% ±0.3

Source: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2025, table B05002. Whiskers show the 90% margin of error; states whose whiskers overlap may not differ significantly. Period: 2025.

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State	Born in the state where they live	MOE
Louisiana	76.4%	±0.4
Michigan	75.2%	±0.3
Ohio	73.3%	±0.3
Mississippi	69.4%	±0.6
Wisconsin	69.2%	±0.4
Pennsylvania	69.1%	±0.3
Iowa	68.8%	±0.6
Minnesota	66.4%	±0.4
Indiana	66.2%	±0.4
Illinois	65.6%	±0.3

Few people move in. Just 1.4% of residents had lived in another state a year earlier, 0.7 percentage points below the US figure (2.1%); the state ranks between 47th and 50th²³. In the 2024 survey of movers, 140,323 people moved to Michigan from other states and 134,180²⁴ moved away; the difference is within the survey's margin of error. Tax returns for 2022 and 2023 show a net change of −8,442 filers and dependents, and households that left reported $6.3 billion of income against $5.3 billion²⁵ for those who arrived.

Moved to Michigan from

Florida19,282 ±4,668

California14,005 ±4,112

Ohio13,776 ±3,189

Illinois12,464 ±2,739

Indiana8,855 ±1,871

Texas8,217 ±2,157

Wisconsin5,826 ±1,911

North Carolina4,166 ±1,650

Left Michigan for

Florida18,558 ±4,612

Ohio14,467 ±3,424

Illinois9,418 ±2,605

Arizona7,691 ±3,101

Indiana7,283 ±1,726

Texas7,143 ±2,796

Wisconsin6,713 ±1,680

California5,317 ±1,632

Source: Census Bureau, State-to-State Migration Flows, 2024. People aged 1 and over who lived in another state a year earlier (and the reverse). Survey estimates: whiskers show the 90% margin of error.

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State	Moved in from	Moved out to
Florida	19,282 ±4,668	18,558 ±4,612
California	14,005 ±4,112	5,317 ±1,632
Ohio	13,776 ±3,189	14,467 ±3,424
Illinois	12,464 ±2,739	9,418 ±2,605
Indiana	8,855 ±1,871	7,283 ±1,726
Texas	8,217 ±2,157	7,143 ±2,796
Wisconsin	5,826 ±1,911	6,713 ±1,680
North Carolina	4,166 ±1,650	5,132 ±1,919
Arizona	4,050 ±1,566	7,691 ±3,101

Those who live in Michigan also tend to stay in the same home: 89.5% lived at the same address a year earlier, 1.1 percentage points above the US figure (88.4%)²³.

Race and ethnicity

The non-Hispanic white share, 70.8%, is 15.8 percentage points above the US figure (55.0%) and was down from 71.6% in 2024. The non-Hispanic Black share is 13.0% (±0.2 percentage points), 1.3 percentage points above the US figure (11.7%)². In the Census Bureau's population estimates, which count Black residents of any ethnicity, the Black share is 13.9%, the 17th highest and 2nd highest in the Midwest²⁰.

Illinois13.2% ±0.1

Michigan13.0% ±0.2

Ohio12.2% ±0.1

United States11.7%

Indiana9.5% ±0.2

Minnesota7.4% ±0.2

Wisconsin5.8% ±0.1

Source: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2025, table B03002. Whiskers show the 90% margin of error. Period: 2025.

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State	Black alone, not Hispanic	MOE
Illinois	13.2%	±0.1
Michigan	13.0%	±0.2
Ohio	12.2%	±0.1
United States	11.7%
Indiana	9.5%	±0.2
Minnesota	7.4%	±0.2
Wisconsin	5.8%	±0.1

The Hispanic or Latino share is 6.3%, 14.2 percentage points below the US figure (20.5%) but up from 6.1% in 2024. Non-Hispanic Asian residents are 3.8%; the largest Asian group is Asian Indian, with 127,587²⁶ people in 2020–2024. Residents of two or more races are 5.2%, up from 4.9% in 2024². On the diversity index, the chance that two residents chosen at random belong to different groups, Michigan scores 47.4, more diverse than Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin; less diverse than Illinois²⁷.

Immigrants are a smaller part of the population than nationally: 7.7% of residents were born abroad, 7.0 percentage points below the US figure (14.7%). More of them come from Asia than nationally. 53.1% of Michigan's foreign-born residents were born in Asia, 21.2 percentage points above the US figure (31.9%), and 15.8% in Europe, while 20.8% were born in Latin America, 29.5 percentage points below the US figure (50.3%)⁹.

German, Polish, Dutch and Finnish roots

The most common ancestries reported in 2020–2024 were German (17.7% of residents), English (10.5%), Irish (9.9%) and Polish (7.2%¹⁸). People can report more than one ancestry, so the shares overlap.

Several of these groups are larger in Michigan than almost anywhere else. More people of Dutch ancestry live in Michigan than in any other state, 383,439 on the five-year data. The Polish share, 7.2%, is second only to Wisconsin (7.6%). Finnish ancestry, reported by 79,228¹⁷ people in 2025, is the 2nd highest¹⁸ share in the country.

Land, water and where people live

Michigan covers 96,713 square miles in all, but 41.5% of that is water, tied with Hawaii for the highest share of any state. On its 56,611 square miles²⁸ of land, the state has 178.9 people per square mile, the 20th most densely populated and 85% above the US figure (96.7 people per square mile)²⁹. At the 2020 Census, 73.5% of residents lived in urban areas, 6.5 percentage points below the US figure (80.0%)³⁰; the rest lived in rural territory. This site covers states, not cities or counties.

Income, poverty and prices

The median household income was $75,832 in 2025 (±$691), $8,948 (11%) below the US figure ($84,780) and up from $74,294 in 2024 (in 2025 dollars), a statistically significant rise after inflation. Among the states Michigan ranks between 36th and 40th; its median is higher than Indiana and Ohio; lower than Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin⁴.

Poverty fell. The official rate was 12.6% (±0.4 percentage points), down from 13.4% in 2024, and child poverty was 16.5%, down from 18.0% in 2024. Both remain above the national rates: 0.8 percentage points above the US figure (11.8%) overall and 1.7 percentage points above the US figure (14.8%)⁵ for children. The Supplemental Poverty Measure, which counts benefits, taxes and local housing costs, gives a different picture: averaged over 2023 to 2025 it puts Michigan at 10.6%, 2.4 percentage points below the US figure (13.0%)³³.

Lower prices stretch incomes further. The Bureau of Economic Analysis puts Michigan's 2024 price level at 96.2 (US = 100), 4% below the US figure (100.0). The gap is in housing: the housing price index is 82.3, while goods are at 96.0 and services at 100.9³¹, close to the national level.

Homes: owned, older and less costly

74.1% of Michigan households own their home (±0.4 percentage points), the 3rd highest rate (between 1st and 4th) and higher than every bordering state (Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin)³⁴. The housing stock is older and more single-family than nationally: the median home was built in 1973³⁵, 71.6%³⁶ of homes are single-family houses, and only 7.6% were built in 2010 or later, 7.3 percentage points below the US figure (14.9%)³⁷.

The median value of an owner-occupied home was $269,500, $101,600 (27%) below the US figure ($371,100)³², and median gross rent was $1,220, $337 (22%) below the US figure ($1,557)³⁸. Even so, 51.7% of renters spend 30 percent or more of their income on housing, not statistically different from the US figure (51.8%)³⁹. Vacant units, including seasonal homes, are 11.5% of the stock, higher than every bordering state (Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin)⁴⁰.

Education

Among adults 25 and older, 33.9% (±0.4 percentage points) hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 3.5 percentage points below the US figure (37.4%) and up from 33.3% in 2024; Michigan ranks between 30th and 38th. The share with at least a high school diploma is higher than nationally: 92.7%, 2.1 percentage points above the US figure (90.6%)⁴¹. In public schools, 81% of students who started ninth grade graduated within four years in the 2021–22 school year, 6.0 percentage points below the US figure (87%) and lower than every bordering state (Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin)⁴².

MichiganUnited States

Source: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2005-2019 and 2021-2025. ACS 1-year estimates; no standard 1-year release for 2020. Shaded band: 90% margin of error.

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Year	Michigan	United States
2005	24.7% ±0.3	27.2% ±0.1
2006	24.5% ±0.2	27.0% ±0.1
2007	24.7% ±0.3	27.5% ±0.1
2008	24.7% ±0.2	27.7% ±0.1
2009	24.6% ±0.3	27.9% ±0.1
2010	25.2% ±0.3	28.2% ±0.1
2011	25.6% ±0.2	28.5% ±0.1
2012	26.0% ±0.2	29.1% ±0.1
2013	26.9% ±0.3	29.6% ±0.1
2014	27.4% ±0.2	30.1% ±0.1
2015	27.8% ±0.3	30.6% ±0.1
2016	28.3% ±0.3	31.3% ±0.1
2017	29.1% ±0.3	32.0% ±0.1
2018	29.6% ±0.3	32.6% ±0.1
2019	30.0% ±0.3	33.1% ±0.1
2021	31.7% ±0.3	35.0% ±0.1
2022	32.1% ±0.3	35.7% ±0.1
2023	32.7% ±0.3	36.2% ±0.1
2024	33.3% ±0.3	36.8% ±0.1
2025	33.9% ±0.3	37.4% ±0.1

Work, health and veterans

The unemployment rate averaged 5.2% in 2025, 0.9 percentage points above the US figure (4.3%) and higher than every bordering state (Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin). The labor force participation rate, 61.2%, is lower than every bordering state (Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin)⁴³. Most workers drive alone (75.5%⁴⁴), and the average one-way commute is 25.0 minutes⁴⁵.

Life expectancy at birth was 76.8 years in 2022, 0.7 years below the US figure (77.5 years) and longer than Indiana and Ohio; shorter than Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin⁴⁶. Few residents lack health insurance: 5.5% in 2025, 2.9 percentage points below the US figure (8.4%)⁴⁷. Public coverage is common, at 38.5% of residents, higher than every bordering state (Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin); Medicare covers 21.9%, 2.3 percentage points above the US figure (19.6%)⁴⁸.

Michigan has 433,589 veterans, the 13th highest number. They are 5.4% of adults, 0.5 percentage points below the US figure (5.9%)⁴⁹. Vietnam-era veterans are the largest group, 34.8% of the total, 3.9 percentage points above the US figure (30.9%)⁵⁰.