LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Michigan’s fight against an aging population and recruiting more young people to the state may have just gotten more challenging after preliminary data indicating a steep decline in birth rates in the state. 

According to data confirmed by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, there were 100,853 live births in 2022.  The last time Michigan experienced a birth rate this low was in 1940, more than eight decades earlier, when there were 99,106 live births according to the Detroit News. 

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Just after the close of the 20th century, Michigan saw the biggest boom in births for the past twenty years reaching 136,048 live births in 2000, a number that has not been above 115,000 births since 2009. Five years ago was the final time that the state recorded numbers above 110,000 births.  Even more startling is that 2022 was the third consecutive year that the number of births was less than the number of deaths recorded in the state. 

The population trends have caught the attention of the government including House Minority Leader Matt Hall (R-Richland Township), who voiced concerns about the trends. 

“These numbers reveal that people don’t want to start or raise their families in Michigan, as they move to states with lower taxes, high-paying careers, good roads and bridges, quality education, and safe communities,” Hall said in a statement. 

Governor Gretchen Whitmer established a commission to study and find solutions to the population loss problem and has advocated for new ways of trying to reverse the declining population trend in the state. 

“Growing Michigan Together is about investing in our people, places, talent, and education,” Gov. Whitmer said. 

Hall criticized the population council as not sufficient after passing a budget that did not first take consideration of the council’s findings. 

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“Democrats spent all our taxpayer dollars before the new population council can even make recommendations, a move that will undoubtedly lead to higher taxes that will only lower our population further and prevent Michigan from becoming the land of opportunity once again,” House Minority Leader Hall said. 

According to the Citizens Research Council of Michigan’s recent report it projects several findings including: 

• Michigan’s population growth has lagged the nation for 50 years. From 2000 to 2020, Michigan grew slower than all but one state and is on a path to continue to grow slower than the rest of the country.
• More people are leaving for other states than are moving to Michigan. Michigan is projected to lose an additional 270,000 people on net to other states by 2050.
• Michigan’s population is older than average and getting older. By 2050, it is projected that the population of children and young adults will shrink by 6 percent, the working-age population will stagnate, and the population aged 65 and older will grow by 30 percent.
• Michigan’s population is projected to become more racially and ethnically diverse. Black, Hispanic, Asian, and other groups are growing while the non-Hispanic white population is declining. By 2050, 40 percent of the working-age population will be people of color. 

To grow Michigan’s economy at a faster pace, according to Citizens Research Council President Eric Lupher,  “there must be job opportunities and Michigan must be an attractive market to keep young residents from moving away and to attract people to the state.” 

The Growing Michigan Together Council is expected to deliver its findings at the beginning of December.