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Michigan gains 28K residents, reversing losses to other states

January 28, 2026

For the first time since at least 1990, Michigan experienced a net gain in domestic migration, with approximately 1,800 more people moving in from other states than moving out in the year ending July 2025. The state's overall population grew by nearly 28,000 residents, or 0. 3%, reaching roughly 10.

Who is affected

  • Michigan residents (gained approximately 28,000 total residents)
  • People moving to Michigan from Florida, California, Ohio, Illinois, and Indiana
  • People leaving Michigan for Florida, Ohio, Illinois, Arizona, and Indiana
  • International immigrants to Michigan (30,706 people moved from abroad)
  • More than 1.5 million humanitarian parolees nationwide who have lost legal protections
  • Poor households in Michigan targeted by financial assistance programs
  • Pregnant women and new mothers receiving cash payments
  • Michigan's aging population
  • Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and state lawmakers

What action is being taken

  • The Trump administration is stripping legal protections from humanitarian parolees
  • The Trump administration is ramping up deportations in Michigan and other states
  • Michigan lawmakers have implemented programs including cash payments to pregnant women and new mothers, universal free pre-k, and increasing the state's match of the federal Earned Income Tax Credit
  • The Census Bureau is revising population estimates using new data sources and updated methodologies

Why it matters

  • This represents a significant reversal of a multi-decade trend of population loss to other states, signaling potential economic and social improvement in Michigan. The positive domestic migration, combined with international immigration, indicates Michigan may be becoming more attractive due to factors like relatively low cost of living, job availability in skilled trades, and access to free education. However, the state's continued natural population decline due to an aging population and declining birth rates, coupled with anticipated reductions in international immigration under current federal policies, suggests the population gains may be fragile and could affect Michigan's long-term economic vitality, workforce development, and political representation.

What's next

  • International immigration to Michigan is expected to continue to wane in the short term amid the Trump administration's immigration clampdown
  • The Trump administration has promised to swiftly deport millions more through expedited removal (though some efforts have been blocked by courts)
  • The Trump administration is projected to reduce legal immigration to the US by an estimated 33% to 50% by the end of the presidential term

Read full article from source: bridgedetroit.com