• Overview
• National Data
• State and Local Data
• Public Opinion
• Immigration 101
• Historical Perspective
• Suggested Reading
• Quotes Library
• Glossary

Page Tools

• Email to a Friend
• Print this Page

Michigan

 

Summary Demographic State Data (and Source)
Population (2009 CB est.)	9,969,727
Population (2000 Census)	9,938,444
Foreign-Born Population (2009 CB est.)	614,111
Foreign-Born Population (2000 Census)	523,589
Share Foreign-Born (2009)	6.2%
Share Foreign-Born (2000)	5.3%
Naturalized U.S. Citizens (2009 CB est.)	297,970
Share Naturalized (2009)	48.5%
Legal Immigrant Admission (DHS 2000-2009)	192,069
Refugee Admission (HHS 2000-2009)	20,252
Illegal Alien Population (2008 FAIR est.)	125,000
Costs of Illegal Aliens (2010 FAIR)	$928,800,000
Projected 2050 Population (2006 FAIR)	12,128,000

Michigan: Census Bureau Data

STATE POPULATION

Using the American Community Survey (ACS), the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that in July 2009 Michigan’s population had increased to 9,969,727 residents, i.e., by 31,283 residents since 2000. That is a rate of increase of about 0.03 percent per year. The comparable national annual rate of increase was 1.0 percent.

 

The 2000 Census found 9,938,444 persons resident in Michigan. This was an increase of 643,147 persons above the 1990 Census. The annual average increase of 0.7 percent was lower than the national annual average of 1.2 percent population increase.

The 2000 population is about 250,000 more persons than the Census Bureau had expected to find in the state in 2000 when it issued its state population projections in 1996. The significance of this is that the Census Bureau has concluded that much of the shortfall in their population estimates during the 1990s was due to an underestimation of the illegal alien population.

Between the 1980 and 1990 Censuses, the population of Michigan grew by 0.4 percent (from about 9,262,044 to 9,295,297). That was an annual rate of increase of 0.4 percent. The national rate of change was 1.0 percent.

FOREIGN-BORN POPULATION

Based on the ACS, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that the foreign-born population of Michigan was 614,111 persons in 2009. That was a 6.2 percent share of the total population compared to a national foreign-born population share of 12.5 percent.

 

NET INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION (NIM)

Based on the Current Population Survey (CPS), the Census Bureau estimated that between the 2000 Census and July 2009 the state’s population increased by about 168,670 residents from net international migration (more foreign-born arriving than leaving). That was an annual average increase of about 18,135 residents, i.e., more than the total (481%) of the total increase (not including the children born to the immigrants after their arrival in the United States). At the same time the state had negative net domestic migration (more residents moving to other states than were moving in).

 

 

FOREIGN-BORN CHANGE

The amount of change since the 2000 Census in the ACS estimate indicates an average annual rate of increase in the foreign-born population of about 9,735 people, which is more than the total (289%) of the state’s annual average population increase. Since 2000, the foreign-born population has increased by 17.3 percent compared to a 0.6 percent decrease in the native-born population.

Immigration also contributes to population growth through the children born to immigrants in this country. Nationally the share of births to the foreign-born is about double their share of the population. A 12.4 percent share of the state’s current births is large enough to account for about 15,845 births a year. Combining the increase in the foreign-born population and estimated immigrant births suggests that immigration may account for nearly 25,580 persons added to the state’s population annually, i.e., much more than the total (761%) of the state’s overall population increase.

The 2000 Census found that 44.9 percent of Michigan's foreign-born population had arrived in the state since 1990. This demonstrates the effects of the current mass immigration, and it is a slightly higher share than the national average (43.7%). In the 2009 CPS estimate, more than one-third (36.5%) had arrived since 2000. That is higher than the less than one-third (31.6%) share of new arrivals nationally.

FOREIGN-BORN CHARACTERISTICS

An indicator of the change in the immigrant population may be seen in data on the share of the population that speaks a language other than English at home. Between 1990 and 2000 the share of non-English speakers at home in Michigan increased by nearly one-quarter, from 6.6 percent to 8.2 percent. Less than two-fifths (37.7%) of those who said they spoke a language other than English at home in 2000 also said they spoke English less than very well. In the 2009 ACS, the share had increased to 9.2 percent. Spanish speakers were 32.8 percent of those who spoke other than English at home, and 33.6 percent of those who spoke English less than very well.

Speakers of Foreign Languages (at home in Michigan in the 2000 Census)
Spanish	246,680
Arabic	75,410
German	52,320
Polish	40,370
French	38,645
Italian	30,505
Syrian	25,920
Chinese	22,255
Korean	13,315
Albanian	12,915
(Source: Census Bureau report: Language Spoken at Home for the Population 5 Years and Over, April 2004)

The chart above shows the foreign-born population increasing by 17.3 percent since 2000 and the share of that population from Latin America and the Caribbean increasing by 33.7 percent. That region’s share of the state’s immigrant population grew from 16.9 percent to 19.3 percent in 2009. The share of foreign-born immigrants from Asia increased by 33.2 percent, from 40.4 percent of the foreign-born population to 45.9 percent.

NATURALIZATION

Data from the 2006 American Community Survey indicate that 285,170 residents, or 47.6 percent, of the foreign-born population in Michigan were citizens, compared to 239,955 residents, or 45.8 percent, in 2000.

Nationally, 40.3 percent of the foreign-born population was citizens in 2000, and 42.0 percent in 2006

Population Projections

We projected Michigan’s population in 2050 likely would be between x.xx million and x.x million depending on what happens with immigration policy. See “Projecting the U.S. Population to 2050: Four Immigration Scenarios,” FAIR 2006.

Back to Top

Michigan: General Data

Refugees

Michigan received 20,252 refugees over the most recent ten fiscal years (FY'00-'09).

LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENCY STUDENTS

 

 

In Michigan overall enrollment in 2008 (1,692,716) was 2.0 percent above enrollment in 1999. LEP enrollment was 67.8 percent higher than a decade earlier.

FOREIGN STUDENTS

The 2009/2010 annual report of the Institute of International Education (IIE) lists the number of foreign students attending post-secondary school in Michigan as 24,214. Five schools in the state are listed as having a major concentration of these students:

• U. Michigan-Ann Arbor – 6,095.
• Michigan S.U. – 5,358
• Wayne State U. – 2,368
• W. Michigan U. – 1,416
• Michigan Tech. – 1,053

Two other schools with large foreign student enrollment were E. Michigan U. – 1,020 and Oakland C.C. – 600. These schools represented nearly three-fourths (74%) of the total foreign students in the state.

For information on foreign student issues see: Foreign Students in the United States

ILLEGAL ALIENS

FAIR Estimate - FAIR estimates the state’s illegal alien population as of 2008 is as many as 125,000 persons. This is part of an overall estimate of the U.S. illegal alien population of about 13 million persons.

INS/DHS Estimate - The INS (now dissolved into the Dept. of Homeland Security) estimated in February 2003 that the resident illegal population in Michigan was 70,000 as of January 2000. This number 33,000 higher than the INS' 1996 estimate.

Other Estimates - The Pew Hispanic Center estimates the illegal alien population of the state at 100,000 to 150,000 as of 2005.

COSTS OF ILLEGAL ALIENS

Michigan Fiscal Costs In 2009
Due to Illegal Aliens ($M)		(Pct.)
K-12 educ.	$314.1	33.8%
LEP educ.	$63.2	6.8%
Medicaid	$62.4	6.7%
SCHIP	$25.2	2.7%
Justice	$66.0	7.1%
Welfare+	$142.6	15.4%
General	$255.3	27.5%
Total	$928.8
Tax Receipts	$66.0
Net Cost	$862.8

Source: “The Fiscal Burden of Illegal Immigration on United States Taxpayers,” FAIR 2010.

Back to Top

Michigan : Immigrant Admissions

 

Michigan Immigrant Admissions by Fiscal Year
2000	16,773
2001	21,528
2002	21,787
2003	13,546
2004	18,334
2005	23,597
2006	20,911
2007	18,727
2008	17,947
2009	18,919
Total	192,069

Recent immigrant admissions are at 205 percent of admissions just after adoption of the current immigration system in 1965. During the 1965-'69 period, annual admissions averaged about 9,755 immigrants. During the most recent five years, admissions averaged about 20,020 persons.

The charts below show recent immigrant admissions and the cumulative immigrant admissions data since 1965. The number of annual admissions has ranged from 7,975 in FY'65 to 23,597 in FY’05. The cumulative total of admissions to Michigan between fiscal years 1965 and 2009 was about 559,545 immigrants.

INS DATA BY NATIONALITY: FY'93 - FY'02

The INS data below are furnished for nationals of the countries with the largest number of immigrants admitted or adjusted to legal residence each year since 1993. The absence of data means that the total number of admissions to the United States by nationals of that country was not enough to merit detailed reporting in that year.

The nationalities may change each year, so the totals in some cases will not reflect all the immigrants of that nationality who have become legal immigrants in Wyomingduring this period.

The Department of Homeland Security website has detailed data on immigrant admissions since FY’03 by year and by country. (See http://www.dhs.gov/ximgtn/statistics/data/dslpr.shtm).

The 31 nationalities above represent three-fifths (60.7%) of all immigrant settlement and adjustment in Michigan during this ten-year period. The countries that supplied the greatest number of Michigan's new immigrants during the period were India, Mexico, China, Canada and the former Soviet Union. Taken together, immigrants from those countries account for nearly one-third (32.6%) of total admissions.  

Back to Top

Michigan: Poll Data

 

Rasmussen Poll: Arizona Law SB 1070
July 2010

Suppose the new Arizona immigration law was being considered for your state. Would you favor or oppose passage of that law in your state?

A Rasmussen poll of voters in Michigan on June 9, 2010 found:

• 56% favor an immigration law similar to Arizona’s SB1070. 28% oppose such a law.
• 66% support the provision of the Arizona law that requires police officers to check the immigration status of anyone they stop for a violation if the police officer suspects the person is in this country illegally. 21% oppose this requirement.

Back to Top

Michigan: Immigration Impact

 

Population Profile

In some cities in Michigan, 20 percent of the population is now foreign-born.¹ Due to heavy immigration, hospitals, senior care centers, and courthouses can't keep up with the demand for translators for immigrants wanting services.² In metropolitan Detroit, the number of people with limited English proficiency doubled in the 1990s to 62,000 in 2000.³

Environmental and Quality of Life Profile

Education: Berrien, Livingston, and Monroe counties all have badly overcrowded schools and have struggled with bond issues to fund repairs on the overtaxed school buildings.⁴ Of Detroit's suburban school districts, 37 out of 88 had double-digit enrollment growth between 1992 and 2000; Walled Lake District, for examples, has built six new schools and expanded every existing one twice over the last decade and expects to add an additional 4,000 students over the next 15 years.⁵ The growth in the foreign-born population puts special strains on schools with significant numbers of limited-English-proficient students; in Dearborn schools, for example, one of out every three students is has limited English proficiency.⁶ Michigan's student-teacher ratio of 17.4 ranks 44th in the U.S. ⁷

Water: Even at the center of the Great Lakes basin, the state of Michigan has been forced to deal with water issues as a result of a rising population. Massive urban sprawl in the Detroit area has magnified the task of providing enough water to slake the public's growing thirst. As a result, prices have begun to sky-rocket.

By 2050, Michigan's population is expected to rise from 10.1 million to over 12.1 million.15 Michigan currently has a per-capita water usage of 115 gallons per day.⁸ This means that by 2050, an additional 233 million gallons of water may be needed each day.

This year water rates will rise an average 8.5 percent in Detroit's suburbs and 6.3 percent in the city. With sewer rates also rising, the combined rates will leap 7.2 percent in the suburbs and 8.8 percent for Detroit customers. These hikes come on top of similar leaps in price last year, "when suburban customers faced a 3.9 percent combined increase, while Detroiters felt a 9.3 percent hike," said George Ellenwood, spokesman of the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department.⁹

The city water department claims that it must raise rates to update the system, whose operating costs for a year are estimated at $341 million. Ellenwood said that the system is in the midst of a five-year, $3 billion capital improvement, which is needed to consolidate water service to all of the outlying communities.¹⁰

Many impoverished city residents were unable to pay the higher water prices. "Water service was cut off to more than 40,000 Detroit residences last year, making those homes uninhabitable.¹¹ This escalating cost of water undoubtedly contributed to Michigan's current rank of seventh among states for the highest number of home foreclosures. Detroit ranks sixth among cities in the same category.¹²

Additionally, Michigan and other neighboring states have been forced to begin defending the Great Lake waters around them, as these resources have been eyed greedily by other parts of the country, which face water shortages. "The Great Lakes are our Grand Canyon. It's our resource to protect, it's the backbone of the region," said Joel Brammeier, vice president for policy at the Alliance for the Great Lakes. Brammeier continued to profess his fear of "a thousand straws sipping into the lake." "We don't want to go there," he added "because that could have an impact."¹³

Traffic: As population growth put more traffic on the roads, the average commute for Michigan residents increased seven percent during the 1990s, from 21 minutes to 23 minutes in 2000.^14,15 29% of Michigan's major urban roads are congested and 38% of Michigan's major roads are in poor or mediocre condition. Vehicle travel on Michigan's highways increased 24% from 1990 to 2003. Driving on roads in need of repair costs Michigan motorists $2.1 billion a year in extra vehicle repairs and operating costs — $294 per motorist. ¹⁶

Congestion in the Detroit metropolitan area costs commuters $939 per person per year in excess fuel and lost time, and congestion in the Grand Rapids area costs commuters $360 per person per year in excess fuel and lost time.¹⁷ The annual delay of travelers in Detroit was 57 hours in 2003 (ranking 7th in the U.S.), and the annual delay in the Toledo, OH-MI area was 12 hours. ¹⁸ 13 percent of commuters in Michigan have a commute that is 45 minutes or more. ¹⁹

According to the Michigan Department of Transportation, clogged roadways in southeast Michigan are damaging the economy of the state.²⁰ According to the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments, traffic problems will worsen severely over the next 30 years as the population in some area communities swells by over 40 percent. ²¹ One civil commented that "Roads are so bad; visitors to the area have joked about 'accidentally renting a car with square tires' on local radio stations." ²²

Disappearing open space: Each year, Michigan loses 72,800 acres of open space and farmland due to development.²³ The amount of land developed in metro Detroit increase by nearly 30 percent between 1982 and 1997. The areas around the Great Lakes have suffered a 50 percent loss of coastal wetlands due to development.²⁴

Between 1.5 and 2 million acres of land will be converted to commercial, residential, and industrial land by the year 2020. 10% of Michigan's land is currently developed, but built of developed areas are projected to increase by 178% by 2040. Forest loss is expected to be the greatest in southern Michigan, where 13% may be gone by 2020 and 25% lost to development by 2040. Decreases in 17 species of Michigan birds have been attributed to deforestation in Michigan. ²⁵

Michigan averages a loss of approximately 38,900 acres of farmland per year due to development and low density fragmentation. Michigan ranks 9th in the top 10 states for farmland loss due to development, according to the American Farmland Trust. ²⁶

Crowded housing: Over 60,000 Michigan households were defined as crowded or severely crowded in 2005. ²⁷ Studies show that a rise in crowded housing often correlates with an increase in the number of foreign-born.^28,29 Michigan housing inspectors have had to close down employer-provided housing with as many as 26 immigrant men living together in one apartment and using one bathroom.³⁰

Sprawl: According to a report from the Michigan Environmental Council, urban sprawl and decay are threatening native habitats and air and water, and the state's trends in land-use are among the worst in the region.³¹ Sprawl has become such an issue in Michigan that the issue is credited with the election of new Governor Jennifer Grahholm, who has sworn to stop its spread.³² State Senate Majority Leader Ken Sikkema says, "Land use is one of the top issues confronting the state. Uncontrolled growth has huge fiscal impacts in new highways, new schools, and new water pipes." ³³

Air pollution: As population increases, pollution usually rises along with it. The Sierra Club graded Michigan's major metropolitan areas like Detroit and Grand Rapids with a D-minus for smog and auto pollution driven by sprawl.³⁴ The EPA estimates that several Michigan areas will not meet its air quality standards within the 2004 deadline, including Flint-Saginaw, metro Detroit. ³⁵

19 of Michigan's 83 counties received a grade of "F" from the American Lung Association's "State of the Air 2005" report. ³⁶ In 2001 Michigan ranked ninth in the nation for enegy consumption, and this large demand has led to the burning of fossil fuels for energy. The burning of fossil fuels contributes to air and water pollution, acid rain, and climate change. Coal fired power plants are responsible for the majority of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide releases, which has the adverse effects of asthma and other health problems for residents. ³⁷

Poverty: 16.2 percent of immigrants in Michigan have incomes below the poverty level, and increase of 41 percent since 2000. Among non-citizens, the poverty rate climbs to 20.3 percent. ³⁸ Detroit, a magnet for immigration, has the fourth highest poverty rate among large U.S. cities.³⁹ Large-scale immigration tends to increase the gap between rich and poor; between 1990 and 2000, income disparity grew in 56 of the state's 83 counties, and by 14 percent in Michigan's Cheboygan County, 11 percent in Luce County, and 11 percent in Alcona County.⁴⁰

Solid Waste: Michigan generates 1.68 tons of solid waste per capita. ⁴¹

Endnotes:

1. Joseph Altman, "Hamtramck, Highland Park: So Close Yet So Different," Associated Press, April 17, 2001.
2. John Flesher, "Michigan Slowly Preparing to Deal with Spanish Speakers," Associated Press, July 13, 2002.
3. "English-Limited Residents Increase in Michigan," Associated Press, October 2, 2002.
4. Alexandra R. Moses, "Challenges in the Classroom; Overcrowded schools Put Strain on Teachers, Facilities," Associated Press, October 21, 2001.
5. "Student Population Booming in Detroit-Area Districts," Associated Press, April 30, 2001.
6. Brad Heath, "More in Metro Detroit Unable to Speak English," Detroit News, October 2, 2002.
7. "Public Elementary and Secondary School Student Enrollment, High School Completions, and Staff From the Common Core of Data: School Year 2005-06', National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, June 2007
8. Jack Martin and Stanley Fogel. "Predicting the U.S. Population to 2050." FAIR. March 2006.
9. U.S. Geological Survey 2000.
10. Christina Stolarz, Robert Snell and Christine MacDonald, "Water, Sewer Rates to Rise," Detroit News, May 7, 2008.
11. David Josar, Jim Lynch and Christine Ferretti, "Metro Detroit Water Rates to Soar," Detroit News, December 11, 2007.
12. Cheryl LaBash, "Cynthia McKinney Supports Fight for Water," Workers World, May 15, 2008.
13. Greta Guest, "Detroit Area's Housing Market Shows More Signs of Life," Detroit Free Press, April 29, 2008.
14. Tim Jones, "Midwest's Message: Hands off Our Lakes," Chicago Tribune, May 27, 2008.
15. "Table DP-1-4, Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000," Census 2000, U.S. Census Bureau
16. "Table DP-1-4, Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 1990," 1990 Census, U.S. Census Bureau.
17. Report Card for America's Infrastructure 2005," American Society of Civil Engineers.
18. Ibid
19. "The 2005 Urban Mobility Report", Texas Transportation Institute.
20. "U.S. Population 2007 Data Sheet," Population Reference Bureau.
21. Kathleen Gray, "Michigan Transportation Official Says Clogged Roads Are Hurting Economy," Detroit Free Press, October 31, 2001.
22. George Hunter, "Growth Trend Project for Newer Communities," Detroit News, September 25, 2001.
23. Report Card for America's Infrastructure 2005," American Society of Civil Engineers.
24. "State Rankings by Acreage and Rate of Non-Federal Land Developed," Natural Resources Conservation Service, United States Department of Agriculture
25. Michael Kilian, op.cit
26. "U.S. State Reports on Population and the Environment: Michigan," Center for Environment and Population.
27. Ibid
28. Selected Housing Characteristics: 2005 Data Set - 2005 American Community Survey, American Fact Finder, U.S. Census Bureau.
29. Haya El Nasser, "U.S. Neighborhoods Grow More Crowded," USA Today, July 7, 2002.
30. Randy Capps, "Hardship Among Children of Immigrants: Findings from the 1999 National Survey of America's Families," Urban Institute, 2001.
31. Sally Tato, "Pontiac, Mich., Migrant Workers Get New Lodgings," Detroit Free Press, August 1, 2002.
32. Malcolm Johnson, "Environmental report grades states on environmental records," Associated Press, April 11, 2002.
33. Keith Scheieder, "Michigan New Leader in U.S. Movement to Tame Sprawl," Grand Lakes Bulletin News Service, February 9, 2003.
34. "Environmental Group Flunks Michigan Cities," Malcolm Johnson, Associated Press, November 13, 2001.
35. "Some Michigan Counties May Not Meet Air Quality Standards," Associated Press, April 8, 2002.
36. State of the Air 2005: Michigan", American Lung Association.
37. "U.S. State Reports on Population and the Environment: Michigan," Center for Environment and Population.
38. "Michigan State Factsheet," Migration Information Source, Migration Policy Institute.
39. Shawn Windsor, "Census Finds Michigan Felt 1990s Boom; Poverty Declined," Detroit Free Press, June 3, 2002.
40. James Prichard, "Gap Between Michigan's Rich and Poor Widens," Associated Press, September 9, 2002.
41. Report Card for America's Infrastructure 2005," American Society of Civil Engineers.

 

Other Resources  

State Local Reform Organizations

State Representatives Voting Record

 

Updated February 2012

Back to Top

Back to Top