Oakland County Population Grows, but is Passed by Franklin County, Ohio – Home of the Buckeyes
(Kurt Metzger, March 25, 2016)
The Census Bureau released new July 1, 2015 county population estimates today.  While Oakland County experienced the 5^th straight year of population growth this decade, the 2014-2015 growth was the smallest of the five, at 2,407.  Last year the county gained 7,184 residents, marking a reduction over the three previous years when population additions were 8,281, 10,180 and 11,322, respectively.  The 2015 total marks an historical high for Oakland County – 1,242,304. (Figure 1)

Figure 2 illustrates the primary factor contributing to the slowdown – domestic outmigration.  Population estimates factor in births and deaths, which combine to form natural increase, along with net migration, which is the result of immigration and domestic migration (movement within the United States).
While the 2014-15 period brought relatively unchanging birth, death and immigration totals from previous years, domestic outmigration took a large jump.  The first three years of the decade brought more people into Oakland County from other parts of the country (including other Michigan counties) than those who left.  This trend, combined with immigration totals averaging about 5,000 per year, resulted in a steady, strong positive net migration that drove population growth.  The 2013 -14 period was the first to bring net domestic outmigration, as 1,462 more people left Oakland County for other parts of the country than came in.  However, this loss was buffeted by the largest immigration total of the decade and the result was net migration on the positive side.

 
The latest results show a significant increase in domestic outmigration, with Oakland County losing 6,544 residents to other parts of the country.  Even a sustained immigration flow could not stem the tide and net migration fell into negative territory – a loss of 739 residents – for the first time since the 2008-09 period.
While Oakland County’s population grew, it experienced a drop of one position in its ranking among counties in the United States.  Oakland County now ranks 33^rd largest in the country, passed this year by Franklin County, Ohio – home of Columbus.  Of all counties to get passed by, the home of Ohio State University is probably not the one Michiganders would have picked.
Kurt Metzger is the Mayor of Pleasant Ridge, and founder of Data Driven Detroit/.
For more information on the latest population report, check out http://www.census.gov/popest/data/counties/totals/2015/index.html