Oakland County Population Experiences Largest Year-to-Year Growth in Decades, Driven by Immigration
(Kurt Metzger, March 12, 2025)
Oakland County, MI – In December of last year, the Census Bureau released their 2024 population estimates for the nation and states. The U.S. population was estimated to have grown by nearly 1.0% between 2023 and 2024, this is the fastest annual population growth the nation has seen since 2001 — a notable increase from the record low growth rate of 0.2% in 2021.
The growth was primarily driven by rising net international migration. Michigan, riding on that wave of international population growth, experienced its largest growth of the decade – 57,103 residents added (0.6 percent) – well eclipsing last year’s revised growth of 32,479.
Michigan’s official population total for 2024 is 10,140,459, bringing us 0.6 percent over the 2020 total – the first time in the decade surpassing 2020.
Today the Bureau is releasing their 2024 population estimates for the nation’s counties and metropolitan areas. In May they will release the numbers for cities, villages, and townships.
I have been very interested to see how Michigan’s population gain, particularly the immigration component, would affect counties across the state. The results are in and it appears clear that population gains are heavily concentrated in the major urban areas – counties where immigration is a critical component of population change.
In the end, 55 counties gained population; 27 counties lost; and, one (Iosco) showed no change.
The five largest losers were Huron, Delta, Sanilac, Bay, and Cheboygan.
The five biggest winners were Oakland, Wayne, Kent, Macomb, and Washtenaw. Wayne County’s increase of 8,692 residents was the first since the early 1990s, and Oakland County’s addition of 15,052 residents was the largest year-to- year gain since before 1990.
Let us look at the components of Oakland County’s 2023-24 population growth.
Births decreased slightly from 2023 – from 12,356 to 12,241
Deaths decreased slightly more from 2023 – from 11,360 to 10,953
The result was an almost 300 person increase in Natural Increase (Births + Deaths)
Domestic outmigration (movement out of the county to anywhere in the U.S., including other Michigan counties) dropped by more than half from a loss of 9,302 to a loss of 4,432
International Migration was the major driver of change, as it has been for the nation and the state. While both the 2022 and 2023 immigration numbers saw large adjustments, the revised 2023 total of 15,000 (revised from 6,558) was easily surpassed in 2024 with 18,153 immigrants calling Oakland County home.
I hate to be repetitive, but I want to close with a similar ending to my article on the state estimates. Once again, the answer is clear. Population growth for the United States is highly dependent on International Migration / Immigration. It is even more important for Michigan and Oakland County where natural increase continues to flounder, due to decreased births and an aging population, and domestic migration, while lessening in its losses, continues to send more residents away than draw new ones in.
Visit the Data-Based Stories Archives on Oakland County Times for stories on voter turnout, population shifts, Dogs of Oakland County, and other statistics-related stories, thanks to Data Expert Kurt Metzger.
