Latest Data: Births and Deaths in Oakland County, Statewide
(Kurt Metzger, June 25, 2025)
Oakland County, MI – The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has released preliminary birth and death data for 2024. Michigan’s birthrates continue to be down – the lowest since the World War II period, and almost 100,000 fewer than the baby boom years between 1955 and 1960.
Despite the overall decline of new births statewide, 35 counties registered 2023-24 increases. Oakland County, which had 194 more births in 2024 than in 2023, registered the largest increase. It was followed by Ingham (183), Calhoun (164), Kent (160), Ottawa (119) and Genesee (118). Those with the largest decreases were Wayne (-417) and Monroe (-323). Neighboring Macomb County had 55 fewer births in 2024.
The first chart tracks Oakland County births from 1950 – 2024. 2024 marks the sixth straight year in which county births have been in the 12,000s, after having spent nine years in the 13,000s. While details have yet to be released for 2024, data through 2023 show decreasing shares of white and African American births, and increases for those of Hispanic and Arab ancestry. Asian births had the largest increase, rising from 8.0 percent in 2010 to 11.6 percent in 2023.
While COVID had a large effect on the number of deaths in the state, increasing the annual total by 17,000, its recovery has demonstrated that Michigan, because its population is aging faster than most states, will continue to see increasing death totals. The second chart tracks Oakland County deaths from 1950 to 2024. While 2024 represents a decrease of almost 300 from the previous year, and almost 2,000 from the COVID years of 2020 and 2021, its total continues the trend (see 2019) that was briefly accelerated by COVID.
While we might expect births to outnumber deaths on a regular basis, Michigan has experienced the opposite. Between 1955 and 1960, Michigan was adding 130,000 residents annually. The COVID years of 2020 and 2021 brought natural decrease of almost 13,000 each year. As we have recovered, the decrease has lessened, but we are still losing.
Chart 3 shows a slightly different trajectory for Oakland County. In 1960, baby boom births were so large (17,756) that the county was able to add 13,511 residents through natural increase (births minus deaths). This represents almost one thousand more people added than the total number of births in 2024. Though the 2024 natural increase was a mere 1,230 residents, it represented the best outcome since 2019.
Oakland County is facing a number of demographic and socioeconomic factors that will serve to continue these trends. We have an aging population, decreases of women of childbearing age, declined interest in large families, and increasing deaths. The high cost of housing, food, transportation, and parenting are likely impacting population growth.
Other factors impact population, such as people choosing to relocate out of state. The State of Michigan has begun looking at the population challenges the state faces as communities need people in the workforce, caregivers for older adults, and the economic benefits of more wage earners and taxpayers.
Check out previous stories for more on population trends in Oakland County and Michigan:
MML #2 – As Population Declines, State Works on “Growing Michigan Together”
Michigan Population Declines, But Not As Much as Previous Year
For more stories about the Census and other interesting numbers, visit the Data-Base Stories Archives on Oakland County Times. Thanks to Data Expert Kurt Metzger for this work!
