Census Report: More Detroit Residents Leaving for the Suburbs

An increasing number of residents in Detroit are fleeing the city, a U.S. Census Bureau report shows.

The Detroit News reports that nearly 64,000 residents left Detroit’s urban area between 2010 and 2013. As Wayne County’s population has decreased, suburban areas have seen an increase in residents.

Livingston, Macomb, Oakland and Washtenaw counties are among those areas experiencing population increases.

The Census doesn’t specify where residents are migrating to, but the number of African-Americans in Macomb County has increased from about 72,000 people to almost 89,000 since 2010. Overall, Macomb’s population has increased to nearly 855,000 residents.

Oakland and Washtenaw counties saw population increases of .87 and .89 percent, respectively.

A 2012 poll by The Detroit News reported 40 percent of residents were expected to leave Detroit in the upcoming five years.

Crime is the biggest challenge for Detroit residents, according to a survey of 800 Detroiters conducted  by the Glengariff Group Inc.

“A lot more African-Americans moved into southern Macomb from Detroit when the economy tanked and that trend is just continuing,” Kurt Metzger, director of Data Driven Detroit, told The Detroit News. “They’re getting good bargains on housing in southern Macomb that they can’t find in Oakland County.”

Residents between the ages of 20-34 have increased, which Metzger said is a signal that efforts to keep college graduates from leaving the area is improving.

Michigan is also aging at a faster rate than other states, according to the Census.

The median age for a Michigan resident has increased to 39.5 years today, up from 38.9 in 2010.

» For the complete story, go to the Detroit Free Press.