There are four basic drivers of population change: Births, deaths, domestic migration and international immigration. This article will present the general trends in each of these areas. It will summarize what the recent and relevant research suggests about what factors drive these trends. Finally, it will evaluate the policy implications of this research.
Graphic 1: U.S. and Michigan population growth trends by source, 2011-2020
As shown in Graphic 1, Michigan’s population growth rate has significantly lagged that of the United States as a whole, even turning negative in 2019 and 2020. While Michigan’s international migration is about on par with the U.S. average, its birth rate is slightly below and its death rate is slightly above the national average. The state’s net domestic migration was negative every year from 2011-2020, meaning more Americans left the state than moved into it.