DETROIT — Detroit, once among the nation's largest cities, continues to shrink with a population of 639,111, down almost 75,000 residents from a decade ago, according to data released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau.
The nation's 2020 census showed that Detroit's population dropped 10.5% from the 2010 count of 713,777 residents following a decade of revitalization efforts and attempts to reduce crime, improve services and attract more businesses. The last Census Bureau figures in 2019 estimated Detroit's population at 670,034 residents.
It is the seventh straight decade Detroit's population has declined since the census showed the city with 1.81 million residents in 1950.
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said in a statement that the figures are what he and U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Detroit, predicted in October when "Detroit neighborhoods were being undercounted" and both said they were upset that the count was shut down a month before originally planned.
Duggan said in October he couldn't give an estimate of how many people are in Detroit, but said he knew the population has increased significantly since 2010.
Duggan added in the statement that Thursday's census figures show Detroit has only 254,000 occupied households but DTE Energy reports there are nearly 280,000 residential households currently paying electric bills.
"At a minimum, the Census somehow failed to count 25,000 occupied houses with running electricity," Duggan said. "It appears the Census Bureau has undercounted Detroit’s population by at least 10%. We will be pursuing our legal remedies to get Detroit an accurate count."
Duggan said in October that concerns about the Detroit census count began even before the process started when the bureau cut its budget and did not open an office in the city, and instead focused on Detroit out of Chicago.
Tlaib could not be immediately reached for comment Thursday.
Duggan, who announced in December he would seek a third term, has made a point of being measured on whether Detroit’s population grows. He said in 2014 as he began his first term that he would “be judged on one thing: whether the administration can reverse that trend. We are totally focused on salvaging our housing stock and moving people back in the city."
When Duggan took office on Jan. 1, 2014, the city’s population was around 680,000.
Dr. Ron S. Jarmin, acting director of the U.S. Census Bureau, said during a press conference that the bureau produced “reliable and usable statistic that we and the public expect.”
“While no census is perfect, we are confident today’s redistricting results meet our high data quality standards,” Jarmin said. “It is too early to speculate on undercounts or overcounts for any specific demographic group …”
Detroit needs to reverse its population decline by attracting more young people to grow its economic base and lead Michigan's prosperity, said Kurt Metzger, a demographer who is Pleasant Ridge's mayor.
"Population indicates success," said Metzger. "Detroit is Michigan. How Detroit does will greatly influence how Michigan does. And you can't have a successful region without a successful central city. You can't find it anywhere in the country. Everybody has to realize that their success is predicated on Detroit's success."
Metzger said now it is more critical than ever for Detroit to grow, and regional officials must combine efforts to play a role.
"Time is running out," Metzger said. "Either we get this right in the next couple of years, or we might as well just hope fresh water will be our savior somewhere down the road."
The 2020 census count was conducted by mail, telephone and online. It was the first time that everyone could respond online.
But it occurred during the global coronavirus pandemic, impeding Detroit's army of outreach workers, Metzger said.
Detroit had a low percentage of residents who responded online to the census which occurred at the beginning of the pandemic, said Metzger. Lack of access to the internet and trust in the government are among the reasons many residents may not have gone online to report their household population, Metzger said.
"Because of that, Detroit had one of the lowest (online) response rates in the country of all the major cities," Metzger said.
Residents could mail in the census questionnaire and officials encouraged them to do so through door-to-door outreach.
The city also may have struggled with getting participation from its Latino and Middle Eastern community due to the hostility toward immigrants by former President Donald Trump, Metzger said.
"Were they scared to fill out a questionnaire because of Trump's constant drumbeat against immigrants?" Metzger said.
Detroit's population has dropped 1.1 million people since 1950, with many residents moving to the Metro Detroit suburbs.
It started with white residents leaving the city, then continued with Black and white residents, Metzger said.
The 2020 census showed Detroit's African American population is 77.2%, a slight dip from 78.3% in 2010.
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