Grand Rapids area driving Michigan population growth; see new Census estimates for each county

Michigan inauguration

A crowd gathers for the inaugural ceremonies at the Capitol in Lansing on Jan. 1, 2019. (Cory Morse | MLive.com)

Michigan is poised to hit the 10 million population mark again, and the Grand Rapids metro area is leading that growth.

The state’s population stood at 9,995,915 in 2018, up 19,468 or 0.2 percent compared to 2017, according to U.S. Census estimates released today.

Michigan's population peaked at 10.09 million in 2006 and last exceeded the 10 million mark in 2008, on the eve of the Great Recession, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates.

With jobs losses hammering the state, the population dropped to 9.88 million by 2011, based on Census Bureau estimates.

It’s slowly increased since. In 2017, then-Gov. Rick Snyder said he would like to see the population hit the 10 million again by 2020.

Among Michigan’s 83 counties, Kent and Ottawa counties ranked Nos. 1 and 2 in population gains between 2017 and 2018.

Kent increased by an estimated 4,555 residents to 653,786 and Ottawa by 3,572 to 290,494. The Grand Rapids metro area, which also includes Montcalm and Barry counties, now stands at 1,069,405, up 9,079 from 2017.

Wayne, the state’s largest county and home to Detroit, saw an estimated drop of 2,371 residents and now has an estimated population of 1,753,893.

However, the Detroit metro area -- which includes Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Livingston, Lapeer and St. Clair -- grew by 4,738 residents with an estimated population of 4,326,442.

Below is a look at year-by-year population estimates for all 83 counties from 2010 to 2018. Put your cursor over the bars in the graphic to see the underlying numbers.

2010-18 Census estimates by county

Below is an interactive map that shows county population change between 2010 and 2017. You can put your cursor over a county to see the underlying data.

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