The exodus from Michigan is accelerating, with more than twice as many moving out of the state on a net basis last year than in 2022, according to the most recent U.S. Census Bureau data.
Updated estimates from the bureau’s American Community Survey continue where a previous estimate through mid-2023 left off, illustrating that the pace of folks fleeing Michigan for other states increased through the latter half of the year.
In total, more than 155,000 left the Great Lakes States for somewhere better last year, a figure that’s 20,415 more than the number that moved in.
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In 2022, the net loss was 9,900, Bridge Michigan reports.
Over the last three years the net migration was negative 45,141.
The top states benefitting from that exodus include Florida with a net migration of 29,804, Ohio (12,178), Texas (9,427), Arizona (5,759), North Carolina (4,004), Kentucky (3,222), Georgia (2,546), Arkansas (2,465), Tennessee (1,832), and Nevada (1,519).
All of those states, with the exception of Ohio, are right to work states, meaning labor unions are prohibited from requiring membership as a condition of employment. The distinction is often cited by economists and business leaders as a key consideration for locating businesses, with research showing right to work states attract more jobs and tax revenues.
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Michigan became the first state in 48 years to repeal its right to work law in 2023, a move approved by Democratic majorities in the state legislature and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who argued the legislation would “grow Michigan’s middle class.”
The repeal took effect on March 30, 2024.
The recent change, however, is only one piece of a population problem that has plagued Michigan for decades. Beyond the negative migration, Michigan is also one of only 19 states where deaths outpace births, compounding the issue.
Between 1990 and 2020, only West Virginia ranked worst among states for population growth, a reality that cost Michigan an electoral vote in the last census, reducing the state’s political power to 15 electoral votes. In the 1980 election, Michigan had 21 electoral votes.
The worsening situation prompted Whitmer to convene a Growing Michigan Together Council that produced a report in December outlining the factors driving the trend and offering solutions that generally revolve around expanding government and increasing spending.
The recommendations included building “more robust passenger rail systems,” incentives for home builders, and “dedicated funding sources to maintain Michigan’s road infrastructure, including vehicle miles traveled fees, tolling, and better utilization of public-private partnerships.”
Other big ticket items included sweeping education reforms, “free” college, the creation of “regional innovation districts,” increased incentives for the electric vehicle and healthcare industries, and more investment in economic and workforce development programs.
“We are lagging in median income, educational outcomes, and attainment and have fallen behind faster-growing peer states in key measures of infrastructure, community well-being, and job opportunities,” the report read. “We are losing more young residents than we’re attracting, and our population is aging faster than those of our neighbors.”
The report also calls for attracting more immigrants to Michigan, a suggestion Democrats have taken to heart.
While the 28-member council ultimately approved the report, lawmakers have done next to nothing to implement the recommendations, with the exception of expanded “free” community college in the 2025 budget and significant spending to attract immigrants.
The latter includes a $11.5 million Newcomer Rental Subsidy program that provides up to $600 per month for a year for “asylum seekers” to secure housing, $730,000 to “support newcomer integration,” $1 million to cover the legal fees of “asylum seekers,” and $6.4 million in additional Medicaid benefits for refugees and other immigrants to ensure Michigan is “the state of choice for many newcomer populations.”
Republicans, the minority party in both chambers of the Michigan legislature, have questioned that spending, noting 97% of asylum claims in 2023 involved illegal immigrants who filed to avoid deportation.
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Regardless, the effort to court immigrants is working great, with data from a Contributions of New Americans in Michigan report showing Michigan’s immigrant population is growing nearly 10 times faster than the overall population.
A total of 687,700 immigrants, including 102,700 in the country illegally, resided in Michigan in 2022, representing about 7% of the total population. Over the preceding decade, the immigrant population increased by 14.5%, compared to 1.5% for Michigan in general, adding 87,000 immigrants to the Great Lakes State since 2012, according to the report.