Michigan: Largest Counties Population Estimates 2005

[RustTown]

Here are the U.S. Census' estimates for Michigan's counties in July of 2005, and 2000 numbers.

2005/2000

1. Wayne:

1,998,217 / 2,061,162 (-3.1%)

2. Oakland:

1,214,361 / 1,194,156 (+1.7%)

3. Macomb:

829,453 / 788,149 (+5.2%)

4. Kent:

596,666 / 574,335 (+3.9%)

5. Genesee:

443,883 / 436,141 (+1.8%)

6. Washtenaw:

341,847 / 322,895 (+5.9%)

7. Ingham:

278,592 / 279,320 (-.26%)

8. Ottawa:

255,406 / 238,314 (+7.2%

9. Kalamazoo:

240,536 / 238,603 (+.81%)

10: Saginaw:

208,356 / 210,039 (-.80%)

11. Livingston:

181,517 / 156,951 (+15.7%)

12. Muskegon:

175,554 / 170,200 (+3.1%)

13. St. Clair:

171,426 / 164,235 (+4.4%)

14. Jackson:

163,629 / 158,422 (+3.3%)

15. Berrien:

162,611 / 162,453 (+.097%)

16. Monroe:

153,935 / 145,945 (+5.5%)

17. Calhoun:

139,191 / 137,985 (+.87%)

18. Allegan:

113,174 / 105,665 (+7.1%)

19. Bay:

109,029 / 110,157 (-1.0%)

20. Eaton:

107,394 / 103,655 (+3.6%)

21. Lenawee:

102,033 / 98,890 (+3.2%)

I hope I did this simply math right to get the percent growth/decline. lol If someone would like to break this down by metro, that would be great. Here is the link to the information:

http://www.census.gov/popest/counties/CO-EST2005-01.html

[Phizzy]

If someone would like to break this down by metro, that would be great.

Metro Area 2005 2000

Detroit-Warren-Flint CSA 5,428,000 5,357,538 +1.32%

Grand Rapids-Muskegon-Holland CSA 1,315,319 1,254,661 +4.83%

Lansing-East Lansing-Owosso CSA 528,260 519,415 +1.70%

Kalamazoo-Portage MSA 319,348 314,866 +1.42%

Saginaw-Bay City-Saginaw Township North CSA 317,385 320,196 -0.88%

Jackson MSA 163,629 158,422 +3.29%

Niles-Benton Harbor MSA 162,611 162,453 +0.10%

Battle Creek MSA 139,191 137,985 +0.87%

[RustTown]

Thanks, but aren't Battle Creek/Kalamazoo as CSA?

Also, do you think you could just to MSA's since CSA's are ridiculously large?

[Phizzy]

Thanks, but aren't Battle Creek/Kalamazoo as CSA?

Apparently not.

Also, do you think you could just to MSA's since CSA's are ridiculously large?

Okay, but the Detroit-Warren-Livonia MSA is still quite large (six counties).

          Metro Area                 2005       2000	

Detroit-Warren-Livonia MSA 4,488,335 4,452,557 +0.80%

Grand Rapids-Wyoming MSA 771,185 740,482 +4.15%

Lansing-East Lansing MSA 455,315 447,728 +1.69%

Flint MSA 443,883 436,141 +1.78%

Ann Arbor MSA 341,847 322,895 +5.87%

Kalamazoo-Portage MSA 319,348 314,866 +1.42%

Holland-Grand Haven MSA 255,406 238,314 +7.17%

Saginaw-Saginaw Township North MSA 208,356 210,039 -0.80%

Muskegon-Norton Shores MSA 175,554 170,200 +3.15%

Jackson MSA 163,629 158,422 +3.29%

Niles-Benton Harbor MSA 162,611 162,453 +0.10%

Monroe MSA 153,935 145,945 +5.47%

Battle Creek MSA 139,191 137,985 +0.87%

Bay City MSA 109,029 110,157 -1.02%

[hudkina]

CSAs are the same as the old MSAs. In fact, Detroit's current CSA is actually smaller than the old MSA. Also, Kalamazoo and Battle Creek are currently separate metros. They were combined under the old definition, but under the new rules neither county meets the minimum commuter requirement.

Also, the Grand Rapids CSA is the only true way of defining that metro simply because of the positon of county lines. Ottawa County is what really screws up the whole thing. The reason is that Ottawa County holds a large portion of both the Grand Rapids urban area as well as the Muskegon urban area, but also contains the Holland UA. 24% of the population of Muskegon's UA and 11% of Grand Rapids' UA supposedly are in acompletely separate metropolitan area. And that's just the urbanized population.

[hudkina]

BTW, if we used County Subdivions as the equivelent to Counties, the "Holland MSA" would have a population of 131,537. 96,948 of that would be from Ottawa County with the other 34,589 in Allegan County. Ironically, 62% of the people that live within the currently defined MSA do not live in county subdivions with strong commuter ties to the Holland area.

[Phizzy]

Also, the Grand Rapids CSA is the only true way of defining that metro simply because of the positon of county lines. Ottawa County is what really screws up the whole thing.

I agree. Ottawa County should be included in the Grand Rapids MSA, in my opinion. Places in Ottawa County like Georgetown Township (Jenison), Allendale Township, and Hudsonville are clearly suburbs of Grand Rapids. And Grand Rapids has a lot of commuters as far away as Zeeland and Grand Haven.

[Phizzy]

BTW, if we used County Subdivions as the equivelent to Counties, the "Holland MSA" would have a population of 131,537. 96,948 of that would be from Ottawa County with the other 34,589 in Allegan County. Ironically, 62% of the people that live within the currently defined MSA do not live in county subdivions with strong commuter ties to the Holland area.

Another goofy thing with the current metropolitan and micropolitan definitions is the fact that Allegan County is not included in the Holland-Grand Haven Metropolitan Statistical Area although a large area of the City of Holland lies in Allegan County.

Allegan County is part of the Allegan Micropolitan Statistical Area.

[RustTown]

Washtenaw County is just sprawling like crazy. It seems the Ann Arbor is either shrinking, stagnanted, or growing very slowly depending on what you want to believe (both SEMCOG and the Census show it shrinking back down slightly to 112,000 or so since 2000). It was one of the places that I had originally believed had a better hold on its sprawl. Metro Grand Rapids is no surprise to me, though. It also looks like Detroit's sprawl is finally catching up to it reaching a point where it may collapse on itself maybe as soon as the next census. Halfway through the decade things are finally coming to apparent about Michigan's growth.

[hudkina]

Another thing I find odd is that they call it the Allegan MSA, despite the fact that the Allegan UA doesn't even have 10,000 people. The minimum population an urban area is allowed to have to be the center of a MSA is 10,000. How can an urban area of 6,323 have it's own micropolitan area. And not only that, but Plainwell-Otsego is technically the largest urban area in Allegan County with 10,871. And even more, the Allegan portion of Holland's urban area has a population of 9,752, which is also larger than Allegan's UA. So even if Plainwell-Otsego weren't the largest urban area in the county, Allegan County would be included in Holland's MSA due to the minimum of 5,000 needed to be included as part of the Core of the MSA.

[hudkina]

oops!

[GR8scott]

^ also I would consider the NE section of Allagan county closer tied to GR metro than the Holland area. They are chopping up old farms all over Dorr-Moline-Wayland and putting ranch houses up on 1 acre properties and building "manufactured home" parks all over that area. Not very well planned but clearly closer to GR area as you feel like your only a couple minutes away from "the city" or at least a subburb Byron Center

[Phizzy]

^ also I would consider the NE section of Allagan county closer tied to GR metro than the Holland area.

Additionally for the GR Metro Area, I'd also consider, at the very least, the eastern half of Ottawa County, the northwestern portion of Barry County, the western half of Ionia County, some western townships/cities from Montcalm County, the southern third of Newaygo County, and some eastern townships from Muskegon County.

[GR8scott]

Additionally for the GR Metro Area, I'd also consider, at the very least, the eastern half of Ottawa County, the northwestern portion of Barry County, the western half of Ionia County, some western townships/cities from Montcalm County, the southern third of Newaygo County, and some eastern townships from Muskegon County.

the eastern portion of Ottawa yes, but the rest seem too far detached from GR and have too much farm land inbetween IMO

[Michi]

I wonder how small Wayne County will get. Could Oakland County ever surpass it in population? It's hard accepting that it's now below 2 million.

[Phizzy]

I wonder how small Wayne County will get. Could Oakland County ever surpass it in population? It's hard accepting that it's now below 2 million.

If 2000 thru 2005 population trends continue, Oakland County will surpass Wayne County in 50 years...

[RustTown]

I wonder how small Wayne County will get. Could Oakland County ever surpass it in population? It's hard accepting that it's now below 2 million.

SEMCOG still has Wayne County at just barely over 2 million, but it will fall further, for sure. As for Oakland County catching up, as Phizzy has pointed out, Oakland would have to continue growing at its pace, and Wayne continued shrinking at it's pace for quite awhile. And, as we know, Oakland County is going to slow down even more coming up on the next decade. I think we're only going to see Macomb or the three inner counties continue to grow fast through the next decade with a stagnant, or even declining, Oakland County, and a declining Wayne County. All of Detroit's growth will be in the far out sprawl in Livingston, Washtenaw, Genesee, and others, unless the metropolitan area takes meaningful efforts to provide the help it can to help Detroit become the center of the region, again, in all regards.

[hudkina]

Actually, Phizzy is pretty accurate in his description of the true "Metro Grand Rapids". In fact, the commuter ties even extend into the southwestern corner of Mecosta County.

Here's a map showing the MSA boundaries as defined at the county level (pink outline) as well as the county subdivision level (yellow shading). Ironically the populations aren't that different. What is different however is the size. The metro as defined by county subdivions has more people in less space.

The area bounded by pink has a population of 740,482 in an area of 2,827 sq. mi. The yellow-shaded area has a population of 784,064 in an area of 2,237 sq. mi.

[Phizzy]

Here's a map showing the MSA boundaries as defined at the county level (pink outline) as well as the county subdivision level (yellow shading). Ironically the populations aren't that different. What is different however is the size. The metro as defined by county subdivions has more people in less space.

Which begs the question, why doesn't the Office of Management and Budget use county subdivisions to define MSAs? Some MSAs, because they use county subdivisions, are rediculously large geographically, such as the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA.

[hudkina]

Because most states don't have sub-county municipalities. Over the years I've tried to build a county subdivions version of Michigan's metro's, but I've never really gotten around to finishing it.

[RustTown]

That would be awesome, Hudkina. It would almost be like an urban area division, but with a bit more reach, but not as ridiculously, geographically large as some CSA's.

[MJLO]

Lmich you are a champion of those urban populations, I am too. If when I think of Metro Grand Rapids, I don't think of Ionia, or Hastings. they are to far out there, for my taste, to be classified as urban.

[hudkina]

I think each is distinguishable. To me, the "Grand Rapids Area" includes Allegan, Barry, Ionia, Montcalm, Mecosta, Newaygo, Oceana, Muskegon, Ottawa, and Kent counties, "Metropolitan Grand Rapids" is the area that I defined with the yellow shading, and "Grand Rapids" is basically the city and surrounding urban area.

[RustTown]

Is it easy to find the square mileage of each of these metropolitan areas? I'd be interested to look it up if it was easy, or if someone else could do it. Also, is there a way to find square mileages of urbanized areas, yet?

[Phizzy]

Is it easy to find the square mileage of each of these metropolitan areas? I'd be interested to look it up if it was easy, or if someone else could do it. Also, is there a way to find square mileages of urbanized areas, yet?

You can look up the square miles of each county in the metro area at wikipedia.com, then total it up. (The Grand Rapids CSA, for example, is 4,729 square miles. The Grand Rapids MSA is 2,827 square miles.)