Census: Detroit population falls 25 per cent in past decade

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Census: Detroit population falls 25 per cent in past decade, losing more than

237,000 people

By Flesher, The Associated Press | The Canadian Press – Tue, 22 Mar, 2011

6:39 PM EDT

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. - Hammered by the auto industry's slump, Detroit saw its

population plummet 25 per cent over the past decade, according to census data

released Tuesday that reflects the severity of an economic downturn in the only

state whose population declined since 2000.

The statistics show that the Motor City's population fell to 713,777 in 2010,

compared to 951,270 in 2000. Although a significant drop was expected, state

demographer Ken Darga said the number is " considerably lower " than the Census

Bureau's estimate last year.

" That's just incredible, " added Kurt Metzger, a demographer with a Data Driven

Detroit, a non-profit that collects statistics used by area planners. " It's

certainly the largest population loss percentage-wise that we've ever had in

this city. "

Mayor Dave Bing disputed the numbers, claiming his city has at least 750,000

residents, which he called an important threshold for qualifying for some state

and federal financial programs. He didn't say how so many people were missed by

census workers, but he said he planned to appeal.