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Methodology :: Identifying the population and labor force characteristics of Wayne County residents is essential in creating an appropriate and useful development plan. In order to arrive at the most current and comprehensive portrait of the people and economy, a variety of different data sources have been brought into the analysis. The newly released U.S. Census of Population and Housing, 2000 data was used for in conjunction with the 1990 Census for longitudinal analysis purposes. SEMCOG’s Regional Development Forecast was used to make projections through 2020. Labor Force data was compiled from the Michigan Employment Service Agency, and U.S. Census, County Business Patterns. :: Most statistics are reported on both a regional and local community level. The region as defined by SEMCOG includes the following counties: Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, St. Clair, Washtenaw and Wayne. The local community consists of the 43 Wayne County municipalities. For practical purposes, most data is reported here in an abbreviated, narrative form. Complete tables with calculations by city, not county, are provided in the Appendix of this document. A note of caution is therefore given when interpreting population and labor force data in a district the size of Wayne County. While this data is useful in analyzing broad economic trends, the variations between communities cannot be deciphered. Specifically, changes that occurred in Detroit, a city that comprises nearly one-half of the Wayne County population, will considerably skew the overall County figures. Thus, when appropriate, Detroit statistics are extracted from the County total in order to identify the trends of the other 42 communities. When Detroit is removed, the remaining Wayne County communities will be termed "Balance of Wayne." Residential Population :: According to the 2000 Census, the population of Wayne County was 2,061,162, making it the largest population center in the state. However, following the trend of most older, industrialized cities and counties in the Midwest, the population has generally decreased during the past several decades. Between 1980 and 1990, the County lost 226,204 persons, or 9.6 percent, and between 1990 and 2000 some 50,525 persons were lost, or 2.4 percent. Several factors account for these losses, including smaller families and thus a lowering of population per household, migration from the region during economic slumps, and migration of the older population to sunbelt communities. The greatest population loss may be attributed to the shift of population, particularly families, from older industrial centers to newer suburban communities in Wayne County and elsewhere. The notable reduction in population loss between 1990 and 2000 suggests that out-migration from the County has largely stopped. This population loss is largely the result of a slowing, but continuous, exodus from Detroit and other distressed communities, and changing household patterns. Much of the population loss is mitigated by unprecedented growth in outlying areas such as Canton Township. :: While Wayne County has maintained its position as leader of the state in population, its neighboring counties, particularly Oakland County, are growing at much faster rates. Wayne County is projected to decrease from 43 percent to 39 percent of the region's total population between the decades of 2000 and 2020, as illustrated in Table 5 below.
:: To illustrate these trends for purposes of this report, the 43 communities are classified into three categories based on population change: loss, stable, and growth. Table 6 on the following page section identifies each community and its population category.
Reference Map 3: Population Change
Table 6: Population Change in Wayne County Communities, 1990-2020
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:: To
a large extent, the decreasing population is due to the loss
experienced by the city of Detroit. With a population estimated
at now below one million, Detroit still accounts for nearly one-half
of all persons residing in Wayne County. Still, Detroit is not
the sole cause of Wayne County's population decline. Much of
the County consists of older suburbs and lifestyle trends suggest
smaller household sizes. Thus, if a municipality does not have
extensive residential growth, then the population is bound to
decrease due to shrinking family and household sizes. Between
1980 and 1990, 33 communities, including Detroit, experienced
a decline in population, and between 1990 and 2000, 26 communities
experience a decline in population. Between 1980 and 1990, the
balance of Wayne County lost 50,844 people or 4.5 percent of
its population, and between 1990 and 2000 it experienced a gain
of 26,184 or 2.4 percent of its population. 