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SEMCOG releases region’s final population estimates for 2007 The seven-county region of Southeast Michigan closes 2007 with an estimated population of 4,888,203, according to figures released by SEMCOG, the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments. This new estimate represents a 1.1 percent increase in population since the 2000 census. "Given the Census Bureau's mid-year estimates of population from the last two years, it's clear that the region's population growth has slowed and has actually been losing people since 2005," explained Xuan Liu, SEMCOG's Data Center Manager. "This change is an indication of the region's weak economy. The region's weak economy has, in turn, impacted the residential housing market, which has also slowed considerably. Obviously, we're concerned about these downward trends." Although the region as a whole has experienced little increase in population over the past few years, significant growth has taken place in a number of areas since the last census. Livingston County has grown nearly 25 percent, from a population of 156,951 in 2000 to a current estimated population of 194,979. Macomb County has added the most residents — 61,673 — since the 2000 census. All other counties, except for Wayne, have experienced single-digit percentage growth since the 2000 census. Below is a chart of population growth in Southeast Michigan since the 2000 census.
Among Southeast Michigan communities, Macomb Township has grown the most since the 2000 census, but is now growing at a slower rate. Since the 2000 census, it has added more than 25,000 people (or an average of nearly 4,000 a year); however, growth over the past two years has slowed. In 2007 Macomb Township grew by about 2,100 people, ending the year with an estimated population of 75,865. The number of households in Southeast Michigan, while growing more than three times as fast as population since the 2000 census (4.3 percent) has also slowed in the past three years. Households are growing at a faster rate than population primarily due to the aging population and the increasing numbers of one- and two-person households. There were 1,845,218 households counted in the 2000 census; the region closes 2007 with an estimated 1,925,324 households. During that period, the region averaged more than 11,000 new homes annually, but in 2007, households grew by just 1,889 (2,488 less than 2006). Macomb Township has added 9,314 households since the 2000 census (more than 10 percent of the region's total gain in households) and now has an estimated 26,260 households. However, new home construction, even in a growing community like Macomb Township, has slowed considerably in the past three years, from 1,082 in 2004 to 404 in 2007 (2007 numbers not final). In Southeast Michigan, there are an estimated 2.50 persons per household at the close of 2007. Livingston County has the highest persons per household at 2.70; Washtenaw County, at 2.34, is the lowest. These numbers reflect a continuing trend in the region and in the specific counties noted. Population and household figures for all counties and communities in Southeast Michigan are updated monthly on SEMCOG’s Web site — www.semcog.org. Find Population Estimates on SEMCOG's new Web site under Data and Maps, then By Subject. SEMCOG is a regional planning partnership of local governmental units serving 4.9 million people in the seven-county region of Southeast Michigan striving to advance the region’s quality of life. ### SEMCOG . . .Equipping local government leaders for the future
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