Michigan's Top 10 Biggest Cities in 1960: Where Do They Rank Now?

It's no secret that Michigan experienced a dramatic rise and fall in population over the course of the last 100 years, largely correlated to the state's roller coaster of an auto industry.

Over the past decade, Michigan's population had been slowly growing, but that streak was stymied in 2020. According to Newsweek, that year marked the first time since 1900 that Michigan recorded more deaths than births in the state.

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Demographer Kurt Metzger was quoted by the Detroit Free Press as citing Michigan's "aging population, declining birth rates and a lack of people moving into the state made for a prime example of a state where a pandemic like COVID could significantly harm a state that was headed in the direction of declining population".

So where do things stand now?

We pored through US Census data to find out which Michigan cities had the largest populations in 1960, and compared them to the most recent population figures that have been made available.

While it's stunning how much the population of Detroit has fallen during that time period, it's not surprising that it is still the largest city in the state. But besides Detroit, not a single Michigan city among the Top 10 in 1960 still ranks in the same position today as it did then. As a matter of fact, half of them aren't even in the Top 10 anymore. One has even fallen as far as #28. A few have actually grown in size during the interim.

Scroll through our gallery below to see how much has changed for the cities that, at one time, were among the Michigan's biggest.

10 Biggest Cities in Michigan as of 1960

Michigan's largest city is still Detroit, but a lot has changed in the Mitten State since 1960. Here's a look at the state's most populous cities then, and where they rank now.

Michigan's Top 20 Biggest Cities By Population

Let's take a look at some of the bigger cities in Michigan. Did you grow up in these towns? Does their rank surprise you? The following numbers are based on population according to worldpopulationreview.com.

These Michigan Counties Have The Smallest Population's

Ever wonder which Michigan county has the least amount of people residing? Stop wondering, here are twenty Michigan counties, that start at a few thousand.