West Michigan Population Boom Outpaces State Growth as Grand Rapids Leads Michigan in Resident Gains

Census Data Reveals West Michigan Leading Michigan's Population Recovery

While Michigan added nearly 56,000 residents between 2020 and 2025, the growth was not evenly distributed across the state. West Michigan and northern Michigan led the recovery, with Grand Rapids and Kent County standing out as the state's fastest-growing areas.

The new Census Bureau estimates show that 57 of Michigan's 83 counties saw population gains from 2020 to 2025. But the story is very different depending on where you live in the state.

Kent County Surges Ahead

Kent County added the most residents in raw numbers, with nearly 17,000 gained since 2020 — a 2.5% increase. This makes it the state's fastest-growing county by actual population numbers.

The growth in Kent County comes from both natural increase — more births than deaths — and migration from other states and countries. This contrasts with Oakland County, which added about 14,000 people but relied almost entirely on international migration for its growth.

Both Kent and Oakland County experienced negative domestic migration, meaning fewer people moved into those counties from other places in the United States. Yet Kent County's combination of natural increase and international migration has made it the state's population leader.

Grand Rapids Metro Area Thrives

The Grand Rapids metropolitan area has been Michigan's fastest-growing metro area since 2020, adding about 33,600 residents — a 3% increase. This growth has been driven by both positive migration and natural change, with each accounting for about half of the total population change.

From 2020-2025, just over 16,000 more people were born in the Grand Rapids metro area than died, while more than 17,000 people moved to the area from other countries. Domestic migration was slightly negative, as about 800 more people left Grand Rapids than moved there from within the United States.

Brian Asquith, a research economist at the Upjohn Institute, explained that the stability and diversity of Grand Rapids' economy is one major reason for the growth. "Grand Rapids, sort of uniquely for the Great Lakes region, kept its manufacturing base," Asquith said.

Major companies like Steelcase and Amway maintain a large industrial presence in Grand Rapids. Steelcase, which was acquired by Iowa-based HNI Corp. last August for $2.2 billion, is expected to move some of its operations to Iowa over the next few years. Despite this, the metro area continues to attract residents.

The Sunbelt Effect

Asquith also noted that another factor attracting residents to the west side of the state is that "Grand Rapids is a little slice of the sunbelt in the Midwest." Like parts of the southeast United States where population growth has been strong in recent years, areas like the Ottawa County suburbs are more business-friendly and culturally conservative than other parts of the state.

"If you have a lot of suburban amenities, if you sort of like that sunbelt... culture or that vibe, and then you also want access to the Lake Michigan amenities, I do think it's a big part of the draw of Grand Rapids," Asquith said.

West Michigan's Regional Advantage

West Michigan remains the fastest-growing region in the state, picking up more than 43,000 residents between 2020 and 2025 for a nearly 2% growth rate. Regional economic development group The Right Place has made it a top priority to attract workers to the region by focusing on health care, manufacturing and tech jobs.

West Michigan saw net migration of more than 7,500 residents last year, second only to southeast Michigan. This outpaced the other major regions of the state, with the Thumb region losing more than 2,500 residents over the last five years — a state-leading 0.5% decline.

Northern Michigan Also Growing Fast

Northern Michigan remains among the least-populated regions of the state, but it is among the fastest-growing. The 39 counties north of the Mason County-to-Arenac County line picked up nearly 13,000 residents between 2020 and 2025, a 1.5% increase.

Only west Michigan grew faster. The six fastest-growing counties over the last five years — Lake, Montmorency, Keweenaw, Oscoda, Crawford and Antrim — all were Up North.

Jaclyn Butler, Michigan's state demographer, said that in addition to remote work making it possible for residents to live in the rural north without giving up their jobs, many Baby Boomers reaching retirement age are moving to their Up North cabins and lake cottages.

Northern Michigan saw a net more than 5,400 people move to the region last year, the third-most in the state.

Michigan's Slower Statewide Growth

Michigan, which still has a population of about 10.1 million, grew by 0.6% from 2020 to 2025, according to the census data. From 2024 to 2025, the state grew about 0.3%, ranking 36th in the nation and below the national rate.

The state's growth has been entirely driven by its ability to attract residents from other parts of the country and world. Deaths exceeded births each of the last five years, the Census figures show, but inbound migration from other states and countries has exceeded outbound each year since 2022.

What This Means for West Michigan

The population boom in West Michigan has implications for local government services, infrastructure, housing, and economic development. With more residents coming to the region, there will be increased demand for schools, roads, healthcare facilities, and affordable housing.

The state's demographer noted that the rise in remote work since the coronavirus pandemic has allowed more people to live where they want. "We have so many lakes, we have the north woods," Butler said. "We have high amenities and those are the type of areas that, after covid, with remote and hybrid work, those are the areas that grew the most."

While Michigan continues to struggle with overall population growth compared to other states, West Michigan and northern Michigan are bucking the trend. The region's economic stability, quality of life, and business-friendly environment are drawing residents from across the country.

As Michigan looks to the future, the success story of West Michigan's growth may serve as a model for other parts of the state that want to attract and retain residents. The region's ability to balance economic opportunity with quality of life appears to be a winning formula in an era where workers have more choices than ever about where to live and work.