The Ethnic Composition Of Michigan
Michigan is located in the Midwestern United States in the Great Lakes region. Michigan has a population of 10 million people, making it the tenth most populous state in the country. It is also one of the largest in terms of area, ranking eleventh out of the 50 states. The capital of Michigan is Lansing. The largest metropolitan in Michigan is Metro Detroit which is also the most populous city in the state.
Population Diversity of Michigan
The population of Michigan as of July 2017 was 9,962,311. Of this population:
- Those who are white make up the majority of the population at 7.5 million people.
- About 1.35 million people are black (approximately 20% of the population).
- 500,000 people are Hispanic.
- 290,000 people are Asian.
The majority of the white population consists of Americans of European ancestry such as German, Irish, British, Polish, Dutch, and Belgian ancestry. Residents with Scandinavian ancestry are mainly found in the Upper Peninsula, while the Dutch are concentrated in Western Michigan. Cities with the largest black populations are Detroit, Flint, and Benton Harbor. Many people of Middle Eastern ancestry are found in the southwestern part of Michigan.
According to American Community Survey, more than 6% of the population is foreign-born. A considerable number of the population speak a non-English language as well, representing close to 9.5% of the total population. The most common foreign languages spoken in Michigan besides English include Spanish, Arabic, and Chinese.
Michigan is a very diverse state in terms of birthplace origin for a considerable number of the population. A majority of the foreign-born residents in Michigan had their origin in Mexico, India, Iraq, Yemen, and Lebanon. Mexico was the most common birthplace for the majority of the foreign residents, with 78,164 residents claiming it is their birth country. This was followed by India with close to 62,000 residents, Iraq with 52,356 residents, and Yemen with 16,185 people. Compared to other states in the country, Michigan had the highest percentage of Yemeni-born residents, which is approximately nine times the national average. Since 2015, the rate of citizenship in Michigan has been dwindling from 96.8% to about 94% in 2018. However, this is still higher than the national average rate of citizenship which stands at 93%.
The population growth rate of Michigan is 0.06%, a significantly slow rate compared to the national average rate of 0.7%.
In Conclusion
The ethnic composition of Michigan is very diverse, representing many cultures and peoples of different ethnicities. White Americans make up the majority of the population, followed by African-Americans, Hispanics, Asians, and other populations. By 2060, demographers predict that the population of Michigan will be multicultural by up to 6 times more than the current stage.
