Will Michigan's Drop in Population, Congress Seat Loss Affect Ferndale?

Michigan lost 0.6 percent of its population since 2000, according to the US Census. The percentage might not seem like a lot, but Michigan was the only state to lose population since 2000.

Michigan's population dipped to 9,883,640 from 9,938,444.

The data released Tuesday was only a small chunk of the billions of pieces the Census kicks out every 10 years. This release, however, looked only at state populations and congressional seats. The data also revealed that Michigan would lose one of its 15 congressional seats for the 2012 election, one of 10 states to do so.

The rest of the Census will be released between February and March.

Ferndale's official numbers have yet to come out, but according to the Census' 5-year American Community Survey, which is a rolling average of the second half of the decade, the city lost about 1,000 people.

"This is not surprising," Ferndale's said Tuesday. "We all have stories of family and friends leaving the state to follow jobs. This is disappointing but not surprising."

Eighth largest state is losing some clout in Washington

Coulter said the loss of a congressional seat erodes Michigan's clout in Washington but "we're still the eighth largest state and we still have a voice with seniority in Washington." With fewer seats in Congress, though, there is potential for Michigan to lose various types of federal funding.

It's unknown exactly how this will affect Ferndale specifically, Coulter said.

"It's all so speculative right now," he said. "We could be in totally different districts next year – or not. This is literally Day One of a long process. It's really too early to tell."

"I don't think this will have a measurable effect on Ferndale," Ferndale City Manager Bob Bruner said. "However, no good can come of (population loss)."

Most nearby towns lost people, too

Nearly every surrounding city has experienced a population loss except for Oak Park, which grew by an estimated 900 people, according to the ACS.

when the came out that Ferndale's population loss won't affect state revenue sharing. Right now, state revenue sharing makes up 13 percent, or $2.6 million, of Ferndale's general fund. It is based on a four-point formula, population being one of those points, yet the state has frozen it.

"Lansing has frozen the formula and has been cutting it ever since," he said.

Bruner added that state revenue sharing will be cut, but it won't be based on losing 1,000 people. Additionally, the Ferndale population isn't expected to affect property taxes. If homeowners walk away from mortgages, the lender then has to pony up the taxes on the homes. Ferndale's vacant housing units, however, in 2000 were 3.6 percent, whereas the ACS, which is a rolling average of the last half decade, had Ferndale's vacancy rate at 8.7 percent.

Other census data

The nation's population increased by 9.7 percent during the last 10 years, bringing the total population to 308,745,538 people.

States that also lost congressional seats include Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, New Jersey, Missouri, Massachusetts, Louisiana, Iowa and Illinois. Gainers were Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, Texas, South Carolina and Washington.

Ohio, New York and Louisiana also showed slow to stagnant growth, while Nevada, Arizona, Texas and Utah had the biggest population jumps.