Detroit Loses Quarter of Population in 10 Years

The collapse of the auto industry has devastated Motor City.

It’s a veritable exodus. Detroit’s population has declined from 951,270 in 2000 to 713,777 last year as residents flee the destitute city for the suburbs or look for a better life in another state altogether. The latest census figures are more than a psychological blow to the city because urban centres with populations of 750,000 qualify for federal and state funding. City councillors are planning to challenge the census results in the hopes that another 40,000 residents can be verified. At its peak in 1950, Detroit had a population of 1.85 million, but the steady decline of the American auto industry and the 2008 economic crisis have accelerated the city’s demographic collapse.