The Detroit News: "We have a rather elderly population here in Michigan," said Reynolds Farley, research professor emeritus at the University of Michigan's Population Studies Center. "We've been losing people to other states for almost 20 years, and our fertility rate is going down."
Many states experience a natural decrease in population, but they compensate by attracting immigrants who move in. Michigan struggles to attract immigrants as well, though, Farley said. That leads to a net loss in population, which Michigan has now experienced for two consecutive years.
