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Reviving Growth

Local Organizations Encourage More Young

Professionals to Call Greater Lansing ‘Home’

By Jennifer McEntee

It’s no secret that Michigan has struggled to compete by 2045, — while residents aged 20 to 34 could decrease
with faster-growing peer states to attract and retain by 70,000 during that time. Lansing’s median age is 33.
a population that will sustain the economy. In fact,
Michigan is 49th in terms of population growth All of these data points are pixels of a larger picture:
nationwide, ahead of only West Virginia. to maintain the well-being of our communities
and economy, state and regional leaders need to
“The Sun Belt has been for a long time gaining population, work together to attract and retain the working-age
while Midwestern states have struggled to gain population.
population,” said Hilary Doe, Chief Growth and Marketing
Officer for the Michigan Economic Development “We have every reason to believe that by employing some
Corporation, or MEDC. of what we’ve learned, we can turn that around,” Doe said.
“In Michigan, we’re really strategically positioned for future
The Greater Lansing region’s population growth is growth, and, frankly, the Greater Lansing region and the
trending similarly to the state overall, Doe said. tri-county area have a lot going for them.”

“We pull data for the whole state as part of The MEDC works with more than 100
the work to track Michigan’s growth, and economic development partners to market
Lansing looks a lot like the state does “In Michigan, Michigan as an idyllic place to establish
in general,” she said. “So over the last we’re really growing businesses in vibrant
handful of years, there have been communities.
small ups and downs, but it’s been strategically
relatively flat.” positioned for future Doe said that MEDC’s marketing
growth, and, frankly, the campaign “We Can in Michigan”
According to U.S. census data Greater Lansing region and hopes to draw future residents
tracked by MEDC, the City of with attributes like walkable,
Lansing had 112,963 residents the tri-county area have a transit-rich neighborhoods,
in 2022, up 1,130 people or just 1 lot going for them.” major industries and start-up
percent from the year prior. It’s a — Hilary Doe, Chief Growth entrepreneurs, and abundant higher
minor gain considering the city lost and Marketing Officer, education.
5,655 people or 4.81 percent from 2020 Michigan Economic
to 2021. Development Corp. “Our universities are producing incredible
entrepreneurs and young professionals.
The tri-county area’s population data is likewise We want to really keep those folks in our state
only showing incremental improvements. In Clinton to build their companies here,” Doe said. “We need to
County, MEDC estimates the population grew by 0.41 ensure those folks can build their futures here and see
percent to 79,748 people from 2021 to 2022. Eaton themselves staying here for the long term.”
County’s population was up 0.04 percent to 108,992 for
the same period, while Ingham County’s population Homegrown Talent
increased just 0.03 percent to 284,108 during that time.
Christopher Sell, associate director for development in
Some of the state and local population trends are the Burgess Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation
attributed to people moving to other states, low birth at Michigan State University, has long recognized that
rates, and a spike in COVID-19-related deaths. Data Lansing needs who he calls “emerging professionals”:
collected by Guidehouse Inc. as part of Michigan’s students who are about to graduate from a local
statewide growth initiative “Growing Michigan Together” university, those who’ve recently graduated from here or
also suggests our communities are getting older. elsewhere, or even mid-career professionals who grew
Michigan’s 65 and over population is projected to be the up in Michigan, moved away, but are finding their way
fastest growing cohort statewide — by almost 30 percent back home.

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