Politics & Government
2010 Census: Wyandotte Down 2,100 Residents in 10 Years
Wyandotte's population has dropped from 28,006 to 25,883, according to census numbers released Tuesday afternoon.
Wyandotte's population has dropped 7.6 percent in the last decade, according to the 2010 U.S. Census numbers released Tuesday.
The number of residents has decreased by 2,123, from 28,006 to 25,883.
Mayor Joe Peterson said he wasn't expecting the population drop to be so significant.
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"I’m kind of surprised by the numbers because I know that Wyandotte is a beautiful place to live and we offer a lot of programs," he said "I think this is just a temporary setback and I think this city will rebound."
As city officials prepare to crunch numbers for next year's budget, they'll have to adjust some figures due to Tuesday's announcement as fewer residents mean fewer tax dollars coming in, Peterson said.
Find out what's happening in Wyandottewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
"It will affect the budget," he said. "It will affect tax revenue. It will affect the general fund. It will have multi effects. It‘s going to put us in a little financial burden. … But it’s not the end of the world. We have a marketable city to live in. We have a good city. I think if any city is going to rebound from losing 2,100 people, we will."
The population of Wayne County dropped 11.7 percent, from 2,061,162 to 1,820,584.
Michigan is the only state in the nation to have a decreased population. The number of residents plummeted by 55,183, from about 9.94 million to about 9.89 million.
Because of the decrease, the state will lose one congressional seat, as it did in 2000, as well.
Peterson points to the state's loss as an indicator to why his city also lost residents.
"The state of Michigan itself is down all the way around," he said. "I think we are looking in the right direction. Even though we are down 2,100, I can live with that number. Is it acceptable? No, it’s not really acceptable because we have a beautiful community. We’re going to encourage people to move back into our city with the different things we are doing."
Amongst those, he said, is a $7.8 million federal grant the city received through the U.S. Housing and Urban Development in 2010, which will be used in part to rehabilitate and build up to 44 new houses in the city.
"I look at the loss of people because of the loss of jobs, not because of the quality of life here in Wyandotte," Peterson said. "I’m looking forward to the challenge of picking up that number."
More detailed information on Wyandotte's figures will be posted as they become available from the U.S. Census Bureau.
2010 Wyandotte Demographics
SubjectTotal18 years and over NumberPercentNumberPercent POPULATION Total population 25,883 100.0 20,335 100.0 RACE One race 25,402 98.1 20,080 98.7 White 24,511 94.7 19,453 95.7 Black or African American 339 1.3 232 1.1 American Indian and Alaska Native 182 0.7 125 0.6 Asian 131 0.5 99 0.5 Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 6 0.0 6 0.0 Some Other Race 233 0.9 165 0.8 Two or More Races 481 1.9 255 1.3 HISPANIC OR LATINO AND RACE Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 1,312 5.1 807 4.0 Not Hispanic or Latino 24,571 94.9 19,528 96.0 One race 24,185 93.4 19,319 95.0 White 23,562 91.0 18,874 92.8 Black or African American 327 1.3 222 1.1 American Indian and Alaska Native 146 0.6 106 0.5 Asian 129 0.5 97 0.5 Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 6 0.0 6 0.0 Some Other Race 15 0.1 14 0.1 Two or More Races 386 1.5 209 1.0 HOUSING UNITS Total housing units 12,081 100.0 OCCUPANCY STATUS Occupied housing units 10,991 91.0 Vacant housing units 1,090 9.0Source: U.S. Census Bureau
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