Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1911-09-14
GROWTH Of MICHIGAN DURING A DECADE
Interesting Population Statistics Furnished by Census
Director DurandCities Growing Rapidly
Counties as Whole Increasing

cent for the decade 1S60-1s70 to 570.9
per cent for the decade 1s3O-1S4O.
Since 1870 the percentages of increase
have ranged from 1876 for the decade
1S90-1900 to 1872 for the decade 1870
1880. During this forty-year period
the population of the state has little
more than doubled.
A comparison of the rates of in
crease for the state with those for
continental United States shows that
from 1910 to 1890 the rate during
each decade was larger for the state
than for the country as a whole Dur
ing every decade from 1910 to 1870
the population Of the state increased
more than twice as fast as the popu-
lation of the whole country, the great
est difference between the rates being
for the decade 1S3O-1s4O, when the
population OF the state increased more
than seventeen times as fast as that
of the country as a whole. During
the two decades, however, from 1890
to 1910, the population of Michigan
has increased less rapidly than that of
continental United States, the rates
for the twenty years being 342 per
cent and 46.1 per cent respectively
Michigan has 1O6 cities. Detroit,
the largest city, has a population Of
465,766, and Grand Rapids and Sagi-
nav, the second and third cities, have
populations of 1881 and 50,51O,
respectively Each of the other cities
has less than $4,000 inhabitants, six
having from $4,000 to $4,000; Is from
10000 to $4,000; % from 5000 to 10000;
24 from $500 to 5000, and SO less
than $500 inhabitants The aggre-
gate population OF the 106 cities is
1,329,623, or 47.3 per cent of the total
population of the state.
Michigan has eighty-three counties.
The population of these counties
ranges from 2,027 in Oscoda county
to 531, ,591 in Wayne county. There
have been no changes in the terrtor-
ial boundaries of the counties since
1900.
Fifty-seven counties have increased
in population during the last decade,
the percentages of increase ranging
from two-tenths of one per cent in
both Altoona and Osceola counties to
1924 per cent in Kewecnaw county,
and the absolute increases from IL
in Alcona county to 1S2,79S in Wayne
county. Twenty-three counties show
a larger percentage of increase than
is shown for the state as a whole,
which, as before stated, was 16.1 per
cent. Two counties show the same
rate of increase as the state as a
whole. Twenty-six counties has de-
creased in population during the last
decade, the percentages of decrease
ranging from three-tenths of one per
cent in Van Buren county to 9.S per
cent in Livingston county.
The total land area of the state is
57,4sO square miles The average
number of persons to the square mile
is 4s.9; in 1900 and 1890 it was AZ
and 364 respectively.
In density of population Michigan
ranks seventeenth among the states
Wayne county, containing Detroit
city. has the highest density, namely
s57.4 persons per square mile; and
Csc oda county the lowest, namely
So Marquette county has the larg-
est land area G,s70 square miles),
while Benzie county has the smallest
land area (314 square miles) of the
counties in the state.