Detroit, MI
These communities are leading Metro Detroit’s population growth
The Asian American and Hispanic communities in Metro Detroit grew significantly over the last half-decade, helping to fuel a small boost in Michigan’s population, newly released Census Bureau data shows.
The Asian American populations of Wayne, Macomb, and Oakland counties jumped 8% from 2023 to 2024, the most of any ethnic group. The number of Hispanic residents in Macomb and Oakland counties has increased by more than 10% since 2020.
The latest Census Bureau release contains county-level data on age, race and sex across all U.S. states and Puerto Rico through July 1, 2024. It uses an adjusted version of the 2020 decennial census and updated information on births, deaths and migration.
Census data released earlier this year showed that Michigan’s population grew more in 2024 than it had in several decades, driven in large part by immigration to Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties. Those three counties grew by more than 30,000 residents. Michigan’s population increased by 57,000 residents in 2024 to 10.14 million due solely to immigration growth.
State Rep. Ranjeev Puri, a Canton Township Democrat who represents part of Wayne County, called the new demographic numbers “exciting news.”
“The ethnic diversity of Michigan is one of the strong suits,” Puri said.
Puri, the Michigan House Democratic leader, is the highest-ranking South Asian official in the state, as well as the first person of color to represent his district.
He said it is important to remember the “rich diversity” of the many Asian American communities across the state. “All of that woven into Michigan makes it a much better place,” Puri said.
Canton Township, which makes up most of Puri’s district, has experienced “a tremendous amount of growth” in recent years, particularly among communities of color, he said. The community of 99,873 residents is 62% White, nearly 20% Asian, 10% Black and 4.5% Hispanic, according to the Census Bureau.
Puri said he takes the responsibility to represent these constituents seriously. “My goal is to make sure that every community has representation,” he said.
Lex Zavala, who has spent 22 years serving the Latino community in Metro Detroit with the Detroit Hispanic Development Corporation, said the growth in immigrant populations helps communities thrive.
When Zavala, now the DHDC’s interim executive director, was growing up in southwest Detroit, most of the Latino population did not speak Spanish.
That all changed when he was a teenager. The arrival of Mexican and Central American immigrants “influenced our community in a way that it grew, it blossomed…,” he said.
The neighborhood, to Zavala, represents “an example of what happens when immigrants are allowed to dream and grow.”
The growth of Latino communities in Oakland and Macomb counties can be attributed to a combination of recent waves of Venezuelan and Colombian immigrants and upwardly mobile Hispanic families from neighboring areas, said Elias Gutiérrez, founder and publisher of The Latino Press, a Spanish-language weekly newspaper in Detroit.
Osvaldo “Ozzie” Rivera, a longtime community organizer and musician who teaches Afro-Latino history and culture at Wayne State University, said a strong Latino community has existed in places like River Rouge and Highland Park since the first half of the 20th century.
Rivera has worked to document the long history of Latino organizers and musicians in the Detroit area.
“If you don’t know the past, you don’t know the present,” he said.
Zavala’s work at the DHDC has adapted to meet the needs of a more spread-out community.
“We’re just following where our community goes, making sure they’re really receiving the services they need,” he said.
The DHDC runs programs teaching English with a vocational focus to help immigrants who were professionals in their home country get licensed in the United States. The organization also helps community members start businesses and buy their first homes.
“A lot of people that come are coming with their green cards, refugee citizenships — they’re able to have their Social Security numbers, purchase homes, start businesses,” Zavala said.
Recent immigration crackdowns by the Trump administration have cast a shadow on Latino communities across the Metro area, he said.
“The Latino population is scared to go out. It’s almost back to COVID lockdown,” Zavala said.
And immigrant-run businesses have suffered, he said: “Our business district is empty now. Restaurants and construction can’t find enough workers to fill their space.”
President Donald Trump campaigned on the promise of mass deportations, starting with immigrant criminals who are in the country illegally but also deporting others who are found to be in the country illegally.
As Latino communities outside of southwest Detroit continue to expand, however, Zavala was optimistic.
“I think for the majority, people understand that these are hardworking people that are coming here to build the American Dream just like previous immigrant populations,” he said.
bwarren@detroitnews.com
Dan Gilbert paid for an army of Cleveland Cavaliers fans to take over Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena for Game 2 of the NBA playoffs against the rival Detroit Pistons.
Gilbert, the longtime Cavs owner who has founded several Detroit-based companies and owns much of the real estate in downtown Detroit, sent seven bus loads of Cavs season ticket holders up I-75 North on Thursday, May 7, to wear maroon and gold shirts that read “BEAT DETROIT!”
Coworkers Rick Amador, 46, of Lorain, Ohio, and Eric Karr, 24, of Strongsville, Ohio, said they were thankful their trip to the playoffs in Detroit was fully paid for.
“Dan Gilbert fully paid for all of our tickets, paid for the shirts that you see here today,” Amador said. “He paid for the swag and he brought us here, fed us. We had a party at The Beacon [in Detroit, owned by Gilbert]. DJ, food, it was phenomenal.”
[ Pistons vs Cavaliers score updates, Game 2 highlights, commentary ]
Gilbert earned a bachelor’s degree from Michigan State and a law degree from Wayne State in downtown Detroit.
“I’m just ready to bring a dub home to Cleveland,” Karr said. “It’s been a long time coming. We got lucky with LeBron [James] always coming here and now it’s time for us to build our own future and win our own championship. All of them. Yes, Donovan [Mitchell] has to have his legacy game.”
The Pistons on Tuesday night won Game 1 of the best-of-seven series, 111-101, in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Games 3-4 will be in Cleveland on Saturday afternoon and Monday night.
As for a prediction for the rest of the series?
“Five games, Cavs win it,” Karr said without hesitation.
On the roster: Aidan Hutchinson, DJ Wonnum, Derrick Moore, Payton Turner, Tyler Lacy, Tyre West, Ahmed Hassanein
Twentyman: Hutchinson, 25, was named Second-Team All-Pro after setting a new career single-season high in sacks (14.5) while leading the NFL with 100 total pressures. Hutchinson is the first player in franchise history to log multiple 10.0-sack seasons through the first four years of a player’s career. With Al-Quadin Muhammad and his 11.0 sacks last year signing with Tampa Bay in free agency, the Lions needed to find Hutchinson a new running mate on the opposite edge.
Detroit added Wonnum in free agency and Moore in the NFL Draft and like what both bring to the table. It will be interesting to see how their unique skillsets fit in Kelvin Sheppard’s defense. Onwuzurike is a defensive tackle by trade but could also get some run as the big end.
While Detroit’s 49 sacks were the fourth most in the NFL last year, Detroit’s average time to pressure of 2.92 seconds was the slowest in the NFL, per Next Gen Stats. It wasn’t always the kind of pressure that affected the timing of opponent passing attacks as opposing quarterbacks finished with a 92.5 rating against Detroit’s defense, which ranked 19th.
On roster: Jack Campbell, Derrick Barnes, Malcolm Rodriguez, Jimmy Rolder, Damone Clark, Trevor Nowaske, Joe Bachie
Twentyman: The departure of Alex Anzalone means the Lions will have a new starter at the WILL in 2026. The leading candidate to fill the role is the veteran Rodriguez. Rolder has an interesting skillset, but is he ready to step in right away after playing limited defensive snaps at Michigan? Could the versatile Clark potentially be a fit there too? The competition for the starting WILL spot will be one of the better ones to watch in camp.
It will also be interesting to see how Sheppard might evolve his scheme after an extensive sit-down with head coach Dan Campbell this offseason going through all the cut-ups on defense from last year. Detroit wants to be more adaptable and versatile. Will Barnes’ SAM role change at all within the defense? Will a team that played the most base defense of any team in the NFL last year play more nickel?
DETROIT – The sound and speed of the Detroit Grand Prix return to city streets in three weeks.
“Racing is in our blood. It’s in our DNA,” event chairman Bud Denker said.
Entering its fourth year downtown, the race hosts the NTT IndyCar Series and IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship from May 29 through May 31.
“We’re not here once every 15 or 20 years like the Super Bowl or the Draft or Final Four,” Denker continued. “This event happens in our city every single year. You can plan on it.”
Racing up Franklin Street and down Jefferson Avenue, drivers can always count on a challenge from the nine-turn, 1.7-mile circuit.
“One little error and you’re going to hit a wall and end your day,” five-time Belle Isle winner and Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing sports car driver Jordan Taylor said. “It takes a lot of risk. It takes a lot of commitment. The car has to be fast. This is one of those events where you need everything to go right.”
The Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear took the green flag for the first time in 1982 as a Formula One event, transitioning to IndyCar/CART in 1989.
Through layout and location changes, the event continues to reflect the city’s culture.
“Energy, warmth, and sense of togetherness make the Detroit Grand Prix special,” Reden Le said. A student at the College for Creative Studies, Le designed the poster for this year’s race. “Working on this poster made me actually see how the community in Detroit is so diverse and so fun.”
The fun includes concerts, festivities, and promotions adjacent to the track throughout race week, along with documented economic and charitable impacts.
“We love racing for all those reasons,” General Motors Vice President of Performance and Motorsports Jim Campbell said. “Certainly, to have a race in our hometown means a lot, and it’s also a great way to give back.”
Approximately 1,350 volunteers sign up with the Detroit Grand Prix Association each year, but community assistance goes both ways.
“We put thousands of people to work,” Denker added. “We bring 100 million dollars to the city every year, and we show off these kids.”
Members of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Detroit created seven murals adorning the wall to the right side of the pit lane exit.
Serving as a clear reminder of the community that makes this race what it is, they’re also tough for drivers to see at speeds in excess of 180 miles per hour.
“We’re one of only 20 cities in the world that have a downtown street course event,” Denker said. “We should never take that for granted.”
The track build has already begun, with most construction occurring at night to avoid disrupting traffic.
Friday, May 29, is Fifth Third Free Prix Day, welcoming fans to grandstands one and nine with no ticket required.
Reserved seats for all three days are on sale now.
Copyright 2026 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit – All rights reserved.
-
Illinois11 minutes agoIllinois fines multiple Springfield-area nursing homes
-
Indiana17 minutes agoRepublican primary voters sent dangerous message to America | Opinion
-
Iowa23 minutes agoHarkin backs Turek for Iowa Senate
-
Kansas29 minutes ago
Kansas Lottery Pick 3, 2 By 2 winning numbers for May 7, 2026
-
Kentucky35 minutes agoReal estate sales in Jefferson, Bullitt and Oldham counties, Oct. 20-26, 2025
-
Louisiana41 minutes agoBehind the Curtain: How Louisiana’s Parole System and Courts Shape Who Goes Free | The Lens
-
Maine47 minutes agoShenna Bellows will fight for Maine as governor | Opinion
-
Maryland53 minutes agoHow mighty megalodon rose from extinction to be Maryland state shark