The Detroit Region contains 11 counties and has a population of 5.5 million people. Over the past decade (2015-2025) the population has grown 2%.

Population change is driven by four factors: births, deaths, domestic migration, and international migration. In this region, births have outpaced deaths by about 22,000 over the last decade, and while net migration has been negative overall, the past three years have seen increased international in-migration and decreased domestic out-migration leading to positive net migration.

The most populous county in the region is Wayne County with 1.8 million residents (32% of the population). This is followed by Oakland County with 1.3 million (24%) and Macomb County with 0.9 million (16%).

Population has grown in eight out of the 11 counties in the region in the past decade. Leading the region, the fastest growing county was Livingston County which grew over 5%. Monroe County was close behind growing over 4% since 2015, and Oakland County grew over 3%.

The Detroit Region population saw significant growth in the past decade in retirement age residents (65+), which grew 32% between 2015 and 2025, and smaller but still notable growth in younger working aged residents (aged 25-39), which grew 11%.

In 2025, 17% of the region’s population was children under the age of 15, 12% were youth aged 15-24, 38% were prime working-age (age 25-54), 13% were 55-64, and 20% were retirement aged (65+).