Population Increase in Northwest Michigan Works! Area Slightly Outpaces Growth Statewide

The Traverse City Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) is a newly defined four-county region consisting of Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, and Leelanau counties. These counties account for four of the 10 Northwest Michigan Works! counties. This update will highlight population trends.

In 2024, the Northwest Michigan Works! region had a population of 316,440. This was 3.1 percent of Michigan’s population. The Traverse City MSA accounted for just under half of the regional population with 156,630.

The region was the 11th most populous Michigan Works! area in the state, just ahead of the Upper Peninsula Michigan Works! area (304,430). The region ranked behind the Capital Area Michigan Works! area which had a population of 479,970 in 2024.

Since 2020, the Northwest Michigan Works! area has seen its population increase by 5,350, or 1.7 percent. This growth rate has outpaced the statewide population growth rate of 0.7 percent over the period. Antrim County had the largest growth rate of 4.6 percent, followed by Kalkaska County (3.8 percent). Emmet County was the only county in the region with a population decrease, contracting by 0.5 percent.

The Michigan Center for Data and Analytics recently released county population projections though 2050. In the Northwest Michigan Works! area, the population is projected to increase by 1.3 percent through 2050. This is in contrast with the state, where the population is expected to decrease by 2.0 percent.

The Northwest Michigan Works! area is also projected to see population growth through 2040, increasing by 3.5 percent before declining in 2045 and 2050. Likewise, the Traverse City MSA is also expected to see population growth (5.8 percent) through 2040. In total, from 2025 to 2050, the MSA is projected to grow 5.0 percent.

The population decreases in the latter stage of the projection period are largely due to deaths outpacing births both regionally and statewide. For more information on population projections, please read last month’s insight.

The Northwest Michigan Works! population is expected to increase by 1.3 percent through 2050, outpacing statewide population growth.

Index of Projected Population Growth, 2025–2050

Source: Vintage 2024 Population Projections, Michigan Center for Data and Analytics