UNDATED (WNMU) - Michigan’s Upper Peninsula is struggling to overcome a population decline brought on by unemployment and aging, the same thing that’s happening in rural areas nationwide.
The 2010 census shows that 12 of the region’s 15 counties lost residents over the past decade. The overall population drop of 2 percent might seem insignificant, but experts say it’s a bad sign.
The U.P.’s median age jumped nearly 12 percent, showing that many high school graduates are leaving for college and not returning. Census numbers show the same thing happening in hundreds of rural areas across the U.S.
Boosters have long hoped the U.P.’s natural beauty would draw new industries, telecommuters and entrepreneurs. Some have arrived, but not enough to offset losses from the decline of industries such as mining and logging.
