Hammered by the automobile industry's decline, Detroit's population plummeted 25 percent over the past decade amid an economic downturn so severe that Michigan was the only state that failed to gain residents, according to 2010 Census data released Tuesday.

Hammered by the automobile industry's decline, Detroit's population plummeted 25 percent over the past decade amid an economic downturn so severe that Michigan was the only state that failed to gain residents, according to 2010 Census data released Tuesday.

The statistics show that the once-mighty Motor City's population dropped to 713,777 last year, from 951,270 in 2000. Although a significant drop was expected, state demographer Ken Darga said Detroit's population is "considerably lower" than the Census Bureau's estimate last year.

Detroit's population peaked at 1.8 million in 1950, when it ranked fifth nationally. Tuesday's numbers reflect an exodus of many residents to the suburbs and the auto industry's steady decline.

"The census figures clearly show how crucial it is to reinvent Michigan," Gov. Rick Snyder said. "It is time for all of us to realign our expectations so that they reflect today's realities. We cannot cling to the old ways of doing business."

Statewide, the data shows that Michigan's Asian population grew faster than any other racial group since 2000. Even though the state as a whole lost population, the Asian numbers grew 34.9 percent. Non-Hispanic Asians made up 1.8 percent of Michigan's population in 2000, and 2.4 percent in 2010.

Michigan's Hispanic population grew by 34.7 percent. The total Hispanic population was 3.3 percent in 2000, and hit 4.4 percent by 2010, according to the data.