Flint's population falls below 100,000

Architectural structures such as the Flint Vehicle City arches remain from Flint's heyday when the population of the city was nearly 200,000 people even though in 2013 the population dipped below 100,000 for the first time since the 1920's. Flint's population is estimated to be about 99,763 on Wednesday, May 21, 2014 in downtown Flint. Katie McLean | MLive.com

(Katie McLean)

FLINT, MI -- Flint's population has dropped below 100,000 for the first time since the 1920s, according to a new Census estimate issued Thursday, May 22.

The Census Bureau report says Flint's estimated population dropped from 100,412 in 2012 to 99,763 in 2013, continuing a trend of population loss decades in the making.

The city's population peaked at nearly 200,000 as recently as the 1960s, fueled by tens of thousands of General Motors jobs.

Flint City Council President Scott Kincaid said the drop below 100,000 will have a big impact on the Flint community in a negative way.

"Since the last census, it doesn't surprise me that we're under 100,000. I've been kind of looking at the revenue of the city of Flint. When you look at the revenue that kind of reflects that. We're losing population, especially younger people. They can't afford to live in the city with water and sewer rates," Kincaid said. "I think our trend in the city will continue down probably for another four or five years."

With a population of less than 100,000, fewer funds will come into the community through state and federal sources, Kincaid said.

Dollars coming into the city from federal Community Development Block Grants will be less and the city will receive less through state revenue sharing, Kincaid said.

"Our block grant dollars will be treated like other small cities and townships. (Being under 100,000) will substantially reduce our federal funding," he said.

And it makes sense that the dropping population affects the state of the city, Kincaid said. Flint, which used to be at 180,000 residents, now has about 80,000 fewer people. But the streets, houses and infrastructures are still there for 180,000, Kincaid said.

"It will just have a negative impact as far as revenue for the city of Flint. I don't see an uptick for the next four or five years," Kincaid said.

Flint Mayor Dayne Walling, who has said the fall below 100,000 was expected, said Thursday that the 100,000 population benchmark doesn't reflect a community's worth.

"The quality of life in any community is not determined by its population size," Walling said. "You can see that all across Michigan.

"It's going to take a couple additional years of planning and development to stabilize Flint's population."

City officials have acknowledged that Flint's population is likely to continue to decline further before stabilizing by 2020.

A new master plan is based on the assumption that the city's population will be 76,000 to 150,000 in the long term, and Chief Planner Megan Hunter has projected the loss of 20,000 people from 2010 to 2020.

According to Kevin Doyle, an economic analyst at the bureau of labor market information and strategic initiatives, Flint still is the seventh-largest city in the state.

Flint's 0.6 percent population decrease falls in the middle when it came to population change across the state. The largest increase in the state was Grand Haven, which grew 2.5 percent, while Detroit was the city with the biggest loss, at 1.4 percent.

"The change wasn't relatively large when you are looking at the cities in the state as a whole," said Doyle.

Last year, a report from Genesee County planners estimated Flint's population will continue to sink for the foreseeable future, dropping to a projected 67,133 by 2040.

Mundy Township is expected to grow at the highest rate of any community in the county -- 30.8 percent by 2040, followed by the village of Goodrich -- up 28.8 percent, and Fenton Township -- up 22.3 percent.

Staff writers David Harris and Sarah Schuch contributed to this report.