How Far Will Detroit's Population Fall?

LANSING, Mich. - The numbers on how many people have moved out of Detroit are expected to be released Tuesday afternoon. It's expected to show that the city is now home to less than 800,000 people.

Right now, Detroit is 11th in national population rankings, but if the predicted numbers hold up, the city could drop as low as 16th, behind Jacksonville, Fla., Austin, Texas, Columbus, Ohio and others.

In the early 1950s, Detroit's population peaked at more than 1.8 million, the fourth largest city in the country.

The data, which is crucial to determining the boundaries of U.S. House and state legislative districts, is expected to become available at 2 p.m.

The federal agency said it had shipped the report from the 2010 census to Gov. Rick Snyder and legislative leaders. Among the statistics will be population summaries by race, Hispanic origin and voting age for jurisdictions such as counties, cities and school districts.

Lawmakers will use the information to adjust boundaries for U.S. House districts in Michigan, which is losing one of its 15 congressional seats after being the only state with a population decline over the past decade. The data also will help shape districts in the state Senate and House.

The numbers will shed light on which areas lost the most residents. Detroit and other cities whose economic fortunes are linked to the struggling automobile industry are likely to see the biggest drop-offs.

Republicans control both chambers of the Michigan Legislature and will have the upper hand in crafting district maps.

Senate Democrats on Monday said they will introduce legislation that would create an independent commission to play a key role in the redistricting process.

The commission would include members appointed by both Democrats and Republicans and hold public meetings around the state. Two-thirds of the members would have to sign off on a plan before it could be submitted to the Legislature.