(WWJ) -- The latest report from the U.S. Census shows more people are calling two metro Detroit counties home.
According to the data, Oakland County’s population rose by 6% to over 1.2 million, increasing by 70,000 residents over the past ten years.
In Macomb County, the population has jumped 4.6% to over 880,000, with more than 40,000 new residents moving in.
The biggest population increases in Michigan were in Ottawa, Grand Traverse, Kent, Allegan, and Washtenaw counties.
Although Wayne County remains the largest in Michigan, its population dropped by 27,000 in the latest decennial count, decreasing by 1.5%.
Meanwhile, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan plans to challenge the data, which showed the city’s population continuing to decline for the seventh straight decade.
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“At a minimum, the Census somehow failed to count 25,000 occupied houses with running electricity,” Duggan said in a statement Thursday.
He also claimed the bureau undercounted Detroit’s population by at least 10%.
So, why is the data so important?
The U.S. Census is used to determine how many representatives each state will have in Congress for the next decade, as well as how much federal funding communities will receive for roads, schools, and other programs.
The Census update comes after Michigan already lost one seat in the House of Representatives earlier this year, with further data showing more Americans are relocating south and west.