Iron County has lost 57% of its population since its 1920 peak of 22,107. It has fewer residents now than it did in 1910. And nearly 31.1% of them are 65 and older. (Michigan average: 18.1%; US average 16.8%)
Population and map: Wikipedia
Headline: Rural Insights, 12/15/2021
The issue of population decline is not unique to the Upper Peninsula–rather, it is a feature of most rural areas in western industrialized countries. The decline, or depopulation, is driven by a falling birth rate, a lack of in-migration and long-term changes in industries that have historically underpinned rural economies, like agriculture, forestry, and mining.
Simply put, fewer people are needed to work in these industries, and with fewer locally available jobs people leave rural areas to find work in cities. In the past, this outmigration was offset by high birth rates, but this is no longer the case; birth rates are falling while an aging population drives up deaths.
The net effect of these processes is population decline.
Related reading:
Iron in Michigan. (Michiganology)
All of the mines on the Menominee and Gogebic Ranges have closed. Today, the Tilden mine in Ishpeming is the only Michigan mine still operating.
Related post:
Michigan population crisis in Saginaw County. (5/25/2023)
Michigan population time bomb: Wayne County has lost one-third of its residents since 1970. (5/16/2023)
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