State bird
American robin
Sources: Designation & background
Local timeLansing ·
U.S. States / Midwest · Card 022
Michigan
The Great Lakes State
Pictured Rocks lies along Lake Superior in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
Michigan and its surroundings
● State capital · Gold highlights Michigan.
Map: Natural Earth. Neighboring states use postal abbreviations.
Map: Natural Earth. Neighboring states use postal abbreviations.
At a glance
- Capital
- Lansing
- Postal abbreviation
- MI
- Population
- 10,127,884July 1, 2025 · Census estimate
- Total area
- 250,487 km²96,714 square miles · land and water
- Statehood
- January 26, 1837State number 26
- Region
- Midwest
Sources: Census · population · Census · area
State symbols & traditions
State song
My Michigan
Sources: Designation & background
Geography & flag
01
Location
Neighboring states: Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin.
02
Landscape & places
Pictured Rocks lies along Lake Superior in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Mineral staining colors its sandstone cliffs, while beaches, dunes and forest occupy other parts of the lakeshore.
03
Land and water
The total area includes 146,435 km² of land and 104,052 km² of water, according to Census area measurements.
State flag
The state coat of arms on a blue field, including an eagle, an elk and a moose.
Sources: Census · geographic reference · Census · area measurements · National Park Service · Pictured Rocks
How the landscape works
Pictured Rocks is on Lake Superior in the Upper Peninsula, not on an ocean. Waves and weather shape Great Lakes shorelines too. Mineral staining explains the colors of the sandstone cliffs; the surrounding beaches, dunes, and forests show that the lakeshore is more varied than the cliffs alone. Remembering a landmark’s water body helps place it in the wider region.
History
How the Toledo dispute affected Michigan’s borders
Michigan Territory and Ohio both claimed a strip of land that included Toledo. Conflicting boundary descriptions and the value of access to Lake Erie made the disagreement important. In 1835, both sides mobilized militia, and Michigan’s application for statehood became entangled in the dispute.
Congress required Michigan to accept Ohio’s claim to the Toledo Strip. In return, Michigan received the western part of the Upper Peninsula in addition to land it already held there. Michigan accepted the settlement and became a state in January 1837. This explains why the state’s final borders include two peninsulas and why its admission was delayed by a boundary argument.
Read more: Historical source ↗
Why this mattered
The Toledo boundary dispute involved competing claims by Michigan and Ohio. The settlement that accompanied Michigan’s admission left Toledo with Ohio and assigned most of the Upper Peninsula to Michigan. The resulting state shape reflects a political agreement, not a single continuous natural region. Borders can preserve the outcome of past disputes.
Key dates
-
Michigan Territory organized
-
Toledo Strip dispute resolved as statehood approached
-
Statehood · State number 26
Sources: Congressional Research Service · statehood · U.S. Census Bureau · historical geography · National Park Service
People and place
Indigenous history and communities today
The Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians provides a present-day perspective from the Great Lakes region. The political settlement that shaped Michigan’s border did not create the region’s older cultural connections.
Continue with Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians. This is one starting point, not a complete account of the peoples connected to this land.
Compare
Michigan and Illinois
| Measure | Michigan | Illinois |
|---|---|---|
| Population (2025) | 10,127,884 | 12,719,141 |
| Land area (km²) | 146,435 | 143,793 |
| People per km² of land | 69.2 | 88.5 |
Illinois has more people per square kilometer of land. Population density divides population by land area. It is an average across the whole jurisdiction, not a claim that residents are evenly spread out.
Calculated from the Census population series and land-area measurements used on these pages. Rounded figures; water area is excluded. Explore Illinois.
Economy
Main activities
In 2025, manufacturing was the largest of the broad industry groups compared here by current-dollar output. Other major groups included real estate and rental and leasing, professional and business services, and government and government enterprises.
Total economic output was $730.1 billion in current dollars in 2025.
Largest industry groups · 2025
- Manufacturing: 15.6%
- Real estate and rental and leasing: 13.8%
- Professional and business services: 13.0%
- Government and government enterprises: 10.0%
Share of total current-dollar GDP. These figures measure output, not employment.
Sources: BEA · annual GDP by state, SAGDP2
Production, jobs and wages answer different questions
The industry chart measures the value of production. It does not count workers. An industry with a large share of GDP need not employ the most people or pay the highest wages. Employment and wage data would be needed to answer those questions.
Population & economic trends
Population, 2020–2025
Millions of people10.132025 · millions of people
July 1 resident population estimates, using the Census Bureau’s Vintage 2025 series.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau
View data table
| Year | People |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 10,072,294 |
| 2021 | 10,042,362 |
| 2022 | 10,043,906 |
| 2023 | 10,062,124 |
| 2024 | 10,099,962 |
| 2025 | 10,127,884 |
Real GDP, 2010–2025
Billions of chained 2017 dollars568.872025 · billions of chained 2017 dollars
Real GDP measures economic output adjusted for inflation. The chart uses BEA’s chained 2017 dollars.
Sources: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
View data table
| Year | Millions of chained 2017 dollars |
|---|---|
| 2010 | 441,271.5 |
| 2011 | 453,989.1 |
| 2012 | 463,302.6 |
| 2013 | 472,779.9 |
| 2014 | 479,534.9 |
| 2015 | 490,618.7 |
| 2016 | 500,159.5 |
| 2017 | 505,101.5 |
| 2018 | 516,843.0 |
| 2019 | 521,085.1 |
| 2020 | 502,622.3 |
| 2021 | 528,701.8 |
| 2022 | 539,807.5 |
| 2023 | 554,556.2 |
| 2024 | 562,177.6 |
| 2025 | 568,865.7 |
Read the trend, then ask what explains it
Michigan’s population increased by about 0.6% between 2020 and 2025 in this series. That shows the size of the change. The chart alone cannot tell us how much came from births, deaths or migration.
Real GDP adjusts for changes in prices, so it helps compare production over time. Current-dollar GDP includes price changes. Neither measure tells us how income is distributed among residents.
Representation
- Electoral votes
- 152024 & 2028 elections
- Voting U.S. House seats
- 132020 Census allocation
- U.S. Senate seats
- 2
Electoral votes equal the state’s U.S. House seats plus its two U.S. Senate seats. These allocations apply to the 2024 and 2028 presidential elections.
Practice
Test your knowledge
Use the explanations and data on this page to answer ten questions. Hints and links to the relevant sections are available throughout.
10 questions about Michigan
Show a hint
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Sources & notes
Narrative and quiz updated 5 October 2026. Statistical data prepared 27 September 2026. Population: Census Bureau Vintage 2025, July 1 estimates for 2020–2025. Real GDP: BEA annual state accounts, SAGDP9, millions of chained 2017 dollars; industry shares: SAGDP2, current dollars. Data downloaded 27 September 2026. Area measurements include land and water.
Sources: Census · population estimates · BEA · state GDP · Census · area measurements · Natural Earth · map data
The capital clock shows current local time. Statistical figures are dated estimates and may be revised.
Updated 29 October 2026. Statistics retain the dated series shown in the charts; these are not live figures. Sources are linked beside each topic.