The latest U.S. Census report says Michigan's population grew by 3,980 people from 2022 to 2023.
The growth in the Hispanic population is the reason the state grew at all in 2023, rather than continuing to shrink.
About 6% of Michigan's population identifies as Hispanic or Latino, according to the new census estimates.
Kurt Metzger, the founder of Data Driven Detroit, said there is a lot of potential for growth in other groups in Michigan.
Metzger said the population of white Michiganders continues to age rapidly, and it dropped in the same time period, 2022 to 2023.
"The only way we're going to become a younger state is to have more immigrants and more Latinos, more Asians — just basically more persons of color," said Metzger.
Governor Gretchen Whitmer established a council last year to develop a plan to boost population growth.
Metzger said one easy thing the state and its diverse communities could do is to recognize and support how diverse the state already is. "As a state we have to recognize the tremendous diversity we have here. I don't think we do that enough," Metzger said.
