Surprise City (Not Ann Arbor) Is the Fastest Growing in Michigan

As part of Michigan tradition, we’re always scouting for FOR SALE signs in our neighborhoods.. It's not that we're nosy (okay, maybe we are), but we're curious about where our neighbors are going and who might be moving in. One town in the Mitten state has seen incredible growth over the last 5 years.

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Dubbed the Fastest Growing City in Michigan by World Population Review, this tiny township has seen nearly one thousand new residents over the last half-decade. While that may not sound like a lot to many, when your town only had 6,380 people in it to begin with, a thousand extra people milling around tends not to go unnoticed.

Bloomer Townships Population Boom

Located in Montcalm County, Bloomer Township is Michigan's fastest-growing municipality. According to the US Census Bureau, the population was 6,380 in 2020. Today, that population stands at 7,358 people. So, who are these extra 978 people—and where did they come from?

Prison Population’s Role in Census Counts

Well, I had a theory. You see, Bloomer Township is home to the Carson City Correctional Facility, which, according to the Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC), employs 428 employees when fully staffed and houses up to 2,526 prisoners.

This matters because the Census Bureau counts a prisoner’s "usual residence" as the correctional facility’s location — so they're included in the township’s population.

According to the 2020 Statistical Report, Carson City Correctional Facility's population in 2020 was 2,184, while the latest count (Oct 2024) is 2,380. So the prison accounts for 196 of Bloomer Township’s growth in the past five years.

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Michigan’s 10 Fastest-Growing Municipalities

Still, that means 782 new residents have been drawn to Bloomer Township over the last 5 years. World Population Review states that the area is growing at a rate of 7.2% annually. Here's a look at the rest of Michigan's 10 fastest-growing cities: