Are Michigan Roads Getting Better? The 2026 Answer Is “Not Yet—But the Forecast Improved”
Michigan’s new funding improves the long-term pavement forecast, but the measured road network still has a long way to go.
Read analysis →Progress or
regression?
Original, data-led analysis of Michigan's population, jobs, housing, infrastructure, development and cities. The point is not to cheerlead or doomscroll. It is to measure.
Ryan Richmond
Commercial and residential real estate background · Michigan data and development analysis.
DATA before opinionSOURCES in every articleFAQ direct answersCURRENT reliable vintages
LATEST ANALYSIS
Michigan, with receipts.
Michigan Progress publishes sourced analyses of statewide progress, city growth, housing, jobs, development, local government, rankings and affordability. The newest local-government analysis examines all 252 incorporated villages and Michigan township population.
Detroit’s Population Is Growing Again: Why 649,095 Matters
Detroit’s 2025 Census estimate reached 649,095, about 1.5% above its 2020 estimate base. It is a real reversal signal—but not the end of the city’s demographic story.
Read analysis →Pontiac’s $174.5 Million Downtown Reset: A Progress Test in Real Time
Oakland County’s downtown Pontiac project is moving from demolition into construction, with 700 county employees and roughly 1,300 parking spaces planned around a reconnected core.
Read analysis →Michigan’s 150 Largest Cities Ranked by Growth, Income and Housing Activity
One city ranking rarely tells the truth. Michigan Progress compares the same 1281 cities across growth, income, homeownership, poverty and housing activity.
Read analysis →Michigan’s 281 Cities Ranked by Growth, Income and Housing Activity
One city ranking rarely tells the truth. Michigan Progress compares the same 281 cities across growth, income, homeownership, poverty and housing activity.
Read analysis →Michigan’s Housing Affordability Divide: Home Values vs. Household Income
Home prices alone do not tell you whether a Michigan city is affordable. Comparing values with household income exposes a more useful—and more complicated—picture.
Read analysis →Why the Village of Stockbridge, Michigan Should Dissolve: Taxes, Duplication, Controversies and the Savings Case
Stockbridge residents pay a separate village tax layer while several core functions are already handled by the township or regional authorities. Here is the sourced case for disincorporation—and what savings would and would not be real.
Read analysis →Lower Unemployment, Smaller Workforce: Michigan’s Regional Job Paradox
June unemployment rates fell across all 18 Michigan labor markets, but 17 regions also had smaller labor forces than a year earlier. The contradiction matters for how progress is measured.
Read analysis →Michigan’s New Housing Credit Changes the Supply Equation
Michigan created a state housing tax credit expected to support about 2,500 affordable units a year. It is a meaningful new tool—but it still has to be measured against a roughly 97,000-unit housing gap.
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FAQ / AEO
Michigan Progress blog FAQ
Direct answers based on the evidence and methodology used on this page.
What does the Michigan Progress blog cover?
The blog publishes data-led analysis of Michigan population, jobs, housing, infrastructure, development and major city trends.
Are opinion and data separated?
Articles distinguish sourced facts from interpretation and link to underlying government or primary sources wherever practical.
How current are Michigan Progress articles?
Each article is dated and written around the newest reliable data available at publication, with older vintages identified in the text.