Detroit population drops to lowest level in 100 years

DETROIT (Reuters) - Detroit's population dropped 25 percent over the last decade to its lowest level in a century, according to U.S. Census figures released on Tuesday.

The city's population fell to 713,777 last year from 951,270 in 2000 when the last census was taken as the region suffered from a struggling automotive industry, plant closures and job losses.

In the same period, the state of Michigan's population dropped 0.6 percent to 9.88 million.

Detroit's 2010 population compares to 1.85 million people living in the "Motor City" in 1950 and was the lowest total since the 1910 Census showed a population of 285,704.

"The census figures clearly show how crucial it is to reinvent Michigan," Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder said in a statement. "It is time for all of us to realign our expectations so that they reflect today's realities. We cannot cling to the old ways of doing business.

"We cannot successfully transition to the 'New Michigan' if young, talented workers leave our state," he added. "By the same token, Michigan will not succeed if Detroit and other major cities don't succeed."

(Reporting by Ben Klayman. Editing by Peter Bohan)