Ann Arbor, Michigan Population 2023

Ann Arbor is the 5th largest city in Michigan, and its Metropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Washtenaw County. The city just barely made the cut-off for the 5th largest city, making the new ranking sometime in 2012.

Ann Arbor has an estimated population of 121,000, although the metropolitan area, and all of Washtenaw County, has a population estimated at 350,000. Ann Arbor is also part of the Detroit-Ann Arbor-Flint, MI Combined Statistical Area (CMA), which has a population of more than 5.32 million.

Population Density of Ann Arbor

The city proper has a population density of 4,094 people per square mile, which makes it less densely populated than the inner-ring Detroit suburbs of Ferndale and Oak Park, among others, but more densely populated than outer-ring suburbs.

Ann Arbor Common Ancestry Groups

The most common ancestry groups in Ann Arbor are German (14.9%), English (8.5%) and Irish (7.9%). Ann Arbor currently has the second-highest Japanese national population in Michigan at 1,540.

Ann Arbor Population Growth

In 2013, Ann Arbor's population grew to 116,000, up 2% from 113,900 in 2010. This is due, in part, to new downtown high-rises with thousands of new units. Ann Arbor is expected to continue its modest growth in the decade to come.

Ann Arbor Facts

• Ann Arbor has one of the youngest median ages (28) among major U.S. cities.
• Ann Arbor was listed as one of the most livable cities in the U.S. by Forbes in 2010.
• The city has over 50,000 trees along its streets and the same number in its parks, hence its nickname, Tree Town.
• The city has one of Michigan's highest foreign-born populations (17.4%) due to the University of Michigan.
• Borders Books was started in Ann Arbor and headquartered in the city until it shut down in 2011. Other Ann Arbor-based companies include Domino's Pizza and Zingerman's Delicatessen.

Ann Arbor was founded in 1824 by Elisha Walker Rumsey and John Allen, and the town was registered with Wayne County as Annarbour that year. The city was named for the men's wives, both named Ann, and for large stands of burr oak in the land purchased from the government for $800.

Ann Arbor became the seat of Washtenaw County three years later and it was incorporated as a village just six years later. The Ann Arbor Land Company set aside undeveloped land and offered it to Michigan as the site of the state capital, but the bid was lost to Lansing, and the property instead became the site of the University of Michigan, which shaped the future of the city.

Ann Arbor saw strong growth in the 1880s with new immigrants from Poland, Russia, Italy and Greece joining the Irish, Germans, English and African-Americans already present. Ann Arbor eventually gained a reputation as a center for liberal politics during the 1960s and 1970s, particularly for the civil rights and anti-Vietnam War movements.