The United States Census Bureau reported today that Michigan is one of only two states to lose population in 2007, sharing the dubious recognition with Rhode Island. According to the estimates, Michigan lost about three-tenths of a percent of its population, or approximately 30,500 people. Just over ten million people reside in the state.

The report’s findings are perhaps not surprising due to the state’s economy, which continues to slide following the decline of the U.S. auto industry and the rise of subsequent unemployment. Michigan narrowly averted a government shutdown in September following a particularly bitter battle over the state’s precarious budget, which has struggled with multi-million dollar deficits since the end of the twentieth century.