Michigan Snowbirds Need to be Counted as Michigan Residents for 2010: State May Have Already Lost 11% of Population in Last 3-4 Years

The Michigan government is asking Michigan snowbirds, or residents who go south for the winter, to fill out their census forms when they get mailed out in February or March.   They need to indicate that they are residents of Michigan on the forms, and not residents of Florida or Arizona, or wherever they go during the winter months. 

The government estimates that 200,000 snowbirds were counted as residents of other states during the 2000 census; as a result Michigan lost a Congressional seat and about $2 billion over the last ten years.

If the estimates are correct, and we’ve lost 11% of our population, the results will be devastating, with the loss of billions in federal aid, and the proportionate loss of representation in Congress.

Accuracy in the census and the addition of the snowbirds will stem the heavy loss of workers in our struggling state.

If you’re a Michigan snowbird, please read the following from the State of Michigan:

LANSING - Lt. Governor John D. Cherry, Jr. reminds Michigan residents who leave the state for warmer climates during part of the year, commonly referred to as snowbirds, to make sure they are counted in Michigan for the upcoming Census in 2010.  Every resident of the United States should be counted by the Census just once and in the correct state. 
"Michigan residents who spend a smaller portion of the year at a residence in another state should be sure to fill out the Census form for Michigan," said Lt. Governor Cherry.  "There are dramatic financial impacts to Michigan, and we need to be sure that our residents are counted here and not in another state."

Unfortunately, Census forms that will be mailed in March do not have clear instructions for people with more than one place of residence.  This runs the risk of many snowbirds being counted in the wrong state.

Michigan snowbirds should follow these guidelines:

1.  Zero should be entered on the Census form received at the second residence, as the number of people residing there, and the rest of the form should remain blank.  It is also a good idea to write "usual residence elsewhere" on the form so that the Census Bureau will know the reason for entering zero.

2.  If other individuals are occupying the home in Michigan while permanent residents are away, those completing the Census form should include the permanent residents.

3.  If no one is staying at the Michigan home, residents should wait until returning to Michigan to complete the Census form.  If a form hasn't been received, Census personnel will contact residents between May and July.

For each Michigan resident who is missed by the Census or who is counted in a different state, over $1,000 in federal funds that should be allocated to Michigan each year will be spent elsewhere. 

"Just missing one person in the Census means a loss of at least $10,000 in funds to Michigan over the course of a decade," added the lieutenant governor.  "We can't afford to not be counted."

Michigan has more snowbirds than many other states, with an average of 2.1 percent of Michigan's residents identified as part-year residents.  Most of Michigan's part-year residents have their permanent homes in Michigan and spend the smaller part of the year in another state, which means they need to be counted in Michigan.