BY TODD SPANGLER
DETROIT FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER


Detroit's loss in population in the last decade was the suburbs' gain, at least in terms of diversity.

While many inner-ring suburbs saw their own population decline as the automobile industry struggled, African Americans and Hispanics moved in, seeing a chance to get out of the city and away from its well-documented struggles.

Southfield's white population fell 12,500 since 2000, and its black population increased 8,000 -- to 7 of every 10 people in the city. Warren, a decade ago home to fewer than 4,000 blacks who made up less than 3% of the population, now has more than 18,000 -- or nearly 14% of the city's racial makeup.

The influx, along with a growing Hispanic and Asian population, almost made up for the 21,000 whites who left Warren in the last decade. Whites still account for 78% of the city -- down from 91%.

In Eastpointe, the number of whites dipped by 10,000 -- from 31,395 to 21,297. The number of African Americans more than quintupled from 1,601 to 9,575 and the number of Hispanics went from 453 to 1,643.


Continued at: http://www.freep.com/article/2011032...0440/1001/news