Answer:
The correct answer is D. Michigan's population decreased by 0.5% from 2007 to 2008, due to the struggling auto industry and high unemployment rate.
Explanation:
The state of Michigan has historically been the leader in industrial production in the United States of America. Its most important city, Detroit, has been the headquarters of large automobile companies, such as Ford, General Motors or Chrysler.
Since the 1960s, Detroit has had a noticeable decline in its population, which passed from 1,800,000 inhabitants to a current number of 600,000 residents. This is explained in the emergence of new automobile production poles in China, Canada and Mexico, as well as in the emergence of new cities in the state of Michigan itself. But this situation did not replicate in the state of Michigan, which saw its population go from 6 million inhabitants to 10 million in the same period.
Now, being an industrial pole and a predominantly manufacturing state, the 2007-2008 crisis hit the state heavily. Many companies stopped their production, unemploying people and going bankrupt. This, together with the poor economic condition of Detroit, whose local government declared bankruptcy, led to many people being unemployed, with their homes finished off and living on the street.
This situation caused many people to escape from the state, to other nearby cities with better economic prospects such as Chicago, or even to Canada. Therefore, during this period of crisis the population of the state was reduced by approximately 0.5%, which represents approximately 450,000 people.
