We hemorrhaged educated people from the mid-90s until very recently. It seems like the tide is turning, but we have a long way to go to get back to respectability. The auto industry is a double edged sword. On the one hand, it made MI a fantastic place to live and work for decades. On the other, it discouraged leaders from investing in higher ed, because union guys could make $80k on a high school education. Our current governor is that rarest of endangered species, the moderate republican, and he is trying his best to improve retention of college educated people. That combined with Detroit's resurgence has stemmed the tide of net population loss. Unfortunately, our legislature is made up of a bunch of Jason Chaffetz wannabes, and they just voted to eliminate our income tax without replacement. So if the republican governor has his way, MI will finally join the 21st century, or if the republican legislature has its way, we'll join Kansas in their great experiment in failure.