76.3%
of people living in Michigan were born in Michigan. Only Louisiana keeps a bigger share of its own.
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2018 to 2022, via The Detroit Newsboom·er·an·der
noun/ˈbü-mə-ˌran-dər/
- A Michigander who moved away, built a life or a career somewhere else and came back on purpose.
- Someone who chose Michigan twice.
"She ran logistics in Atlanta for eight years. Now she's a Boomerander in Grand Rapids."
By the numbers
Michigan is great at raising people.
Getting them back is the trick.
Most people here were born here. Plenty leave. A real share come home. Here's what the data says.
Numbers updated
155,000
people moved from Michigan to another state in 2023. About 135,000 moved in.
U.S. Census Bureau state-to-state migration flows, via Bridge Michigan34%
of young adults who leave metro Detroit eventually move back. Grand Rapids gets 30%. The national average is 28%.
Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, 2025 boomerang migration brief1,796
more people moved to Michigan from other states than moved out between July 2024 and July 2025. First time that's happened since at least 1990.
U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 estimates, via Bridge Michigan49th
in population growth since 1990. Only West Virginia grew slower. Every person who comes home moves that number.
Growing Michigan Together Council, via Bridge Michigan950+
Detroit expats flew home for Detroit Homecoming in its first 10 years. Organizers say it has sparked well over $600 million in investment in Detroit.
Crain's Detroit Business, Detroit Homecoming coverageWhy this matters
Leaving wasn't quitting.
It was research.
01
You've seen how other places do it.
How Austin funds startups. How Chicago moves people. How Charlotte hires. That knowledge came home with you and it's worth more here than it was there.
02
You brought a network back.
Every Boomerander has a phone full of people in other states. That's a pipeline for jobs, customers and investment that Michigan can't buy with an ad campaign.
03
You chose Michigan twice.
Once by accident of birth. Once on purpose. People who pick a place tend to work hardest to make it better. We want to put that to use.
Where this fits
Michigan is already full of people building.
This isn't a new idea and we're not pretending otherwise. The state is thick with groups doing this work, and doing it well.
Innovation and startups
Capital
Community and talent
A partial list. If your group belongs here, tell us and we'll add it.
Here's the part that's missing. Nearly all of it is built for founders and investors. That's the right bet for startups, and it leaves out most people.
Not everyone who came home wants to start a company. Some want a good job. Some want to be employee number seven at somebody else's startup. Some want to mentor a kid or sit on a board. Some run a machine shop and could hire two people tomorrow. A Boomerander might be a nurse manager, a welder, a logistics director, a teacher, a chef, a machinist, an accountant or a founder who sold a company in Austin.
Boomerander counts all of them, then hands that list to the people already doing the work.
Working on this from another angle? Let's compare notes.
Why this exists
Started by a Boomerander.
Boomerander was started by a Michigander who spent a few decades away, came home and realized something: there are a lot of us. People who left, learned how other places work and chose to come back.
It's a pretty great club. Most of its members just don't know they're in it. So this is the clubhouse, and the idea is simple: band together and put what we learned out there to work for the state that raised us.
The Brain Gain
Tell us where you went and what you got good at.
Michigan spent decades talking about brain drain. This is the other direction. Some Boomeranders want a job. Some are hiring. Plenty just want to mentor, make an intro or help the next person find their way home. All of it counts.
Questions
The short answers.
What is a Boomerander?
A Boomerander is a Michigander who moved away, built a life or a career somewhere else and came back to Michigan on purpose. The word is a play on Michigander.
Who started Boomerander?
A Boomerander. It was started by a Michigander who spent a few decades away, came home and realized there's a whole club of people who did the same thing. The goal is to band together and use what we learned in other places to help Michigan.
How many people who leave Michigan move back?
About a third. The Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland found that 34% of young adults who leave metro Detroit eventually move back, compared with 30% for Grand Rapids and a 28% national average.
How many people leave Michigan each year?
About 155,000 people moved from Michigan to another state in 2023 and about 135,000 moved in, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. From July 2024 to July 2025 Michigan gained 1,796 more residents from other states than it lost, its first net gain since at least 1990.
What is the Brain Gain?
The Brain Gain is Boomerander's free network of Michigan people with experience from other places. Members use it to find jobs, hire, mentor, make introductions and help other people move back to Michigan.
Do I need to be looking for a job to join?
No. Plenty of Boomeranders already have jobs. You can join to mentor, make introductions, share your story or help someone else find their way home.
Who can join?
Anyone who moved back to Michigan, anyone planning to come back, Michiganders who never left but want to help and employers looking for people with outside experience.
Partner with us
Let's build this together.
Run a company, a school, a chamber or a community group? Want to help Boomeranders find their way home, or find them for your team? Let's talk.
hello@boomerander.com