The Lansing metropolitan area is remarkable in that despite being a relatively small city it is an important center for manufacturing, educational, cultural, and governmental institutions, including three medical schools, two law schools, a Big Ten Conference university (Michigan State), the state capitol, the Supreme Court, an appellate court, a federal court, the Michigan State Library and Historical Center, and headquarters of four national insurance companies.

Lansing is the only U.S. state capital that is not also a county seat.

As of the census² of 2000, there were 119,128 people, 49,505 households, and 28,366 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,312.3/km² (3,399.0/mi²). There were 53,159 housing units at an average density of 585.6/km² (1,516.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 65.28% White (61.4% non-Hispanic White), 21.91% Black, 0.80% Native American, 2.83% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 4.54% from other races, and 4.60% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.98% of the population. The city's foreign-born population stood at 5.9%.

Of Michigan's major cities, Lansing has the highest number of persons that report themselves as "mixed race," and the highest number of person that report their ethnicty as "Native American."

There were 49,505 households out of which 30.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.8% were married couples living together, 17.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.7% were non-families. 33.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 3.08.

In the city the population was spread out with 26.8% under the age of 18, 11.4% from 18 to 24, 32.7% from 25 to 44, 19.3% from 45 to 64, and 9.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 92.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $34,833, and the median income for a family was $41,283. Males had a median income of $32,648 versus $27,051 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,924. About 13.2% of families and 16.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.2% of those under age 18 and 9.0% of those age 65 or over.

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