Dickinson County, Michigan
County in Michigan, United States
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dickinson County is a county in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the population was 25,947.[3] The county seat is Iron Mountain.[4] Dickinson is Michigan's newest county, formed in 1891 from parts of Marquette, Menominee, and Iron counties.[2] It was named for Donald M. Dickinson, who served as U.S. Postmaster General under President Grover Cleveland.[1][2]
Dickinson County, Michigan | |
|---|---|
| |
 Location within the U.S. state of Michigan | |
| Coordinates: 46°00′N 87°52′W | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Michigan |
| Founded | 1891[1][2] |
| Named after | Donald M. Dickinson |
| Seat | Iron Mountain |
| Largest city | Iron Mountain |
| Area | |
• Total | 777 sq mi (2,010 km2) |
| • Land | 761 sq mi (1,970 km2) |
| • Water | 16 sq mi (41 km2) 2.0% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 25,947 |
• Estimate (2025) | 25,827  |
| • Density | 34.1/sq mi (13.2/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 1st |
| Website | www |
Dickinson County is part of the Iron Mountain, MI–WI micropolitan statistical area.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 777 square miles (2,010 km2), of which 761 square miles (1,970 km2) is land and 16 square miles (41 km2) (2.0%) is water.[5] Along with its western neighbor Iron County, it is one of only two landlocked counties in the Upper Peninsula.
Major highways
Airport
- KIMT - Ford Airport
Adjacent counties
- Marquette County (north)
- Menominee County (southeast)
- Marinette County, Wisconsin (south)
- Florence County, Wisconsin (southwest)
- Iron County (northwest)
Communities
Cities
- Iron Mountain (county seat)
- Kingsford
- Norway
Charter township
Civil townships
Census-designated place
Other unincorporated communities
Demographics
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 17,890 | — | |
| 1910 | 20,524 | 14.7% | |
| 1920 | 19,456 | −5.2% | |
| 1930 | 29,941 | 53.9% | |
| 1940 | 28,731 | −4.0% | |
| 1950 | 24,844 | −13.5% | |
| 1960 | 23,917 | −3.7% | |
| 1970 | 23,753 | −0.7% | |
| 1980 | 25,341 | 6.7% | |
| 1990 | 26,831 | 5.9% | |
| 2000 | 27,472 | 2.4% | |
| 2010 | 26,168 | −4.7% | |
| 2020 | 25,947 | −0.8% | |
| 2025 (est.) | 25,827 | [9] | −0.5% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[10] 1790-1960[11] 1900-1990[12] 1990-2000[13] 2010-2018[3] | |||
Racial and ethnic composition
| Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 1980[15] | Pop 1990[16] | Pop 2000[17] | Pop 2010[18] | Pop 2020[19] | % 1980 | % 1990 | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 25,203 | 26,459 | 26,794 | 25,269 | 24,198 | 99.46% | 98.61% | 97.53% | 96.56% | 93.26% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 8 | 23 | 32 | 86 | 61 | 0.03% | 0.09% | 0.12% | 0.33% | 0.24% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 37 | 130 | 135 | 138 | 117 | 0.15% | 0.48% | 0.49% | 0.53% | 0.45% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 26 | 96 | 108 | 120 | 147 | 0.10% | 0.36% | 0.39% | 0.46% | 0.57% |
| Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH) | x [20] | x [21] | 7 | 7 | 4 | x | x | 0.03% | 0.03% | 0.02% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 21 | 7 | 9 | 3 | 43 | 0.08% | 0.03% | 0.03% | 0.01% | 0.17% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | x [22] | x [23] | 200 | 275 | 937 | x | x | 0.73% | 1.05% | 3.61% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 46 | 116 | 187 | 270 | 440 | 0.18% | 0.43% | 0.68% | 1.03% | 1.70% |
| Total | 25,341 | 26,831 | 27,472 | 26,168 | 25,947 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 25,947. The median age was 47.0 years, with 19.9% of residents under the age of 18 and 23.2% of residents 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 100.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 99.6 males age 18 and over.[24]
The racial makeup of the county was 94.0% White, 0.3% Black or African American, 0.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.5% from some other race, and 4.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 1.7% of the population.[25]
64.8% of residents lived in urban areas, while 35.2% lived in rural areas.[26]
There were 11,569 households in the county, of which 24.2% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 46.7% were married-couple households, 21.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 24.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 32.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[24]
There were 13,917 housing units, of which 16.9% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 78.4% were owner-occupied and 21.6% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.8% and the rental vacancy rate was 8.6%.[24]
2010 American Community Survey 3-year estimates
The 2010 American Community Survey 3-year estimate indicated the median income for a household in the county was $42,331 and the median income for a family was $52,222. Males had a median income of $31,402 versus $14,957 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,583. About 3.4% of families and 10.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.4% of those under the age 18 and 11.3% of those age 65 or over.[27]
Government
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1892 | 1,606 | 51.05% | 1,255 | 39.89% | 285 | 9.06% |
| 1896 | 2,608 | 80.59% | 528 | 16.32% | 100 | 3.09% |
| 1900 | 2,858 | 84.51% | 451 | 13.34% | 73 | 2.16% |
| 1904 | 2,984 | 87.84% | 283 | 8.33% | 130 | 3.83% |
| 1908 | 2,507 | 76.18% | 544 | 16.53% | 240 | 7.29% |
| 1912 | 1,371 | 40.90% | 361 | 10.77% | 1,620 | 48.33% |
| 1916 | 2,393 | 60.63% | 1,291 | 32.71% | 263 | 6.66% |
| 1920 | 3,539 | 76.65% | 580 | 12.56% | 498 | 10.79% |
| 1924 | 4,538 | 68.66% | 400 | 6.05% | 1,671 | 25.28% |
| 1928 | 5,840 | 55.57% | 4,626 | 44.02% | 43 | 0.41% |
| 1932 | 5,120 | 42.55% | 6,483 | 53.88% | 429 | 3.57% |
| 1936 | 4,563 | 35.28% | 7,952 | 61.48% | 419 | 3.24% |
| 1940 | 6,188 | 44.65% | 7,582 | 54.71% | 89 | 0.64% |
| 1944 | 4,987 | 42.11% | 6,740 | 56.92% | 115 | 0.97% |
| 1948 | 4,417 | 39.06% | 6,295 | 55.66% | 597 | 5.28% |
| 1952 | 6,045 | 51.18% | 5,710 | 48.34% | 56 | 0.47% |
| 1956 | 6,200 | 54.72% | 5,113 | 45.13% | 17 | 0.15% |
| 1960 | 5,336 | 44.49% | 6,645 | 55.40% | 14 | 0.12% |
| 1964 | 3,365 | 29.79% | 7,921 | 70.12% | 11 | 0.10% |
| 1968 | 4,920 | 43.95% | 5,726 | 51.15% | 548 | 4.90% |
| 1972 | 5,989 | 51.12% | 5,339 | 45.57% | 387 | 3.30% |
| 1976 | 5,922 | 48.63% | 6,134 | 50.37% | 121 | 0.99% |
| 1980 | 6,614 | 50.58% | 5,694 | 43.54% | 769 | 5.88% |
| 1984 | 6,880 | 54.91% | 5,614 | 44.80% | 36 | 0.29% |
| 1988 | 6,158 | 49.89% | 6,129 | 49.66% | 56 | 0.45% |
| 1992 | 4,273 | 32.79% | 5,689 | 43.66% | 3,069 | 23.55% |
| 1996 | 4,408 | 38.03% | 5,614 | 48.43% | 1,569 | 13.54% |
| 2000 | 6,932 | 54.02% | 5,533 | 43.12% | 367 | 2.86% |
| 2004 | 7,734 | 57.08% | 5,650 | 41.70% | 165 | 1.22% |
| 2008 | 7,049 | 52.96% | 5,995 | 45.04% | 267 | 2.01% |
| 2012 | 7,688 | 59.82% | 4,952 | 38.53% | 211 | 1.64% |
| 2016 | 8,580 | 64.84% | 3,923 | 29.65% | 729 | 5.51% |
| 2020 | 9,617 | 65.80% | 4,744 | 32.46% | 254 | 1.74% |
| 2024 | 10,324 | 67.28% | 4,763 | 31.04% | 257 | 1.67% |
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2024 | 10,076 | 66.72% | 4,662 | 30.87% | 364 | 2.41% |
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2022 | 7,446 | 62.12% | 4,310 | 35.96% | 230 | 1.92% |
The county government operates the jail, maintains rural roads, operates the major local courts, keeps files of deeds and mortgages, maintains vital records, administers public health regulations, and participates with the state in the provision of welfare and other social services. The county board of commissioners controls the budget but has only limited authority to make laws or ordinances. In Michigan, most local government functions — police and fire, building and zoning, tax assessment, street maintenance, etc. — are the responsibility of individual cities and townships. In the 2006 elections, it was also the most supportive county of proposal 2, a state constitutional amendment banning affirmative action programs. It received 74.2% support in the county.
The county was a bellwether in every presidential election from 1920 to 2004 (with exception to 1968).
In August of 2024, Dickinson County Undersheriff Chris Kuenzer announced a full staff of sworn officers.[31]
Elected officials
- Prosecuting Attorney: Abbey Anderson
- Sheriff: Aaron Rochon
- Undersheriff: Christopher Kuenzer
- County Clerk: Dolly Cook
- Register of Deeds: Unknown
- County Treasurer: Lorna Carey
- Drain Commissioner: Kevin Trevillain
- Mine Inspector: Steven Smith
(information as of July 2013)[32]
