Sanilac County, Michigan

County in Michigan, United States From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sanilac County (/sænəlæk/ SAN-ə-lack) is a county located in the Thumb region of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 40,611.[3] The county seat is Sandusky.[4] The county was created on September 10, 1822, and was fully organized on December 31, 1849.[1] Sanilac County is considered to be part of the Thumb of Michigan, a subregion of the Flint/Tri-Cities. Sanilac County enjoys seasonal tourism in towns such as Lexington, Port Sanilac, and Carsonville. Sanilac County is economically attached to St. Clair County and Huron County and is largely composed of nearly flat areas of rich soil.

Country United States
FoundedSeptember 10, 1822 (created)
December 31, 1849 (organized)[1]
SeatSandusky
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern)
Quick facts Country, State ...
Sanilac County, Michigan
County
Sanilac County Courthouse
Sanilac County Courthouse
Official seal of Sanilac County, Michigan
Seal
Map of Michigan highlighting Sanilac County
Location within the U.S. state of Michigan
Coordinates: 43°28′N 82°38′W
Country United States
State Michigan
FoundedSeptember 10, 1822 (created)
December 31, 1849 (organized)[1]
SeatSandusky
Largest citySandusky
Area
 • Total
1,590 sq mi (4,100 km2)
 • Land963 sq mi (2,490 km2)
 • Water627 sq mi (1,620 km2)  39%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
40,611
 • Estimate 
(2025)[2]
40,038 Decrease
 • Density41.8/sq mi (16.1/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district9th
Websitewww.sanilaccounty.gov
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History

Map of the Surveyed Part of the Territory of Michigan by Orange Risdon, 1825, showing an earlier, larger incarnation of Sanilac County, most of which had not yet been surveyed.

Sanilac County was probably named for a Wyandot (Huron) chief named Sanilac.[5] (See List of Michigan county name etymologies). The county was formed on September 10, 1822, by the Michigan Territorial Legislature, partitioning parts of St. Clair County and unorganized territory administered by Oakland County. The original boundary of the county was reduced in 1840, when parts were partitioned off to create Huron and Tuscola counties. The county government was fully organized on December 31, 1849.[1] In the middle of the 19th century, the area now called Port Sanilac was called Bark Shanty. It was named for a lone shanty made of bark, which was used to make shingles from pine. The county seat of Sanilac is the city of Sandusky.[citation needed]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,590 square miles (4,100 km2), of which 963 square miles (2,490 km2) is land and 627 square miles (1,620 km2) (39%) is water.[6] Sanilac County is the largest county in Michigan's Lower Peninsula by land area.

Adjacent counties

Major highways

Demographics

More information Census, Pop. ...
Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
18502,112—
18607,599259.8%
187014,56291.6%
188026,34180.9%
189032,58923.7%
190035,0557.6%
191033,930−3.2%
192031,237−7.9%
193027,751−11.2%
194030,1148.5%
195030,8372.4%
196032,3144.8%
197034,8898.0%
198040,78916.9%
199039,928−2.1%
200044,54711.6%
201043,114−3.2%
202040,611−5.8%
2025 (est.)40,038[7] Decrease−1.4%
US Decennial Census[8]
1790-1960[9] 1900-1990[10]
1990-2000[11] 2010-2024[3][12]
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2020 population density of Sanilac County MI by census block[13]

Racial and ethnic composition

More information Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic), Pop 1980 ...
Sanilac County, Michigan – Racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) Pop 1980[14] Pop 1990[15] Pop 2000[16] Pop 2010[17] Pop 2020[18] % 1980 % 1990 % 2000 % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 39,727 38,725 42,518 40,852 37,209 97.40% 96.99% 95.45% 94.75% 91.62%
Black or African American alone (NH) 16 38 120 142 151 0.04% 0.10% 0.27% 0.33% 0.37%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 95 191 152 157 112 0.23% 0.48% 0.34% 0.36% 0.28%
Asian alone (NH) 50 59 113 125 84 0.12% 0.15% 0.25% 0.29% 0.21%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH) x [19] x [20] 3 7 2 x x 0.01% 0.02% 0.00%
Other race alone (NH) 40 10 12 19 98 0.10% 0.03% 0.03% 0.04% 0.24%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) x [21] x [22] 390 373 1,281 x x 0.88% 0.87% 3.15%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 861 905 1,239 1,439 1,674 2.11% 2.27% 2.78% 3.34% 4.12%
Total 40,789 39,928 44,547 43,114 40,611 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%
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2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 40,611. The median age was 45.3 years. 21.4% of residents were under the age of 18 and 22.0% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 100.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 98.7 males age 18 and over.[23]

The racial makeup of the county was 93.3% White, 0.4% Black or African American, 0.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 1.1% from some other race, and 4.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 4.1% of the population.[24]

6.4% of residents lived in urban areas, while 93.6% lived in rural areas.[25]

There were 16,781 households in the county, of which 25.5% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 49.8% were married-couple households, 19.4% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 23.6% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 29.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[23]

There were 21,676 housing units, of which 22.6% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 79.4% were owner-occupied and 20.6% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.5% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.6%.[23]

2010 census

The 2010 United States census[26] indicates Sanilac County had a 2010 population of 43,114. This decrease of -1,433 people from the 2000 United States census represents a 3.2% population loss in the decade. In 2010 there were 17,132 households and 11,885 families in the county. The population density was 44.8 per square mile (17.3/km2). There were 22,725 housing units at an average density of 23.6 per square mile (9.1/km2). 96.6% of the population were White, 0.5% Native American, 0.3% Black or African American, 0.3% Asian, 1.1% of some other race and 1.2% of two or more races. 3.3% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race). 26.1% were of German, 11.0% Polish, 10.4% English, 8.3% Irish, 7.2% American and 5.1% French, French Canadian or Cajun ancestry.[27]

There were 17,132 households, out of which 29.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.3% were husband and wife families, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 30.6% were non-families, and 26.4% were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.97.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.6% under age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 21.8% from 25 to 44, 29.6% from 45 to 64, and 17.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 97.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.7 males.

The 2010 American Community Survey 3-year estimate[26] indicates the median income for a household in the county was $39,138 and the median income for a family was $47,885. Males had a median income of $27,440 versus $16,509 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,671. About 1.5% of families and 16.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.3% of those under the age 18 and 11.4% of those age 65 or over.

Religion

Government

Sanilac County has voted for the Republican nominee in every presidential election since the GOP's inaugural election in 1856 – except in 1912, when the county supported Theodore Roosevelt's Bull Moose Party campaign. However, they had voted for the Republican nominee in 1912, William Howard Taft in the previous election (1908). Hence, every person who has won the GOP's nomination has won Sanilac County, Michigan. Theodore Roosevelt had also been the Republican nominee in 1904.

More information Year, Republican ...
United States presidential election results for Sanilac County, Michigan[29]
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
No. %No. %No. %
1884 1,923 49.09% 1,817 46.39% 177 4.52%
1888 2,940 51.66% 2,434 42.77% 317 5.57%
1892 2,494 54.34% 1,730 37.69% 366 7.97%
1896 3,634 51.74% 3,156 44.93% 234 3.33%
1900 4,173 63.93% 2,065 31.64% 289 4.43%
1904 4,671 74.37% 1,217 19.38% 393 6.26%
1908 4,173 68.96% 1,474 24.36% 404 6.68%
1912 2,166 32.19% 1,161 17.26% 3,401 50.55%
1916 4,639 69.62% 1,867 28.02% 157 2.36%
1920 7,256 84.66% 1,146 13.37% 169 1.97%
1924 7,767 84.53% 983 10.70% 438 4.77%
1928 7,888 81.59% 1,736 17.96% 44 0.46%
1932 6,860 61.22% 4,077 36.39% 268 2.39%
1936 6,975 63.20% 3,285 29.77% 776 7.03%
1940 10,289 82.13% 2,195 17.52% 43 0.34%
1944 9,512 82.09% 2,015 17.39% 60 0.52%
1948 8,237 77.66% 2,167 20.43% 202 1.90%
1952 11,181 82.47% 2,298 16.95% 78 0.58%
1956 11,095 78.88% 2,954 21.00% 17 0.12%
1960 11,005 72.47% 4,153 27.35% 27 0.18%
1964 7,590 54.71% 6,266 45.16% 18 0.13%
1968 9,273 65.45% 3,193 22.54% 1,702 12.01%
1972 11,031 72.93% 3,780 24.99% 314 2.08%
1976 10,597 62.87% 6,042 35.84% 217 1.29%
1980 12,158 67.11% 4,898 27.04% 1,061 5.86%
1984 12,627 75.12% 4,126 24.54% 57 0.34%
1988 10,653 65.73% 5,445 33.60% 109 0.67%
1992 7,891 42.07% 5,868 31.28% 4,999 26.65%
1996 7,821 45.17% 7,092 40.96% 2,401 13.87%
2000 10,966 59.06% 7,153 38.53% 447 2.41%
2004 12,632 60.84% 7,883 37.97% 248 1.19%
2008 10,679 52.95% 9,047 44.86% 443 2.20%
2012 10,963 59.42% 7,212 39.09% 275 1.49%
2016 13,446 69.85% 4,873 25.32% 930 4.83%
2020 16,194 72.15% 5,966 26.58% 286 1.27%
2024 17,080 73.11% 5,957 25.50% 325 1.39%
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More information Year, Republican ...
United States Senate election results for Sanilac County, Michigan1[30]
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
No. %No. %No. %
2024 16,306 70.87% 6,056 26.32% 645 2.80%
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More information Year, Republican ...
Michigan Gubernatorial election results for Sanilac County
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
No. %No. %No. %
2022 12,473 66.33% 5,967 31.73% 364 1.94%
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The county government operates the jail, maintains rural roads, operates the major local courts, records deeds, mortgages, and vital records, administers public health regulations, and participates with the state in the provision of social services. The county board of commissioners controls the budget and has 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.

Elected officials

Media

  • The county is served weekly by the Tribune-Recorder since 1893, the Sanilac County News of Sandusky and other small newspapers.
  • Daily deliveries of the Port Huron Times Herald are available in Sanilac County.

Communities

Cities

Villages

Port Sanilac Harbor
Downtown Lexington, Michigan

Census-designated place

Other unincorporated communities

Townships

See also

References

Further reading

External links

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