Delta County, Michigan

County in Michigan, United States

U.S. county in Michigan

Delta County

U.S. county

Delta County Courthouse in Escanaba

Delta County Courthouse in Escanaba

Map of Michigan highlighting Delta County

Location within the U.S. state of Michigan

Michigan's location within the U.S.

Country|  United States
State|  Michigan
Founded| March 9, 1843 (authorized)
1861 (organized)[1]
Named for| Greek letter Delta
Seat| Escanaba
Largest city| Escanaba
Area

• Total| 1,991 sq mi (5,160 km2)
• Land| 1,171 sq mi (3,030 km2)
• Water| 820 sq mi (2,100 km2)  41%%
Population

(2020)

• Total| 36,903
• Density| 32/sq mi (12/km2)
Time zone| UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)| UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district| 1st

Delta County is a county in the Upper Peninsula in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 36,903.[2] The county seat is Escanaba.[3] The county was surveyed in 1843 and organized in 1861. Its name originates from the Greek letter Δ, which refers to the triangular shape of the original county[1][4] which included segments of Menominee, Dickinson, Iron, and Marquette counties.[5] Recreation and forest products are major industries, and crops include hay, corn, small grains, potatoes, and strawberries.[6]

Delta County comprises the Escanaba, MI Micropolitan Statistical Area.

## Contents

* 1 Geography
* 1.1 Adjacent counties
* 1.2 National protected area
* 2 Demographics
* 3 Transportation
* 3.1 Major highways
* 3.2 Airport
* 4 Government
* 4.1 Elected officials
* 5 Communities
* 5.1 Cities
* 5.2 Village
* 5.3 Civil townships
* 5.4 Unincorporated communities
* 5.5 Indian reservations
* 6 Education
* 7 See also
* 8 References
* 9 External links

## Geography

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According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,991 square miles (5,160 km2), of which 1,171 square miles (3,030 km2) is land and 820 square miles (2,100 km2) (41%) is water.[7] It is the fifth-largest county in Michigan by land area.

### Adjacent counties

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* Alger County, Michigan (north)
* Schoolcraft County, Michigan (east)
* Door County, Wisconsin (south/CST Border)
* Menominee County, Michigan (west/CST Border)
* Marquette County, Michigan (northwest)

### National protected area

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* Hiawatha National Forest (part)

## Demographics

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Historical population

Census | Pop. |  | %±
1860| 1,172| | —
1870| 2,542| | 116.9%
1880| 6,812| | 168.0%
1890| 15,330| | 125.0%
1900| 23,881| | 55.8%
1910| 30,108| | 26.1%
1920| 30,909| | 2.7%
1930| 32,280| | 4.4%
1940| 34,037| | 5.4%
1950| 32,913| | −3.3%
1960| 34,298| | 4.2%
1970| 35,924| | 4.7%
1980| 38,947| | 8.4%
1990| 37,780| | −3.0%
2000| 38,520| | 2.0%
2010| 37,069| | −3.8%
2020| 36,903| | −0.4%
US Decennial Census[8]
1790-1960[9] 1900-1990[10]
1990-2000[11] 2010-2018[2]

The 2010 United States Census[12] indicates Delta County had population of 37,069. This decrease of 1,451 people from the 2000 United States Census represents a 3.8% population decrease during that 10-year period. In 2010 there were 15,992 households and 10,381 families in the county. The population density was 31.7 per square mile (12.2 per km2). There were 20,214 housing units at an average density of 17.3 per square mile (6.7 per km2). 94.7% of the population were White, 2.4% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.2% Black or African American, 0.2% of some other race and 2.1% of two or more races. 0.9% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race). 20.8% were of French, French Canadian or Cajun, 15.5% German, 10.3% Swedish and 7.6% Irish ancestry.[13]

There were 15,992 households, out of which 25.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.7% were husband and wife families, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 35.1% were non-families, and 29.8% were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.80.

The county population contained 20.9% under age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 21.1% from 25 to 44, 31.6% from 45 to 64, and 19.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. 49.5% of the population were male, and 50.5% of the population female.

The 2010 American Community Survey 3-year estimate[12] indicates the median income for a household in the county was $40,967 and the median income for a family was $49,557. Males had a median income of $28,702 versus $15,093 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,751. About 2.4% of families and 13.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.4% of those under the age 18 and 8.5% of those age 65 or over.

## Transportation

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### Major highways

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* US 2 runs east–west through the lower part of the county, entering from Schoolcraft County east of Garden Corners and running westward to an intersection with US 41 at Rapid River.
* US 41 runs north–south through central part of the county, entering from Alger County at Trenary, running southerly to Rapid River then southwesterly along the Lake Michigan shore to the southwest corner of county.
* M-35 enters from Marquette County at the northwest corner of the county and runs southeasterly to intersection with US 41 at Gladstone.
* M-69 runs east–west across the southwestern tip of the county, entering from Menominee County at Schaffer and running southeasterly to an intersection with US 41 west of Narenta.
* M-183 runs from the southern tip of the Garden Peninsula at Fayette State Park to an intersection with US 2 at Garden Corners.[14]

### Airport

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The county is served by Delta County Airport (KESC), southwest of Escanaba. It provides scheduled airline service to Detroit.

## Government

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Delta County was reliably Republican after the American Civil War, and until Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal. Since 1932, the Democratic Party nominee has carried the county vote in 15 of the 23 national presidential elections through 2020.

United States presidential election results for Delta County, Michigan[15] Year  | Republican | Democratic | Third party

|
|
|

No. | % | No. | % | No. | %
2020 | 13,207  | 62.39% | 7,606  | 35.93%  | 354  | 1.67%
2016 | 11,121  | 59.81% | 6,436  | 34.61%  | 1,037  | 5.58%
2012 | 9,534  | 52.59% | 8,330  | 45.95%  | 266  | 1.47%
2008 | 8,763  | 45.97%  | 9,974  | 52.32% | 327  | 1.72%
2004 | 9,680  | 50.32% | 9,381  | 48.76%  | 177  | 0.92%
2000 | 8,871  | 51.23% | 7,970  | 46.03%  | 475  | 2.74%
1996 | 5,925  | 36.69%  | 8,561  | 53.01% | 1,664  | 10.30%
1992 | 6,027  | 33.55%  | 8,387  | 46.69% | 3,548  | 19.75%
1988 | 7,114  | 44.28%  | 8,891  | 55.34% | 60  | 0.37%
1984 | 8,952  | 52.84% | 7,934  | 46.83%  | 56  | 0.33%
1980 | 8,146  | 46.04%  | 8,475  | 47.90% | 1,071  | 6.05%
1976 | 7,809  | 45.85%  | 9,027  | 53.00% | 197  | 1.16%
1972 | 7,647  | 48.14%  | 8,003  | 50.38% | 236  | 1.49%
1968 | 5,829  | 40.58%  | 7,821  | 54.45% | 714  | 4.97%
1964 | 4,434  | 30.56%  | 10,046  | 69.25% | 27  | 0.19%
1960 | 6,460  | 44.82%  | 7,924  | 54.98% | 29  | 0.20%
1956 | 7,766  | 54.31% | 6,489  | 45.38%  | 45  | 0.31%
1952 | 7,488  | 51.79% | 6,921  | 47.87%  | 49  | 0.34%
1948 | 5,414  | 42.86%  | 6,943  | 54.96% | 276  | 2.18%
1944 | 5,213  | 41.23%  | 7,375  | 58.33% | 56  | 0.44%
1940 | 6,218  | 41.18%  | 8,802  | 58.29% | 81  | 0.54%
1936 | 4,527  | 32.83%  | 8,954  | 64.93% | 310  | 2.25%
1932 | 4,386  | 35.70%  | 7,363  | 59.93% | 536  | 4.36%
1928 | 5,420  | 49.59% | 5,419  | 49.58%  | 91  | 0.83%
1924 | 4,761  | 49.83% | 463  | 4.85%  | 4,330  | 45.32%
1920 | 4,938  | 65.40% | 1,985  | 26.29%  | 627  | 8.30%
1916 | 3,088  | 59.74% | 1,781  | 34.46%  | 300  | 5.80%
1912 | 1,111  | 25.38%  | 1,066  | 24.35%  | 2,201  | 50.27%
1908 | 3,243  | 71.70% | 1,097  | 24.25%  | 183  | 4.05%
1904 | 3,332  | 79.88% | 658  | 15.78%  | 181  | 4.34%
1900 | 3,081  | 70.94% | 1,210  | 27.86%  | 52  | 1.20%
1896 | 2,774  | 67.81% | 1,237  | 30.24%  | 80  | 1.96%
1892 | 1,769  | 54.30% | 1,412  | 43.34%  | 77  | 2.36%
1888 | 1,587  | 54.16% | 1,332  | 45.46%  | 11  | 0.38%
1884 | 1,201  | 66.13% | 609  | 33.54%  | 6  | 0.33%

Delta County operates the County 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

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* Prosecuting Attorney:
* Sheriff: Edward Oswald
* County Clerk/Register of Deeds: Nancy Przewrocki
* County Treasurer: Sherry Godfrey
* Drain Commissioner: George Maciejewski
* County Surveyor: Mel Davis
* Circuit Court Judge: John B. Economopoulos
* District Court Judge: Steven C. Parks
* Probate Court Judge: Perry R. Lund

(information as of September 2018)[16]

## Communities

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U.S. Census data map showing local municipal boundaries within Delta County. Shaded areas represent incorporated cities.

### Cities

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* Escanaba (county seat)
* Gladstone

### Village

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* Garden

### Civil townships

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* Baldwin Township
* Bark River Township
* Bay de Noc Township
* Brampton Township
* Cornell Township
* Ensign Township
* Escanaba Township
* Fairbanks Township
* Ford River Township
* Garden Township
* Maple Ridge Township
* Masonville Township
* Nahma Township
* Wells Township

### Unincorporated communities

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* Bark River
* Brampton
* Chaison
* Fairport
* Fayette
* Ford River[14]
* Garden Corners
* Harris
* Hyde[14]
* Isabella
* Island View[14]
* Kipling[14]
* Lake Bluff[14]
* Maplewood[14]
* Nahma
* Narenta
* Perkins
* Perronville
* Rapid River
* Riverland[14]
* Rock
* St. Nicholas[14]
* Schaffer
* Wells[14]
* West Gladstone

### Indian reservations

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* A small section of the Hannahville Indian Community, which has most of its territory in neighboring Menominee County to the west, extends into Bark River Township.
* The Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians occupies a very small portion in the southwest city limits of Escanaba.

## Education

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School districts include:[17]

* Bark River-Harris School District
* Big Bay de Noc School District
* Escanaba Area Public Schools
* Gladstone Area Schools
* Mid Peninsula School District
* Rapid River Public Schools

## See also

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* List of Michigan State Historic Sites in Delta County, Michigan
* National Register of Historic Places listings in Delta County, Michigan

## References

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1. ^ a b "Bibliography on Delta County". Clarke Historical Library, Central Michigan University. Retrieved July 6, 2013.
2. ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". US Census Bureau. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
3. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
4. ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. p. 103.
5. ^ Names of Michigan Counties (accessed July 28, 2009)
6. ^ Loren W. Berndt (1977). "Soil Survey of Delta County and Hiawatha National Forest of Alger and Schoolcraft Counties, Michigan" (PDF). United States Department of Agriculture Soil Conservation Service and Forest Service. p. 1). Retrieved October 5, 2021.
7. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". US Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on November 13, 2013. Retrieved September 21, 2014.
8. ^ "US Decennial Census". US Census Bureau. Retrieved September 21, 2014.
9. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved September 21, 2014.
10. ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". US Census Bureau. Retrieved September 21, 2014.
11. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). US Census Bureau. Retrieved September 21, 2014.
12. ^ a b "U.S. Census website". US Census Bureau. Retrieved July 6, 2013.
13. ^ Data Access and Dissemination Systems (DADS). "U.S. Census website".
14. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Google (September 16, 2018). "Delta County, MI" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved September 16, 2018.
15. ^ US Election Atlas
16. ^ "Delta County Directory". Retrieved September 16, 2018.
17. ^ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Delta County, MI" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved July 21, 2022. \- Text list

## External links

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* Delta County government website
* Delta County Profile, Sam M Cohodas Regional Economist, Tawni Hunt Ferrarini, Ph.D.
* "Bibliography on Delta County". Clarke Historical Library, Central Michigan University.

Places adjacent to Delta County, Michigan

| Marquette County | Alger County | Schoolcraft County

|
|

|  |
Menominee County |

Delta County, Michigan

| Schoolcraft County
|  |
Menominee County | Door County, Wisconsin across Lake Michigan | Leelanau County across Lake Michigan

* v
* t
* e

Municipalities and communities of Delta County, Michigan, United States

County seat: Escanaba

Cities|

* Escanaba
* Gladstone

File:Map of Michigan highlighting Delta County.svgMap of Michigan highlighting Delta County.svg

Village|

* Garden

Townships|

* Baldwin
* Bark River
* Bay de Noc
* Brampton
* Cornell
* Ensign
* Escanaba
* Fairbanks
* Ford River
* Garden
* Maple Ridge
* Masonville
* Nahma
* Wells

CDPs|

* Rapid River
* Rock

Other
communities|

* Bark River
* Brampton
* Campbell
* Chaison
* Cornell
* Ford River
* Larch
* Lathrop
* Narenta
* Perkins
* Pine Ridge
* Trombly
* West Gladstone
* Winde

Ghost town|

* Osier

Indian reservations|

* Hannahville Indian Community‡
* Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians‡

Footnotes|

‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

* United States portal

* v
* t
* e

Upper Peninsula of Michigan

Central cities|

* Escanaba
* Hancock
* Houghton
* Iron Mountain
* Iron River
* Marquette
* Menominee
* Munising
* Sault Ste. Marie
* St. Ignace

Counties|

* Alger
* Baraga
* Chippewa
* Delta
* Dickinson
* Gogebic
* Houghton
* Iron
* Keweenaw
* Luce
* Mackinac
* Marquette
* Menominee
* Ontonagon
* Schoolcraft

Geography|

* Copper Country
* Gogebic Range
* Grand Island
* Keweenaw Peninsula
* Keweenaw Waterway
* Lake Superior
* Lake Huron
* Lake Michigan
* Menominee River
* Mount Arvon
* Pictured Rocks
* Porcupine Mountains
* St. Marys River
* Straits of Mackinac

Transportation|

* Chippewa County International Airport
* Delta County Airport
* Ford Airport
* Gogebic–Iron County Airport
* Houghton County Memorial Airport
* Mackinac Bridge
* International Bridge
* International Rail Bridge
* Portage Lake Lift Bridge
* Sawyer International Airport
* Soo Locks

Economy|

* Cleveland-Cliffs
* Copper mining in Michigan
* Verso Corporation

* Michigan
* Central Michigan
* Northern Michigan
* Southeast Michigan
* West Michigan

* v
* t
* e

State of Michigan

Lansing (capital)

Topics|

* Congressional delegation
* Cuisine
* Fauna
* Geography
* Government
* Highways
* History
* Index
* Islands
* Law
* Lighthouses
* Municipalities
* Museums
* National Historic Landmarks
* National Register of Historic Places listings
* People
* State Historic Sites
* State parks
* Symbols
* Tallest buildings
* Timeline
* Tourist attractions

Society|

* Culture
* Crime
* Demographics
* Economy
* Education
* Elections
* Politics

Regions|

| Upper Peninsula|

* Copper Country
* Gogebic Range
* Keweenaw Peninsula

|

Lower Peninsula|

* Central Michigan
* Metro Detroit
* Michiana
* Northern Michigan
* Southeast Michigan
* The Thumb
* West Michigan

Largest
municipalities|

* Ann Arbor
* Battle Creek
* Bay City
* Bloomfield Township
* Canton
* Chesterfield Township
* Clinton Township
* Commerce Township
* Dearborn
* Dearborn Heights
* Detroit
* East Lansing
* Farmington Hills
* Flint
* Georgetown Township
* Grand Blanc Township
* Grand Rapids
* Holland Charter Township
* Independence Township
* Kalamazoo
* Kentwood
* Lansing
* Lincoln Park
* Livonia
* Macomb Township
* Meridian Charter Township
* Midland
* Muskegon
* Novi
* Orion Township
* Pontiac
* Portage
* Redford
* Rochester Hills
* Roseville
* Royal Oak
* Saginaw
* Saginaw Township
* St. Clair Shores
* Shelby Charter Township
* Southfield
* Sterling Heights
* Taylor
* Troy
* Warren
* Waterford Township
* West Bloomfield
* Westland
* Wyoming
* Ypsilanti Charter Township

Counties|

* Alcona
* Alger
* Allegan
* Alpena
* Antrim
* Arenac
* Baraga
* Barry
* Bay
* Benzie
* Berrien
* Branch
* Calhoun
* Cass
* Charlevoix
* Cheboygan
* Chippewa
* Clare
* Clinton
* Crawford
* Delta
* Dickinson
* Eaton
* Emmet
* Genesee
* Gladwin
* Gogebic
* Grand Traverse
* Gratiot
* Hillsdale
* Houghton
* Huron
* Ingham
* Ionia
* Iosco
* Iron
* Isabella
* Jackson
* Kalamazoo
* Kalkaska
* Kent
* Keweenaw
* Lake
* Lapeer
* Leelanau
* Lenawee
* Livingston
* Luce
* Mackinac
* Macomb
* Manistee
* Marquette
* Mason
* Mecosta
* Menominee
* Midland
* Missaukee
* Monroe
* Montcalm
* Montmorency
* Muskegon
* Newaygo
* Oakland
* Oceana
* Ogemaw
* Ontonagon
* Osceola
* Oscoda
* Otsego
* Ottawa
* Presque Isle
* Roscommon
* Saginaw
* Sanilac
* Schoolcraft
* Shiawassee
* St. Clair
* St. Joseph
* Tuscola
* Van Buren
* Washtenaw
* Wayne
* Wexford

Coordinates: 45°47′N 86°52′W﻿ / ﻿45.78°N 86.87°W﻿ / 45.78; -86.87
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