County facts · Population · October 24, 2026
Michigan Population by County, 2025 Census Estimates
Michigan population by county: July 2025 Census estimates for all 83 counties, change since 2020, density, and a link to each official parcel map.
Looking for Michigan population by county? The Census Bureau estimates that Michigan had 10,127,884 residents on July 1, 2025, spread across 83 counties. Wayne County is the most populous, with 1,769,038 people (17% of the state), and Keweenaw County is the least populous, with 2,186.
The table below lists every county with its 2025 estimate, its April 2020 starting point, the change, people per square mile, and a link to its official parcel viewer.
Michigan population at a glance
- Counties: 83
- Statewide, July 1, 2025: 10,127,884 (April 1, 2020 estimates base: 10,079,362; change +48,522, +0.5%)
- Most populous: Wayne County (1,769,038); least populous: Keweenaw County (2,186)
- Median county: about 37,842 residents (half of the counties are smaller)
- The 5 largest counties hold 50% of all Michigan residents
- Counties with 1,000,000+ residents: 2 · 100,000+: 20 · under 10,000: 8
- Statewide density: about 179 people per square mile of land
Michigan population by county, July 2025 (all 83)
Percent change runs from the April 1, 2020 estimates base to July 1, 2025. People per square mile is the July 2025 estimate divided by the county's land area in the Census Bureau's 2020 Gazetteer file, so lakes and bays are left out.
How Michigan's population is spread out
Grouping the counties by size shows how concentrated the state is:
| Residents (July 2025) | Counties | Total residents | Share of state |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000,000 or more | 2 | 3,057,375 | 30% |
| 250,000 to 999,999 | 7 | 3,194,723 | 32% |
| 100,000 to 249,999 | 11 | 1,659,690 | 16% |
| 25,000 to 99,999 | 38 | 1,863,545 | 18% |
| 10,000 to 24,999 | 17 | 294,641 | 3% |
| Under 10,000 | 8 | 57,910 | 1% |
9 counties with at least 250,000 residents hold 62% of the state's population.
Most and least densely populated
The most crowded counties by people per square mile of land:
- Wayne County: 2,891 per sq mi (1,769,038 people on 612 sq mi)
- Macomb County: 1,849 per sq mi (886,221 people on 479 sq mi)
- Oakland County: 1,485 per sq mi (1,288,337 people on 867 sq mi)
- Kent County: 795 per sq mi (675,232 people on 849 sq mi)
- Genesee County: 630 per sq mi (401,093 people on 637 sq mi)
The most thinly settled:
- Keweenaw County: 4.0 per sq mi (2,186 people on 540 sq mi)
- Ontonagon County: 4.4 per sq mi (5,823 people on 1,311 sq mi)
- Schoolcraft County: 7.0 per sq mi (8,187 people on 1,172 sq mi)
- Luce County: 7.1 per sq mi (6,339 people on 899 sq mi)
- Baraga County: 9.1 per sq mi (8,169 people on 898 sq mi)
About these numbers
- They are estimates. Between censuses the Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program updates county totals each year from births, deaths and migration records. The next full count is the 2030 census.
- The base is April 1, 2020. The estimates start from an April 1, 2020 "estimates base" built from the 2020 census, which is why it is slightly different from the published census count.
- Each new release revises the past. A newer vintage can change earlier years as well, so compare numbers from the same release, as this page does.
- Statewide total. The counties add up exactly to the statewide figure of 10,127,884 in the same file.
Using population numbers in a land search
- Big counties, busy offices. In the most populous counties, parcel maps and deed records are usually online and searchable, but recording and permit offices are busier. Allow for that if you are on a deadline.
- Small counties, fewer sales. In counties with only a few thousand people, land changes hands less often, so there are fewer recent sales to compare a price with. The county assessor's sales records are the best source.
- Density hints at lot size. A low people-per-square-mile figure usually means farms, ranches and timber tracts; a high one means subdivided lots. The parcel viewer shows the actual parcel lines.
- Check the official map. Use the parcel viewer link in the table for boundaries, parcel numbers and owner names, then confirm anything important with the county's recorder or assessor.
Related guides
- Fastest growing counties in Michigan
- Largest counties in Michigan
- Michigan county GIS websites by viewer
- Michigan plat maps
- Michigan parcel map guide
- Michigan GIS parcel map
- Most populous counties in the US
- Where people are moving in the US
More: All Michigan counties on Platbookmapper
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, county totals, Vintage 2025 (April 1, 2020 estimates base and July 1, 2020–2025 estimates, with components of change). Statewide totals are the sum of the counties and match the file's state row.
- U.S. Census Bureau Gazetteer files, 2020 county land and water area (for people per square mile).
- Platbookmapper county GIS directory (live data file behind our county pages, pulled October 24, 2026) for each official parcel viewer.