Marquette County, Michigan
CountyMarquette County
StateMichigan
Founded dateMarch 9
Founded year1843, organized 1851[1]
Seat wlMarquette
Largest city wlMarquette
Area total3425 sq mi
Area land1808 sq mi
Area water1616 sq mi
Area percentage47%
Census yr2020
Population total66017
Pop est as of2025
Population est68064
Density37 sq mi
Time zoneEastern
Webwww.co.marquette.mi.us
Ex image2009-0618-UP-MarquetteCtyCourthouse.jpg
Ex image capMarquette County Courthouse in Marquette
District1st
Named forJacques Marquette

Marquette County (/mɑːrˈkɛt/ mar-KET) is a county located in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the population was 66,017.[2] It is the most populous county in the Upper Peninsula. The county seat is Marquette.[3] The county is named for Father Marquette, a Jesuit missionary. It was set off in 1843 and organized in 1851.[1]

Marquette County comprises the Marquette, MI micropolitan statistical area.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 3,425 square miles (8,870 km2), of which 1,808 square miles (4,680 km2) is land and 1,616 square miles (4,190 km2) (47%) is water.[4] It is the largest county in Michigan by land area and fourth-largest by total area.

The Big Garlic River is located in the county.

The Huron Mountains are located in the county. To the north of the county is Lake Superior.

Adjacent counties

National protected areas

Climate

Communities

Cities

Charter townships

Civil townships

Census-designated places

Other unincorporated communities

Indian reservations

Demographics

Racial and ethnic composition

Marquette 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[5]Pop 1990[6]Pop 2000[7]Pop 2010[8]Pop 2020[9]% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020
White alone (NH)71,23267,68761,20562,412style='background: #ffffe6; |59,03896.13%95.49%94.69%93.05%style='background: #ffffe6; |89.43%
Black or African American alone (NH)1,2631,1498461,126style='background: #ffffe6; |7901.70%1.62%1.31%1.68%style='background: #ffffe6; |1.20%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)6149339561,139style='background: #ffffe6; |1,0110.83%1.32%1.48%1.70%style='background: #ffffe6; |1.53%
Asian alone (NH)339523314384style='background: #ffffe6; |4000.46%0.74%0.49%0.57%style='background: #ffffe6; |0.61%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)x [10]x [11]1311style='background: #ffffe6; |17xx0.02%0.02%style='background: #ffffe6; |0.03%
Other race alone (NH)164295424style='background: #ffffe6; |1780.22%0.04%0.08%0.04%style='background: #ffffe6; |0.27%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x [12]x [13]8021,214style='background: #ffffe6; |3,239xx1.24%1.81%style='background: #ffffe6; |4.91%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)489566444767style='background: #ffffe6; |1,3440.66%0.80%0.69%1.14%style='background: #ffffe6; |2.04%
Total74,10170,88764,63467,077style='background: #ffffe6; |66,017 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 66,017. The median age was 40.5 years. 18.3% of residents were under the age of 18 and 20.5% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 105.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 106.4 males age 18 and over.[14]

As of the 2020 census, the racial makeup of the county was 90.2% White, 1.2% Black or African American, 1.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.5% from some other race, and 5.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 2.0% of the population.[15]

As of the 2020 census, 54.5% of residents lived in urban areas, while 45.5% lived in rural areas.[16]

As of the 2020 census, there were 27,681 households in the county, of which 23.6% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 45.9% were married-couple households, 21.0% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 24.8% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 31.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[14]

As of the 2020 census, there were 33,454 housing units, of which 17.3% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 69.1% were owner-occupied and 30.9% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.4% and the rental vacancy rate was 6.8%.[14]

Economy

As of 2025, Marquette County makes up about a quarter of the Upper Peninsula's GDP.[17]

Top employers

Last updated June 8, 2021.

According to the Lake Superior Community Partnership website,[18] the top employers in the county are:

Private employer
  1. of employees
UP Health System – Marquette1,599
Cliffs Natural Resources, Michigan Operations998
Upper Peninsula Medical Center650
UP Health System – Bell360
Walmart392
RTI Surgical230
Envoy Air207
Eagle Mine187
Westwood Mall Association190
Eastwood Nursing Center140
Alger-Marquette County Community Action Board148
Norlite Nursing Center110
Ojibwa Casino II140
Superior Extrusion, Inc.153
PotlatchDeltic140
Pathways108
Meijer310
VanDamme Trucking132
    
Public employer
  1. of employees
Northern Michigan University914
Marquette Area Public Schools410
Michigan Department of Corrections350
County of Marquette251
Negaunee Public Schools190
D.J. Jacobetti Home for Veterans167
City of Marquette185
NICE Community School District163
Gwinn Area Community Schools140
Ishpeming Public Schools104

*Bolded values have been updated for 2021.

Education

Northern Michigan University is a four-year university in Marquette. It was established in 1899.

School districts

Marquette County is divided into the following school districts:[19]

Historical markers

There are ten historical markers in the county:[20]

Government

Marquette County was reliably Republican following the American Civil War; its voters went Republican (or Republican-splinter) in every election from 1876 through 1932. However, that shifted in 1936; since then, the Republican nominee has carried the county in only five out of 23 elections through 2024, four of which were nationwide Republican landslides and the other had native Michigander Gerald Ford as the Republican nominee. At present, it has since become the only Democratic-leaning county in the Upper Peninsula. It was the only Upper Peninsula County to vote for Democratic presidential candidates in 2016, 2020, and 2024.

The county government operates Sawyer International Airport, 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

Transportation

Airports

Transit

  • MarqTran provides local transit services in and around Marquette.
  • Indian Trails provides intercity bus service.

Major highways

Main article: List of state highways in Marquette County, Michigan

In addition to the 169.42 miles (272.66 km) of state highways in the county, the Marquette County Road Commission maintains 283.85 miles (456.81 km) of primary county roads which include County Road 492 (CR 492), and 988.25 miles (1,590.43 km) of secondary county roads. The road commission provides maintenance such as snow removal under contract with the Michigan Department of Transportation for the state trunklines.[28] In 2010, the commission planned to build CR 595.[29] The project was canceled after the permit was denied by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and the project funding was diverted.[30]

See also

References

  1. ^ Clarke Historical Library. "Bibliography on Marquette County". Central Michigan University. Archived October 30, 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 20, 2013.
  2. ^ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
  3. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived May 31, 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  4. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on November 13, 2013. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
  5. ^ "1980 Census of Population - General Social and Economic Characteristics - Michigan - Tables 15 and 16 – Race by Sex: 1980 and Tables 16 and 17 – Persons by Spanish Origin, Race, and Sex: 1980". United States Census Bureau. p. 24-59. Archived January 11, 2025 at the Wayback Machine. – via Wayback Machine
  6. ^ "1990 Census of Population - General Population Characteristics - Michigan: Table 3-5 - Race and Hispanic Origin". United States Census Bureau. p. 37-179. Archived March 4, 2026 at the Wayback Machine. – via Wayback Machine
  7. ^ "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Marquette County, Michigan". United States Census Bureau
  8. ^ "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Marquette County, Michigan". United States Census Bureau
  9. ^ "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Marquette County, Michigan". United States Census Bureau
  10. ^ included in the Asian category in the 1980 Census
  11. ^ included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census
  12. ^ not an option in the 1980 Census
  13. ^ not an option in the 1990 Census
  14. ^ "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved January 1, 2026.
  15. ^ "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved January 1, 2026.
  16. ^ "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)". United States Census Bureau. 2023. Retrieved January 1, 2026.
  17. ^ Tran, Tu-Uyen. "A fifth of this Upper Peninsula community's economy is mining. Can it diversify?". Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Retrieved 2026-04-17.
  18. ^ "2020/2021 Principal Employers – Marquette County". Lake Superior Community Partnership. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  19. ^ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Marquette County, MI". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved February 13, 2024. - Text list
  20. ^ "Michigan Historical Markers". michmarkers.com. Archived from the original on March 15, 2010. Retrieved April 3, 2008.
  21. ^ "Linda Talsma, County Clerk". County of Marquette. n.d. Archived September 2, 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
  22. ^ "Marquette County Treasurer". County of Marquette. n.d. Archived September 2, 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved February 7, 2022.
  23. ^ "Marquette County Drain Commissioner: P. Michael Farrell". County of Marquette. n.d. Archived September 2, 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
  24. ^ "Marquette County Mine Inspector". County of Marquette. n.d. Archived September 2, 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved February 7, 2022.
  25. ^ "Prosecutor's Office". County of Marquette. n.d. Archived September 2, 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
  26. ^ "Carla L'Huillier, Register of Deeds". County of Marquette. n.d. Archived September 2, 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
  27. ^ "Welcome to the Sheriff's Office". County of Marquette. n.d. Archived September 2, 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
  28. ^ "Welcome to the Marquette County Road Commission". Marquette County Road Commission. 2009. Archived from the original on March 27, 2012. Retrieved April 15, 2012.
  29. ^ McLaren, Noël (October 18, 2010). "County Road 595 Approved for Planning". Upper Michigan's Source. Negaunee, MI: WLUC-TV. Archived from the original on December 27, 2014. Retrieved April 15, 2012.
  30. ^ Pepin, John (January 4, 2013). "CR 595 Project Killed". The Mining Journal. pp. 1A, 8A. ISSN 0898-4964. Archived April 29, 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 4, 2013.