Marquette County ( ) 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. It is the most populous county in the Upper Peninsula. The county seat is Marquette. The county is named for Father Marquette, a Jesuit missionary. It was set off in 1843 and organized in 1851.

Marquette County comprises the Marquette, MI micropolitan statistical area.

Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (47%) is water. 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

Alger County, east Delta County, southeast Menominee County, south/Central Time border Dickinson County, south/Central Time border Iron County, southwest/Central Time border Baraga County, west Houghton County, northwest Keweenaw County, north

National protected areas Hiawatha National Forest (part) Huron National Wildlife Refuge Ottawa National Forest (part)

Climate

Communities

Cities Ishpeming Marquette (county seat) Negaunee

Charter townships Chocolay Charter Township Marquette Charter Township

Civil townships

Champion Township Ely Township Ewing Township Forsyth Township Humboldt Township Ishpeming Township Michigamme Township Negaunee Township Powell Township Republic Township Richmond Township Sands Township Skandia Township Tilden Township Turin Township Wells Township West Branch Township

Census-designated places

Big Bay Gwinn Harvey K.I. Sawyer Michigamme Palmer Republic Trowbridge Park West Ishpeming

Other unincorporated communities

Alder Antlers Arnold Beaver Grove Birch Brookton Corners Carlshend Clarksburg Dukes Eagle Mills Empire Iron Mine Gordon Green Garden Greenwood Homeier Huron Mountain Lakewood Lawson Little Lake Maple Grove McFarland Midway Location National Mine North Lake Northland Sand River Selma Snowville South Greenwood South Republic Suomi Location Vick Witch Lake

Indian reservations The L'Anse Indian Reservation, which is primarily based in Baraga County to the west, has a small portion within Chocolay Township. The Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians, which is headquartered in Sault Ste. Marie in Chippewa County, occupies a very small piece of property within the city limits of Marquette.

Demographics

Racial and ethnic composition +Marquette County, Michigan – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)71,23267,68761,20562,41259,03896.13%95.49%94.69%93.05%89.43%Black or African American alone (NH)1,2631,1498461,1267901.70%1.62%1.31%1.68%1.20%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)6149339561,1391,0110.83%1.32%1.48%1.70%1.53%Asian alone (NH)3395233143844000.46%0.74%0.49%0.57%0.61%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)x included in the Asian category in the 1980 Censusx included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census131117xx0.02%0.02%0.03%Other race alone (NH)1642954241780.22%0.04%0.08%0.04%0.27%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census8021,2143,239xx1.24%1.81%4.91%Hispanic or Latino (any race)4895664447671,3440.66%0.80%0.69%1.14%2.04%Total74,10170,88764,63467,07766,017 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%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.

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.

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

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.

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%.

Economy , Marquette County makes up about a quarter of the Upper Peninsula's GDP.

Top employers

Last updated June 8, 2021.

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

Private employer # of employeesUP Health System – Marquette 1,599Cliffs Natural Resources, Michigan Operations 998Upper Peninsula Medical Center 650UP Health System – Bell 360Walmart 392RTI Surgical 230Envoy Air 207Eagle Mine 187Westwood Mall Association 190Eastwood Nursing Center 140Alger-Marquette County Community Action Board 148Norlite Nursing Center 110Ojibwa Casino II 140Superior Extrusion, Inc. 153PotlatchDeltic 140Pathways 108Meijer 310VanDamme Trucking 132     

Public employer # of employeesNorthern Michigan University 914Marquette Area Public Schools 410Michigan Department of Corrections 350County of Marquette 251Negaunee Public Schools 190D.J. Jacobetti Home for Veterans 167City of Marquette 185NICE Community School District 163Gwinn Area Community Schools 140Ishpeming Public Schools 104 *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: - Text list

Gwinn Area Community Schools Ishpeming Public School District Marquette Area Public Schools Negaunee Public Schools NICE Community School District Powell Township Schools Republic-Michigamme School District

Historical markers

There are ten historical markers in the county: Cliffs Shaft Mine Dandelion Cottage Father Marquette Park First Steam Railroad in Upper Peninsula Ishpeming: Historic Ski Center Jackson Mine Marquette County Courthouse Marquette Iron Range Northern Michigan University Sam Cohodas Lodge / Sam Cohodas

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 County Clerk: Linda Talsma County Treasurer: Jacqueline Solomon Drain Commissioner: P. Michael Farrell Mine Inspector: Steve Bertucci Prosecuting Attorney: Jenna M. Nelson Register of Deeds: Aidan Mckindles Sheriff: Gregory S. Zyburt

Transportation Airports Sawyer International Airport, a county-owned public-use facility, south of Marquette on the site of K.I. Sawyer Air Force Base, which closed in 1995.

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

Major highways

In addition to the of state highways in the county, the Marquette County Road Commission maintains of primary county roads which include County Road 492 (CR 492), and 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. In 2010, the commission planned to build CR 595. The project was canceled after the permit was denied by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and the project funding was diverted.

See also List of Michigan State Historic Sites in Marquette County National Register of Historic Places listings in Marquette County, Michigan

References

External links Marquette County web site