Missaukee County ( / m ɪ ˈ s ɔː k i / mih- SAW -kee ) is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. In the 2020 census, the population was 15,052. The county seat is Lake City.

Missaukee County is part of the Cadillac, MI micropolitan statistical area. The county is considered part of Northern Michigan.

History

Missaukee County was separated from Mackinac County on April 1, 1840, because people expected the area to grow in population. In 1851, the county was temporarily linked to Grand Traverse County for legal reasons. Later, in 1855, it was connected to Manistee County, and in 1869, it was associated with Wexford County. Finally, in 1871, Missaukee County became an independent county.

The name "Missaukee" may come from Nesaukee, a respected Ottawa chief who signed treaties in 1831 and 1833. Alternatively, the name might be based on the Ojibwe word "misizaagii," which means "large mouth of the river." This term is related to the names "Mississauga" and "massasauga," which are similar in meaning.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county covers an area of 574 square miles (1,490 km²), of which 565 square miles (1,460 km²) is land and 9.1 square miles (24 km²) (1.6%) is water.

There are 33 natural freshwater lakes in Missaukee County. The largest, Lake Missaukee, has an area of 1,800 acres (730 ha). The lakes and streams in much of the county drain into the Muskegon River, which flows generally north to south through its eastern tier of townships. The 51.1-mile-long (82.2 km) Clam River, a tributary of the Muskegon, flows generally west to east through the county. The Reedsburg Dam is located within Missaukee County. The Manistee River also flows southwesterly through the extreme northwest of the county.

• M-42 is a short east–west route in the northwest of the county, connecting M-66 near Lake City to US Highway 131 at Manton.
• M-55 is an east–west route traversing the Lower Peninsula.
• M-66 is a north–south route running from the Indiana border to US Highway 31 in Charlevoix.

• Kalkaska County – north
• Crawford County – northeast
• Roscommon County – east
• Clare County – southeast
• Osceola County – southwest
• Wexford County – west
• Grand Traverse County – northwest

Demographics

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 15,052. The median age was 43.8 years; 22.7% of residents were under the age of 18, and 21.3% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females, there were 103.6 males, and for every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 103.8 males aged 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 93.6% White, 0.2% Black or African American, 0.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% Asian, less than 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 1.3% from some other race, and 4.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race made up 3.3% of the population, and the county remained mostly non-Hispanic white.

Less than 0.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 5,923 households in the county, of which 28.2% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 54.5% were married-couple households, 18.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 19.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 24.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 8,615 housing units, of which 31.2% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 82.3% were owner-occupied, and 17.7% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.2%, and the rental vacancy rate was 7.6%.

At the census of 2000, there were 14,478 people, 5,450 households, and 4,043 families residing in the county. The population density was 26 inhabitants per square mile (10/km²). There were 8,621 housing units at an average density of 15 per square mile (5.8/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.50% White, 0.20% Black or African American, 0.50% Native American, 0.24% Asian, 0.37% from other races, and 1.19% from two or more races. 1.17% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 24.6% were of Dutch, 18.3% German, 10.8% American, 10.0% English, and 7.4% Irish ancestry. 97.9% spoke English, and 1.1% spoke Spanish as their first language.

In 2000, the median income for a household in the county was $35,224, and the median income for a family was $39,057. Males had a median income of $30,565, while females had a median income of $20,905. The per capita income for the county was $16,072. About 8.20% of families and 10.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.20% of those under age 18 and 10.40% of those age 65 or over.

The Christian Reformed Church in North America was the largest denomination in the county, with 2,010 members and 7 congregations. Almost 50% of the county’s population adhered to the CRCNA. The Reformed Church in America had 3 congregations and 830 members, and the United Methodist Church had 3 churches and 500 members. The PC(USA) had 2 congregations and 200 members. Other denominations included the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Lutherans (ELCA), and Baptists, each with 1 congregation. Missaukee County is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Gaylord and has 1 congregation and 800 members. There is an Amish community in the county, founded in 2000, with two church districts in 2013.

Education

The Wexford-Missaukee Intermediate School District, located in Cadillac, supports the school districts within Missaukee County. This district provides special education services and career and technical education programs for students in its area. Missaukee County has two public school districts: Lake City Area School District and McBain Rural Agricultural Schools. The county also includes one private school, Northern Michigan Christian School.

Government and politics

The county government manages the jail, keeps rural roads in good condition, runs local courts, stores records of property deeds and mortgages, keeps important documents like birth and marriage records, enforces public health rules, and works with the state to provide welfare and other social services. The county board of commissioners decides how money is spent but can only make limited laws or rules. In Michigan, most local government jobs—such as police and fire departments, building and zoning rules, tax assessments, and street repairs—are handled by individual cities and townships.

• Prosecuting Attorney: David DenHouten
• Sheriff: Wilbur "Wil" Yancer
• County Clerk / Register of Deeds: Jessica Nielsen
• County Treasurer: Lori Cox
• Road Commissioners: Jack McGee; Larry Norman; Lonny Lutke

(Information as of February 2021)

Missaukee County is one of the most Republican counties in Michigan and has been one of the most Republican in the United States since the Republican Party was created. No Democratic presidential candidate has ever won in Missaukee County since it was formed. Even in 1964, when Democratic candidate Lyndon Johnson won many areas in the Northeast, he received no more than 42% of the county’s votes, which was the strongest support for Republican candidate Barry Goldwater in the region east or north of the Great Lakes. No Democratic candidate has ever received more than 38% of the county’s votes since then. In 2004, Republican candidate George W. Bush won 68.1% of the vote in Missaukee County, his second-highest percentage in Michigan’s 83 counties. In 2008, Republican candidate John McCain won 59.7% of the vote, the only time since 1964 that he did not receive more than 60% without a strong third-party candidate (such as Ross Perot in 1992 and 1996). This was the second time since 1936 that McCain won Missaukee County by less than 60%. Despite this, McCain still won Missaukee County by 21 points, while Democratic candidate Barack Obama won the state by 16.4 points. In 2016, 2020, and 2024, Republican candidate Donald Trump won Missaukee County by more than 50 points each time, making it his strongest county in Michigan. In 2002, Republican candidate Dick Posthumus won 66.1% of the vote in Missaukee County, ranking it as the second most Republican county in Michigan.

Although Missaukee County is very Republican, it has voted for Democratic candidates for governor on two rare occasions: James Blanchard in 1986 and William B. Fitzgerald Jr. in 1978.