Menominee County is a county in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. According to the 2020 census, the population was 23,502. The county seat is Menominee. The name "Menominee" comes from an Ojibwe word meaning "wild rice eater," which refers to the Menominee people. The county was created in 1861 from land taken from Delta County. It was first called Bleeker. In 1863, when the county government was set up, the name was changed to Menominee. Menominee County is part of the Marinette, WI–MI micropolitan statistical area.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,338 square miles (3,470 square kilometers). Of this area, 1,044 square miles (2,700 square kilometers) is land, and 294 square miles (760 square kilometers), or 22%, is water.

• U.S. Route 2 enters the western edge of the county from Dickinson County. It runs east to meet U.S. Route 41 at Powers.
• U.S. Route 41 runs north from the southern tip of the county to Powers. It then continues east through Wilson and Indiantown into Delta County.
• M-35 runs northeast from Menominee along the edge of Green Bay into Delta County.
• M-69 runs from northwest to southeast through the northern part of the county. It passes through Labranche, Whitney, and Perronville.

• Menominee–Marinette Twin County Airport (ICAO: KMNM) is located in the northwest part of Menominee. It is a public airport used for general aviation.

• Dickinson County is to the northwest.
• Marquette County is to the north, along the Eastern Time Zone border.
• Delta County is to the northeast, along the Eastern Time Zone border.

The county is bordered by the Menominee River. To the west is Marinette County, Wisconsin. To the east is Door County, Wisconsin.

Communities

• Menominee (the main town of Menominee County)
• Stephenson

• Carney
• Daggett
• Powers

• Hermansville

• The Hannahville Indian Community has land in different areas within Menominee County, mostly in Harris Township. A small part of their land goes into Gourley Township. Another small part is in Bark River Township, which is in Delta County.

Demographics

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 23,502 people. The median age was 49.4 years. Eighteen point five percent of residents were younger than 18 years old, and 25.3% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females, there were 104.7 males, and for every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 102.8 males aged 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 91.5% White, 0.5% Black or African American, 3.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% Asian, less than 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.6% from some other race, and 3.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race made up 2.1% of the population.

Thirty-six point eight percent of residents lived in urban areas, while 63.2% lived in rural areas.

There were 10,725 households in the county, of which 21.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 46.1% were married-couple households, 23.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 23.2% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 34.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 13,212 housing units, of which 18.8% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 77.8% were owner-occupied and 22.2% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.5%, and the rental vacancy rate was 5.7%.

Education

School districts in the area are:

• Bark River-Harris School District
• Carney-Nadeau Public Schools
• Menominee Area Public Schools
• Norway-Vulcan Area Schools
• North Central Area Schools
• Stephenson Area Public Schools

Hannahville Indian School, a school connected to the Bureau of Indian Education (which also operates as a charter school), is located in the county.

Government

Menominee County mostly supported Republican candidates at first, but became more balanced in its support during the 20th century. Since 1876, the Republican Party candidate has won the county's votes in 69% of elections (25 out of 36 elections). In 2016, Donald Trump was the first Republican to win the county with more than 60% of the vote since 1920, and he increased his lead in the next two elections.

Menominee County manages the county jail, maintains rural roads, operates local courts, keeps records of property transactions, mortgages, and important life events like births and deaths, enforces public health rules, and works with the state to provide social services. The county board of commissioners oversees the budget and has limited power to create laws or rules. In Michigan, most local government tasks, such as police and fire services, building and zoning rules, tax assessments, and street maintenance, are handled by cities and townships.