Menominee County, Michigan

Menominee County (/məˈnɒməni/ mə-NAH-mə-nee) is a county located in the Upper Peninsula in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the population was 23,502.^[2] The county seat is Menominee.^[3] The county's name comes from an Ojibwe word meaning "wild rice eater" used to describe the Menominee people. The county was created in 1861 from area partitioned out of Delta County, under the name of Bleeker. When county government was organized in 1863, the name was changed to Menominee.^[1]

Menominee County
County
Menominee County Courthouse, Menominee
Location within the U.S. state of Michigan
Michigan's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 45°31′N 87°32′W
Country	United States
State	Michigan
Founded	1861 (established) 1863 (organized)[1]
Named after	Menominee tribe
Seat	Menominee
Largest city	Menominee
Area
• Total	1,338 sq mi (3,470 km2)
• Land	1,044 sq mi (2,700 km2)
• Water	294 sq mi (760 km2)  22%
Population  (2020)
• Total	23,502
• Density	23/sq mi (9/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	1st
Website	menomineecounty.com

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 km²), of which 1,044 square miles (2,700 km²) is land and 294 square miles (760 km²) (22%) is water.^[4]

Major highways

• US 2 – enters west line of county from Dickinson County. Runs E to intersection with US 41 at Powers.
• US 41 – runs north from S tip of county to Powers, then E through Wilson and Indiantown into Delta County.
• M-35 – runs NE from Menominee along edge of Green Bay, into Delta County.
• M-69 – runs NW-SE through northern part of county. Passes Labranche, Whitney, and Perronville.^[5]

Airport

• Menominee–Marinette Twin County Airport (ICAO: KMNM) - in NW Menominee, is a public-owned public-use general-aviation airport.

Adjacent counties

By land

• Dickinson County (northwest)
• Marquette County (north, Eastern Time Zone border)
• Delta County (northeast, Eastern Time Zone border)

By the Menominee River

• Marinette County, Wisconsin (west)

By Green Bay

• Door County, Wisconsin (east)

Communities

U.S. Census data map showing local municipal boundaries within Menominee County. Gray shaded areas represent incorporated cities, and pink shaded areas represent reservations of the Hannahville Indian Community.

Cities

• Menominee (county seat)
• Stephenson

Villages

• Carney
• Daggett
• Powers

Civil townships

• Cedarville Township
• Daggett Township
• Faithorn Township
• Gourley Township
• Harris Township
• Holmes Township
• Ingallston Township
• Lake Township
• Mellen Township
• Menominee Township
• Meyer Township
• Nadeau Township
• Spalding Township
• Stephenson Township

Census-designated place

• Hermansville

Unincorporated communities

• Birch Creek
• Cedar River
• Cunard
• Eagles Nest
• Faithorn
• Harris
• Hannahville
• Hermansville
• Indiantown
• Ingalls
• Labranche
• Leapers
• Nadeau
• Perronville
• Wallace
• Whitney
• Wilson^[5]

Indian reservations

• The Hannahville Indian Community occupies several scattered territories within Menominee County, mostly within Harris Township and a small piece extending into Gourley Township. Another smaller piece extends east into neighboring Bark River Township in Delta County.

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1870	1,791		—
1880	11,987		569.3%
1890	33,639		180.6%
1900	27,046		−19.6%
1910	25,648		−5.2%
1920	23,778		−7.3%
1930	23,652		−0.5%
1940	24,883		5.2%
1950	25,299		1.7%
1960	24,685		−2.4%
1970	24,587		−0.4%
1980	26,201		6.6%
1990	24,920		−4.9%
2000	25,326		1.6%
2010	24,029		−5.1%
2020	23,502		−2.2%
2023 (est.)	22,945	[6]	−2.4%
US Decennial Census[7] 1790-1960[8] 1900-1990[9] 1990-2000[10] 2010-2018[2]

In 2020, the county had a population of 23,502.^[11]

Education

School districts include:^[12]

• 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 Bureau of Indian Education-affiliated tribal school (which also functions as a charter school), is in the county.

Government

Menominee County was strongly Republican-leaning at its start, but has been more middle-leaning during the 20th century. Since 1876, the Republican Party nominee has carried the county vote in 69% of the elections (25 of 36 elections). In 2016, Donald Trump became the first Republican to carry the county by over 60 percentage points since 1920, and he improved his margin in both subsequent elections.^[13]

United States presidential election results for Menominee County, Michigan^[14]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	8,647	66.07%	4,256	32.52%	184	1.41%
2020	8,117	64.31%	4,316	34.20%	188	1.49%
2016	6,702	61.92%	3,539	32.70%	583	5.39%
2012	5,564	50.73%	5,242	47.80%	161	1.47%
2008	4,855	43.85%	5,981	54.02%	236	2.13%
2004	5,942	52.04%	5,326	46.64%	151	1.32%
2000	5,529	52.99%	4,597	44.06%	308	2.95%
1996	4,038	39.65%	4,880	47.92%	1,266	12.43%
1992	3,995	36.05%	4,559	41.14%	2,528	22.81%
1988	5,440	52.28%	4,918	47.26%	48	0.46%
1984	6,618	59.68%	4,425	39.90%	46	0.41%
1980	6,170	52.52%	4,962	42.23%	617	5.25%
1976	5,633	49.60%	5,596	49.27%	128	1.13%
1972	6,060	55.19%	4,657	42.41%	264	2.40%
1968	4,599	45.50%	4,877	48.25%	632	6.25%
1964	3,545	33.19%	7,119	66.64%	18	0.17%
1960	5,064	46.30%	5,857	53.55%	17	0.16%
1956	6,137	57.05%	4,610	42.86%	10	0.09%
1952	6,147	55.54%	4,884	44.13%	37	0.33%
1948	4,420	45.72%	5,094	52.69%	153	1.58%
1944	4,869	50.86%	4,632	48.39%	72	0.75%
1940	5,409	48.26%	5,727	51.10%	72	0.64%
1936	3,556	33.72%	6,447	61.13%	543	5.15%
1932	3,374	35.62%	5,782	61.04%	317	3.35%
1928	4,255	50.02%	4,198	49.35%	54	0.63%
1924	4,142	53.35%	1,055	13.59%	2,567	33.06%
1920	5,045	72.41%	1,560	22.39%	362	5.20%
1916	2,671	56.93%	1,854	39.51%	167	3.56%
1912	1,191	26.94%	1,195	27.03%	2,035	46.03%
1908	2,843	65.00%	1,299	29.70%	232	5.30%
1904	3,246	72.98%	989	22.23%	213	4.79%
1900	3,121	65.97%	1,543	32.61%	67	1.42%
1896	3,105	66.39%	1,499	32.05%	73	1.56%
1892	1,853	48.43%	1,801	47.07%	172	4.50%
1888	3,156	57.09%	2,228	40.30%	144	2.60%
1884	2,614	73.12%	936	26.18%	25	0.70%
1880	1,380	60.90%	880	38.83%	6	0.26%
1876	393	52.82%	351	47.18%	0	0.00%

Menominee County operates the County 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

• Prosecuting Attorney: Jeffrey Rogg
• Sheriff: Darrin Kudwa
• County Clerk/Register of Deeds: Marc Kleiman
• County Treasurer: Barbara Parrett
• Drain Commissioner: Caleb Kleiman
• Road Commissioners: Ken Bower, James Marsicek, Leonard Kosewski

See also

• List of Michigan State Historic Sites in Menominee County, Michigan
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Menominee County, Michigan