Delta County is a county in the Upper Peninsula in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the population was 36,903. The county seat is Escanaba. The county was surveyed in 1843 and organized in 1861. Its name originates from the Greek letter delta (Δ), which refers to the triangular shape of the original county which included segments of Menominee, Dickinson, Iron, and Marquette counties.Names of Michigan Counties (accessed July 28, 2009) Recreation and forest products are major industries, and crops include hay, corn, small grains, potatoes, and strawberries. Delta County comprises the Escanaba, MI Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (41%) is water. It is the fifth-largest county in Michigan by land area.

Adjacent counties By land Menominee County (southwest, Central Time Zone border) Marquette County (northwest) Alger County (north) Schoolcraft County (east) By water

Leelanau County (southeast) Door County, Wisconsin (south, Central Time Zone border)

National protected area Hiawatha National Forest (part)

Communities

Cities Escanaba (county seat) Gladstone

Village Garden

Civil townships

Baldwin Township Bark River Township Bay de Noc Township Brampton Township Cornell Township Ensign Township Escanaba Township Fairbanks Township Ford River Township Garden Township Maple Ridge Township Masonville Township Nahma Township Wells Township

Census-designated places

Rapid River Rock

Unincorporated communities

Bark River Brampton Chaison Fairport Fayette Ford River Garden Corners Harris Hyde Isabella Island View Kipling Lake Bluff Maplewood Nahma Narenta Perkins Perronville Riverland St. Nicholas Schaffer Wells West Gladstone

Indian reservations A small section of the Hannahville Indian Community, which has most of its territory in neighboring Menominee County to the west, extends into Bark River Township. The Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians occupies a very small portion in the southwest city limits of Escanaba.

Demographics

Racial and ethnic composition +Delta County, Michigan – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)38,20836,72936,79134,92033,44198.10%97.22%95.51%94.20%90.62%Black or African American alone (NH)12153571930.03%0.04%0.09%0.19%0.25%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)4397998418588181.13%2.11%2.18%2.31%2.22%Asian alone (NH)53981201451530.14%0.26%0.31%0.39%0.41%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 Census1278xx0.03%0.02%0.02%Other race alone (NH)1323187820.34%0.01%0.05%0.02%0.22%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census5167431,765xx1.34%2.00%4.78%Hispanic or Latino (any race)1031361873185430.26%0.36%0.49%0.86%1.47%Total38,94737,78038,52037,06936,903 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 36,903, a median age of 47.8 years, with 19.5% of residents under the age of 18 and 24.9% of residents 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 99.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 98.0 males age 18 and over.

As of the 2020 census, the racial makeup of the county was 91.3% White, 0.3% Black or African American, 2.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.4% from some other race, and 5.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 1.5% of the population.

As of the 2020 census, 57.3% of residents lived in urban areas, while 42.7% lived in rural areas.

As of the 2020 census, there were 16,290 households in the county, of which 23.2% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 48.1% were married-couple households, 20.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 24.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 32.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

As of the 2020 census, there were 19,786 housing units, of which 17.7% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 78.5% were owner-occupied and 21.5% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.0% and the rental vacancy rate was 6.7%.

2010 census

The 2010 United States census indicated Delta County had a population of 37,069.

Education School districts include: - Text list Bark River-Harris School District Big Bay de Noc School District Escanaba Area Public Schools Gladstone Area Schools Mid Peninsula School District Rapid River Public Schools

Government

Delta 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: Lauren Wickman Sheriff: Edward Oswald County Clerk/Register of Deeds: Nancy Przewrocki County Treasurer: Sherry Godfrey Drain Commissioner: George Maciejewski County Surveyor: Mel Davis Circuit Court Judge: John B. Economopoulos District Court Judge: Steven C. Parks Probate Court Judge: Perry R. Lund

(information as of September 2018)

Transportation Major highways runs east–west through the lower part of the county, entering from Schoolcraft County east of Garden Corners and running westward to an intersection with US 41 at Rapid River. runs north–south through central part of the county, entering from Alger County at Trenary, running southerly to Rapid River then southwesterly along the Lake Michigan shore to the southwest corner of county. enters from Marquette County at the northwest corner of the county and runs southeasterly to intersection with US 41 at Gladstone. runs east–west across the southwestern tip of the county, entering from Menominee County at Schaffer and running southeasterly to an intersection with US 41 west of Narenta. runs from the southern tip of the Garden Peninsula at Fayette State Park to an intersection with US 2 at Garden Corners.

Airport The county is served by Delta County Airport (KESC), southwest of Escanaba. It provides scheduled airline service to Detroit and Minneapolis.

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

References

External links Delta County government website Delta County Profile, Sam M Cohodas Regional Economist, Tawni Hunt Ferrarini, Ph.D.