Clinton County, Michigan

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 575 sqmi, of which 566 sqmi is land and 8.1 sqmi (1.4%) is water.

Adjacent counties

• Saginaw County (northeast)
• Gratiot County (north)
• Montcalm County (northwest)
• Shiawassee County (east)
• Ionia County (west)
• Ingham County (southeast)
• Eaton County (southwest)

Demographics

|align-fn=center 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2018

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 79,128. The median age was 40.0 years; 22.7% of residents were under the age of 18 and 17.8% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 96.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 95.3 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 87.5% White, 2.2% Black or African American, 0.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.4% Asian,

48.7% of residents lived in urban areas, while 51.3% lived in rural areas.

There were 31,087 households in the county, of which 29.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 54.9% were married-couple households, 16.4% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 22.4% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 24.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 32,821 housing units, of which 5.3% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 77.5% were owner-occupied and 22.5% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.1% and the rental vacancy rate was 8.1%.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 64,753 people, 23,653 households, and 17,976 families residing in the county. The population density was 113 PD/sqmi. There were 24,630 housing units at an average density of 43 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 96.40% White, 0.63% Black or African American, 0.44% Native American, 0.52% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.81% from other races, and 1.17% from two or more races. 2.61% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 35.3% were of German, 11.4% English, 10.1% American and 8.5% Irish ancestry, 96.4% spoke English and 1.9% Spanish as their first language.

There were 23,653 households, out of which 37.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.30% were married couples living together, 8.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.00% were non-families. 19.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.12.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 28.10% under the age of 18, 7.30% from 18 to 24, 29.20% from 25 to 44, 24.50% from 45 to 64, and 10.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.60 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $52,806, and the median income for a family was $60,491. Males had a median income of $42,379 versus $31,065 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,913. About 3.30% of families and 4.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.30% of those under age 18 and 6.00% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

Highways

• travels across southern Clinton County bypassing Lansing on the north. To the south, I-69 continues toward Battle Creek and Fort Wayne, Indiana. Easterly, the highway travels on to Flint and Port Huron.
• is planned to parallel or overlap with US Route 127.
• runs through the southwestern corner of the county before turning southerly to bypass Lansing. It connects Grand Rapids and Muskegon to the west with Detroit on the east.
• is a business loop running through Lansing and East Lansing. A small portion of the route exists in southeastern Clinton County.
• is a business loop running through Lansing. A small portion of the route exists in southern Clinton County.
• runs north–south through the center portion of the county, serving both St. Johns and DeWitt. US 127 continues northerly toward Mt. Pleasant and Grayling, and southerly past Lansing and on toward Jackson.
• is a loop route through St. Johns.
• passes east–west through Fowler, St. Johns, Shepardsville and Ovid. M-21 provides a link to Grand Rapids, approximately 66 mi to the west, and Flint, about 45 mi to the east.
• has a short segment in southwestern Clinton County. From a beginning at I-69 in Eaton County, it terminates at I-96 north of Grand Ledge.

Airports

Capital Region International Airport is a public, Class C airport located 3 mi northwest of downtown Lansing, primarily in DeWitt Township. The airport accessible by Grand River Avenue (Business Route 96) and is located 1.5 mi south of Interstate 69.

Abrams Municipal Airport is a city-owned, public-use airport located two nautical miles (3.7 km) north of the central business district of Grand Ledge, a city in Eaton County. The airport is accessible by road from Wright Road (M-100), and is located 2.1 mi south of Interstate 96, just east of M-100.

Government

The county government operates the jail, maintains rural roads, coordinates local emergency management, operates the major local courts, keeps files of deeds and mortgages, maintains vital records, administers public health regulations, and participates with the state in the provision of welfare and other social services. The [[county commission|county board of commissioners]] controls the budget but has only 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: Tony Spagnuolo
• Sheriff: Sean Dush
• County Clerk/Register of Deeds: Debra Sutherland
• County Treasurer: Steven Wiswasser
• Drain Commissioner: Phil Hanses

County Board of Commissioners

7 members, elected from districts (6 Republicans, 1 Democrat)

Communities

Cities

• DeWitt
• East Lansing (part)
• Grand Ledge (part)
• Lansing (part)
• Ovid (part)
• St. Johns (county seat)

Villages

• Eagle
• Elsie
• Fowler
• Hubbardston (part)
• Maple Rapids
• Westphalia

Charter townships

• Bath Charter Township
• DeWitt Charter Township
• Watertown Charter Township

Civil townships

• Bengal Township
• Bingham Township
• Dallas Township
• Duplain Township
• Eagle Township
• Essex Township
• Greenbush Township
• Lebanon Township
• Olive Township
• Ovid Township
• Riley Township
• Victor Township
• Westphalia Township

Census-designated places

• Bath
• Eureka
• Lake Victoria
• Wacousta

Other unincorporated places

• Gunnisonville
• Matherton (part)
• Shepardsville

References

References

1. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
3. "Clinton".
4. "Bibliography on Clinton County". [[Clarke Historical Library]], [[Central Michigan University]].
5. (August 22, 2012). "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
6. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2024". United States Census Bureau.
7. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau.
8. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library.
9. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau.
10. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000". United States Census Bureau.
11. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)".
12. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)".
13. (2023). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)".
14. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
15. [https://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/ Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections]