County · Michigan

Delta County, Michigan

Delta County, Michigan. Delta County had 36,582 residents in 2025 by the Census Bureau's estimate, down 0.9% since 2020, while Michigan grew 0.5%. It holds 19 places (3 cities, villages and boroughs, 14 towns and townships and 2 census-designated) and 13 census tracts. GEOID 26041.

Delta County is the county of the Escanaba, MI micropolitan statistical area (the Census Bureau's July 2023 delineation).

Residents, July 2025 estimate

36,582

Census Bureau estimate (no margin published)
2020 Census count: 36,903 · ACS 2020-2024: 36,813

Median household income

$57,809

±$3,201 (90% margin)
Michigan: $72,875

Median home value

$157,100

±$4,589 (90% margin)
Michigan: $231,600

Median gross rent

$692

±$91 (90% margin)
Michigan: $1,129

How many people live in Delta County, and is it growing?

The 2020 Census counted 36,903 residents in Delta County. The Census Bureau estimates 36,582 for July 1, 2025, down 0.9% since 2020, while Michigan grew 0.5%. The 2020-2024 American Community Survey puts the population at 36,813 over 1,171 square miles of land.

July 2020→2021 −38 (36,839)
2021→2022 −25 (36,814)
2022→2023 +6 (36,820)
2023→2024 −107 (36,713)
2024→2025 −131 (36,582)

Delta County in Michigan. Boundaries: Census Bureau 2024.

Counts, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates, with the change from 2015-2019
Measure	Delta County	Michigan	Change since 2015-2019
Total population	36,813	10,077,761	+787
Households	15,971±316	4,076,369	no clear change
Average household size	2.26±0.04	2.42	+0.08
Housing units	19,845±38	4,622,236	−522

Delta County's population since 2000

From 38,520 in 2000 to 36,582 in 2025: down 5.0%. The 2000, 2010 and 2020 figures are census counts. The 2005 figure is the Census Bureau's intercensal estimate, revised to fit the 2000 and 2010 counts and drawn on 2010 boundaries; 2015 and 2025 are July 1 estimates made from the census before them.

2000 Census 38,520
2005 (estimate) 37,982
2010 Census 37,069
2015 (estimate) 36,431
2020 Census 36,903
2025 (estimate) 36,582

Source: The 2000, 2010 and 2020 Census counts and the Census Bureau's population estimates (intercensal 2000-2010, Vintage 2020, Vintage 2025) · Census population estimates

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); PEP Vintage 2025 (CO-EST2025); 2020 Census · Check it at data.census.gov

What cities and towns are in Delta County?

Delta County holds 19 places: 3 cities, villages and boroughs (incorporated places), 14 towns and townships (county subdivisions with their own government) and 2 census-designated places. The largest is Escanaba with 12,257 residents (2025 estimate). Places that cross a county line are listed with the share of their 2020 residents who live in this county.

Places in Delta County, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Ring: estimate with a coefficient of variation over 40%.

Escanaba	city	12,450	12,354±42	$45,369	$125,200	17.7%	100%
Gladstone	city	5,257	5,253±33	$54,970	$118,600	14.1%	100%
Wells Township, Delta County	township	4,876	4,838±62	$72,039	$177,000	10.1%	100%
Escanaba Township	township	3,496	3,533±29	$81,250	$173,800	4.6%	100%
Ford River Township	township	2,019	1,883±341	$69,878	$170,700	7.9%	100%
Masonville Township	township	1,645	1,538±181	$78,984	$166,200	9.4%	100%
Bark River Township	township	1,595	1,550±218	$69,375	$178,100	7.4%	100%
Brampton Township	township	1,023	1,099±215	$80,313	$191,400	10.6%	100%
Garden Township	township	772	623±83	$51,838	$153,400	11.2%	100%
Ensign Township	township	746	837±133	$70,769	$180,800	12.3%	100%
Baldwin Township, Delta County	township	700	632±182	$54,762	$201,000	8.2%	100%
Maple Ridge Township, Delta County	township	694	661±109	$70,119	$157,600	16.9%	100%
Cornell Township	township	565	856±198	$57,813	$170,800	9.8%	100%
Nahma Township	township	468	599±131	$54,205	$154,200	14.0%	100%
Rapid RiverGEOID 2667160	CDP	335	223±90	$51,500	$122,500	9.9%	100%
Bay de Noc TownshipGEOID 2604106040	township	300	259±53	$63,750	$218,300	10.8%	100%
Fairbanks Township	township	297	298±43	$48,393	$192,200	15.1%	100%
RockGEOID 2669060	CDP	181	160±67	$71,250	$122,100	19.4%	100%
Garden	village	174	154±44	$42,917	$86,000	11.0%	100%

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); 2020 place-by-county parts · Check it at data.census.gov

Who lives in Delta County?

The median resident of Delta County is 48.0 years old; 19.1% are under 18 and 26.2% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic white residents at 89.9%, then non-Hispanic residents of two or more races at 6.1%. 1.0% of residents were born outside the United States.

Age, origin and education, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Race groups are non-Hispanic; Hispanic includes any race.
Measure	Delta County	Michigan	Change since 2015-2019
Median age	48.0±0.3	40.2	+0.6
Under 18 years	19.1%±0.1 pts	21.2%	–
65 years and over	26.2%±0.2 pts	18.6%	–
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	1.5%	5.9%	+0.1 pts
White alone, not Hispanic	89.9%±1.1 pts	72.4%	−3.0 pts
Black or African American alone, not Hispanic	0.2%±0.1 pts	13.1%	no clear change
Asian alone, not Hispanic	0.5%±0.2 pts	3.4%	no clear change
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	1.5%±0.3 pts	0.3%	–
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	0.0%±0.1 pts	0.0%	–
Two or more races, not Hispanic	6.1%±1.2 pts	4.5%	–
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	0.2%±0.2 pts	0.5%	–
Born outside the United States	1.0%±0.2 pts	7.2%	no clear change
Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+)	1.5%±0.4 pts	10.4%	–
Civilian veterans (age 18+)	9.8%±1.1 pts	5.8%	–
With a disability	17.1%±1.4 pts	14.3%	–
No health insurance coverage	4.8%±0.9 pts	4.9%	no clear change
High school graduate or higher (age 25+)	92.9%±1.1 pts	92.1%	–
Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+)	20.6%±1.9 pts	32.4%	no clear change
Graduate or professional degree (age 25+)	5.7%±1.0 pts	12.7%	–
Moved from another state in the past year	2.0%±0.8 pts	1.4%	–

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profiles DP02, DP05) · Check it at data.census.gov

What do households in Delta County earn?

Half of Delta County's 15,971 households earn less than $57,809 a year (±$3,201), against $72,875 in Michigan. In 2015-2019 it was $58,377 in 2024 dollars; the margins of error cannot tell the two periods apart. 12.7% of residents live below the poverty line.

Income and poverty in 2024 dollars, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Delta County	Michigan	Change since 2015-2019
Median household income	$57,809±$3,201	$72,875	no clear change
Mean household income	$81,442±$5,362	$98,700	–
Per capita income	$36,649±$2,533	$40,735	no clear change
People below the poverty line	12.7%±1.6 pts	13.2%	no clear change
Children under 18 below the poverty line	14.8%±3.9 pts	17.6%	no clear change
Households receiving SNAP	12.4%±1.7 pts	13.5%	–
Households with a broadband subscription	87.1%±1.4 pts	90.5%	–

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov

What does housing cost in Delta County?

Owners occupy 82.0% of Delta County's occupied homes and renters 18.0%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $157,100 by its owner (±$4,589). The median renter pays $692 a month including utilities, and 35.9% of renters pay 35% or more of their income on rent.

Housing, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Delta County	Michigan	Change since 2015-2019
Median home value (owner-occupied)	$157,100±$4,589	$231,600	+$16,432
Median gross rent	$692±$91	$1,129	no clear change
Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent	35.9%±7.0 pts	41.4%	no clear change
Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage	$1,205±$41	$1,569	–
Owner-occupied homes	82.0%±1.8 pts	73.2%	+4.6 pts
Housing units	19,845±38	4,622,236	−522
Homeowner vacancy rate	1.3%±0.7 pts	0.8%	–
Rental vacancy rate	4.6%±3.2 pts	5.1%	–
Single-family detached homes	80.3%±2.0 pts	72.0%	–
Mobile homes	7.3%±1.0 pts	5.0%	–
Built 2020 or later	0.7%±0.4 pts	1.0%	–
Built 1939 or earlier	22.5%±1.7 pts	14.6%	–

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP04) · Check it at data.census.gov

How many new homes is Delta County building?

Builders took permits for 58 new housing units across Delta County in 2025 (58 single-family), 1.6 per 1,000 residents.

2019 33 units
2020 35 units
2021 37 units
2022 37 units
2023 34 units
2024 38 units
2025 58 units

Source: Building Permits Survey, annual county files 2019-2025, U.S. Census Bureau · Census Building Permits Survey

How do people in Delta County get to work?

81.7% of Delta County's workers drive alone and 5.8% work from home. The average trip to work takes 18.2 minutes. The unemployment rate in 2020-2024 averaged 4.2%.

Work and commuting, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Delta County	Michigan	Change since 2015-2019
In the labor force (age 16+)	51.2%±1.9 pts	61.3%	–
Unemployment rate	4.2%±1.2 pts	5.7%	no clear change
Drove alone to work	81.7%±1.9 pts	74.3%	–
Carpooled	8.9%±1.4 pts	7.9%	–
Public transportation	0.4%±0.3 pts	0.9%	–
Walked	2.0%±0.7 pts	2.0%	–
Worked from home	5.8%±1.1 pts	13.5%	+2.4 pts
Mean travel time to work	18.2 min±1.4	24.2 min	no clear change

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov

What are Delta County's census tracts?

Delta County is divided into 13 census tracts. Among those with a reliable estimate, median household income runs from $27,650 (Tract 9709) to $74,000 (Tract 9702).

Census tracts of Delta County, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates; sort by any column

Tract 970126041970100	Garden (4%)	1,630	1,577±154	$51,926	$168,000	$850	14.0%
Tract 970226041970200	Rapid River (10%)	2,305	2,237±206	$74,000	$173,600	not published	10.5%
Tract 970326041970300	Rock (6%)	2,314	2,379±228	$64,223	$173,200	$664	9.9%
Tract 970426041970400	Gladstone (24%)	5,658	5,573±417	$69,184	$169,500	$927	7.0%
Tract 970526041970500	Escanaba (17%)	4,401	4,702±488	$73,504	$188,300	not published	10.5%
Tract 970626041970600	Gladstone	4,167	4,124±373	$54,693	$112,900	$828	14.8%
Tract 970726041970700	Escanaba (3%)	3,770	3,510±295	$70,313	$178,700	$742	7.2%
Tract 970826041970800	Escanaba (81%)	4,160	4,214±425	$47,522	$125,100	$468	14.7%
Tract 970926041970900	Escanaba (98%)	2,486	2,514±322	$27,650	$165,000	$472	22.8%
Tract 971026041971000	Escanaba	2,628	2,594±283	$45,185	$123,200	$810	29.0%
Tract 971126041971100	Escanaba (99%)	3,384	3,389±392	$57,037	$124,000	$795	8.3%
Tract 990026041990000	–	0	0±11	not published	not published	not published	–
Tract 990126041990100	–	0	0±11	not published	not published	not published	–

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) · Check it at data.census.gov

How does Delta County compare with Michigan's other counties?

Delta County's rank among Michigan's counties with a reliable estimate (1 = highest)
Measure	Rank
Population	43rd of 83
Growth 2020-2025	68th of 83
Residents per square mile	65th of 83
Median household income	64th of 83
Median home value	61st of 83
Median gross rent	72nd of 83
Poverty rate	44th of 83
Bachelor's degree or higher	53rd of 83
Median age	28th of 83

Every county in Michigan

Source: PlainCities ranks from the American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) and PEP Vintage 2025 · How ranks are computed

How these figures are made: methodology and release checks · reading a margin of error · every state · corrections

Not on this page: crime, weather and schools for Delta County are other agencies' records. Crime: the FBI's Crime Data Explorer · climate: NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals · schools: the National Center for Education Statistics' school search.