Michigan County Map: All 83 Counties

The 15 counties of Michigan's Upper Peninsula (U.P.)—including Marquette, Chippewa, Houghton, Delta, and Gogebic—span 16,377 square miles between Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, and Lake Huron. Acquired by Michigan in 1836 as a compromise for ceding the Toledo Strip to Ohio, the U.P. developed as an economic powerhouse of copper and iron mining and commercial timber harvesting.

Despite its enormous geographic scale, the U.P. contains only about 300,000 residents. Counties like Keweenaw and Ontonagon maintain population densities under 5 people per square mile. In contrast, the 68 Lower Peninsula counties house 97% of Michigan's 10 million residents.

Metro Detroit alone—comprising Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb counties—contains over 3.8 million people. Oakland County stands as one of the highest-income suburban counties in the Midwest, while Wayne County remains the operational headquarters of North American automotive engineering.

Under Article VII, Section 2 of the 1963 Michigan Constitution, voters in any county may frame and adopt a county charter. Wayne County adopted its charter in 1981, establishing an elected County Executive and a 15-member County Commission to oversee Detroit Metro Airport, regional parks, and public health.

Macomb County followed in 2008, replacing its 26-member Board of Commissioners with an elected Executive. In most other counties, policy is set by a Board of County Commissioners that hires a professional County Administrator or Controller.

Michigan law preserves strong civil townships beneath the county level. General law and charter townships maintain their own fire departments, local planning commissions, and water utilities, requiring county road commissions and drain commissioners to coordinate closely with township supervisors.