Whitest cities in Michigan research summary. We analyzed Michigan’s most recent Census data to determine the whitest cities in Michigan based on the percentage of White residents. Here are the results of our analysis:
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The whitest city in Michigan is Marysville based on the most recent Census data.
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Marysville is 96.52% White.
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The least White city in Michigan is Benton Harbor.
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Benton Harbor is 8.66% White.
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Michigan is 74.0% White.
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Michigan is the 22nd Whitest state in the United States.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
Today, we are looking at the whitest places in Michigan. We won’t measure the number of Whole Foods or Pottery Barns per capita. Instead, we’ll focus on the Census data’s report of race by place in Michigan. In particular, we ranked each place in Michigan by the percentage of white people.
So where are the whitest cities you can live in Michigan?
After analyzing cities with populations greater than 5,000, we came up with this list as the whitest cities in Michigan for 2023.
Here are the 10 whites places in Michigan for 2023:
What is the whitest city in Michigan for 2023? According to the most recent census data Marysville ranks as the whitest. If you’re wondering, Benton Harbor is the least white city of all those we measured.
Read on below to see where your hometown ranked and why. Or check out the whitest states in America and the most diverse states in America.
For more Michigan reading, check out:
- Most Dangerous Places in Michigan
- Best Places To Raise A Family In Michigan
- Cheapest Places To Live In Michigan
The 10 Whitest Cities In Michigan For 2023
1. Marysville
/10
Population: 9,925
% White: 96.52%
More on Marysville: Data | Real Estate
2. Gladstone
/10
Population: 5,210
% White: 94.7%
More on Gladstone: Data | Real Estate
3. Marshall
/10
Population: 6,832
% White: 94.31%
More on Marshall: Data | Real Estate
4. St. Clair
/10
Population: 5,489
% White: 94.15%
More on St. Clair: Data | Real Estate
5. Cadillac
/10
Population: 10,317
% White: 93.86%
More on Cadillac: Data | Real Estate
6. Alpena
/10
Population: 10,181
% White: 93.28%
More on Alpena: Data | Real Estate
7. Menominee
/10
Population: 8,449
% White: 93.09%
More on Menominee: Data | Real Estate
8. Iron Mountain
/10
Population: 7,516
% White: 93.08%
More on Iron Mountain: Data | Real Estate
9. East Grand Rapids
/10
Population: 11,381
% White: 93.07%
More on East Grand Rapids: Data | Real Estate
10. Owosso
/10
Population: 14,708
% White: 93.01%
More on Owosso: Data | Real Estate
Methodology: How we determined the whitest places in Michigan for 2023
To rank the whitest places in Michigan, we had to determine what measurable criteria define whiteness.
We had to count how many white people living there per capita. In other words, the percentage of white people living in each city in Michigan.
We looked at table B03002: Hispanic OR LATINO ORIGIN BY RACE. Here are the category names as defined by the Census:
- Hispanic or Latino
- White alone*
- Black or African American alone*
- American Indian and Alaska Native alone*
- Asian alone*
- Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone*
- Some other race alone*
- Two or more races*
Our particular column of interest here was the number of people who identified as White alone.
We limited our analysis to non-CDPs with a population greater than 5,000 people. That left us with 148 cities.
We then calculated the percentage of residents that are White. The percentages ranked from 96.5% to 8.7%.
Finally, we ranked each city based on the percentage of White population, with a higher score being more White than a lower score. Marysville took the distinction of being the most White, while Benton Harbor was the least White city.
We updated this article for 2023. This report represents our tenth time ranking the whitest cities in Michigan.
Read on for more information on how the cities in Michigan ranked by population of White residents or, for a more general take on diversity in America, head over to our ranking of the most diverse cities in America.
Summary: White Populations Across Michigan
We measured the locations with the highest percentage of white people in Michigan. According to the most recent data, this list provides accurate information on the whitest places in Michigan.
If you’re curious enough, here are the least White places in Michigan:
- Benton Harbor
- Detroit
- Highland Park
For more Michigan reading, check out:
White Population By City In Michigan
| Rank | City | % White |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marysville | 96.52% |
| 2 | Gladstone | 94.7% |
| 3 | Marshall | 94.31% |
| 4 | St. Clair | 94.15% |
| 5 | Cadillac | 93.86% |
| 6 | Alpena | 93.28% |
| 7 | Menominee | 93.09% |
| 8 | Iron Mountain | 93.08% |
| 9 | East Grand Rapids | 93.07% |
| 10 | Owosso | 93.01% |
| 11 | Swartz Creek | 92.88% |
| 12 | Huntington Woods | 92.78% |
| 13 | Ironwood | 92.62% |
| 14 | Davison | 92.48% |
| 15 | Ishpeming | 92.35% |
| 16 | Plymouth | 92.25% |
| 17 | Hastings | 92.18% |
| 18 | Grand Ledge | 92.15% |
| 19 | Greenville | 92.12% |
| 20 | Northville | 92.06% |
| 21 | Brighton | 92.01% |
| 22 | Hudsonville | 91.87% |
| 23 | Eaton Rapids | 91.75% |
| 24 | Clawson | 91.72% |
| 25 | St. Johns | 91.68% |
| 26 | Rockford | 91.58% |
| 27 | Grosse Pointe Farms | 91.37% |
| 28 | Grand Haven | 91.33% |
| 29 | New Baltimore | 91.24% |
| 30 | Belding | 91.24% |
| 31 | Petoskey | 90.1% |
| 32 | Milford | 90.05% |
| 33 | Holly | 89.97% |
| 34 | South Lyon | 89.89% |
| 35 | Fenton | 89.52% |
| 36 | Flushing | 89.47% |
| 37 | Charlotte | 89.41% |
| 38 | Traverse City | 89.29% |
| 39 | Grosse Pointe Woods | 89.24% |
| 40 | Marquette | 89.11% |
| 41 | Grosse Pointe | 89.07% |
| 42 | Trenton | 88.98% |
| 43 | Wyandotte | 88.86% |
| 44 | Hillsdale | 88.85% |
| 45 | Ludington | 88.54% |
| 46 | Kingsford | 88.35% |
| 47 | Howell | 88.32% |
| 48 | Grandville | 88.09% |
| 49 | St. Clair Shores | 88.08% |
| 50 | Norton Shores | 88.06% |
| 51 | Saline | 87.91% |
| 52 | Zeeland | 87.79% |
| 53 | Mason | 87.76% |
| 54 | Midland | 87.44% |
| 55 | Birmingham | 87.23% |
| 56 | Monroe | 86.96% |
| 57 | Milan | 86.74% |
| 58 | Dearborn | 86.74% |
| 59 | Escanaba | 86.37% |
| 60 | Fraser | 86.27% |
| 61 | Berkley | 86.24% |
| 62 | Manistee | 85.7% |
| 63 | Walker | 85.68% |
| 64 | Garden City | 85.63% |
| 65 | Richmond | 85.06% |
| 66 | Alma | 84.98% |
| 67 | Rochester | 84.92% |
| 68 | Livonia | 84.44% |
| 69 | Tecumseh | 84.34% |
| 70 | St. Joseph | 84.28% |
| 71 | Ferndale | 83.8% |
| 72 | Bay City | 83.57% |
| 73 | Royal Oak | 83.26% |
| 74 | Grosse Pointe Park | 82.76% |
| 75 | Riverview | 82.49% |
| 76 | Portage | 82.45% |
| 77 | Big Rapids | 82.16% |
| 78 | Coldwater | 82.16% |
| 79 | Walled Lake | 82.07% |
| 80 | Woodhaven | 81.56% |
| 81 | Dearborn Heights | 81.52% |
| 82 | Houghton | 81.33% |
| 83 | Grand Blanc | 81.28% |
| 84 | Lapeer | 81.26% |
| 85 | Beverly Hills | 81.18% |
| 86 | Sterling Heights | 81.0% |
| 87 | Burton | 80.89% |
| 88 | Mount Pleasant | 80.6% |
| 89 | Allen Park | 80.29% |
| 90 | Madison Heights | 79.32% |
| 91 | Southgate | 78.67% |
| 92 | Hazel Park | 77.93% |
| 93 | Flat Rock | 77.65% |
| 94 | Port Huron | 77.16% |
| 95 | Rochester Hills | 75.95% |
| 96 | East Lansing | 74.9% |
| 97 | Niles | 74.72% |
| 98 | Wixom | 74.65% |
| 99 | Three Rivers | 74.48% |
| 100 | Dowagiac | 73.27% |
