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You're at your local Whole Foods shopping for kale chips and asparagus water, trying to work out if you'll have time to stop at the Pottery Barn before you head to your yoga class taught by a girl named Sage. It hits you: you're leading the whitest life imaginable.
But does that mean the city you live in is one of the whitest places in Michigan?
Don't worry, we've figured it out for you. Using actual census data combined with our favorite white people stereotypes (as confirmed by the internet), we can determine which cities are the whitest of the white in Wolverine State.
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:
- Best Places To Raise A Family In Michigan
- Best Places To Live In Michigan
- Most Dangerous Places in Michigan
The 10 Whitest Cities In Michigan For 2023
1. Marysville
/10
Population: 9,925
% White: 96.52%
More on Marysville: Real Estate | Data | Photos
2. Gladstone
/10
Population: 5,210
% White: 94.7%
More on Gladstone: Real Estate | Data | Photos
3. Marshall
/10
Population: 6,832
% White: 94.31%
More on Marshall: Real Estate | Data | Photos
4. St. Clair
/10
Population: 5,489
% White: 94.15%
More on St. Clair: Real Estate | Data | Photos
5. Cadillac
/10
Population: 10,317
% White: 93.86%
More on Cadillac: Real Estate | Data | Photos
6. Alpena
/10
Population: 10,181
% White: 93.28%
More on Alpena: Real Estate | Data | Photos
7. Menominee
/10
Population: 8,449
% White: 93.09%
More on Menominee: Real Estate | Data | Photos
8. Iron Mountain
/10
Population: 7,516
% White: 93.08%
More on Iron Mountain: Real Estate | Data | Photos
9. East Grand Rapids
/10
Population: 11,381
% White: 93.07%
More on East Grand Rapids: Real Estate | Data | Photos
10. Owosso
/10
Population: 14,708
% White: 93.01%
More on Owosso: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Methodology: How we determined the whitest places in Michigan for 2023
In order to rank the whitest places in Michigan, we had to determine what measurable criteria defines whiteness.
Obviously we had to count how many white people living there, specifically the percentage of white people living in each city in Michigan.
Specifically, 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 percent of residents that are White. The percentages ranked from 96.5% to 8.7%.
Finally, we ranked each city based on the percent 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. You can download the data here.
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
Measuring the locations with the highest percentage of white people, this list provides accurate information on the whitest places in Michigan according to the most recent data.
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 { state|title }}
| 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% |
