Mason County, Michigan facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mason County
U.S. county
Mason County Courthouse in Ludington
Location within the U.S. state of Michigan
Michigan's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Michigan
Founded	1840 (founded as Notipekago) 1855 (organized)
Named for	Stevens T. Mason
Seat	Ludington
Largest city	Ludington
Area
• Total	1,242 sq mi (3,220 km2)
• Land	495 sq mi (1,280 km2)
• Water	747 sq mi (1,930 km2)  60%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	29,052
• Density	58/sq mi (22/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional districts	1st, 2nd

Mason County is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 29,052. The county seat is Ludington.

Mason County comprises the Ludington, MI Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

A detail from A New Map of Michigan with its Canals, Roads & Distances (1842) by Henry Schenck Tanner, showing Mason County as "Notipeskago" (a misspelling of Notipekago, the county's name from 1840 to 1843.) Several nearby counties are also shown with names that would later be changed.

The county is named for Stevens T. Mason, Governor of Michigan. It was created by the Michigan Legislature in 1840 as Notipekago County, then renamed Mason County in 1843. The county was administered by Ottawa County prior to the organization of county government in 1855.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,242 square miles (3,220 km²), of which 495 square miles (1,280 km²) is land and 747 square miles (1,930 km²) (60%) is water.

Major highways

• US 10
• US 31
• 
  Bus. US 31
• M-116

Adjacent counties

• Manistee (north)
• Lake (east)
• Oceana (south)
• Sheboygan County, Wisconsin (southwest)
• Manitowoc County, Wisconsin (west)

National protected area

• Manistee National Forest (part)

Demographics

As of the 2000 United States Census, of 2000, there were 28,274 people, 11,406 households, and 7,881 families in the county. The population density was 57 people per square mile (22/km²). There were 16,063 housing units at an average density of 32 per square mile (13/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 95.84% White, 0.73% Black or African American, 0.78% Native American, 0.28% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.82% from other races, and 1.53% from two or more races. 3.01% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 24.5% were of German, 10.4% Polish, 8.8% English, 8.5% Irish, 7.7% American and 5.0% Swedish ancestry. 96.0% spoke English and 2.2% Spanish as their first language.

There were 11,406 households, out of which 29.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.40% were married couples living together, 9.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.90% were non-families. 26.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.92.

The county population contained 24.20% under the age of 18, 7.10% from 18 to 24, 26.20% from 25 to 44, 25.80% from 45 to 64, and 16.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 97.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $34,704, and the median income for a family was $41,654. Males had a median income of $33,873 versus $22,616 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,713. About 8.20% of families and 11.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.50% of those under age 18 and 7.00% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

• Ludington (county seat)
• Scottville

Villages

• Custer
• Fountain
• Free Soil

Townships

Images for kids

• 

  U.S. Census data map showing local municipal boundaries within Mason County. Shaded areas represent incorporated cities.

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Mason (Míchigan) para niños