Ionia County, Michigan


Ionia County is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the population was 66,804. The county seat is Ionia. The Ionia County Courthouse was designed by Claire Allen, a prominent southern Michigan architect.
Ionia County is part of the Grand Rapids-Kentwood metropolitan statistical area.

History

The county is named for Ionia, a historic area of Greece.

Geography

According to the US Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water.

Adjacent counties

  • Gratiot County – northeast
  • Montcalm County – north
  • Clinton County – east
  • Kent County – west
  • Eaton County – southeast
  • Barry County – southwest

    Major highways

  • is an east–west freeway running through the heart of Ionia County. The freeway can be used to access Grand Rapids, to the west, and Lansing and Detroit, to the east.
  • is an east–west highway that runs north of I-96. The highway runs through the city of Ionia.
  • is an east–west highway that runs in the northwest of Ionia County, including access to Belding.
  • is a highway in the southwest of Ionia County, following a largely east–west route. The highway runs through Lake Odessa.
  • is the primary north–south thoroughfare in Ionia County. Running through the center of the county, the highway also passes through downtown Ionia. M-66 is one of Michigan's longest state trunkline highways, running from the Indiana border near Sturgis to Charlevoix, on Lake Michigan.
  • is a highway in the northwest of Ionia County, beginning at M-44 near Belding and running north toward Greenville.
  • is a former US Route that travelled east–west in Ionia County, along what is today known as Grand River Avenue. The highway was replaced by I-96 in 1962.

    Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 66,804. The median age was 39.3 years. 21.7% of residents were under the age of 18 and 15.2% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 124.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 129.0 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 88.2% White, 4.8% Black or African American, 0.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 1.6% from some other race, and 4.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 5.0% of the population.
39.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 61.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 23,108 households in the county, of which 31.5% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 52.5% were married-couple households, 17.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 21.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 24.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 24,638 housing units, of which 6.2% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 78.4% were owner-occupied and 21.6% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.1% and the rental vacancy rate was 5.3%.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 61,518 people, 20,606 households, and 15,145 families residing in the county. The population density was. There were 22,006 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the county was 91.96% White, 4.56% Black or African American, 0.56% Native American, 0.32% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 1.04% from other races, and 1.55% from two or more races. 2.78% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 29.0% were of German, 14.7% American, 11.6% English, 8.9% Irish and 5.3% Dutch ancestry. 96.3% spoke English and 2.6% Spanish as their first language.
There were 20,606 households, out of which 38.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.70% were married couples living together, 10.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.50% were non-families. 21.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.15.
The county's population spread included 26.90% under the age of 18, 11.50% from 18 to 24, 31.00% from 25 to 44, 20.50% from 45 to 64, and 10.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 115.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 120.40 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $43,074, and the median income for a family was $49,797. Males had a median income of $36,995 versus $25,443 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,451. About 6.80% of families and 8.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.40% of those under age 18 and 8.10% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Ionia County has been reliably Republican from the beginning. Since 1884, the Republican Party nominee has carried the county vote in 82% of the elections.
The county government operates the jail, maintains rural roads, operates the major local courts, records deeds, mortgages, and vital records, administers public health regulations, and participates with the state in the provision of social services. The county board of commissioners controls the budget and has limited authority to make laws or ordinances. In Michigan, most local government functions—police and fire, building and zoning, tax assessment, street maintenance, etc.—are the responsibility of individual cities and townships.

Elected officials

  • Prosecuting attorney: Kyle B. Butler
  • Sheriff: Charlie Noll
  • County clerk: Greg Geiger
  • County treasurer: Judith Clark
  • Register of deeds: Rhonda Lake
  • Drain commissioner: Robert Rose
  • County Commissioner District 1: David Hodges
  • County Commissioner District 2: Larry Tiejema
  • County Commissioner District 3: Karen Banks
  • County Commissioner District 4: Ally Cook
  • County Commissioner District 5: Scott Wirtz
  • County Commissioner District 6: Jack Shattuck
  • County Commissioner District 7: Georgia Sharp

    Communities

Cities

  • Belding
  • Ionia
  • Portland

    Villages

  • Clarksville
  • Hubbardston
  • Lake Odessa
  • Lyons
  • Muir
  • Pewamo
  • Saranac

    Townships

  • Berlin Township
  • Boston Township
  • Campbell Township
  • Danby Township
  • Easton Township
  • Ionia Township
  • Keene Township
  • Lyons Township
  • North Plains Township
  • Odessa Township
  • Orange Township
  • Orleans Township
  • Otisco Township
  • Portland Township
  • Ronald Township
  • Sebewa Township

    Census-designated place

  • Palo

    Unincorporated communities

  • Berlin Center
  • Collins
  • Cooks Corners
  • Dildine
  • Elmdale
  • Matherton
  • Orleans
  • Sebewa
  • Shiloh
  • Smyrna

    Education

K-12 school districts include:
Elementary school districts include: