akashic
1876–2024
Lake County, Michigan
Lake County·Michigan

Lake County changed direction in the last decade.

A rural, sparsely populated county where presidential margins have widened each cycle

18762024·38 elections
Lake County, Michigan · rossograph · Wikimedia Commons
Latest
R+32
in 2024
Archetype
Recent convert
since the recent cycles
Population
12,563
2024 ACS
Most similar
Mercer County
IL · similarity 0.97
30 precincts · 6,930 votes cast
Trump · R+32
Margin
Turnout
Harris +50
Trump +50
Real precinct boundaries. Hover for vote totals.
YearWonMarginDemocraticRepublicanTotal
2024R
−32.1%
2,2984,5236,930
2020R
−26.2%
2,2883,9466,323
2016R
−22.8%
1,9393,1595,358
2012D
+5.0%
2,7522,4875,310
2008D
+12.3%
2,9192,2695,292
2004D
+3.3%
2,6752,5035,246
2000D
+13.3%
2,5841,9614,693
1996D
+31.7%
2,6061,2134,394
1992D
+25.5%
2,3511,1944,546
1988D
+6.6%
1,9581,7133,698
1984R
−7.0%
1,8452,1254,003
1980D
+7.8%
2,0411,7304,003
1976D
+15.3%
2,1791,5983,808
1972D
+0.5%
1,5481,5323,131
1968D
+13.9%
1,4821,0942,798
1964D
+42.9%
1,9787912,770
1960R
−4.6%
1,3131,4412,757
1956R
−19.7%
1,0831,6142,699
1952R
−15.7%
1,1271,5492,696
1948R
−10.9%
1,0771,3482,490
1944R
−18.0%
7941,1451,946
1940R
−13.7%
1,0701,4132,495
1936D
+9.9%
1,3371,0912,493
1932D
+10.8%
1,2419912,312
1928R
−47.0%
4091,1471,570
1924R
−48.6%
3131,0691,554
1920R
−53.7%
2619261,238
1916R
−24.9%
347588969
1912R
−4.3%
186227945
1908R
−43.0%
253673977
1904R
−60.9%
2119071,142
1900R
−40.2%
3508411,221
1896R
−23.3%
5478881,465
1892R
−2.8%
6106481,356
1888
No data
1884
No data
1880
No data
1876
No data
Demographics
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
American
100.0%
African American
6.4%
Multiple ancestry combinations reported; no single grouping above 1%.
Sample size too small to break out by ancestry reliably.
American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander combined.
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release. Ancestry is a self-reported, multiple-response item; ancestry percentages do not sum to the parent race percentage.
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
0.0%
speak English only
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Catholic & Orthodox
13.6%
Other Christian
11.8%
Methodist
2.9%
Pentecostal & Holiness
2.4%
Mainline Protestant
0.6%
Baptist
0.6%
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 68.1% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.

Lake County sits in Michigan's northern Lower Peninsula with one of the state's smallest populations, yet its lopsided presidential margins—exceeding 30 points in 2024—reflect a broader rural realignment visible across the Great Lakes region.

The 2016 election was the turning point, when the Republican candidate carried the county by twenty-three points. The 2024 margin was thirty-two points, in line with the county's new direction.

The demographics suggest why. A population of 12,563, a 80% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $50,805 situate the county in the broader realignment patterns of recent cycles. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Mercer County and Putnam County.