Michigan’s 83 counties were classified according to the degree of their urbanization to facilitate analysis in this study.
Central City Counties are those counties with a "central" city of at least 50,000 people. They include Calhoun (Battle Creek), Genesee (Flint), Ingham (Lansing), Kalamazoo, Kent (Grand Rapids), Saginaw, Washtenaw (Ann Arbor), and Wayne (Detroit) counties.
Seventeen counties are identified as suburban, or "collar," counties. Collar counties do not include a central city urban center but, in effect, are transitioning from rural to more urbanized land uses and developing more urban characteristics. Collar counties do not contain a central city of at least 50,000 people and are in a metropolitan statistical area as defined by the U. S. Bureau of the Census.
The classifications of "central city" and "collar" inevitably obscure some important differences, particularly in suburban Detroit. Counties in suburban Detroit, for example, contain several cities that are very large, some exceeding 100,000 people (e.g., Livonia and Sterling Heights). Nevertheless, their proximity to Detroit suggests their role in the metropolitan area is more suburban in character than as independent central cities, and the Census Bureau has not identified them as central cities.
The remaining counties are classified as rural.
This classification system of Michigan’s 83 counties results in 8 central city counties, 17 collar counties, and 58 rural counties (see table).
Classification of Michigan Counties
Central City Counties* |
Collar Counties* |
Rural Counties |
|
Calhoun (Kalamazoo)** |
Allegan (Grand Rapids) |
Alcona |
Kalkaska |
Genesee (Flint) |
Bay (Saginaw) |
Alger |
Keweenaw |
Ingham (Lansing) |
Berrien (Benton Harbor) |
Alpena |
Lake Leelanau |
Kalamazoo |
Clinton (Lansing) |
Antrim |
Luce |
Kent (Grand Rapids) |
Eaton (Lansing) |
Arenac |
Mackinac |
Saginaw |
Jackson*** |
Baraga |
Manistee |
Washtenaw (Ann Arbor) |
Lapeer (Detroit) |
Barry |
Marquette |
Wayne (Detroit) |
Lenawee (Ann Arbor) |
Benzie |
Mason |
|
Livingston (Ann Arbor) |
Branch |
Mecosta |
|
Macomb (Detroit) |
Cass |
Menominee |
|
Midland (Saginaw) |
Charlevoix |
Missaukee |
|
Monroe (Detroit) |
Cheboygan |
Montcalm |
|
Muskegon (Grand Rapids) |
Chippewa |
Montmorency |
|
Oakland (Detroit) |
Clare |
Newaygo |
|
Ottawa (Grand Rapids) |
Crawford |
Oceana |
|
St. Clair (Detroit) |
Delta |
Ogemaw |
|
Van Buren (Kalamazoo) |
Dickenson |
Ontonago |
|
|
Emmet |
Osceola |
|
|
Gladwin |
Oscoda |
|
|
Gogebic |
Otsego |
|
|
Grand Traverse |
Presque Isle |
|
|
Gratiot |
Roscommon |
|
|
Hillsdale |
St. Joseph |
|
|
Houghton |
Sanilac |
|
|
Huron |
Schoolcraft |
|
|
Ionia |
Shiawassee |
|
|
Iosco |
Tuscola |
|
|
Iron |
Wexford |
|
|
|
Isabella |
* Metropolitan areas, as defined by the U. S. Bureau of the Census, are identified in parentheses.
** Battle Creek is considered the "central city" of Calhoun County, which is itself considered as part of the Kalamazoo metropolitan area.
*** Jackson is a city of less than 50,000 population.