Delta County

Delta County is a county in the Upper peninsula in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the population was 37,069.[2] The county seat is Escanaba.[3] The county was surveyed in 1843 and organized in 1861. Its name originates from the Greek letter "delta", which refers to the triangular shape of the original county[1][4] which included segments of Menominee, Dickinson,Iron, and Marquette counties.[5] The county is served by Delta County Airport, to the southwest of Escanaba.

Geography
According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 1,991.32 square miles (5,157.5 km2), of which 1,170.09 square miles (3,030.5 km2) (or 58.81%) is land and 820.23 square miles (2,124.4 km2) (or 41.19%) is water.[6]

Highways

 * US 2
 * US 41
 * M‑35
 * M‑69
 * M‑183
 * H-13 / FFH 13

Adjacent counties

 * Alger County, Michigan - (north)
 * Schoolcraft County, Michigan - (east)
 * Leelanau County, Michigan - (southeast)
 * Door County, Wisconsin - (south)
 * Menominee County, Michigan - (west)
 * Marquette County, Michigan - (northwest)

National protected area

 * Hiawatha National Forest (part)

Demographics
The 2010 United States Census[9] indicates Delta County had population of 37,069. This is a decrease of 1,451 people from the 2000 United States Census. This is a -3.8% change in population. In 2010 there were 15,992 households and 10,381 families in the county. The population density was 31.7 per square mile (12.2 square kilometers). There were 20,214 housing units at an average density of 17.3 per square mile (6.7 square kilometers). 94.7% of the population were White, 2.4%Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.2% Black or African American, 0.2% of some other race and 2.1% of two or more races. 0.9% wereHispanic or Latino (of any race). 20.8% were of French, French Canadian or Cajun, 15.5%German, 10.3% Swedish and 7.6% Irishancestry.[10]

There were 15,992 households out of which 25.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.7% were husband and wife families, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 35.1% were non-families, and 29.8% were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.80.

In the county the population was spread out with 20.9% under age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 21.1% from 25 to 44, 31.6% from 45 to 64, and 19.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. This makes 49.5% of the population male, and 50.5% of the population female.

The 2010 American Community Survey 3-year estimate[9] indicates the median income for a household in the county was $40,967 and the median income for a family was $49,557. Males had a median income of $28,702 versus $15,093 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,751. About 2.4% of families and 13.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.4% of those under the age 18 and 8.5% of those age 65 or over.

Government
The county government operates the jail, maintains rural roads, operates the major local courts, keeps files of deeds and mortgages, maintains vital records, administers public health regulations, and participates with the state in the provision of welfare and other social services. The county board of commissioners controls the budget but has only 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.

Delta County elected officials
(information as of June 2013) [11]
 * Prosecuting Attorney: Steven Parks
 * Sheriff: Gary Ballweg
 * County Clerk/Register of Deeds: Nancy Kolich
 * County Treasurer: Tom Sabor
 * Drain Commissioner: Don Shirley
 * County Surveyor: Mel Davis
 * Circuit Court Judge: Stephen Davis
 * District Court Judge: Glenn Pearson
 * Probate Court Judge: Robert Goebel Jr.

Cities

 * Escanaba
 * Gladstone

Villages

 * Garden