Schoolcraft County
County
Schoolcraft County Courthouse
Location within the U.S. state of Michigan
Michigan's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 46°01′N 86°11′W / 46.02°N 86.19°W / 46.02; -86.19
Country	United States
State	Michigan
Founded	March 9, 1843 (created) 1876 (organized)[1][2]
Named for	Henry Schoolcraft
Seat	Manistique
Largest city	Manistique
Area
• Total	1,884 sq mi (4,880 km2)
• Land	1,171 sq mi (3,030 km2)
• Water	713 sq mi (1,850 km2)  38%
Population  (2020)
• Total	8,047
• Density	7.2/sq mi (2.8/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	1st
Website	schoolcraftcounty.net

Schoolcraft County (/ˈskuːlkræft/ SKOOL-kraft) is a county located in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the population was 8,047, making it Michigan's fourth-least populous county.^[3] The county seat is Manistique,^[4] which lies along the northern shore of Lake Michigan. The county is named in honor of Henry Schoolcraft, who explored the area with the expedition of Lewis Cass.^[1] The county was founded in 1843 and organized in 1876.^[5] The county is largely rural and forested, with much of its western portion within Hiawatha National Forest.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,884 square miles (4,880 km²), of which 1,171 square miles (3,030 km²) is land and 713 square miles (1,850 km²) (38%) is water.^[6]

Major highways

• US 2 – runs east and NE across south edge of county. Passes Cooks, Manistique, Gulliver, Parkington, Blaney Park.
• M-28 – runs east–west across upper middle part of county. Passes Seney.
• M-77 – enters county near NE corner. Runs south past Seney to intersection with US2 near Blaney Park.
• M-94 – enters county near NW corner. Runs south and SE to intersection with US2 near Manistique.
• M-149 – enters near SW corner of county. Runs east to intersection with US2 at Manistique.
• H-13 / FFH 13 – runs north from Cooks through Hiawatha National Forest.

Airport

• Schoolcraft County Airport (IATA: ISQ, ICAO: ISQ, FAA LID: KISQ) - 3 miles NE of Manistique. County-owned public-use (general aviation). Two paved runways.

Adjacent counties

By land

• Delta County (west)
• Alger County (northwest)
• Luce County (northeast)
• Mackinac County (southeast)

By water

• Charlevoix County (southeast)
• Leelanau County (south)

National protected areas

• Hiawatha National Forest (part)
• Seney National Wildlife Refuge

Communities

City

• Manistique (county seat)

Civil townships

• Doyle Township
• Germfask Township
• Hiawatha Township
• Inwood Township
• Manistique Township
• Mueller Township
• Seney Township
• Thompson Township

Unincorporated communities

• Blaney
• Cooks
• Germfask
• Gulliver
• Seney
• Steuben
• Thompson

Indian reservation

• The Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians occupies a very small plot of land in southern Manistique Township.

Former settlements

• Little Harbor, Michigan

Demographics

The 2010 United States census indicated Schoolcraft County had a population of 8,485.^[12] Of its population in 2001, 87.6% of the population were White, 8.8% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.1% Black or African American, 0.1% of some other race and 3.3% of two or more races. Among them, 0.8% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race); 16.2% were of German, 13.2% French, French Canadian or Cajun, 7.8% Swedish, 6.7% Irish, 5.3% Polish, 5.2% English and 5.1% American ancestry.^[13] By the 2020 census, its population was 8,047.^[3]

In 2010, there were 3,759 households, out of which 22.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.9% were married couples living together, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.5% were non-families. 30.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.72.

The county population contained 19.9% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 19.6% from 25 to 44, 33.3% from 45 to 64, and 21.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 48.3 years. The population was 49.5% male and 50.5% female.

In 2010, the median income for a household in the county was $38,367, and the median income for a family was $49,561. The per capita income for the county was $21,134. About 11.7% of families and 15.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.3% of those under age 18 and 9.2% of those age 65 or over. The 2021 estimates determined the median household income was approximately $54,163.^[3]

Government

Schoolcraft County has been Republican-leaning from its start. Since 1876, the Republican Party nominee has carried the county vote in 69% of the elections (25 of 36 elections).