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Luce County
Luce County
County
	Luce County Courthouse in Newberry
	Location within the U.S. state of Michigan
	Michigan's location within the U.S.
	Coordinates: 46°17′N 85°20′W / 46.28°N 85.33°W
Country	United States
State	Michigan
Founded	1887
Named for	Cyrus G. Luce
Seat	Newberry
Largest village	Newberry
Area
• Total	1,912 sq mi (4,950 km2)
• Land	899 sq mi (2,330 km2)
• Water	1,013 sq mi (2,620 km2) 53%
Population (2020)
• Total	5,339
• Density	7.4/sq mi (2.9/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	1st
Website	www.lucecountymi.com

Luce County (/luːs/ LOOS) is a county located in the Upper Peninsula in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the population was 5,339,^[2] making it the second-least populous county in Michigan (behind Keweenaw County). The county seat is Newberry, Luce County's only incorporated community.^[3] The county was set off and organized in 1887 and named after former Michigan Governor Cyrus G. Luce.^[1]

In 2002, Newberry was designated as the moose capital of Michigan by the state legislature.^[4]

Luce County is served by The Newberry News, a weekly community newspaper that began in 1886.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,912 sq mi (4,950 km²), of which 899 sq mi (2,330 km²) is land and 1,013 sq mi (2,620 km²) (53%) is water.^[5] Luce County is part of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It has a northern border with Canada across Lake Superior.

McMillan Township, the largest municipality in Michigan by land area (at 588.78 square miles (1,524.9 km²) of total land area), is part of Luce County.

Major highways

M-28 is Michigan's longest state trunkline highway. An east–west route, M-28 can be used to access Sault Ste. Marie to the east, and Munising and Marquette to the west.
M-117 is a north–south connector between M-28 west of Newberry to US 2 in Mackinac County.
M-123 is a u-shaped highway, beginning at M-28 south of Newberry. Motorists also use M-123 to access Tahquamenon Falls and Whitefish Point.
H-33
H-37
H-44
H-58

Airport

Luce County Airport (KERY), provides service for the county and surrounding communities.

Adjacent counties

Communities

Village

Newberry (county seat)

Civil townships

Unincorporated communities

Indian reservations

Luce County contains one very small portion of the Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians tribal community, which is headquartered in Sault Ste. Marie in Chippewa County. This small plot of land is located within Pentland Township but is administered autonomously.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1890	2,455		—
1900	2,983		21.5%
1910	4,004		34.2%
1920	6,149		53.6%
1930	6,528		6.2%
1940	7,423		13.7%
1950	8,147		9.8%
1960	7,827		−3.9%
1970	6,789		−13.3%
1980	6,659		−1.9%
1990	5,763		−13.5%
2000	7,024		21.9%
2010	6,631		−5.6%
2020	5,339		−19.5%
2023 (est.)	6,435	^[6]	20.5%
U.S. Decennial Census^[7] 1790-1960^[8] 1900-1990^[9] 1990-2000^[10] 2010-2018^[2]

The 2010 census indicated Luce County had a population of 6,631.^[11] This is a decrease of 393 people from the 2000 United States census. This is a -5.6% change in population. In 2010 there were 2,412 households and 1,542 families residing in the county. The population density was 7 people per square mile (2.7 people/km²). There were 4,343 housing units at an average density of 5 per square mile (1.9/km²). In 2020, its population was 5,339.^[2]

At the 2010 census, the racial makeup of the county was 80.4% White, 11.1% Black or African American, 5.0% Native American, 0.3% Asian and 3.1% of two or more races; of them, 1.2% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race). In 2010 among its population, 14.5% were of German, 7.6% French, French Canadian or Cajun, 7.4% Irish, 6.8% English, 6.3% American and 5.5% Finnish ancestry.^[12] At the 2022 American Community Survey, its racial makeup was 87.6% non-Hispanic white, 1% Black or African American, 6.9% Native American, 0.2% Asian American, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 4.2% multiracial, and 2% Hispanic or Latino of any race.^[2]

There were 2,412 households, out of which 24.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.2% were married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.1% were non-families. 31.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.77. In the county, the population was spread out, with 17.9% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 29.6% from 45 to 64, and 17.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. The population was 57.7% male and 42.3% female.

In 2010, the median income for a household in the county was $42,083, and the median income for a family was $49,948. The per capita income for the county was $18,294. About 12.6% of families and 16.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.7% of those under age 18 and 12.5% of those age 65 or over. From 2017–2021, its median household income was $49,667.^[2]

Religiously, the Association of Religion Data Archives in 2020 determined Christianity was the dominant religion. Roman Catholicism and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America were the largest Christian groups in the county.^[13]

Government

United States presidential election results for Luce County, Michigan^[14]
Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
Year	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	2,170	72.55%	769	25.71%	52	1.74%
2020	2,109	70.14%	842	28.00%	56	1.86%
2016	1,756	67.77%	681	26.28%	154	5.94%
2012	1,580	60.86%	991	38.17%	25	0.96%
2008	1,490	54.38%	1,191	43.47%	59	2.15%
2004	1,749	61.82%	1,045	36.94%	35	1.24%
2000	1,480	58.36%	956	37.70%	100	3.94%
1996	964	39.20%	1,107	45.02%	388	15.78%
1992	958	36.80%	972	37.34%	673	25.85%
1988	1,528	63.22%	864	35.75%	25	1.03%
1984	1,715	66.97%	833	32.53%	13	0.51%
1980	1,659	57.56%	992	34.42%	231	8.02%
1976	1,379	55.27%	1,099	44.05%	17	0.68%
1972	1,579	63.49%	862	34.66%	46	1.85%
1968	1,351	58.33%	855	36.92%	110	4.75%
1964	871	37.37%	1,459	62.59%	1	0.04%
1960	1,534	64.94%	828	35.06%	0	0.00%
1956	1,734	72.55%	651	27.24%	5	0.21%
1952	1,603	74.25%	553	25.61%	3	0.14%
1948	1,273	67.46%	570	30.21%	44	2.33%
1944	1,195	59.96%	790	39.64%	8	0.40%
1940	1,542	58.92%	1,069	40.85%	6	0.23%
1936	1,199	47.67%	1,297	51.57%	19	0.76%
1932	1,259	56.33%	928	41.52%	48	2.15%
1928	1,466	80.24%	350	19.16%	11	0.60%
1924	850	80.65%	112	10.63%	92	8.73%
1920	708	76.54%	187	20.22%	30	3.24%
1916	527	65.30%	257	31.85%	23	2.85%
1912	234	37.38%	102	16.29%	290	46.33%
1908	354	70.66%	108	21.56%	39	7.78%
1904	364	80.89%	63	14.00%	23	5.11%
1900	405	70.31%	159	27.60%	12	2.08%
1896	358	57.01%	236	37.58%	34	5.41%
1892	234	55.45%	160	37.91%	28	6.64%
1888	212	53.54%	172	43.43%	12	3.03%

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.