We analyzed research using Saturday Night Science from Virginia Commonwealth University that mapped Klaverns by city from 1915-1940. This report analyzes the locations of historic KKK organizations to see where they were the most prevalent in Michigan.
The city in Michigan with the most number of Klaverns was Detroit with 3 Klaverns. The city with the most number of Klaverns per capita was Constantine with 0.0006 Klaverns. There were historically 27 Klaverns in Michigan, across 21 places in Michigan with at least 1 Klavern during the period of reference.
Hate groups can be hard to measure because, typically, there’s no record of where they exist. But there is data on where there were distinct Klaverns of the Ku Klux Klan in each state. These cities have historically been the most racist in Michigan based on the number of KKK Klaverns.
This report does not speak to the current people who live there or the current state of the KKK in the same towns or areas.
1 Klaverns · #1 most historically racist in Michigan
1 Klaverns · #2 most historically racist in Michigan
1 Klaverns · #3 most historically racist in Michigan
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
1 Klaverns · #4 most historically racist in Michigan
Allegan is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 4,998 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Allegan County. The city lies within Allegan Township, but is administratively autonomous.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
2 Klaverns · #5 most historically racist in Michigan
Located in
Cass County, Michigan
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
1 Klaverns · #6 most historically racist in Michigan
Located in
Dickinson County, Michigan
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
1 Klaverns · #7 most historically racist in Michigan
Located in
Berrien County, Michigan
Benton Harbor is a city in Berrien County in the U.S. state of Michigan which is located west of Kalamazoo, and northwest of South Bend, Indiana. In 2010, the population was 10,038 according to the census. It is the smaller, by population, of the two principal cities in the Niles-Benton Harbor Metropolitan Statistical Area, an area with 156,813 people.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
2 Klaverns · #8 most historically racist in Michigan
Located in
Wayne County, Michigan
Wyandotte is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 25,883 at the 2010 census, a decrease of 7.6% from 2000. Wyandotte is located in southeastern Michigan, approximately 11 miles south of Detroit on the Detroit River, and is part of the collection of communities known as Downriver. Wyandotte is bounded by Southgate, Lincoln Park, Riverview, Ecorse and Lasalle.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
1 Klaverns · #9 most historically racist in Michigan
Located in
Chippewa County, Michigan
Sault Ste. Marie is a city in, and the county seat of, Chippewa County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the northeastern end of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, on the Canada-US border, and separated from its twin city of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, by the St. Marys River. The city is relatively isolated from other communities in Michigan and is 346 miles from Detroit. The population was 14,144 at the 2010 census, making it the second most populous city in the Upper Peninsula. By contrast, the Canadian Sault Ste. Marie is much larger, with more than 75,000 residents, based on more extensive industry developed in the 20th century and an economy with closer connections to other communities.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
1 Klaverns · #10 most historically racist in Michigan
Located in
Lenawee County, Michigan
Adrian is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Lenawee County. The population was 21,133 at the 2010 census. Adrian lies in Michigan’s 7th congressional district.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Michigan’s statewide median.
On the map
Where Michigan’s historic Klaverns were
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How We Measured The Most Historically Racist Places In The Wolverine State
While there are surveys and public polls on what places might be the most racist, we didn’t want to rely on speculation and opinion. Instead, we looked at the hard numbers from where KKK organizations have existed.
Specifically, we analyzed research out of Virginia Commonwealth University that mapped the Klans in each area and gave a history of their recruitment from 1915-1940.
- Number of historic KKK Klaverns (1915-1940) per current resident
Using Saturday Night Science, we analyzed the locations of historic KKK organizations per capita using current population data.
The full plate
Cities With Historically High KKK Membership In Michigan
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | Klaverns | Klaverns /100k |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Constantine | 1,760 | 1 | 57 |
| 2 | Hartford | 2,660 | 1 | 38 |
| 3 | Williamston | 3,855 | 1 | 26 |
| 4 | Allegan | 5,030 | 1 | 20 |
| 5 | Niles | 11,479 | 2 | 17 |
| 6 | Iron Mountain | 7,593 | 1 | 13 |
| 7 | Benton Harbor | 10,056 | 1 | 10 |
| 8 | Wyandotte | 25,470 | 2 | 8 |
| 9 | Sault Ste. Marie | 14,121 | 1 | 7 |
| 10 | Adrian | 21,008 | 1 | 5 |
| 11 | Port Huron | 29,534 | 1 | 3 |
| 12 | Flint | 100,569 | 3 | 3 |
| 13 | Bay City | 34,578 | 1 | 3 |
| 14 | Muskegon | 37,822 | 1 | 3 |
| 15 | Saginaw | 50,700 | 1 | 2 |
| 16 | Battle Creek | 51,963 | 1 | 2 |
| 17 | Pontiac | 59,658 | 1 | 2 |
| 18 | Kalamazoo | 75,190 | 1 | 1 |
| 19 | Ann Arbor | 115,985 | 1 | 1 |
| 20 | Grand Rapids | 190,739 | 1 | 1 |
| 21 | Detroit | 695,437 | 3 | 0 |
Source: VCU Mapping the Klan, 1915-1940; current population data. 21 cities with at least one Klavern.
Summary
There You Have It – The Most Historically Racist Cities In Michigan
When you’re looking at the places in Michigan with the highest number of historical KKK Klaverns per capita, this is an accurate list.
Below is a chart that lists all cities in Michigan with at least one KKK organization from 1915-1940.
The cities with the largest number of KKK Klaverns per capita were Constantine, Hartford, Williamston, Allegan, Niles, Iron Mountain, Benton Harbor, Wyandotte, Sault Ste. Marie, and Adrian.
