Whitest cities in Michigan research summary. We analyzed Michigan’s most recent Census data to determine the whitest cities in Michigan based on the percentage of White residents.
94.7% White · #1 whitest in Michigan
Located in
Livingston County, MichiganBrighton is a suburb in metro Detroit located in the southeast portion of Livingston County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 7,444. Brighton forms part of the South Lyon-Howell-Brighton Urban Area. It is one of two incorporated cities in Livingston County, and incorporates land that was once part of Brighton, Green Oak and Genoa townships.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
93.7% White · #2 whitest in Michigan
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
93.6% White · #3 whitest in Michigan
Located in
Oakland County, MichiganData | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
93.3% White · #4 whitest in Michigan
Eaton Rapids is a city in Eaton County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 5,214 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
93.2% White · #5 whitest in Michigan
Located in
Kent County, MichiganRockford is a city in Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 5,719. It is on the Rogue River and is only 14 miles north of Grand Rapids.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
93.2% White · #6 whitest in Michigan
Located in
Menominee County, MichiganMenominee is a city in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 8,599 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Menominee County. Menominee is the fourth-largest city in the Upper Peninsula, behind Marquette, Sault Ste. Marie, and Escanaba. Menominee Township is located to the north of the city, but is politically autonomous.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
93.0% White · #7 whitest in Michigan
Located in
St. Clair County, MichiganCoordinates: 425445N 822913W 42.91250; -82.48694
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
92.5% White · #8 whitest in Michigan
Located in
Shiawassee County, MichiganOwosso is a city in Shiawassee County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 15,194 at the 2010 census. The city is located on the eastern side of Owosso Township, but is politically independent. The city was named after Chief Wasso, an Ojibwa leader of the Shiawassee area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
92.2% White · #9 whitest in Michigan
Data | Movers
92.1% White · #10 whitest in Michigan
Located in
St. Clair County, MichiganSt. Clair is a city in St. Clair County in the eastern “Thumb” of the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 5,485 at the 2010 census. The city is located on the St. Clair River near the southeast corner of St. Clair Township.
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 White population is concentrated
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we determined the whitest places in Michigan for 2026
To rank the whitest places in Michigan, we used Saturday Night Science to look at Census demographic data.
We had to look at the number of white people living in each city in Michigan on a per capita basis. In other words, the percentage of white people living in each city in Michigan.
We looked at table B03002: Hispanic OR LATINO ORIGIN BY RACE. Here are the category names as defined by the Census:
- Hispanic or Latino
- White alone*
- Black or African American alone*
- American Indian and Alaska Native alone*
- Asian alone*
- Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone*
- Some other race alone*
- Two or more races*
Our particular column of interest here was the number of people who identified as White alone.
We limited our analysis to places with a population greater than 5,000 people. That left us with 147 cities.
We then calculated the percentage of residents that are White. The percentages ranked from 94.7% to 8.3%.
Finally, we ranked each city based on the percentage of the White population, with a higher percentage being more White. Brighton took the distinction of being the most White, while Benton Harbor was the least White city.
We updated this article for 2026. This report represents our eleventh time ranking the whitest cities in Michigan.
The full plate
Cities In Michigan By White Population
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | White Population | % White |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brighton | 7,688 | 7,278 | 94.7% |
| 2 | Gladstone | 5,253 | 4,921 | 93.7% |
| 3 | Huntington Woods | 6,328 | 5,922 | 93.6% |
| 4 | Eaton Rapids | 5,183 | 4,835 | 93.3% |
| 5 | Rockford | 6,218 | 5,797 | 93.2% |
| 6 | Menominee | 8,326 | 7,758 | 93.2% |
| 7 | Marysville | 9,925 | 9,230 | 93.0% |
| 8 | Owosso | 14,632 | 13,541 | 92.5% |
| 9 | Kingsford | 5,124 | 4,723 | 92.2% |
| 10 | St. Clair | 5,585 | 5,144 | 92.1% |
| 11 | Hudsonville | 7,769 | 7,120 | 91.6% |
| 12 | Hastings | 7,520 | 6,891 | 91.6% |
| 13 | Cadillac | 10,445 | 9,553 | 91.5% |
| 14 | Northville | 6,069 | 5,525 | 91.0% |
| 15 | Grosse Pointe | 5,541 | 5,044 | 91.0% |
| 16 | Grosse Pointe Farms | 9,904 | 9,004 | 90.9% |
| 17 | Alpena | 10,154 | 9,225 | 90.9% |
| 18 | Davison | 5,076 | 4,587 | 90.4% |
| 19 | Saline | 9,006 | 8,102 | 90.0% |
| 20 | St. Johns | 7,715 | 6,933 | 89.9% |
| 21 | New Baltimore | 12,072 | 10,830 | 89.7% |
| 22 | Milford | 6,487 | 5,803 | 89.5% |
| 23 | Ishpeming | 6,181 | 5,511 | 89.2% |
| 24 | East Grand Rapids | 11,445 | 10,173 | 88.9% |
| 25 | Iron Mountain | 7,518 | 6,672 | 88.7% |
| 26 | South Lyon | 11,950 | 10,590 | 88.6% |
| 27 | Charlotte | 9,277 | 8,219 | 88.6% |
| 28 | Grand Ledge | 7,804 | 6,911 | 88.6% |
| 29 | Plymouth | 9,214 | 8,146 | 88.4% |
| 30 | Marquette | 21,325 | 18,810 | 88.2% |
| 31 | Flushing | 8,284 | 7,298 | 88.1% |
| 32 | Fenton | 11,906 | 10,468 | 87.9% |
| 33 | Traverse City | 15,593 | 13,669 | 87.7% |
| 34 | Greenville | 8,995 | 7,876 | 87.6% |
| 35 | Ludington | 7,676 | 6,721 | 87.6% |
| 36 | Norton Shores | 25,041 | 21,901 | 87.5% |
| 37 | Hillsdale | 8,002 | 6,998 | 87.5% |
| 38 | St. Clair Shores | 58,140 | 50,837 | 87.4% |
| 39 | Richmond | 5,855 | 5,112 | 87.3% |
| 40 | Dearborn | 107,423 | 93,741 | 87.3% |
| 41 | Petoskey | 5,856 | 5,094 | 87.0% |
| 42 | Grosse Pointe Woods | 16,094 | 13,983 | 86.9% |
| 43 | Trenton | 18,125 | 15,732 | 86.8% |
| 44 | Marshall | 6,804 | 5,897 | 86.7% |
| 45 | Swartz Creek | 5,853 | 5,071 | 86.6% |
| 46 | Howell | 10,021 | 8,671 | 86.5% |
| 47 | Escanaba | 12,354 | 10,682 | 86.5% |
| 48 | Big Rapids | 8,477 | 7,327 | 86.4% |
| 49 | Midland | 42,724 | 36,884 | 86.3% |
| 50 | Manistee | 6,275 | 5,403 | 86.1% |
| 51 | Milan | 5,987 | 5,153 | 86.1% |
| 52 | Tecumseh | 8,646 | 7,441 | 86.1% |
| 53 | Grand Haven | 10,996 | 9,402 | 85.5% |
| 54 | Holly | 5,964 | 5,092 | 85.4% |
| 55 | Berkley | 15,149 | 12,874 | 85.0% |
| 56 | Clawson | 11,374 | 9,647 | 84.8% |
| 57 | Mason | 8,249 | 6,956 | 84.3% |
| 58 | St. Joseph | 7,986 | 6,682 | 83.7% |
| 59 | Birmingham | 21,763 | 18,200 | 83.6% |
| 60 | Wyandotte | 24,489 | 20,364 | 83.2% |
| 61 | Monroe | 20,320 | 16,806 | 82.7% |
| 62 | Walled Lake | 7,299 | 6,033 | 82.7% |
| 63 | Coldwater | 13,671 | 11,293 | 82.6% |
| 64 | Livonia | 93,851 | 77,191 | 82.2% |
| 65 | Beverly Hills | 10,524 | 8,653 | 82.2% |
| 66 | Belding | 5,960 | 4,878 | 81.8% |
| 67 | Walker | 25,386 | 20,769 | 81.8% |
| 68 | Grosse Pointe Park | 11,319 | 9,213 | 81.4% |
| 69 | Alma | 9,396 | 7,641 | 81.3% |
| 70 | Zeeland | 5,665 | 4,559 | 80.5% |
| 71 | Grandville | 16,356 | 13,162 | 80.5% |
| 72 | Royal Oak | 57,950 | 46,537 | 80.3% |
| 73 | Rochester | 12,934 | 10,383 | 80.3% |
| 74 | Bay City | 32,320 | 25,883 | 80.1% |
| 75 | Ferndale | 19,190 | 15,349 | 80.0% |
| 76 | Dearborn Heights | 61,771 | 49,391 | 80.0% |
| 77 | Garden City | 26,739 | 21,324 | 79.7% |
| 78 | Portage | 49,259 | 39,173 | 79.5% |
| 79 | Fraser | 14,583 | 11,586 | 79.4% |
| 80 | Port Huron | 28,620 | 22,604 | 79.0% |
| 81 | Houghton | 8,474 | 6,691 | 79.0% |
| 82 | Grand Blanc | 7,987 | 6,272 | 78.5% |
| 83 | Flat Rock | 10,340 | 8,093 | 78.3% |
| 84 | Mount Pleasant | 21,236 | 16,598 | 78.2% |
| 85 | Madison Heights | 28,419 | 22,211 | 78.2% |
| 86 | Three Rivers | 7,943 | 6,178 | 77.8% |
| 87 | Riverview | 12,186 | 9,474 | 77.7% |
| 88 | Lapeer | 9,082 | 6,974 | 76.8% |
| 89 | Burton | 29,500 | 22,635 | 76.7% |
| 90 | Woodhaven | 12,690 | 9,692 | 76.4% |
| 91 | Sterling Heights | 133,573 | 101,731 | 76.2% |
| 92 | Southgate | 29,366 | 22,352 | 76.1% |
| 93 | Dowagiac | 5,732 | 4,291 | 74.9% |
| 94 | Allen Park | 27,925 | 20,874 | 74.8% |
| 95 | Niles | 11,803 | 8,754 | 74.2% |
| 96 | Hazel Park | 14,963 | 10,987 | 73.4% |
| 97 | Ionia | 12,753 | 9,134 | 71.6% |
| 98 | East Lansing | 45,758 | 32,700 | 71.5% |
| 99 | Rochester Hills | 77,089 | 55,003 | 71.3% |
| 100 | Adrian | 20,395 | 14,474 | 71.0% |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 147 cities with more than 5,000 residents.
Summary
Summary: White Populations Across Michigan
We measured the locations with the highest percentage of white people in Michigan. According to the most recent data, this list provides accurate information on the whitest places in Michigan.
The most White cities in Michigan are Brighton, Gladstone, Huntington Woods, Eaton Rapids, Rockford, Menominee, Marysville, Owosso, Kingsford, and St. Clair. Not sold on Michigan? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
