The next presidential contest for Republicans and Democrats will take place in Michigan on February 27; however, unlike in other states, Michigan will hold a primary and a caucus. Although both parties will hold primaries on February 27, Republicans will also hold a caucus on March 2 which will award the majority of the party’s delegates. Republican Presidential frontrunner Donald Trump will be on both ballots as well as several other Republican nominees who have officially dropped from the race. The following are some key facts about Michiganders based on data collected by PRRI in 2022:
- The median age of adults in Michigan is 46, lower than the median age for all Americans (48).
- Four in ten Michiganders (39%) have a high school diploma or less education and three in ten have completed some college (30%). In comparison, only 17% of Michiganders have a college degree and 13% have a post-graduate degree.
- Three-quarters of Michiganders identify as white (75%). Fewer than two in ten Michiganders identify as Black (15%), 5% identify as Hispanic, 2% identify as Asian and Pacific Islander or Multiracial, and only 1% identify as Native American.
- Approximately one-third of Michiganders identify as independent (32%), three in ten identify as Democrats (29%), and one-quarter identify as Republicans (26%).
- Between three in ten and one-third of Michiganders identify as ideologically liberal (30%), conservative (31%), or moderate (33%).
Based on the 2022 PRRI Census of American Religion, the distribution of religious affiliation in Michigan is as follows:
Michigan’s Religious Diversity and Religious Affiliation at the County-Level
Religious Diversity in Michigan
In addition to 2022 statewide data, the 2020 PRRI Census of American Religion provides reliable county-level religious affiliation data, including our Index of Religious Diversity, which measures variations in the concentration of global religious populations. The index is calculated so that a score of 1 signifies complete diversity — every religious group is of equal size — and a score of 0 indicates a complete lack of diversity and one religious group comprises the entire population of a given county.
Nationally, the average religious diversity score by county is 0.625. The average religious diversity index score for the state of Michigan is 0.722.
| The counties in Michigan with the highest score on the Index of Religious Diversity are:
Oakland County (0.832) |
In comparison, the counties with the lowest on the Index of Religious Diversity score are:
Missaukee County (0.61) |
White Christians in Michigan
As our 2022 PRRI Census of American Religion shows, close to half of Michiganders (47%) are white Christians; this is largely unchanged from 2020, when 52% of Michiganders identified as white and Christian, which combines white evangelical Protestants, white mainline or non-evangelical Protestants, and white Catholics.
The top counties in Michigan with the highest concentrations of white Christians are:
– Huron County (77%)
– Alcona County (75%)
– Arenac County (73%)
– Iosco County (73%)
– Keweenaw County (73%)
– Menominee County (73%)
– Ontonagon County (73%)
– Oscoda County (73%)
White Evangelical Protestants in Michigan
White evangelical Protestants make up 14% of the U.S. population as of 2022. See the concentration of white evangelical Protestants in Michigan by county:
The top counties in Michigan with the highest concentrations of white evangelical Protestants are:
– Missaukee County (38%)
– Kalkaska County (35%)
– Montcalm County (35%)
– Osceola County (34%)
– Hillsdale County (34%)
White Mainline/Non-evangelical Protestants in Michigan
White mainline/non-evangelical Protestants make up 14% of the U.S. population as of 2022. See the concentration of white mainline/non-evangelical Protestants in Michigan by county:
The top counties in Michigan with the highest concentrations of white mainline/non-evangelical Protestants are:
– Alcona County (28%)
– Montmorency County (27%)
– Iron County (26%)
– Leelanau County (26%)
Black Protestants in Michigan
The top counties in Michigan with the highest concentrations of Black Protestants are:
– Wayne County (24%)
– Genesee County (13%)
– Saginaw County (12%)
– Oakland County (10%)
White Catholics in Michigan
The top counties in Michigan with the highest concentrations of white Catholics are:
– Macomb County (30%)
– Huron County (30%)
– Menominee County (29%)
– Bay County (28%)
– Clinton County (28%)
– Gogebic County (28%)
– Keweenaw County (28%)
Religiously Unaffiliated Michiganders
Religiously unaffiliated Americans make up 27% of the U.S. population as of 2022. See the concentration of religiously unaffiliated Michiganders by county:
The top counties in Michigan with the highest concentrations of religiously unaffiliated Americans are:
– Washtenaw County (37%)
– Eaton County (36%)
– Ingham County (36%)
– Isabella County (35%)
– Marquette County (32%)
Muslims in Michigan
Although the state of Michigan matches the national average of Muslim Americans at 1%, there are a few counties in Michigan with a higher percentage of Muslim Americans:
– Wayne County (4%)
– Washtenaw County (2%)
– Oakland County (2%)