Delta County, Michigan

Delta County is a county in the Upper Peninsula in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the population was 36,903. The county seat is Escanaba. The county was surveyed in 1843 and organized in 1861. Its name originates from the Greek letter delta (Δ), which refers to the triangular shape of the original county which included segments of Menominee, Dickinson, Iron, and Marquette counties. Recreation and forest products are major industries, and crops include hay, corn, small grains, potatoes, and strawberries.

Delta County comprises the Escanaba, MI Micropolitan Statistical Area.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,991 square miles (5,160 km²), of which 1,171 square miles (3,030 km²) is land and 820 square miles (2,100 km²) (41%) is water. It is the fifth-largest county in Michigan by land area.

By land

By water

The 2010 United States census indicated Delta County had population of 37,069. By 2020, its population was 36,903.

School districts include:

Delta County operates the County jail, maintains rural roads, operates the major local courts, records deeds, mortgages, and vital records, administers public health regulations, and participates with the state in the provision of social services. The county board of commissioners controls the budget and has 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.