One myth about the Upper Peninsula is that its population is much smaller than during its heyday in the early 20th century. Certainly, there are parts of the U.P. that have seen a drop in population, but the actual population of the U.P. has remained relatively stable since the 1930's. Considering that the second half of the 20th century was marked by a reduction in extraction industries and industrial activities, it might be a surprise that its population has not dropped. In truth, some of those jobs were replaced by the service sector, the growth of universities and colleges across the region and tourism. In the end, it is the love of the U.P. that has kept families here for generations and brings new residents every year.
However, the future is not all rosy with regards to population numbers. Nationally, the percentage of the populace 65 tears of age and older is 13%. In Michigan, it is 13.5%. In the Upper Peninsula, it is 17.6% and in some counties it is as high as 26%. What this shows is that the U.P.'s population is aging faster than other parts of the country and state and that there is not a younger population replacing them as residents. Time will only tell if the U.P.'s population will drop precipitously in the coming decades due to these statistics, or if new migration patterns due to economics, placemaking, and climate change will flip the trend.
The ethnicity of the U.P. is a different matter. When people fill out their census forms they are asked to voluntarily fill in a First Ancestry and Second Ancestry. Many people do not fill in this box or simply say, "American." However, from the respondents that do answer, we can estimate the relative ethnic/cultural makeup of the U.P.
Where people of Finnish background are still dominant in parts of the U.P., German is now the ethnicity claimed most in the First Ancestry question. This corresponds with the rest of the United States, where German is the most prevalent ethnicity. Finland is a close second. French is third, but in truth, there was never a large emigration of people from France directly to the U.P. The vast majority of the respondents saying French are most likely of French-Canadian column, it makes the number close to 30,000 residents. English is also deceptive, in that it does not differentiate between people from Cornwall or England; However, there are separate categories for Scottish, Scotch-Irish and Welsh.
Chart Detailed Description
This line chart titled “Total Upper Peninsula Population” displays population counts for Michigan’s Upper Peninsula across various census years from 1890 to 2024. The x-axis represents the years in 10-year intervals (except for a final point at 2024), while the y-axis shows population in thousands (ranging from 150k to 350k). A brown line connects each decade's data point, which is also marked with a small circle and labeled with the population value.
Key data points from the chart:
- Year 1890: 187,523
- Year 1900: 261,454
- Year 1910: 324,831
- Year 1920: 335,684 (peak population)
- Year 1930: 318,676
- Year 1940: 323,544
- Year 1950: 302,258
- Year 1960: 305,952
- Year 1970: 304,529
- Year 1980: 319,757
- Year 1990: 313,915
- Year 2000: 317,616
- Year 2010: 311,361
- Year 2020: 301,608
- Year 2024: 304,430
The chart shows strong population growth from 1890 to 1920, reaching over 335,000. After 1920, the population declines slightly through the mid-20th century, then stabilizes between 300,000 and 320,000 for the remainder of the timeline. A slight decline from 2010 to 2020 is followed by a minor increase in 2024.
Chart Detailed Description
The chart titled “Upper Peninsula Population” is a multi-line chart displaying the population counts of 15 Michigan counties across census years from 1890 to 2010. The x-axis represents census years in 10-year increments, and the y-axis represents population counts ranging from 0 to 100,000. Each county is represented by a uniquely colored line, some with different point shapes for distinction. The counties included are: Alger, Baraga, Chippewa, Delta, Dickinson, Gogebic, Houghton, Iron, Keweenaw, Luce, Mackinac, Marquette, Menominee, Ontonagon, and Schoolcraft. Houghton County shows a dramatic peak in 1910 at over 88,000 residents, followed by a sharp decline through the mid-20th century. Marquette maintains relatively high and stable population levels, peaking around 1990. Gogebic shows a gradual decline since 1940, while counties like Chippewa, Delta, and Dickinson show modest growth or stability across decades. Smaller counties like Keweenaw and Luce remain below 10,000 residents throughout the charted years. The visual trend indicates early 20th-century industrial population booms followed by stabilization or decline in most counties. This chart provides a comparative historical overview of regional population shifts in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, useful for demographic, economic, and historical analysis.
Chart Detailed Description
This pie chart titled “Upper Peninsula Ancestry” presents data from the 2010 Census showing the first ancestry reported by residents in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. The chart is divided into colored wedges, each representing a different ancestry group, with corresponding percentages labeled inside the slices. A legend to the right links each color to a group name. The largest groups are:
- German (14.0%) – dark blue
- Finnish (11.9%) – orange
- Other groups (10.7%) – purple
- Unclassified or not reported (10.6%) – green
- French (except Basque) (7.2%) – dark purple
- English (6.3%) – light green
- Irish (5.5%) – purple
- Swedish (5.2%) – olive green
- Italian (5.0%) – pink
- Polish (4.9%) – turquoise
- American (3.7%) – light magenta
- French Canadian (2.6%) – yellow
- Norwegian (1.3%) – navy
- Dutch (1.3%) – brown
- Scottish (1.1%) – teal
- Scotch-Irish (1.1%) – maroon
- Belgian (0.6%) – reddish pink
- Croatian (0.4%) – ochre
The chart uses high-contrast colors and bold labels to clearly present the proportions of each ancestry group. It visually emphasizes that German and Finnish ancestries are the most common, followed by a mixture of other European and unspecified backgrounds.