† Citizen voting-age population estimated for prior cycles; 2004 predates the ACS and is extrapolated. Source: ACS 5-year, table B05003.
——
D+60R+60
1 counties by 2024 margin · County returns · MIT Election Lab
People and households
Who lives here
Exact values for this place, its state, and the United States.
Race · ethnicity · ancestry
Communities and origins
GroupBig Rapids, MIMichiganUnited States
German20.6%17.7%12.5%
English13.2%10.5%9.5%
Irish11.0%9.9%9.4%
Polish5.5%7.2%2.2%
Dutch5.1%3.0%—
American3.7%4.2%5.3%
French3.3%3.0%1.6%
Italian2.2%4.2%4.8%
Mexican1.6%4.0%11.3%
Cuban0.6%0.2%0.7%
Puerto Rican0.3%0.5%1.8%
Spanish0.2%——
African American†2.0%12.2%9.9%
Hispanic or Latino counts residents of any race; the race groups count only their non-Hispanic residents, so the groups are mutually exclusive and sum to 100%. Expand a row to see ancestries reported within that group.
Age and life stage
Measure
Big Rapids, MI
Michigan
United States
Median age
40
40.3
39.1
Age 18–24
15.1%
9.2%
9.2%
Age 65 and older
20.3%
18.5%
17.2%
Household economy
Measure
Big Rapids, MI
Michigan
United States
Median household income
$60,951
$72,875
$84,427
Poverty rate
19.9%
13.2%
12.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25+)
22.5%
32.6%
35.6%
Languages at home
Measure
Big Rapids, MI
Michigan
United States
Speaks a non-English language at home
6.1%
10.4%
22.3%
Spanish
1.5%
3.1%
13.6%
German or other West Germanic
3.8%
0.5%
0.5%
Religious landscape
Measure
Big Rapids, MI
Michigan
United States
Catholic
11.1%
14.8%
18.6%
Evangelical Protestant
12.1%
12.1%
16.5%
Unclaimed / not counted
70.7%
60.3%
51.5%
American Community Survey 2024 5-year (CVAP, income, age, poverty, education, language, race, ancestry) · presidential returns from MIT Election Lab through 2024 · 2020 U.S. Religion Census (ASARB) — congregational adherents; unclaimed is the residual not counted by congregations.
Big Rapids, MI
presidential history
Presidential margin, 1892–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
Presidential margin over time
Year
Margin (D minus R)
1892
−12.8%
1896
−18.3%
1900
−33.3%
1904
−55.3%
1908
−37.3%
1912
−2.6%
1916
−22.8%
1920
−53.0%
1924
−61.2%
1928
−62.6%
1932
−2.8%
1936
−8.8%
1940
−37.6%
1944
−41.9%
1948
−40.1%
1952
−54.2%
1956
−51.2%
1960
−38.0%
1964
+9.9%
1968
−27.5%
1972
−30.2%
1976
−21.0%
1980
−17.4%
1984
−37.9%
1988
−26.5%
1992
+0.3%
1996
+8.2%
2000
−12.0%
2004
−11.3%
2008
−0.7%
2012
−9.8%
2016
−25.9%
2020
−28.0%
2024
−30.0%
DemocraticRepublican
34 presidential elections
Third column names the leading third-party or independent finisher. Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024). Swing · margin change from the prior cycle. vs U.S. · margin relative to the national result that year.
Year
Won
Democratic
Republican
Other
Margin
Swing
vs U.S.
Total
R
34.2%Harris7,688
64.2%Trump14,445
0.6%Kennedy142 +5
R+30.0
R+2.1
R+28.6
22,489
All 8 candidates in 2024 · 6 minor / independent
Donald J TrumpRepublican64.2%14,445
Kamala D HarrisDemocratic34.2%7,688
Robert F KennedyIndependent0.6%142
Chase OliverLibertarian0.5%109
Jill SteinIndependent0.2%55
Randall TerryIndependent0.1%32
Cornel WestIndependent0.0%9
Joseph KishoreIndependent0.0%9
R
35.0%Biden7,375
63.0%Trump13,267
1.9%
R+28.0
R+2.0
R+32.4
21,049
R
33.8%Clinton5,827
59.7%Trump10,305
6.5%
R+25.9
R+16.2
R+28.0
17,259
R
44.3%Obama7,515
54.0%Romney9,176
1.7%
R+9.8
R+9.0
R+13.6
16,980
R
48.8%Obama9,101
49.5%McCain9,238
1.7%
R+0.7
D+10.5
R+8.0
18,664
R
44.0%Kerry7,730
55.2%Bush9,710
0.8%
R+11.3
D+0.7
R+8.8
17,581
R
42.7%Gore6,300
54.7%Bush8,072
2.6%
R+12.0
R+20.2
R+12.5
14,754
D
48.5%Clinton6,370
40.3%Dole5,289
11.2%
D+8.2
D+7.9
R+0.3
13,124
D
38.5%Clinton6,097
38.2%Bush6,047
23.3%
D+0.3
D+26.9
R+5.2
15,835
R
36.5%Dukakis4,736
63.0%Bush8,181
0.5%
R+26.5
D+11.3
R+18.8
12,981
R
30.8%Mondale4,048
68.7%Reagan9,023
0.5%
R+37.9
R+20.5
R+19.6
13,142
R
36.0%Carter5,228
53.4%Reagan7,754
10.6%
R+17.4
D+3.6
R+7.6
14,528
R
38.7%Carter4,725
59.6%Ford7,287
1.7%
R+21.0
D+9.2
R+23.0
12,221
R
34.1%McGovern3,799
64.3%Nixon7,158
1.6%
R+30.2
R+2.7
R+7.0
11,134
R
32.5%Humphrey2,738
60.0%Nixon5,053
7.5%
R+27.5
R+37.4
R+26.8
8,426
D
54.9%Johnson4,214
45.0%Goldwater3,454
0.1%
D+9.9
D+47.9
R+12.7
7,677
R
30.9%Kennedy2,380
68.9%Nixon5,306
0.2%
R+38.0
D+13.2
R+38.1
7,703
R
24.3%Stevenson1,768
75.4%Eisenhower5,492
0.3%
R+51.2
D+3.0
R+35.8
7,279
R
22.3%Stevenson1,587
76.5%Eisenhower5,436
1.1%
R+54.2
R+14.0
R+43.4
7,102
R
28.3%Truman1,572
68.4%Dewey3,803
3.3%
R+40.1
D+1.7
R+44.6
5,557
R
28.5%Roosevelt1,708
70.3%Dewey4,217
1.2%
R+41.9
R+4.3
R+49.3
5,995
R
31.1%Roosevelt2,153
68.7%Willkie4,759
0.3%
R+37.6
R+28.8
R+47.5
6,932
R
41.3%Roosevelt2,621
50.1%Landon3,176
8.6%
R+8.8
R+6.0
R+33.0
6,341
R
47.5%Roosevelt3,152
50.3%Hoover3,336
2.2%
R+2.8
D+59.8
R+20.6
6,635
R
18.4%Smith1,004
80.9%Hoover4,422
0.7%
R+62.6
R+1.3
R+45.1
5,463
R
15.7%Davis794
77.0%Coolidge3,884
7.3%
R+61.2
R+8.2
R+36.0
5,047
R
21.8%Cox1,145
74.8%Harding3,932
3.4%
R+53.0
R+30.2
R+26.8
5,258
R
34.5%Wilson1,478
57.4%Hughes2,455
8.1%
R+22.8
R+20.3
R+26.0
4,279
O
24.3%Wilson958
26.8%Taft1,059
48.9%
Roosevelt +22.0
D+34.8
R+22.1
3,945
R
28.5%Bryan1,179
65.8%Taft2,723
5.7%
R+37.3
D+18.0
R+27.8
4,136
R
20.6%Parker898
75.9%Roosevelt3,313
3.5%
R+55.3
R+22.0
R+35.7
4,365
R
32.1%Bryan1,375
65.4%McKinley2,802
2.5%
R+33.3
R+15.1
R+25.8
4,282
R
39.5%Bryan1,975
57.8%McKinley2,887
2.7%
R+18.3
R+5.5
R+12.2
4,995
R
39.0%Cleveland1,484
51.8%Harrison1,970
9.2%
R+12.8
—
R+14.4
3,806
Congressional elections · 3 Senate races
U.S. Senate
Source · MIT Election Lab (MEDSL), Senate. CC-BY 4.0.
Year
Won
Democratic
Republican
Total
2024
R
33.7%7,462
63.0%13,950
22,159
2020
R
34.7%7,228
63.7%13,275
20,856
2018
R
40.5%6,317
56.8%8,857
15,594
voter registration
Registered voters
Total registered voters, over time
Registered voters
Voter registration in Big Rapids, MI
Year
Total registered
2016
27,742
2018
28,496
2020
31,389
2022
31,989
2024
33,340
domestic migration
Who moves in and out
Net domestic migration over time
+399 net domestic migration · 2025
20112025
Net +1,926 over 2011–2025 · gain loss
Domestic migration in Big Rapids, MI in Big Rapids, MI: net domestic migration by year
Year
Net domestic migration
2011
+482
2012
−75
2013
−376
2014
−144
2015
−246
2016
+44
2017
+88
2018
+106
2019
−4
2021
+372
2022
+748
2023
+321
2024
+211
2025
+399
Home to Ferris State University, Big Rapids punches above its size in youth voter registration while the surrounding Mecosta County reliably posts Republican margins in statewide races by double digits.
Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 9.9 points in 1964 and a Republican high of 62.6 points in 1928. Between 2020 and 2024 the metro moved 2.1 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 30.0 points.
A population of 41,242, a 90% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $60,951 describe the metro. The metro's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Coldwater, MI and Olean, NY.
Akashic
Political twins — metros
The metros whose fingerprint — 2000–2024 trajectory, demographics, ancestry, religion — sits closest to this one, and why.
Twin score (0–100) = weighted cosine between tier-standardized fingerprints: presidential margins 2000–2024 with 12-yr trend and elasticity, ACS income, age, education, population and race, top reported ancestries, and religious adherence — chips name the closest-shared dimensions and the widest gap. Re-weight the groups in the twins explorer.
Compare two places, side by side
Twelve curated comparisons line up election history, demographics, and the divergence story for two places at a glance. Browse all comparisons →
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Big Rapids, MI, Michigan. Akashic. https://akashic.app/cbsa/13660/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
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In 2024, Big Rapids, MI, Michigan voted Republican by 30.0 points (R+30.0), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 22,489 votes cast, 7,688 went Democratic and 14,445 went Republican.
When did Big Rapids, MI, Michigan last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which Big Rapids, MI, Michigan voted Democratic was 1996.
How many people live in Big Rapids, MI, Michigan?
Big Rapids, MI, Michigan has a population of 41,242 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Big Rapids, MI, Michigan?
Median household income in Big Rapids, MI, Michigan is $60,951 — below the national median of $80,734. The Michigan state median is $72,875.
What is the political history of Big Rapids, MI, Michigan?
Akashic tracks 34 presidential elections in Big Rapids, MI, Michigan from 1892 to 2024. Of those, 3 went Democratic and 30 went Republican.
