† Citizen voting-age population estimated for prior cycles; 2004 predates the ACS and is extrapolated. Source: ACS 5-year, table B05003.
——
D+60R+60
20042024
Boundary by 2024 margin · Precinct returns · VEST · 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
GroupChelseaMichiganUnited States
German24.7%17.7%12.5%
English16.4%10.5%9.5%
Irish14.6%9.9%9.4%
Polish8.8%7.2%2.2%
American6.6%4.2%5.3%
Italian6.4%4.2%4.8%
Scottish4.0%—1.3%
French3.6%3.0%1.6%
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
Chelsea
Michigan
United States
Median age
51.2
40.3
39.1
Age 18–24
5.8%
9.2%
9.2%
Age 65 and older
34.4%
18.5%
17.2%
Household economy
Measure
Chelsea
Michigan
United States
Median household income
$72,098
$72,875
$84,427
Poverty rate
4.1%
13.2%
12.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25+)
51.8%
32.6%
35.6%
Languages at home
Measure
Chelsea
Michigan
United States
Speaks a non-English language at home
1.9%
10.4%
22.3%
French (incl. Cajun & Haitian)
1.6%
0.2%
0.7%
Religious landscape
Measure
Chelsea
Michigan
United States
Catholic
—
14.8%
18.6%
Evangelical Protestant
—
12.1%
16.5%
Unclaimed / not counted
—
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.
Chelsea, Michigan
presidential history
Presidential margin, 2004–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
Presidential margin over time
Year
Margin (D minus R)
2004
+2.6%
2008
+17.6%
2012
+13.6%
2016
+25.7%
2020
+33.1%
2024
+34.6%
DemocraticRepublican
6 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. Third-party votes in 2012 are allocated from certified county totals by this place's share of each county's two-party vote — that cycle's precinct source records two-party splits. † 2004 sub-county results are estimated: the source's block-level detail for this cycle was unreliable — either county/municipality-level consolidated reporting (COVID-era) or a precinct-to-block allocation that misplaced votes — so the figures are allocated from the constituent county totals in proportion to the place and scaled to certified totals.
Year
Won
Democratic
Republican
Other
Margin
Swing
vs U.S.
Total
D
66.2%Harris2,578
31.6%Trump1,232
2.2%
D+34.6
D+1.5
D+36.0
3,894
D
66.0%Biden2,475
32.9%Trump1,233
1.1%
D+33.1
D+7.4
D+28.7
3,751
D
60.1%Clinton1,908
34.4%Trump1,093
5.5%
D+25.7
D+12.1
D+23.6
3,175
D
56.0%Obama1,437
42.4%Romney1,088
1.7%
D+13.6
R+4.1
D+9.7
2,568
D
58.1%Obama1,762
40.5%McCain1,227
1.4%
D+17.6
D+15.0
D+10.4
3,032
D
51.2%Kerry1,479
48.6%Bush1,403
0.2%
D+2.6
—
D+5.1
2,889
Chelsea sits in the western edge of Washtenaw County, buffered from Ann Arbor's university influence, giving it a more competitive partisan profile than its neighbors despite a similarly college-educated small-town demographic.
Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 34.6 points in 2024. Between 2020 and 2024 the city moved 1.5 points toward the Democratic candidate; the 2024 margin was 34.6 points.
A population of 5,426, a 96% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $72,098 describe the city. The city's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Saline and Estes Park.
Akashic
Political twins — cities
The cities 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.
In 2024, Chelsea, Michigan voted Democratic by 34.6 points (D+34.6), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 3,894 votes cast, 2,578 went Democratic and 1,232 went Republican.
How many people live in Chelsea, Michigan?
Chelsea, Michigan has a population of 5,426 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Chelsea, Michigan?
Median household income in Chelsea, Michigan is $72,098 — below the national median of $80,734. The Michigan state median is $72,875.
What is the political history of Chelsea, Michigan?
Akashic tracks 6 presidential elections in Chelsea, Michigan from 2004 to 2024. Of those, 6 went Democratic and 0 went Republican.
