Berrien County, Michigan: Industrial Catholic Metro county. In 2024, voted R+8%. Republican peak: R+51 in 1920.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- R+8MIT Election Lab
- Political typology
- Industrial Catholic MetroAkashic typology
- Population
- 153,2882024 5-year
- Median household income
- $65,4252024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 73.9%2024 5-year
- Black
- 13.2%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 6.3%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+15 in 1936MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+51 in 1920MIT Election Lab
- Most similar
- Carson City, NV · similarity 0.98
2024 results by precinct
2024 precinct map of Berrien CountyPrecinct-level 2024 presidential results for Berrien County, with each precinct boundary colored by Democratic-vs-Republican margin.
—
Margin—
Turnout—
Harris +50Trump +50
Real precinct boundaries. Hover for vote totals.
presidential history
Presidential margin, 1876–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
| Year | Margin (D minus R) |
|---|---|
| 1876 | No data |
| 1880 | No data |
| 1884 | No data |
| 1888 | No data |
| 1892 | −2.6% |
| 1896 | −15.8% |
| 1900 | −13.8% |
| 1904 | −30.1% |
| 1908 | −21.3% |
| 1912 | +12.3% |
| 1916 | −10.4% |
| 1920 | −51.2% |
| 1924 | −45.6% |
| 1928 | −37.8% |
| 1932 | +13.0% |
| 1936 | +14.8% |
| 1940 | −14.6% |
| 1944 | −21.9% |
| 1948 | −20.0% |
| 1952 | −26.5% |
| 1956 | −31.3% |
| 1960 | −22.1% |
| 1964 | +12.1% |
| 1968 | −17.3% |
| 1972 | −38.8% |
| 1976 | −23.5% |
| 1980 | −28.4% |
| 1984 | −33.8% |
| 1988 | −26.3% |
| 1992 | −4.9% |
| 1996 | −6.1% |
| 2000 | −11.6% |
| 2004 | −11.0% |
| 2008 | +5.5% |
| 2012 | −6.5% |
| 2016 | −12.7% |
| 2020 | −7.4% |
| 2024 | −7.9% |
DemocraticRepublican
38 presidential elections
| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | 38,323 | 44,975 | 84,668 | ||
| R | 37,438 | 43,519 | 82,391 | ||
| R | 29,495 | 38,647 | 72,031 | ||
| R | 33,465 | 38,209 | 72,762 | ||
| D | 40,381 | 36,130 | 77,666 | ||
| R | 32,846 | 41,076 | 74,671 | ||
| R | 28,152 | 35,689 | 65,241 | ||
| R | 24,614 | 28,254 | 59,295 | ||
| R | 25,840 | 29,252 | 69,615 | ||
| R | 21,948 | 37,799 | 60,183 | ||
| R | 21,228 | 43,160 | 64,824 | ||
| R | 22,152 | 41,458 | 67,978 | ||
| R | 25,163 | 40,835 | 66,798 | ||
| R | 18,597 | 43,047 | 63,060 | ||
| R | 21,266 | 32,136 | 62,916 | ||
| D | 33,653 | 26,387 | 60,162 | ||
| R | 23,837 | 37,425 | 61,506 | ||
| R | 18,454 | 35,397 | 54,045 | ||
| R | 19,088 | 32,932 | 52,320 | ||
| R | 14,516 | 22,003 | 37,361 | ||
| R | 15,886 | 24,832 | 40,934 | ||
| R | 16,961 | 22,778 | 39,947 | ||
| D | 20,822 | 15,321 | 37,125 | ||
| D | 18,447 | 14,123 | 33,264 | ||
| R | 8,555 | 19,064 | 27,791 | ||
| R | 4,445 | 15,612 | 24,497 | ||
| R | 4,855 | 15,748 | 21,265 | ||
| R | 6,054 | 7,511 | 13,991 | ||
| O | 4,225 | 2,752 | 11,935 | ||
| R | 4,598 | 7,260 | 12,503 | ||
| R | 3,819 | 7,309 | 11,604 | ||
| R | 4,960 | 6,595 | 11,889 | ||
| R | 4,792 | 6,672 | 11,888 | ||
| R | 4,716 | 4,979 | 10,256 | ||
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Demographics
2024 ACS
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
German
22.5%
English
10.9%
Irish
10.3%
Polish
4.4%
Italian
4.0%
American
3.2%
French
2.0%
African American
10.6%
Multiple ancestry combinations reported; no single grouping above 1%.
American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander combined.
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release. Hispanic/Latino is an ethnicity that overlaps the race categories, so these shares can total more than 100%. Ancestry is a self-reported, multiple-response item; ancestry percentages do not sum to the parent race percentage.
2024 ACS
Age distribution by sex
Median age: 42.7 in this county, 39.1 nationally
Male
Age
Female
85+
75–84
65–74
55–64
45–54
35–44
25–34
18–24
5–17
<5
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Median household income
Inflation-adjusted dollars
$65,425
Berrien County ranks near the middle of US counties.
Berrien County$65,425
Michigan$72,875
United States$80,734
Berrien County ranks near the middle of US counties by median household income.
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Poverty rate
All persons below federal poverty line
15.1%
Children face moderate poverty.
Children under 1822.1%
Working age (18–64)13.6%
Seniors (65+)10.0%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
92.1%
speak English only
Spanish4.0%
Other Indo-European2.2%
Asian & Pacific Islander1.1%
Other languages0.6%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
2020 religion census
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 56.3% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
Berrien has oscillated between single-digit margins across recent cycles, with its mix of lakefront resort communities, manufacturing towns like Benton Harbor, and a significant Black urban population creating unusual demographic tension for a county its size.
Its margins are typically close. The Democratic margin reached fifteen points in 1936; the Republican margin reached fifty-one points in 1920. The 2024 margin was eight points.
Its demographics sit near national norms: a 74% non-Hispanic-white share, a median household income of $65,425, and a 15% poverty rate. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Carson City and Clinton County.
Most similar counties
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 →
Cite this page
All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.
Berrien County, Michigan. Akashic. https://akashic.app/county/26021/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
More industrial catholic metro counties
Frequently asked questions
How did Berrien County, Michigan vote in 2024?
In 2024, Berrien County, Michigan voted Republican by 7.9 points (R+8), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 84,668 votes cast, 38,323 went Democratic and 44,975 went Republican.
What is Berrien County, Michigan's political typology?
Akashic places Berrien County, Michigan in the "Industrial Catholic Metro" typology — Mid-size industrial metros with Catholic ethnic roots — among the most competitive, swing-prone ground in the country. The typology is a data-driven cluster built from vote share, vote swing, race and ethnicity, income, language spoken at home, religion, and ancestry. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the county has voted Democratic 4 times, Republican 29 times, and other 1 times.
When did Berrien County, Michigan last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which Berrien County, Michigan voted Democratic was 2008.
How many people live in Berrien County, Michigan?
Berrien County, Michigan has a population of 153,288 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Berrien County, Michigan?
Median household income in Berrien County, Michigan is $65,425 — below the national median of $80,734. The Michigan state median is $72,875.
What is the political history of Berrien County, Michigan?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Berrien County, Michigan from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 4 went Democratic and 29 went Republican. The county's typology — "Industrial Catholic Metro" — captures where that record, its demographics, and its recent swing place it among American communities.