Van Buren County, Michigan: Industrial Catholic Metro county. In 2024, voted R+15%. Republican peak: R+56 in 1924.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- R+15MIT Election Lab
- Political typology
- Industrial Catholic MetroAkashic typology
- Population
- 75,7952024 5-year
- Median household income
- $68,1142024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 80.2%2024 5-year
- Black
- 3.5%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 12.5%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+16 in 1964MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+56 in 1924MIT Election Lab
- Most similar
- McDonough County, IL · similarity 0.97
2024 results by precinct
2024 precinct map of Van Buren CountyPrecinct-level 2024 presidential results for Van Buren 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 | −22.9% |
| 1896 | −6.1% |
| 1900 | −19.9% |
| 1904 | −50.1% |
| 1908 | −30.7% |
| 1912 | −1.5% |
| 1916 | −13.9% |
| 1920 | −53.5% |
| 1924 | −55.6% |
| 1928 | −55.5% |
| 1932 | +1.8% |
| 1936 | −14.4% |
| 1940 | −34.4% |
| 1944 | −37.1% |
| 1948 | −38.8% |
| 1952 | −42.5% |
| 1956 | −39.9% |
| 1960 | −29.0% |
| 1964 | +16.5% |
| 1968 | −16.4% |
| 1972 | −31.3% |
| 1976 | −13.4% |
| 1980 | −20.1% |
| 1984 | −29.8% |
| 1988 | −15.2% |
| 1992 | +7.0% |
| 1996 | +7.2% |
| 2000 | −3.4% |
| 2004 | −4.3% |
| 2008 | +8.8% |
| 2012 | +0.5% |
| 2016 | −13.9% |
| 2020 | −12.3% |
| 2024 | −15.1% |
DemocraticRepublican
38 presidential elections
| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | 17,175 | 23,407 | 41,249 | ||
| R | 16,803 | 21,591 | 39,066 | ||
| R | 13,258 | 17,890 | 33,274 | ||
| D | 16,290 | 16,141 | 32,837 | ||
| D | 18,588 | 15,534 | 34,766 | ||
| R | 16,151 | 17,634 | 34,174 | ||
| R | 13,796 | 14,792 | 29,482 | ||
| D | 13,355 | 11,347 | 27,975 | ||
| D | 12,466 | 10,357 | 30,237 | ||
| R | 10,668 | 14,522 | 25,400 | ||
| R | 8,853 | 16,426 | 25,445 | ||
| R | 9,248 | 14,451 | 25,824 | ||
| R | 10,366 | 13,615 | 24,302 | ||
| R | 7,159 | 13,903 | 21,531 | ||
| R | 7,304 | 10,676 | 20,607 | ||
| D | 11,336 | 8,120 | 19,504 | ||
| R | 7,082 | 12,903 | 20,096 | ||
| R | 5,678 | 13,291 | 19,063 | ||
| R | 5,309 | 13,231 | 18,659 | ||
| R | 4,082 | 9,511 | 14,004 | ||
| R | 5,002 | 10,951 | 16,037 | ||
| R | 5,625 | 11,571 | 17,297 | ||
| R | 6,720 | 9,110 | 16,655 | ||
| D | 7,223 | 6,954 | 14,641 | ||
| R | 2,643 | 9,325 | 12,050 | ||
| R | 1,646 | 7,384 | 10,320 | ||
| R | 1,988 | 6,904 | 9,192 | ||
| R | 3,225 | 4,302 | 7,776 | ||
| O | 1,994 | 2,101 | 7,242 | ||
| R | 2,313 | 4,531 | 7,215 | ||
| R | 1,634 | 5,254 | 7,230 | ||
| R | 3,235 | 4,892 | 8,331 | ||
| R | 3,982 | 4,510 | 8,682 | ||
| R | 2,182 | 3,788 | 7,008 | ||
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Demographics
2024 ACS
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
German
20.0%
English
12.0%
Irish
10.8%
American
6.1%
Polish
4.6%
Italian
3.7%
French
2.6%
African American
2.8%
Multiple ancestry combinations reported; no single grouping above 1%.
Sample size too small to break out by ancestry reliably.
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: 41.2 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
$68,114
Van Buren County ranks near the middle of US counties.
Van Buren County$68,114
Michigan$72,875
United States$80,734
Van Buren 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
14.3%
Children face moderate poverty.
Children under 1819.2%
Working age (18–64)12.3%
Seniors (65+)17.9%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
89.9%
speak English only
Spanish8.3%
Other Indo-European1.1%
Asian & Pacific Islander0.4%
Other languages0.3%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
2020 religion census
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 71.5% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
Stretching along Lake Michigan's eastern shore, Van Buren County is Michigan's leading producer of blueberries and grapes, and its rural farming communities have driven a steady rightward shift — the 2024 presidential margin reached R+15.1, up from closer margins a decade ago.
Its margins are typically close. The Democratic margin reached sixteen points in 1964; the Republican margin reached fifty-six points in 1924. Between 2020 and 2024 the county moved three points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was fifteen points.
Its demographics sit near national norms: a 80% non-Hispanic-white share, a median household income of $68,114, and a 14% poverty rate. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of McDonough County and Jefferson 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.
Van Buren County, Michigan. Akashic. https://akashic.app/county/26159/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
More industrial catholic metro counties
Frequently asked questions
How did Van Buren County, Michigan vote in 2024?
In 2024, Van Buren County, Michigan voted Republican by 15.1 points (R+15), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 41,249 votes cast, 17,175 went Democratic and 23,407 went Republican.
What is Van Buren County, Michigan's political typology?
Akashic places Van Buren 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 6 times, Republican 27 times, and other 1 times.
When did Van Buren County, Michigan last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which Van Buren County, Michigan voted Democratic was 2012.
How many people live in Van Buren County, Michigan?
Van Buren County, Michigan has a population of 75,795 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Van Buren County, Michigan?
Median household income in Van Buren County, Michigan is $68,114 — below the national median of $80,734. The Michigan state median is $72,875.
What is the political history of Van Buren County, Michigan?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Van Buren County, Michigan from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 6 went Democratic and 27 went Republican. The county's typology — "Industrial Catholic Metro" — captures where that record, its demographics, and its recent swing place it among American communities.