Livingston County, Michigan

Livingston County
County
Livingston County Courthouse in Howell
Location within the U.S. state of Michigan
Michigan's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 42°36′N 83°55′W / 42.6°N 83.91°W / 42.6; -83.91
Country	United States
State	Michigan
Founded	1833 (authorized) 1836 (organized)[1]
Named for	Edward Livingston
Seat	Howell
Largest city	Howell
Area
• Total	585 sq mi (1,520 km2)
• Land	565 sq mi (1,460 km2)
• Water	20 sq mi (50 km2)  3.4%
Population  (2020)
• Total	193,866
• Density	320/sq mi (120/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	7th
Website	livgov.com

Livingston County (/lɪvɪŋstən/ LIV-ing-stən) is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 193,866.^[2] It is part of the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI Metropolitan Statistical Area. The county seat and most populous city is Howell.^[3] The county was platted in 1833, but for three years remained assigned to Shiawassee and Washtenaw counties for revenue, taxation and judicial matters. It was formally organized in 1836. As one of Michigan's "Cabinet counties", a group of ten counties whose names honor members of President Andrew Jackson's Cabinet, it is named after former US Secretary of State Edward Livingston.^[1] Livingston County's location in Southeast Michigan offers residents relatively convenient access to the metropolitan centers of Detroit, Lansing, Ann Arbor, and Flint. Livingston County residents regularly commute to those centers, using the three major expressways which pass through the county: I-96, US 23, and M-59. Although continuing to be composed largely of bedroom communities, the county is experiencing and maintaining significant growth in both the service and industrial economic sectors. Major employers include Tribar, PepsiCo, Citizens Insurance, and ThaiSummit. The Brighton Recreation Area is in the county.

According to the US Census Bureau, the county has an area of 585 square miles (1,520 km²), of which 565 square miles (1,460 km²) is land and 20 square miles (52 km²) (3.4%) is water.^[4]

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1840	7,430		—
1850	13,485		81.5%
1860	16,851		25.0%
1870	19,336		14.7%
1880	22,251		15.1%
1890	20,858		−6.3%
1900	19,664		−5.7%
1910	17,736		−9.8%
1920	17,522		−1.2%
1930	19,274		10.0%
1940	20,863		8.2%
1950	26,725		28.1%
1960	38,233		43.1%
1970	58,967		54.2%
1980	100,289		70.1%
1990	115,645		15.3%
2000	156,951		35.7%
2010	180,967		15.3%
2020	193,866		7.1%
2023 (est.)	196,757	[5]	1.5%
US Decennial Census[6] 1790–1960[7] 1900–1990[8] 1990–2000[9] 2010–2019[2]

As of the 2010 United States Census,^[10] the county had 180,967 people, 55,384 households, and 43,531 families. The population density was 320 inhabitants per square mile (120/km²). There were 58,919 housing units at an average density of 104 per square mile (40/km²). 96.7% of the population were White, 0.8% Asian, 0.4% Black or African American, 0.4% Native American, 0.4% of some other race and 1.3% of two or more races. 1.9% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race). 20.8% were of German, 11.2% Irish, 10.6% English, 10.6% Polish, 6.5% American, 5.2% Italian and 5.1% French, French Canadian or Cajun ancestry. 95.9% spoke only English at home, while 1.7% spoke Spanish.^[11]

There were 55,384 households, of which 39.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.50% were married couples living together, 6.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.40% were non-families. 17.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.18.

In the county, 28.80% of the population was under the age of 18, 6.60% was from age 18 to 24, 31.70% was from age 25 to 44, 24.60% was from age 45 to 64, and 8.30% was 65 years or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.70 males.

With a median household income of $67,400 (2008 estimate - $72,700) and a median family income of $75,284, Livingston County is the 88th highest-income county in the United States and has the second-highest median income in Michigan (after Oakland) in 2010. Males had a median income of $54,358 versus $32,073 for females. The county's per capita income was $28,069. About 2.40% of families and 3.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.60% of those under age 18 and 4.50% of those age 65 or over.

A majority of the county's population resided in the southeastern communities of Brighton Township, Genoa Township, Hamburg Township, Green Oak Township, the Village of Pinckney, Putnam Township and the city of Brighton.

The US Census Bureau in 2000 identified Brighton, Howell and the nearby city of South Lyon to be a contiguously urbanized area, one of the newest such areas in the United States.

There are two local newspapers, the Livingston County Daily Press & Argus, owned by Gannett Company, and The Community Journal, which is an independently owned weekly.

The Daily Press & Argus, which publishes daily except Saturday, was launched in 2000 through the combination of two weekly newspapers, The Livingston County Press and The Brighton Argus, which served the communities for many decades.

The Community Journal was launched in February 2010. It publishes Tuesdays, covering Pinckney, Fowlerville, and the Howell areas.The Journal is published along with the Fowlerville News and Views.

A weekly all-local paper,The Livingston Community News, was launched in May 2003 with offices in downtown Brighton and was closed in July 2009 when The Ann Arbor News, the newspaper's parent company, ceased publication.

Other media in the county include WHMI-FM, a Classic Hits radio station that has local news on the hour, and www.LivingstonTalk.com, a web-based product launched in the fall of 2009.

The Marketeer is a free monthly magazine that is mailed to more than 42,000 in Livingston County. Its content is primarily advertising from local businesses plus articles and information about people and community events. The Marketeer has been published since 1974.

Livingston County falls entirely within Michigan's 7th Congressional district and is currently represented by Democrat Elissa Slotkin, who defeated Republican Mike Bishop in the 2018 election when the county was in the state’s 8th congressional district.

Livingston County has reliably supported the Republican Party since its founding. Since 1884, the Republican nominee has carried the county in 30 of 36 elections, and all but one since 1936 (losing only in 1964).

United States presidential election results for Livingston County, Michigan^[12]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	81,217	61.20%	49,503	37.30%	1,996	1.50%
2020	76,982	60.52%	48,220	37.91%	1,995	1.57%
2016	65,680	61.68%	34,384	32.29%	6,425	6.03%
2012	60,083	60.91%	37,216	37.73%	1,341	1.36%
2008	55,592	55.64%	42,349	42.39%	1,965	1.97%
2004	58,860	62.79%	33,991	36.26%	891	0.95%
2000	44,637	59.14%	28,780	38.13%	2,058	2.73%
1996	30,598	50.79%	22,517	37.38%	7,127	11.83%
1992	27,539	44.61%	17,851	28.92%	16,345	26.48%
1988	31,331	68.79%	13,749	30.19%	466	1.02%
1984	31,846	74.39%	10,720	25.04%	246	0.57%
1980	25,012	60.17%	12,626	30.37%	3,932	9.46%
1976	19,437	59.83%	12,415	38.22%	634	1.95%
1972	16,856	66.85%	7,634	30.28%	725	2.88%
1968	10,034	51.01%	7,052	35.85%	2,584	13.14%
1964	6,723	40.89%	9,698	58.99%	20	0.12%
1960	10,340	64.68%	5,608	35.08%	39	0.24%
1956	10,315	72.62%	3,845	27.07%	45	0.32%
1952	9,790	75.57%	3,086	23.82%	79	0.61%
1948	7,368	70.99%	2,813	27.10%	198	1.91%
1944	7,417	71.38%	2,910	28.01%	64	0.62%
1940	7,068	68.25%	3,254	31.42%	34	0.33%
1936	5,117	53.51%	4,117	43.05%	329	3.44%
1932	4,534	48.46%	4,684	50.06%	139	1.49%
1928	5,642	72.88%	2,075	26.81%	24	0.31%
1924	4,886	67.37%	2,037	28.09%	329	4.54%
1920	4,639	64.10%	2,437	33.67%	161	2.22%
1916	2,460	50.88%	2,297	47.51%	78	1.61%
1912	1,408	28.49%	1,960	39.66%	1,574	31.85%
1908	2,740	50.82%	2,418	44.84%	234	4.34%
1904	3,288	60.32%	1,988	36.47%	175	3.21%
1900	2,860	49.70%	2,727	47.38%	168	2.92%
1896	2,893	47.69%	2,994	49.36%	179	2.95%
1892	2,447	43.76%	2,385	42.65%	760	13.59%
1888	2,706	44.99%	2,842	47.25%	467	7.76%
1884	2,597	44.72%	2,938	50.59%	272	4.68%

The county government operates the jail, maintains rural roads, operates the major local courts, records deeds, mortgages, and vital records, administers public health regulations, and participates with the state in the provision of social services. The county board of commissioners controls the budget and has limited authority to make laws or ordinances. In Michigan, most local government functions – police and fire, building and zoning, tax assessment, street maintenance, etc. – are the responsibility of individual cities and townships.

(information as of May 2019)

• I-96 – runs ESE and SE through central part of county, passing Fowlerville, Howell, Brighton.
• BL I-96 – business loop through central Howell, parallel to and on the north side of I96. Length 7.6 miles (12.2 km).
• US 23 – runs north–south through eastern part of county, passing Hartland, Brighton, Whitmore Lake.
• M-36 - runs east and SE through lower part of county, passing Pinckney and Hamburg, to intersection with US23 north of Whitmore Lake.
• M-59 – runs west from east county line to intersection with I96, 3.4 miles (5.5 km) WNW of Howell.
• M-106 – enters west line of county near SW corner. Runs east and NE to intersection with M36, 3 miles (4.8 km) inside county border.
• D-19 – runs south from Pinckney 2.3 miles (3.7 km) to intersection with N. Territorial Road.

• Brighton
• Fenton (partial)
• Howell (county seat)

• Fowlerville
• Pinckney

• Brighton Charter Township
• Genoa Charter Township
• Green Oak Charter Township

• Hartland
• Whitmore Lake (partial)

• List of Michigan State Historic Sites in Livingston County, Michigan
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Livingston County, Michigan

• https://web.archive.org/web/20110606175624/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/26/26093.html

• Livingston County official website
• Livingston County (Michigan) travel guide from Wikivoyage
• "Bibliography on Livingston County". Clarke Historical Library, Central Michigan University.

42°36′N 83°55′W / 42.60°N 83.91°W / 42.60; -83.91