Iron County Demographics
A map of Iron County's Population by Race
Iron County, Michigan has an estimated population of 11,667, a less than 1% change from the 11,631 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 90.6% White, 3.7% Multiracial, 2.3% Hispanic, 1.8% Native American/Other, 0.9% Black, and 0.6% Asian. This demographic dot map shows the population of Iron County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.
Iron has become more racially diverse since the 2020 Census. It is considerably less diverse than Michigan overall. Demographers use a diversity index to measure the probability that two randomly selected individuals belong to different racial or ethnic groups. In Iron County, that probability was 13.2% in 2020 and 17.6% in the most recent ACS estimates.
Iron County is ranked the 73rd most populous county in Michigan, out of 83 counties. Iron County was ranked the 73rd most populous county in the 2020 Census.
Iron County's White Population
10,576 residents of Iron County, or 90.6% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Iron County is significantly higher than in Michigan overall, where 72.4% of the population is White. Iron County ranks 12th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 83 counties.
Since the 2020 Census, Iron County's White population has declined by an estimated 2.3%. White residents' share of Iron County's population has decreased from 93.1% to 90.6%.
Iron County is more White than neighboring Baraga County (72% White), and Forest County (77.7% White). Iron County is less White than neighboring Florence County (94.9% White), Dickinson County (92.3% White), and Houghton County (90.9% White).
Iron County's Black Population
110 residents of Iron County, or 0.9% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Iron County is considerably lower than in Michigan overall, where 13.1% of the population is Black. Iron County ranks 77th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 83 counties.
Since the 2020 Census, Iron County's Black population has grown by an estimated 358.3%. Black residents' share of Iron County's population has increased from 0.2% to 0.9%.
Iron County is more Black than neighboring Florence County (0.3% Black), Forest County (0.4% Black), and Dickinson County (0.3% Black). Iron County is less Black than neighboring Baraga County (6.3% Black), and Houghton County (1.1% Black).
Iron County's Asian Population
69 residents of Iron County, or 0.6% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Iron County is slightly lower than in Michigan overall, where 3.4% of the population is Asian. Iron County ranks 56th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 83 counties.
Since the 2020 Census, Iron County's Asian population has grown by an estimated 68.3%. Asian residents' share of Iron County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.6%.
Iron County is more Asian than neighboring Florence County (0% Asian), Forest County (0.1% Asian), and Dickinson County (0.3% Asian). Iron County is less Asian than neighboring Baraga County (0.8% Asian), and Houghton County (2.9% Asian).
Iron County's Hispanic Population
268 residents of Iron County, or 2.3% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Iron County is slightly lower than in Michigan overall, where 5.9% of the population is Hispanic. Iron County ranks 65th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 83 counties.
Since the 2020 Census, Iron County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 30.1%. Hispanic residents' share of Iron County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 2.3%.
Iron County is more Hispanic than neighboring Florence County (0.5% Hispanic), Baraga County (1.7% Hispanic), Forest County (2.2% Hispanic), Dickinson County (2% Hispanic), and Houghton County (1.8% Hispanic).
Iron County's Native American/Other Population
210 residents of Iron County, or 1.8% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Iron County is comparable to the share in Michigan overall, where 0.8% of the population is Native American/Other. Iron County ranks 25th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 83 counties.
Since the 2020 Census, Iron County's Native American/Other population has grown by an estimated 65.4%. Native American/Other residents' share of Iron County's population has increased from 1.1% to 1.8%.
Iron County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Florence County (1.6% Native American/Other), Dickinson County (1.1% Native American/Other), and Houghton County (1.3% Native American/Other). Iron County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Baraga County (12% Native American/Other), and Forest County (12.1% Native American/Other).
Iron County's Multiracial Population
434 residents of Iron County, or 3.7% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Iron County is comparable to the share in Michigan overall, where 4.5% of the population is Multiracial. Iron County ranks 68th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 83 counties.
Since the 2020 Census, Iron County's Multiracial population has grown by an estimated 5.9%. Multiracial residents' share of Iron County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 3.7%.
Iron County is more Multiracial than neighboring Florence County (2.8% Multiracial), and Houghton County (1.9% Multiracial). Iron County is less Multiracial than neighboring Baraga County (7.2% Multiracial), Forest County (7.5% Multiracial), and Dickinson County (4% Multiracial).
Sources: Most recent population estimates are from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. 2020 population counts and map data are from 2020 Census State Redistricting Data. Geographic data are from Census TIGER/Line Shapefiles.