Kalkaska County Demographics

A map of Kalkaska County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	16,841	16,523	92.3%	92.1%
Multiracial	681	763	3.7%	4.3%
Hispanic	417	355	2.3%	2.0%
Black	148	40	0.8%	0.2%
Asian	91	60	0.5%	0.3%
Native American/Other	61	198	0.3%	1.1%

Kalkaska County, Michigan has an estimated population of 18,239, a slight increase from the 17,939 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 92.3% White, 3.7% Multiracial, 2.3% Hispanic, 0.8% Black, 0.5% Asian, and 0.3% Native American/Other. This demographic dot map shows the population of Kalkaska County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Kalkaska is about as racially diverse as it was in 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 Kalkaska County, that probability was 14.9% in 2020 and 14.5% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Kalkaska County is ranked the 66th most populous county in Michigan, out of 83 counties. Kalkaska County was ranked the 66th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Kalkaska County's White Population

16,841 residents of Kalkaska County, or 92.3% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Kalkaska County is significantly higher than in Michigan overall, where 72.4% of the population is White. Kalkaska County ranks 23rd statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 83 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Kalkaska County's White population has grown by an estimated 1.9%. White residents' share of Kalkaska County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 92.3%.

Kalkaska County is more White than neighboring Missaukee County (90.4% White), Grand Traverse County (90.5% White), and Crawford County (91.5% White). Kalkaska County is less White than neighboring Antrim County (92.4% White), and Roscommon County (92.4% White).

Kalkaska County's Black Population

148 residents of Kalkaska County, or 0.8% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Kalkaska County is considerably lower than in Michigan overall, where 13.1% of the population is Black. Kalkaska County ranks 74th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 83 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Kalkaska County's Black population has grown by an estimated 270.0%. Black residents' share of Kalkaska County's population has increased from 0.2% to 0.8%.

Kalkaska County is more Black than neighboring Antrim County (0.5% Black), Missaukee County (0.3% Black), Crawford County (0.4% Black), and Roscommon County (0.7% Black).

Kalkaska County's Asian Population

91 residents of Kalkaska County, or 0.5% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Kalkaska County is slightly lower than in Michigan overall, where 3.4% of the population is Asian. Kalkaska County ranks 60th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 83 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Kalkaska County's Asian population has grown by an estimated 51.7%. Asian residents' share of Kalkaska County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.5%.

Kalkaska County is more Asian than neighboring Antrim County (0.3% Asian), Missaukee County (0.4% Asian), and Roscommon County (0.1% Asian). Kalkaska County is less Asian than neighboring Grand Traverse County (0.7% Asian), and Crawford County (0.8% Asian).

Kalkaska County's Hispanic Population

417 residents of Kalkaska County, or 2.3% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Kalkaska County is slightly lower than in Michigan overall, where 5.9% of the population is Hispanic. Kalkaska County ranks 57th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 83 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Kalkaska County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 17.5%. Hispanic residents' share of Kalkaska County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 2.3%.

Kalkaska County is more Hispanic than neighboring Antrim County (2.2% Hispanic), and Roscommon County (2% Hispanic). Kalkaska County is less Hispanic than neighboring Missaukee County (3.4% Hispanic), Grand Traverse County (3.4% Hispanic), and Crawford County (2.4% Hispanic).

Kalkaska County's Native American/Other Population

61 residents of Kalkaska County, or 0.3% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Kalkaska County is comparable to the share in Michigan overall, where 0.8% of the population is Native American/Other. Kalkaska County ranks 24th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 83 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Kalkaska County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 69.2%. Native American/Other residents' share of Kalkaska County's population has decreased from 1.1% to 0.3%.

Kalkaska County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Antrim County (1.3% Native American/Other), Missaukee County (0.4% Native American/Other), Grand Traverse County (0.6% Native American/Other), Crawford County (0.7% Native American/Other), and Roscommon County (0.4% Native American/Other).

Kalkaska County's Multiracial Population

681 residents of Kalkaska County, or 3.7% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Kalkaska County is comparable to the share in Michigan overall, where 4.5% of the population is Multiracial. Kalkaska County ranks 36th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 83 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Kalkaska County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 10.7%. Multiracial residents' share of Kalkaska County's population has decreased from 4.3% to 3.7%.

Kalkaska County is more Multiracial than neighboring Antrim County (3.2% Multiracial). Kalkaska County is less Multiracial than neighboring Missaukee County (5% Multiracial), Grand Traverse County (4.1% Multiracial), Crawford County (4.1% Multiracial), and Roscommon County (4.4% 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.