Ottawa County Demographics

A map of Ottawa County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	246,196	241,520	81.7%	81.5%
Hispanic	30,924	29,382	10.3%	9.9%
Multiracial	9,766	10,660	3.2%	3.6%
Asian	8,124	7,895	2.7%	2.7%
Black	4,580	5,071	1.5%	1.7%
Native American/Other	1,613	1,672	0.5%	0.6%

Ottawa County, Michigan has an estimated population of 301,203, a slight increase from the 296,200 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 81.7% White, 10.3% Hispanic, 3.2% Multiracial, 2.7% Asian, 1.5% Black, and 0.5% Native American/Other. This demographic dot map shows the population of Ottawa County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Ottawa 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 Ottawa County, that probability was 32.3% in 2020 and 31.9% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Ottawa County is ranked the 7th most populous county in Michigan, out of 83 counties. Ottawa County was ranked the 7th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Ottawa County's White Population

246,196 residents of Ottawa County, or 81.7% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Ottawa County is higher than in Michigan overall, where 72.4% of the population is White. Ottawa County ranks 64th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 83 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Ottawa County's White population has grown by an estimated 1.9%. White residents' share of Ottawa County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 81.7%.

Ottawa County is more White than neighboring Muskegon County (75% White), Van Buren County (78.2% White), and Oceana County (79.5% White). Ottawa County is less White than neighboring Allegan County (84.6% White), and Newaygo County (87.2% White).

Ottawa County's Black Population

4,580 residents of Ottawa County, or 1.5% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Ottawa County is considerably lower than in Michigan overall, where 13.1% of the population is Black. Ottawa County ranks 33rd statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 83 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Ottawa County's Black population has declined by an estimated 9.7%. Black residents' share of Ottawa County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 1.5%.

Ottawa County is more Black than neighboring Allegan County (1.2% Black), Oceana County (1% Black), and Newaygo County (0.8% Black). Ottawa County is less Black than neighboring Muskegon County (12% Black), and Van Buren County (3.5% Black).

Ottawa County's Asian Population

8,124 residents of Ottawa County, or 2.7% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Ottawa County is comparable to the share in Michigan overall, where 3.4% of the population is Asian. Ottawa County ranks 9th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 83 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Ottawa County's Asian population has grown by an estimated 2.9%. Asian residents' share of Ottawa County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 2.7%.

Ottawa County is more Asian than neighboring Muskegon County (0.6% Asian), Allegan County (0.7% Asian), Van Buren County (0.5% Asian), Oceana County (0.1% Asian), and Newaygo County (0.4% Asian).

Ottawa County's Hispanic Population

30,924 residents of Ottawa County, or 10.3% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Ottawa County is slightly higher than in Michigan overall, where 5.9% of the population is Hispanic. Ottawa County ranks 4th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 83 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Ottawa County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 5.2%. Hispanic residents' share of Ottawa County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 10.3%.

Ottawa County is more Hispanic than neighboring Muskegon County (6.3% Hispanic), Allegan County (8.1% Hispanic), and Newaygo County (6.3% Hispanic). Ottawa County is less Hispanic than neighboring Van Buren County (12.5% Hispanic), and Oceana County (15.5% Hispanic).

Ottawa County's Native American/Other Population

1,613 residents of Ottawa County, or 0.5% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Ottawa County is comparable to the share in Michigan overall, where 0.8% of the population is Native American/Other. Ottawa County ranks 73rd statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 83 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Ottawa County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 3.5%. Native American/Other residents' share of Ottawa County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.5%.

Ottawa County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Muskegon County (0.7% Native American/Other), Allegan County (0.7% Native American/Other), Van Buren County (0.8% Native American/Other), Oceana County (0.6% Native American/Other), and Newaygo County (1.3% Native American/Other).

Ottawa County's Multiracial Population

9,766 residents of Ottawa County, or 3.2% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Ottawa County is comparable to the share in Michigan overall, where 4.5% of the population is Multiracial. Ottawa County ranks 65th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 83 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Ottawa County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 8.4%. Multiracial residents' share of Ottawa County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 3.2%.

Ottawa County is less Multiracial than neighboring Muskegon County (5.6% Multiracial), Allegan County (4.7% Multiracial), Van Buren County (4.4% Multiracial), and Newaygo County (4.1% 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.