akashic
1876–2024
Calhoun County, Michigan
Calhoun County·Michigan

Calhoun County votes the way the country votes.

A mid-size manufacturing county that has shifted steadily rightward since 2008

18762024·38 elections
Calhoun County, Michigan · Unknown authorUnknown author · Wikimedia Commons
Latest
R+14
in 2024
Archetype
Bellwether
since the recent cycles
Population
133,778
2024 ACS
Most similar
Manistee County
MI · similarity 0.98
114 precincts · 68,590 votes cast
Trump · R+14
Margin
Turnout
Harris +50
Trump +50
Real precinct boundaries. Hover for vote totals.
YearWonMarginDemocraticRepublicanTotal
2024R
−14.0%
28,98838,60668,590
2020R
−11.1%
28,87736,22166,281
2016R
−12.5%
24,15731,49458,902
2012D
+1.6%
29,26728,33358,327
2008D
+9.4%
34,56128,55364,196
2004R
−3.5%
29,89132,09362,667
2000D
+1.9%
27,31226,29155,080
1996D
+10.2%
26,28720,95352,443
1992D
+9.8%
25,54219,79158,702
1988R
−8.1%
22,71726,77149,787
1984R
−25.7%
20,31334,47055,067
1980R
−13.3%
23,02230,91259,176
1976R
−9.1%
25,22930,39056,520
1972R
−18.6%
22,15432,53155,828
1968R
−6.5%
22,63326,18154,960
1964D
+26.8%
32,93918,98752,025
1960R
−15.4%
23,51132,08055,793
1956R
−23.0%
20,18432,28452,643
1952R
−24.8%
19,17131,94151,447
1948R
−12.0%
15,07719,28535,096
1944R
−10.8%
16,61120,66437,693
1940R
−7.3%
18,68221,63340,610
1936D
+15.4%
20,23114,66736,153
1932D
+0.1%
16,28116,25533,563
1928R
−61.4%
5,76924,37930,321
1924R
−56.0%
4,02018,16525,262
1920R
−43.1%
6,29116,72224,193
1916D
+10.1%
8,0376,48415,412
1912D
+2.6%
3,7813,44713,045
1908R
−21.3%
4,2406,84812,231
1904R
−37.8%
3,1027,50611,639
1900R
−5.3%
5,5606,22012,413
1896D
+2.6%
6,2025,87412,494
1892R
−8.8%
4,1505,07710,556
1888
No data
1884
No data
1880
No data
1876
No data
Demographics
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
American
100.0%
African American
7.8%
Multiple ancestry combinations reported; no single grouping above 1%.
American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander combined.
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release. Ancestry is a self-reported, multiple-response item; ancestry percentages do not sum to the parent race percentage.
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
0.0%
speak English only
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Other Christian
9.6%
Catholic & Orthodox
8.6%
Baptist
4.5%
Pentecostal & Holiness
3.8%
Mainline Protestant
3.3%
Methodist
2.4%
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 67.8% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.

Home to Battle Creek and a legacy of cereal and defense manufacturing, Calhoun County voted Democratic as recently as 2012 but has swung roughly 20 points toward Republicans over the past three presidential cycles.

The Democratic margin in Calhoun County has rarely exceeded twenty-seven points in modern history; the Republican margin has rarely exceeded sixty-one points. 2024 delivered the county to the Republican candidate by fourteen points.

Calhoun County's demographics resemble the country more than they resemble most counties. A 76% non-Hispanic-white share, a 14% poverty rate, and a median household income of $63,177 — all within the broad national range. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Manistee County and LaSalle County.