• county
  • FIPS 26139
  • Largest town: Holland

Ottawa County, Michigan

Ottawa County had 306,235 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 563.5 square miles of land. It ranks 7th of 83 in Michigan by population and 51st by land area.

Population
306,235
#7 of 83 in Michigan · #240 in US
Area
563.5 sq mi
#51 of 83 in Michigan · #1,828 in US
Density
543 / sq mi
#6 of 83 in Michigan · #264 in US
Median household income
$81,772
#7 of 83 in Michigan · #412 in US

Census Vintage 2024 estimates · SAIPE 2023 income · 2024 Gazetteer land area

Ottawa County within Michigan. Pin: Lansing.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Ottawa County

Ottawa County population, land area and income

Ottawa County had 306,235 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 563.5 square miles of land. It ranks 7th of 83 in Michigan by population and 51st by land area. That works out to 543.4 people per square mile, 5.6 times the US average of 96.3, and in the top tenth nationally.

The median county-equivalent in Michigan has 38,041 residents, so Ottawa County is 8.1 times that size.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $81,772 is in the top quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

306,235

3144th1st

240th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

564 sq mi

3144th1st

1828th of 3,144 (US)

Density

543.4 / sq mi

3144th1st

264th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$81,772

3143rd1st

412th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Michigan (83)

Population

306,235

83rd1st

7th of 83 (MI)

Land area

564 sq mi

83rd1st

51st of 83 (MI)

Density

543.4 / sq mi

83rd1st

6th of 83 (MI)

Median household income

$81,772

83rd1st

7th of 83 (MI)

How Ottawa County's population changed since 2020

Ottawa County gained 9,336 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 3.1%. That ranks 12th of 83 in Michigan for growth. The median Michigan county changed by +0.9%, and the state as a whole by +0.7%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Ottawa County recorded 13,050 births and 10,501 deaths, a natural change of +2,549. Net international migration added +2,110 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +5,238. The largest single component was domestic migration, which added 5,238 people.

296.9k2020298.4k2021300.9k2022303.6k2023306.2k2024
Census Vintage 2024 county estimates for July 1 of each year. The axis starts above zero so year-to-year changes are visible.

Components of change, April 2020 to July 2024

Births
13,050
Deaths
10,501
Net international migration
+2,110
Net domestic migration
+5,238
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+2,660

Where Ottawa County is

The Census internal point of Ottawa County is at 43.055000, -86.219300. It sits in UTM zone 16N. The map shades Michigan's 83 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Ottawa County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Calhoun County: -0.3%Benzie County: +2.9%Newaygo County: +2.8%Antrim County: +4.6%Montcalm County: +4.0%Kalamazoo County: +1.1%Isabella County: +0.9%Ingham County: +1.9%Jackson County: +0.0%Kent County: +2.2%Oceana County: +1.1%Roscommon County: +2.0%Clare County: +1.8%Gladwin County: +2.5%Branch County: +2.9%Iosco County: +0.7%Bay County: -1.1%Shiawassee County: -0.0%Ionia County: -1.0%Otsego County: +3.8%Alcona County: +4.3%Missaukee County: +1.1%Crawford County: +4.7%Lapeer County: +0.7%Arenac County: +0.5%Gogebic County: -0.9%Marquette County: +2.2%Alpena County: +0.1%Lenawee County: -1.6%Berrien County: -1.1%Leelanau County: +2.5%Clinton County: +1.1%Alger County: -1.6%Gratiot County: -0.8%St. Joseph County: +0.4%Van Buren County: +0.7%Dickinson County: +0.3%Charlevoix County: +0.3%Sanilac County: -0.5%Wexford County: +2.3%Houghton County: +2.1%Saginaw County: -1.1%Kalkaska County: +3.8%Ottawa County: +3.1%Presque Isle County: +1.8%Eaton County: +0.3%Barry County: +2.3%Lake County: +7.5%Cheboygan County: +1.5%Wayne County: -1.0%Macomb County: +0.7%Oscoda County: +4.4%Emmet County: -0.5%Ontonagon County: +0.4%Schoolcraft County: +1.5%Monroe County: +0.7%Tuscola County: -1.0%Luce County: -1.3%Menominee County: -1.7%Mason County: +0.2%Muskegon County: +1.5%Baraga County: +0.3%Genesee County: -0.9%Grand Traverse County: +1.3%Washtenaw County: +0.5%Huron County: -1.9%Cass County: -0.0%Delta County: -0.5%Montmorency County: +7.2%Oakland County: +1.9%Chippewa County: -1.5%Keweenaw County: +5.0%Hillsdale County: -0.3%Manistee County: +1.8%Allegan County: +1.5%Mecosta County: +3.8%Iron County: +0.8%Osceola County: +2.5%St. Clair County: -0.1%Livingston County: +1.5%Ogemaw County: +1.0%Midland County: +0.6%Mackinac County: +3.1%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < -0.5%
  2. < +0.5%
  3. < +1.5%
  4. < +2.5%
  5. ≥ +2.5%
no data

Orange pin: Ottawa County internal point. Dark pin: Lansing.

Internal point

Decimal
43.055000, -86.219300
DMS
43°03'18.00"N 86°13'9.48"W
UTM
16N 563576.9E 4767218.2N
Geohash
dpdsyjcj8
Plus code
86MM3Q4J+27

Towns in Ottawa County

7 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Ottawa County, 62,088 people together, or 20% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Ottawa County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Holland with 27,092.

  1. 01Holland (part)27,092
  2. 02Grand Haven11,045
  3. 03Hudsonville7,985
  4. 04Zeeland5,637
  5. 05Coopersville4,856
  6. 06Ferrysburg2,963
  7. 07Spring Lake2,510
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Ottawa County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 5 neighbors for Ottawa County, including 2 across a state line. The most populous is Milwaukee County, WI, with 924,740 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Lansing and the nearest big city

Lansing is 87.1 miles ESE of Ottawa County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Grand Rapids, MI (population 200,117), 29.2 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Grand Haven, MI (population 11,045), 0.0 miles away.

Ottawa County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Ottawa County is 26139: state code 26 for Michigan plus county code 139. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $81,772.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Ottawa County, Michigan?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 306,235. That is up 9,336 people (3.1%) from the July 2020 estimate of 296,899.

What is the FIPS code of Ottawa County?

26139. The first two digits (26) are Michigan; the last three (139) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Ottawa County?

Holland, with 27,092 residents inside Ottawa County in 2024 (35,023 across all 2 counties it spans).

Which counties border Ottawa County?

5 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Milwaukee County, WI; Kent County, MI; Racine County, WI; Muskegon County, MI; Allegan County, MI.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 population estimates, 2024 Gazetteer land area and internal points, SAIPE 2023 median household income.

  1. 01Census Vintage 2024 county population estimates
  2. 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, counties
  3. 03Census SAIPE 2023 state and county estimates
  4. 04Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  5. 05Census 2024 county adjacency file
  6. 06Census 2024 cartographic boundary file, counties (1:5,000,000)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.