Lapeer County is a county in Michigan, United States, in the Thumb region east of Flint and north of Detroit. It had a population of 88,619 at the 2020 census and covers 643 square miles (1,670 km2) of land centred near 43°05′N 83°13′W.
Lapeer is the county seat, and its postal code is 48446. The county has 3 incorporated cities, 7 villages and a scatter of unincorporated communities across 18 civil townships. It runs on Eastern time and sits in Michigan’s 9th congressional district.
Towns & Villages in Lapeer County
The table below lists Lapeer County’s incorporated places, its seven villages and its main unincorporated communities. Type key: City · seat = the county seat; CDP = census-designated place; Unincorp. = an unincorporated community with no municipal government of its own.
| Place | Type | Township | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lapeer | City · seat | Lapeer | 9,023 | 48446 |
| Imlay City | City | Imlay | — | 48444 |
| Almont | Village | Almont | — | 48003 |
| Clifford | Village | Marathon | — | 48727 |
| Columbiaville | Village | Lapeer | — | 48421 |
| Dryden | Village | Dryden | — | 48428 |
| Metamora | Village | Metamora | — | 48455 |
| North Branch | Village | North Branch | — | 48461 |
| Otter Lake | Village | Forest (partly Genesee County) | — | 48464 |
| Attica | Unincorp. | Attica | — | 48412 |
| Burnside | Unincorp. | Burnside | — | — |
| Elba | Unincorp. | Elba | — | — |
| Farmers Creek | Unincorp. | Dryden | — | — |
| Five Lakes | Unincorp. | Arcadia | — | — |
| Goodland | Unincorp. | Goodland | — | — |
| Hadley | Unincorp. | Hadley | — | 48440 |
| Hunters Creek | Unincorp. | Hadley | — | — |
| Kerr Hill | Unincorp. | Rich | — | — |
| Kings Mill | Unincorp. | Attica | — | — |
| Lum | Unincorp. | Mayfield | — | — |
| Silverwood | Unincorp. | Burnside | — | 48760 |
| Thornville | Unincorp. | Elba | — | — |
Brown City, on the county’s northeast edge, is mostly in Sanilac County with only a small portion reaching into Lapeer County, so it is not listed above as a Lapeer County place. Otter Lake village straddles the Lapeer–Genesee county line.
Townships
| Township | Pop. (2020) | Main settlements |
|---|---|---|
| Lapeer | — | City of Lapeer, Columbiaville |
| Imlay | — | Imlay City |
| Almont | — | Almont |
| Metamora | — | Metamora |
| North Branch | — | North Branch |
| Dryden | — | Dryden, Farmers Creek |
| Attica | — | Attica, Kings Mill |
| Hadley | — | Hadley, Hunters Creek |
| Elba | — | Elba, Thornville |
| Marathon | — | Clifford |
| Mayfield | — | Lum |
| Burnside | — | Burnside, Silverwood |
| Goodland | — | Goodland |
| Arcadia | — | Five Lakes |
| Rich | — | Kerr Hill |
| Burlington | — | rural |
| Deerfield | — | rural |
| Oregon | — | rural |
2020 township-level population figures are not published in a form this page can verify; the table above lists each township’s main settlement instead.
ZIP Codes
- 48446 — Lapeer
- 48444 — Imlay City
- 48455 — Metamora
- 48461 — North Branch
- 48421 — Columbiaville
- 48003 — Almont
- 48412 — Attica
- 48428 — Dryden
- 48464 — Otter Lake
- 48760 — Silverwood (PO Box only)
- 48727 — Clifford
- 48440 — Hadley
Smaller unincorporated communities such as Burnside, Elba, Farmers Creek, Five Lakes, Goodland, Hunters Creek, Kerr Hill, Kings Mill, Lum and Thornville share a ZIP code with a nearby post office town rather than having their own.
Geography
Lapeer County lies in Michigan’s Thumb region, a peninsula between Saginaw Bay and Lake Huron. Of the county’s 663 square miles, 643 square miles are land and 20 square miles (3.0 percent) are water. The terrain is gently rolling farmland dotted with small lakes, in contrast to the more built-up suburban landscape of neighboring Oakland County to the southwest. The Flint River rises near Columbiaville and flows west through the county toward Genesee County.
Lapeer County borders Tuscola County to the northwest, Sanilac County to the northeast, St. Clair County to the east, Macomb County to the southeast, Oakland County to the southwest and Genesee County to the west (the Genesee County page currently redirects to a New York county of the same name, so it is named here without a link).
Demographics
Lapeer County had 88,619 residents at the 2020 census, a density of about 138 people per square mile. The City of Lapeer, with 9,023 residents, and Imlay City are the county’s two largest incorporated places. Median household income in the county runs close to the Michigan median of $69,183, reflecting a mix of commuting households and working farms.
Economy & Local Life
Lapeer County’s economy shifted from 19th-century lumbering to agriculture by the late 1800s, and farming — dairy, cash crops and hay — remains part of the local economy alongside manufacturing tied to the nearby Flint and Detroit auto corridor. Many residents commute south into Oakland and Macomb counties for work. The county fairgrounds in the City of Lapeer host the annual Lapeer County Fair each July, a longstanding local event.
History
Lapeer County was created on September 18, 1822, and formally organized on February 2, 1835. Its name is a corruption of the French la pierre, “the stone,” referring to a large rock landmark once found along the Flint River near the county seat. Timber drove the county’s early growth through the 1870s, after which the cleared land turned the county toward agriculture, a shift still visible in its township layout today.
Getting There
Interstate 69 crosses the county east–west, with M-24 serving the western townships and M-53 the eastern ones, and M-90 running east–west through the City of Lapeer.
- Flint — 20 miles west
- Detroit — 60 miles south
- Port Huron — 35 miles east
- Saginaw — 45 miles northwest
Bishop International Airport in Flint is the nearest commercial airport.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Lapeer County, Michigan?
It is in Michigan’s Thumb region, east of Flint and north of Detroit.
What is the population of Lapeer County?
88,619 at the 2020 census.
How big is Lapeer County?
643 square miles of land (1,670 km2), plus 20 square miles of water.
What is the county seat of Lapeer County?
The City of Lapeer.
How many towns and villages are in Lapeer County?
Three cities (counting Brown City’s small edge presence), seven villages and about a dozen unincorporated communities spread across 18 civil townships.
What ZIP codes are in Lapeer County?
12 ZIP codes, including 48446 (Lapeer), 48444 (Imlay City), 48003 (Almont) and 48461 (North Branch).
Where does the name “Lapeer” come from?
It comes from the French la pierre, “the stone,” named for a rock landmark on the Flint River.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Michigan.