Clinton County is a county in Michigan, United States, in the south-central Lower Peninsula between Lansing and Saginaw. It had a population of 79,128 at the 2020 census and covers 575 square miles (1,490 km2), centred near 42°56′N 84°37′W.
St. Johns is the county seat, and its postal code is 48879. The county holds 6 cities (whole or in part), 6 villages, 16 townships and several unincorporated communities. Clinton County sits in the Eastern time zone and carries FIPS code 26037.
Towns & Villages in Clinton County
Clinton County’s 19 named places split between two fully-contained cities, four cities that only partly reach into the county, six villages, four census-designated places, and three unincorporated communities. CDP = census-designated place, an unincorporated settlement the Census Bureau tracks on its own; Unincorp. = an unincorporated community with no defined boundary or place government.
| Place | Type | Township | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Johns | City · seat | Bingham | — | 48879 |
| DeWitt | City | DeWitt | — | 48820 |
| Ovid | City (partial) | Ovid | — | 48866 |
| East Lansing | City (partial) | — | — | — |
| Lansing | City (partial) | — | — | 48906 |
| Grand Ledge | City (partial) | — | — | — |
| Eagle | Village | Eagle | — | 48822 |
| Elsie | Village | Duplain | — | 48831 |
| Fowler | Village | Westphalia | — | 48835 |
| Maple Rapids | Village | Essex | — | 48853 |
| Westphalia | Village | Westphalia | — | 48894 |
| Hubbardston | Village (partial) | Essex | — | — |
| Bath | CDP | Bath | — | 48808 |
| Eureka | CDP | Essex | — | 48833 |
| Lake Victoria | CDP | Riley | — | — |
| Wacousta | CDP | Watertown | — | — |
| Gunnisonville | Unincorp. | Bengal | — | — |
| Matherton | Unincorp. (partial) | Essex | — | — |
| Shepardsville | Unincorp. | Duplain | — | — |
Four of the county’s cities straddle a county line: East Lansing, Lansing and Grand Ledge are each centred in a neighboring county (Ingham, Ingham/Eaton, and Eaton respectively) with only a fringe reaching into Clinton County, and Hubbardston’s built-up core sits just across the line in Ionia County. Eureka village dissolved decades ago and today survives only as a census-designated place around its original crossroads.
Townships
| Township | Pop. (2020) | Main settlements |
|---|---|---|
| Bingham | — | St. Johns |
| DeWitt | — | DeWitt, part of Lansing |
| Watertown | — | Wacousta, part of Grand Ledge |
| Bath | — | Bath, part of East Lansing |
| Essex | — | Maple Rapids, Eureka, part of Hubbardston, part of Matherton |
| Ovid | — | Ovid (partial) |
| Duplain | — | Elsie, Shepardsville |
| Eagle | — | Eagle |
| Bengal | — | Gunnisonville |
| Riley | — | Lake Victoria |
| Westphalia | — | Westphalia, Fowler |
| Dallas | — | rural, no incorporated place |
| Greenbush | — | rural, no incorporated place |
| Lebanon | — | rural, no incorporated place |
| Olive | — | rural, no incorporated place |
| Victor | — | rural, no incorporated place |
ZIP Codes
- 48879 — St. Johns (also serves Bingham Township)
- 48820 — DeWitt
- 48808 — Bath
- 48866 — Ovid
- 48831 — Elsie
- 48835 — Fowler
- 48822 — Eagle
- 48894 — Westphalia
- 48853 — Maple Rapids (PO Box delivery)
- 48833 — Eureka (PO Box delivery)
- 48906 — Lansing (the small Clinton County fringe)
Places without their own post office — Gunnisonville, Lake Victoria, Matherton, Shepardsville and Wacousta — use the ZIP code of the nearest listed town.
Geography
Clinton County sits on flat to gently rolling glacial till plain typical of Michigan’s south-central Lower Peninsula. The Maple River crosses the county’s northwestern townships past Maple Rapids and Elsie, while the Looking Glass River drains the eastern and southern townships toward the Grand River. Land use is dominated by row-crop farmland, with wooded riverbanks and scattered wetlands in the north.
Clinton County borders Gratiot County to the north, Montcalm County to the northwest, Saginaw County to the northeast, Shiawassee County to the east, Ingham County to the southeast, Eaton County to the south, and Ionia County to the west.
Demographics
Clinton County had 79,128 residents at the 2020 census, working out to roughly 140 people per square mile of land. St. Johns and DeWitt are the county’s two largest incorporated communities, and the county’s southern townships have grown steadily as Lansing’s suburbs push northward. Median household income in Clinton County runs above the Michigan median of $69,183, reflecting the county’s mix of commuter households and full-time farm operations.
Economy & Local Life
Agriculture remains central to Clinton County’s economy, with corn, soybeans and dairy operations covering most of the county outside the Lansing-facing southern townships. DeWitt Charter Township hosts part of Capital Region International Airport, the Lansing area’s commercial airport, which sits just across the county line. St. Johns was historically known as a center of peppermint-oil production and still holds the annual Mint Festival downtown each August. Many residents in Bath, Watertown and DeWitt townships commute into the Lansing-East Lansing metropolitan area, home to Michigan State University.
History
Clinton County was created by the Michigan Legislature in 1831 and organized as a functioning county government in 1839. It takes its name from DeWitt Clinton, the New York politician and canal-builder best known for championing the Erie Canal. St. Johns became the county seat in 1857, when voters relocated it from De Witt after a contested county-seat fight that split the county’s early settlers.
Getting There
US-27 and M-21 cross through St. Johns, and I-69 clips the county’s southeastern corner near DeWitt. Local approximate distances:
- Lansing — 15 miles south
- Saginaw — 45 miles northeast
- Flint — 50 miles east
- Grand Rapids — 60 miles west
Capital Region International Airport, partly within DeWitt Township, is the nearest commercial airport.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Clinton County, Michigan?
It is in the south-central Lower Peninsula, directly north of Lansing, between the Gratiot and Ionia county lines.
What is the population of Clinton County?
79,128 people at the 2020 census.
How big is Clinton County?
575 square miles (1,490 km2), including 8.1 square miles of water.
What is the county seat of Clinton County?
St. Johns is the county seat.
How many towns and villages are in Clinton County?
Two fully-contained cities, four cities that only partly reach into the county, six villages and several unincorporated communities, spread across 16 townships.
What ZIP codes are in Clinton County?
Eleven ZIP codes serve the county, led by 48879 (St. Johns), 48820 (DeWitt) and 48808 (Bath).
Why is St. Johns called the “Mint City”?
St. Johns grew as a shipping and processing point for Michigan’s peppermint-oil industry in the late 1800s and early 1900s, a history the city still marks with its annual Mint Festival.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Michigan.