Jackson County is a county in Michigan, United States, roughly 35 miles south of Lansing at the junction of I-94 and US-127. It had a population of 160,366 at the 2020 census, an estimated 159,552 by 2025, and covers 702 square miles (1,820 km2) centred near 42°15′N 84°25′W.
Jackson is the county seat and the county’s only city; its postal code is 49201. The county holds 1 city, 7 incorporated villages and 16 smaller communities across 19 townships, and it runs on Eastern Time. Its FIPS code is 26075.
Towns & Villages in Jackson County
Jackson County has 24 named places on record: 1 city, 7 incorporated villages, 5 census-designated places (CDPs) and 11 unincorporated communities with no local government of their own. CDP stands for census designated place; Unincorp. covers crossroads and rural hamlets with no formal boundary.
| Place | Type | Township | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson | City · seat | — | 31,309 | 49201 |
| Michigan Center | CDP | Leoni | 4,609 | 49254 |
| Vandercook Lake | CDP | Summit | 4,579 | 49203 |
| Spring Arbor | CDP | Spring Arbor | 2,916 | 49283 |
| Grass Lake | Village | Grass Lake Charter | 1,105 | 49240 |
| Brooklyn | Village | Columbia | 1,313 | 49230 |
| Concord | Village | Concord | 1,085 | 49237 |
| Napoleon | CDP | Napoleon | 1,131 | 49261 |
| Vineyard Lake | CDP | Columbia & Norvell | 992 | 49230 |
| Parma | Village | Parma & Sandstone Charter | 780 | 49269 |
| Springport | Village | Springport | 776 | 49284 |
| Hanover | Village | Hanover | 472 | 49241 |
| Cement City | Village | Columbia (part) | 424 | 49233 |
| Clarklake | Unincorp. | Columbia | — | 49234 |
| Rives Junction | Unincorp. | Rives | — | 49277 |
| Pleasant Lake | Unincorp. | Henrietta | — | 49272 |
| Munith | Unincorp. | Waterloo & Henrietta | — | 49259 |
| Horton | Unincorp. | Hanover | — | 49246 |
| Norvell | Unincorp. | Norvell | — | 49263 |
| Sandstone | Unincorp. | Sandstone Charter | — | — |
| Tompkins | Unincorp. | Tompkins | — | — |
| Waterloo | Unincorp. | Waterloo | — | — |
| Leoni | Unincorp. | Leoni | — | — |
| Pulaski | Unincorp. | Pulaski | — | — |
Two entries straddle boundaries. Cement City’s village limits sit mostly in Woodstock Township, Lenawee County, with only a small northern portion inside Columbia Township on the Jackson County side. Vineyard Lake occupies the southeast corner of Columbia Township and the southwest corner of neighboring Norvell Township, so it is credited to both.
Townships
| Township | Pop. (2020) | Main settlements |
|---|---|---|
| Blackman Charter | 25,642 | Jackson city’s north side; Jackson County Airport (Reynolds Field) |
| Summit | 22,920 | Vandercook Lake CDP |
| Leoni | 13,847 | Michigan Center CDP, Leoni hamlet |
| Spring Arbor | 8,530 | Spring Arbor CDP, Spring Arbor University |
| Columbia | 7,392 | Brooklyn, Clarklake, Vineyard Lake (part), Cement City (part) |
| Napoleon | 6,789 | Napoleon CDP |
| Grass Lake Charter | 6,069 | Grass Lake village |
| Rives | 4,750 | Rives Junction |
| Henrietta | 4,673 | Pleasant Lake, Munith (part) |
| Sandstone Charter | 3,927 | Sandstone hamlet, Parma village (part) |
| Hanover | 3,662 | Hanover village, Horton |
| Liberty | 3,059 | rural, no incorporated village |
| Waterloo | 2,931 | Waterloo hamlet, Waterloo Recreation Area |
| Norvell | 2,800 | Norvell hamlet, Vineyard Lake (part) |
| Concord | 2,755 | Concord village |
| Parma | 2,668 | Parma village (part) |
| Tompkins | 2,618 | Tompkins hamlet |
| Springport | 2,142 | Springport village |
| Pulaski | 1,883 | Pulaski hamlet |
ZIP Codes
- 49201 — Jackson (west side, also the county’s general postal code)
- 49202 — Jackson
- 49203 — Jackson (also serves Vandercook Lake)
- 49204 — Jackson (post office box ZIP)
- 49230 — Brooklyn (also serves Vineyard Lake)
- 49233 — Cement City
- 49234 — Clarklake
- 49237 — Concord
- 49240 — Grass Lake
- 49241 — Hanover
- 49246 — Horton
- 49254 — Michigan Center
- 49259 — Munith (also serves parts of Henrietta and Waterloo townships)
- 49261 — Napoleon
- 49263 — Norvell
- 49269 — Parma
- 49272 — Pleasant Lake
- 49277 — Rives Junction
- 49283 — Spring Arbor
- 49284 — Springport
Sandstone, Tompkins, Waterloo, Leoni and Pulaski have no ZIP code of their own; mail there is delivered under a neighboring town’s code — Sandstone under Jackson’s 49201 or Parma’s 49269, Waterloo under Munith’s 49259, Leoni under Michigan Center’s 49254, and Pulaski under Concord’s 49237.
Geography
Jackson County sits in south-central Michigan on the divide between the Grand River and Raisin River watersheds. Of its 702 square miles, 680 are land and 22 are water, about 3 percent, spread across more than 90 named lakes left behind by the glaciers that shaped the region. The Grand River, Michigan’s longest river, rises in the county’s Liberty and Blackman townships and flows northwest through Jackson city before continuing on to Grand Rapids and Lake Michigan. The county’s southern half, around Clarklake, Vineyard Lake and Norvell, forms the northern edge of the Irish Hills, a chain of glacial moraine lakes. Waterloo Recreation Area, in the northeast corner, is one of southern Michigan’s largest state parks.
Ingham County lies to the north, Livingston County to the northeast, Washtenaw County to the east, Lenawee County to the southeast, Hillsdale County to the south, Calhoun County to the west and Eaton County to the northwest. Ingham County, Livingston County, Washtenaw County, Lenawee County, Hillsdale County, Calhoun County and Eaton County all border Jackson directly; Livingston County has no page on this site yet.
Demographics
Jackson County had a population of 160,366 at the 2020 census, and the latest estimate puts the county near 159,552 residents by 2025, essentially flat. Jackson city, at 31,309, is by far the county’s largest place; Michigan Center CDP (4,609) and Vandercook Lake CDP (4,579), both just outside the city limits, are the next two largest communities. Median household income runs about $66,073, below Michigan’s statewide figure of $69,183 (2023 ACS). Population density works out to roughly 236 people per square mile of land, concentrated around Jackson city and its immediately surrounding townships.
Economy & Local Life
Manufacturing employs the most workers in the county, about 13,716 people, followed by health care and social assistance at 11,125 and retail trade at 6,597. CMS Energy, the parent company of Consumers Energy, keeps its headquarters in downtown Jackson. Henry Ford Jackson Hospital and Eaton Corporation are both major Jackson-based employers, and Michigan Automotive Compressor Inc. runs a large auto-parts plant in Parma. The county has long housed one of Michigan’s major state prison complexes on Jackson city’s west side, a significant source of corrections employment for the region. The county’s biggest annual event is the Jackson Blues Festival each June, held at the Jackson County Airport grounds.
History
Michigan’s territorial legislature organized Jackson County in 1832, naming it for President Andrew Jackson — one of several Michigan “Cabinet counties” named for members of Jackson’s administration. The city of Jackson, settled in 1829, became the county seat. In July 1854, a coalition of anti-slavery activists met under an oak grove in Jackson city and formed the Republican Party, an event the city still marks as its founding moment.
Jackson’s Cascades Falls, an artificial cascade of six fountains and sixteen falls built in the 1930s, and the Michigan Central Railroad Depot, the nation’s oldest continuously operating train station, both date to the county’s early-20th-century civic building era.
Getting There
Interstate 94 crosses the county through Jackson city, meeting US-127 at the city’s edge. M-50, M-52, M-60, M-99, M-106 and M-124 also run through the county, along with business loops of I-94 and US-127 through Jackson.
- Lansing — about 35 miles north
- Ann Arbor — about 40 miles east
- Battle Creek — about 30 miles west
- Detroit — about 75 miles east
Detroit Metropolitan Airport, roughly 75 miles east, is the nearest major commercial airport. Jackson County Airport (Reynolds Field), on the city’s north side, handles general aviation only. Amtrak’s Wolverine service, running between Chicago and Pontiac, stops at Jackson’s historic Michigan Central Railroad Depot several times daily.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Jackson County located?
It sits in south-central Michigan, about 35 miles south of Lansing, bordered by Ingham, Livingston, Washtenaw, Lenawee, Hillsdale, Calhoun and Eaton counties.
What is the population of Jackson County?
160,366 at the 2020 census, with a 2025 estimate near 159,552.
How big is Jackson County?
702 square miles (1,820 km2), of which 680 square miles are land.
What is the county seat of Jackson County?
Jackson, the county’s only city, settled in 1829 and organized as county seat when the county formed in 1832.
How many towns and villages are in Jackson County?
Seven incorporated villages — Brooklyn, Cement City, Concord, Grass Lake, Hanover, Parma and Springport — plus five census-designated places and eleven unincorporated hamlets across the county’s 19 townships.
What ZIP codes does Jackson County use?
49201 through 49204 for Jackson, plus separate codes for each village and larger CDP, from 49230 (Brooklyn) to 49284 (Springport).
What is Jackson County known for?
Being the birthplace of the Republican Party in 1854, its Cascades Falls light-and-water display, and Spring Arbor University in Spring Arbor Township.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Michigan.