Lake County is a county in Michigan, United States, about 70 miles north of Grand Rapids. It had
a population of 12,096 at the 2020 census, an estimated 13,005 by 2025, and covers 567 square
miles (1,470 km2) centred near 43°59′N 85°49′W.
Baldwin is the county seat; its postal code is 49304. The county holds 2 villages and 14
unincorporated communities spread across 15 civil townships, and it runs on Eastern Time. Its FIPS
code is 26085.
Towns & Villages in Lake County
Lake County has 16 named places on record: 2 incorporated villages, Baldwin and Luther, and 14
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baldwin | Village · seat | Pleasant Plains | 902 | 49304 |
| Luther | Village | Newkirk / Ellsworth | 332 | 49656 |
| Chase | Unincorp. | Chase | — | 49623 |
| Idlewild | Unincorp. | Yates | — | 49642 |
| Irons | Unincorp. | Eden | — | 49644 |
| Peacock | Unincorp. | Peacock | — | — |
| Sauble | Unincorp. | Sauble | — | — |
| Bristol | Unincorp. | Dover | — | — |
| Wolf Lake | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Edgetts | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Little Manistee | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Marlborough | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Nirvana | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Olivers | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Pine Grove Beach | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Skookum | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
Two entries need a note. Bristol, in Dover Township, is a former lumber-era settlement now
mostly abandoned — the old J.H. Sutton general store is the only original building still
standing, and locals call it a ghost town. And this Wolf Lake is Lake County’s own small
hamlet, not the much larger Wolf Lake census-designated place of the same name in Muskegon
County — the two are unrelated and about 60 miles apart. Township assignments for Edgetts,
Little Manistee, Marlborough, Nirvana, Olivers, Pine Grove Beach and Skookum could not be traced
to a primary source and are omitted rather than guessed.
Townships
| Township | Pop. (2020) | Main settlements |
|---|---|---|
| Webber | 2,413 | Baldwin (partly) |
| Pleasant Plains | 1,590 | Baldwin (most) |
| Chase | 1,151 | Chase |
| Elk | 938 | — |
| Lake | 811 | — |
| Pinora | 754 | — |
| Yates | 743 | Idlewild |
| Ellsworth | 733 | Luther (east) |
| Newkirk | 654 | Luther (west) |
| Eden | 470 | Irons |
| Cherry Valley | 421 | — |
| Peacock | 398 | Peacock |
| Dover | 387 | Bristol |
| Sauble | 373 | Sauble |
| Sweetwater | 255 | — |
ZIP Codes
- 49304 — Baldwin (the county seat and its most populous ZIP)
- 49656 — Luther
- 49644 — Irons (also covers most of Eden and Elk townships)
- 49623 — Chase
- 49642 — Idlewild
Peacock, Sauble, Bristol, Wolf Lake and the county’s smaller hamlets have no ZIP code of
their own; mail there is delivered under the nearest post-office town’s code.
Geography
Lake County sits in Michigan’s northwestern Lower Peninsula, a hilly, heavily forested
stretch of glacial moraine and outwash plain. Of its 567 square miles, about 6.9 square miles are
water, roughly 1.2 percent — low for a county named for its lakes, since most of that
surface area comes from dozens of small kettle lakes rather than one large body of water. The
Manistee National Forest covers a large share of the county, and five rivers — the
Manistee, Pere Marquette, Pine, Muskegon and Little Manistee — either cross or rise within
its borders. The Pere Marquette, which flows past Baldwin, is a state-designated Blue Ribbon trout
fishery.
Manistee County lies to the north, Wexford County to the northeast, Osceola County to the east,
Mecosta County to the southeast, Newaygo County to the south, Oceana County to the southwest and
Mason County to the west. Manistee
County, Wexford County,
directly; Osceola County has no live page on this site to link to yet.
Demographics
Lake County had a population of 12,096 at the 2020 census, and the latest estimate puts the
county near 13,005 residents by 2025. Baldwin and Luther are the only two incorporated places, but
together they hold a small share of the county’s population — most residents live in
the surrounding townships rather than inside either village’s limits. Median household income
runs about $50,805 (2024 estimate), well below Michigan’s statewide figure of $69,183 (2023
ACS); Lake County has been named among Michigan’s poorest counties in past state rankings.
Population density works out to roughly 21 people per square mile of land, among the lowest of any
county in the Lower Peninsula.
Economy & Local Life
Manufacturing employs the most workers in the county, about 910 people, followed by retail
trade at 567 and health care and social assistance at 420. Tourism drives much of the summer
economy: the Manistee National Forest and the Pere Marquette River draw campers, canoeists and
anglers to Baldwin and the surrounding townships. The North Lake Correctional Facility in Baldwin,
built in the late 1990s and expanded to 1,700 beds by 2005, reopened in June 2025 as an
immigration detention center operated by the GEO Group — now described as the largest
facility of its kind in the Midwest. Idlewild, once known as the “Black Eden of
Michigan” for its role as a resort where African Americans could vacation freely during
segregation, now hosts the Idlewild Education, Empowerment and Music Festival each July, drawing
visitors back to the community’s historic lakefront.
History
The Michigan Legislature created the county in 1840 as Aischum County, a name drawn from an
Ojibwe term. It was renamed Lake County in 1843 for its many lakes, and before county government
was organized in 1871 it was administered by a series of neighboring Michigan counties.
Idlewild, founded in 1912 by white land developers, became the rare Michigan resort where Black
families could own property and vacation openly during the era of segregation. Between the 1940s
and early 1960s it drew an estimated 25,000 to 30,000 summer visitors a year and hosted prominent
Black entertainers of the period. Visitor numbers fell sharply after the Civil Rights Act of 1964
opened other resorts to Black travelers, and Idlewild’s revival efforts continue today through
local heritage organizations.
Getting There
US 10 runs east-west through Baldwin, merging with M-37 for about three miles through town
before the two highways separate again; no interstate crosses the county.
- Cadillac — about 30 miles northeast
- Big Rapids — about 30 miles southeast
- Muskegon — about 50 miles southwest
- Grand Rapids — about 70 miles south
Gerald R. Ford International Airport in Grand Rapids is the nearest major commercial airport.
There is no Amtrak station in the county; the closest is in Cadillac on the Cadillac connector
service to the Pere Marquette line.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Lake County located?
It sits in Michigan’s northwestern Lower Peninsula, about 70 miles north of Grand Rapids,
bordered by Manistee, Wexford, Osceola, Mecosta, Newaygo, Oceana and Mason counties.
What is the population of Lake County?
12,096 at the 2020 census, with a 2025 estimate near 13,005.
How big is Lake County?
567 square miles (1,470 km2), of which about 6.9 square miles are water.
What is the county seat of Lake County?
Baldwin is the county seat and the larger of the county’s two villages.
How many towns and villages are in Lake County?
Two incorporated villages, Baldwin and Luther, plus 14 unincorporated communities including
Chase, Idlewild, Irons, Peacock, Sauble, Bristol and Wolf Lake.
What ZIP codes does Lake County use?
49304 for Baldwin, 49656 for Luther, 49644 for Irons, 49623 for Chase and 49642 for Idlewild.
What is Lake County known for?
The Manistee National Forest and Pere Marquette River fishing, and Idlewild, the historic “Black
Eden of Michigan” resort community.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Michigan.