Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI, Michigan: Populist metro. In 2024, voted R+2%. Republican peak: R+71 in 1924.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- R+2MIT Election Lab
- Political archetype
- PopulistAkashic typology
- Population
- 175,9612024 5-year
- Median household income
- $65,0242024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 77.0%2024 5-year
- Black
- 12.1%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 6.3%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+29 in 1936MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+71 in 1924MIT Election Lab
Constituent county margins for Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI, MIOne cell per constituent county, colored by 2024 presidential margin from deep red (Republican) through neutral to deep blue (Democratic), ordered bluest first.
R+60D+60
One cell per constituent county. Ordered by 2024 D-vs-R margin (bluest first). Hover for county-level numbers.
38 presidential elections
| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | 46,028 | 47,733 | 95,181 | ||
| D | 45,643 | 45,133 | 92,444 | ||
| D | 37,304 | 36,127 | 78,723 | ||
| D | 44,436 | 30,884 | 76,397 | ||
| D | 53,821 | 29,145 | 84,271 | ||
| D | 44,282 | 35,302 | 80,313 | ||
| D | 37,865 | 30,028 | 69,270 | ||
| D | 35,328 | 21,873 | 63,438 | ||
| D | 32,515 | 23,769 | 71,948 | ||
| R | 28,977 | 33,567 | 62,907 | ||
| R | 25,247 | 39,355 | 64,863 | ||
| R | 26,645 | 36,512 | 67,954 | ||
| R | 27,013 | 35,548 | 63,407 | ||
| R | 22,804 | 36,428 | 61,125 | ||
| R | 24,492 | 28,233 | 58,683 | ||
| D | 36,769 | 22,146 | 59,034 | ||
| R | 28,755 | 32,667 | 61,661 | ||
| R | 25,679 | 30,395 | 56,246 | ||
| R | 23,826 | 25,967 | 50,446 | ||
| D | 20,631 | 15,382 | 37,107 | ||
| D | 19,963 | 16,536 | 36,786 | ||
| D | 19,257 | 14,957 | 34,424 | ||
| D | 17,252 | 9,366 | 27,133 | ||
| D | 13,497 | 11,971 | 26,265 | ||
| R | 5,158 | 16,997 | 22,281 | ||
| R | 1,462 | 14,422 | 18,206 | ||
| R | 3,468 | 11,702 | 15,877 | ||
| R | 4,465 | 5,692 | 10,913 | ||
| O | 1,678 | 1,523 | 8,246 | ||
| R | 1,794 | 5,070 | 7,321 | ||
| R | 1,181 | 5,453 | 7,132 | ||
| R | 2,796 | 5,250 | 8,255 | ||
| R | 3,110 | 4,682 | 7,964 | ||
| R | 3,301 | 3,830 | 7,697 | ||
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Demographics
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
German
17.3%
English
9.5%
Irish
8.3%
Polish
4.8%
American
3.1%
French
2.9%
Italian
2.6%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release. Hispanic/Latino is an ethnicity that overlaps the race categories, so these shares can total more than 100%. Ancestry is a self-reported, multiple-response item; ancestry percentages do not sum to the parent race percentage.
Age distribution by sex
Median age: 40.0 in this county, 39.1 nationally
Male
Age
Female
85+
75–84
65–74
55–64
45–54
35–44
25–34
18–24
5–17
<5
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Median household income
2024 inflation-adjusted dollars
$65,024
Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI ranks near the middle of US counties.
Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI$65,024
Michigan$72,875
United States$80,734
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Poverty rate
All persons below federal poverty line
14.1%
Children face moderate poverty.
Children under 1819.3%
Working age (18–64)12.8%
Seniors (65+)9.4%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
96.0%
speak English only
Spanish2.9%
Other Indo-European0.7%
Asian & Pacific Islander0.3%
Other languages0.1%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 71.9% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
Muskegon County's manufacturing heritage keeps union-household voting patterns alive, but growth in Norton Shores and surrounding townships has introduced suburban volatility that makes the metro a consistent target for both parties in statewide races.
The Democratic margin in Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI peaked at twenty-nine points in 2008. By 2024 the metro had flipped, voting Republican for the first time in many years. The 2024 margin was two points, the most Republican-leaning result in the metro's modern history.
The economic context is the key. The median household income of $65,024 sits well below state and national norms, and 14% of residents live below the federal poverty line. The shift here is part of a broader realignment of working-class places across the country.
Cite this page
All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.
Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI, Michigan — The Long Memory. Akashic Intelligence — The Long Memory. https://tiers.akashic.app/cbsa/34740/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
Frequently asked questions
How did Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI, Michigan vote in 2024?
In 2024, Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI, Michigan voted Republican by 1.8 points (R+2), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 95,181 votes cast, 46,028 went Democratic and 47,733 went Republican.
What is Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI, Michigan's political archetype?
Akashic classifies Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI, Michigan as a "Populist" metro based on its long-arc presidential voting pattern. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the metro has voted Democratic 14 times, Republican 19 times, and other 1 times.
When did Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI, Michigan last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI, Michigan voted Democratic was 2020.
How many people live in Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI, Michigan?
Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI, Michigan has a population of 175,961 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI, Michigan?
Median household income in Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI, Michigan is $65,024 — below the national median of $80,734. The Michigan state median is $72,875.
What is the political history of Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI, Michigan?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI, Michigan from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 14 went Democratic and 19 went Republican. The metro's archetype — "Populist" — captures the overall trajectory of that voting record.