Petoskey, MI, Michigan: Populist metro. In 2024, voted R+11%. Republican peak: R+52 in 1924.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- R+11MIT Election Lab
- Political archetype
- PopulistAkashic typology
- Population
- 34,1252024 5-year
- Median household income
- $78,1122024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 89.6%2024 5-year
- Black
- 0.6%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 2.1%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+21 in 1964MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+52 in 1924MIT Election Lab
Constituent county margins for Petoskey, 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 | 10,005 | 12,465 | 22,901 | ||
| R | 9,662 | 12,135 | 22,177 | ||
| R | 6,972 | 10,616 | 18,994 | ||
| R | 7,225 | 10,253 | 17,765 | ||
| R | 8,515 | 9,314 | 18,149 | ||
| R | 6,846 | 10,332 | 17,372 | ||
| R | 5,451 | 8,602 | 14,711 | ||
| R | 4,892 | 6,002 | 12,580 | ||
| R | 4,245 | 5,312 | 13,232 | ||
| R | 4,170 | 7,105 | 11,386 | ||
| R | 3,254 | 7,760 | 11,080 | ||
| R | 3,724 | 5,930 | 11,006 | ||
| R | 4,013 | 5,910 | 10,104 | ||
| R | 3,081 | 5,288 | 8,541 | ||
| R | 2,624 | 4,405 | 7,488 | ||
| D | 4,197 | 2,731 | 6,937 | ||
| R | 2,602 | 4,574 | 7,198 | ||
| R | 1,903 | 4,764 | 6,695 | ||
| R | 1,871 | 5,113 | 7,014 | ||
| R | 1,922 | 3,565 | 5,621 | ||
| R | 2,206 | 3,538 | 5,782 | ||
| R | 2,831 | 4,216 | 7,071 | ||
| D | 3,075 | 2,893 | 6,489 | ||
| D | 3,110 | 2,890 | 6,275 | ||
| R | 1,166 | 3,679 | 4,882 | ||
| R | 773 | 3,020 | 4,362 | ||
| R | 1,070 | 3,059 | 4,441 | ||
| R | 1,363 | 1,724 | 3,429 | ||
| O | 920 | 830 | 3,320 | ||
| R | 1,012 | 2,313 | 3,726 | ||
| R | 941 | 2,710 | 3,919 | ||
| R | 1,281 | 2,362 | 3,778 | ||
| R | 1,337 | 1,727 | 3,188 | ||
| D | 1,059 | 1,015 | 2,193 | ||
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Demographics
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
German
25.7%
English
16.0%
Irish
12.5%
Polish
10.0%
American
5.6%
French
4.9%
Scottish
4.1%
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: 47.0 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
$78,112
Petoskey, MI ranks near the middle of US counties.
Petoskey, MI$78,112
Michigan$72,875
United States$80,734
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Poverty rate
All persons below federal poverty line
8.5%
Child poverty is below the national average.
Children under 189.0%
Working age (18–64)8.5%
Seniors (65+)8.3%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
96.9%
speak English only
Other Indo-European1.3%
Spanish1.0%
Other languages0.4%
Asian & Pacific Islander0.3%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 66.7% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
Petoskey anchors a northern Michigan lakefront economy built on tourism and retiree in-migration, producing an electorate that has trended more competitive as affluent newcomers layer over the area's historically Republican base.
The Democratic margin in Petoskey, MI peaked at twenty-one points in 1964. By 1968 the metro had flipped, voting Republican for the first time in many years. The 2024 margin was eleven points, the most Republican-leaning result in the metro's modern history.
The economic context is the key. The median household income of $78,112 sits well below state and national norms, and 9% 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.
Petoskey, MI, Michigan — The Long Memory. Akashic Intelligence — The Long Memory. https://tiers.akashic.app/cbsa/37950/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
Frequently asked questions
How did Petoskey, MI, Michigan vote in 2024?
In 2024, Petoskey, MI, Michigan voted Republican by 10.7 points (R+11), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 22,901 votes cast, 10,005 went Democratic and 12,465 went Republican.
What is Petoskey, MI, Michigan's political archetype?
Akashic classifies Petoskey, 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 4 times, Republican 29 times, and other 1 times.
When did Petoskey, MI, Michigan last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which Petoskey, MI, Michigan voted Democratic was 1964.
How many people live in Petoskey, MI, Michigan?
Petoskey, MI, Michigan has a population of 34,125 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Petoskey, MI, Michigan?
Median household income in Petoskey, MI, Michigan is $78,112 — below the national median of $80,734. The Michigan state median is $72,875.
What is the political history of Petoskey, MI, Michigan?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Petoskey, MI, Michigan from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 4 went Democratic and 29 went Republican. The metro's archetype — "Populist" — captures the overall trajectory of that voting record.