St. Joseph County, Michigan

Saint Joseph County
	Saint Joseph County, Michigan
	; Seal
	; Seal
	; Location in the state of Michigan
	; Michigan's location in the U.S.
Founded	1829
Seat	Centreville
Area; - Total; - Land; - Water	; 521.15 sq mi (1,350 km²); 503.72 sq mi (1,305 km²); 17.43 sq mi (45 km²), 3.34%
Population; - (2000); - Density	; 62,422; 124/sq mi (48/km²)
Website	www.stjosephcountymi.org

St. Joseph County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 62,422 at the 2000 census. The county seat is Centreville.^[1]

[edit] Geography

According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 521.15 square miles (1,349.8 km²), of which 503.72 square miles (1,304.6 km²) (or 96.66%) is land and 17.43 square miles (45.1 km²) (or 3.34%) is water.^[2]

[edit] Adjacent counties

[edit] Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1900	23,889	—
1910	25,499	6.7%
1920	26,818	5.2%
1930	30,618	14.2%
1940	31,749	3.7%
1950	35,071	10.5%
1960	42,332	20.7%
1970	47,392	12.0%
1980	56,083	18.3%
1990	58,913	5.0%
2000	62,422	6.0%
2010	61,295	−1.8%

The 2010 United States Census^[3] indicates St. Joseph County had a 2010 population of 61,295. This is a decrease of -1,127 people from the 2000 United States Census. Overall, the county had a -1.8% growth rate during this ten year period. In 2010 there were 23,244 households and 16,275 families in the county. The population density was 122.4 per square mile (47.3 square kilometers). There were 27,778 housing units at an average density of 55.5 per square mile (21.4 square kilometers). The racial and ethnic makeup of the county was 88.0% White, 2.5% Black or African American, 0.4% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 6.6% Hispanic or Latino, 0.1% from other races, and 1.8% from two or more races.

There were 23,244 households out of which 33.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.6% were husband and wife families, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 30.0% were non-families, and 24.8% were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.08.

In the county the population was spread out with 25.9% under age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 23.8% from 25 to 44, 27.4% from 45 to 64, and 14.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 97.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.9 males.

The 2010 American Community Survey 3-year estimate^[3] indicates the median income for a household in the county was $43,964 and the median income for a family was $52,600. Males had a median income of $30,517 versus $16,388 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,737. About 1.8% of families and 16.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.3% of those under the age 18 and 12.3% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Government

The county government operates the jail, maintains rural roads, operates the major local courts, keeps files of deeds and mortgages, maintains vital records, administers public health regulations, and participates with the state in the provision of welfare and other social services. The county board of commissioners controls the budget but has only limited authority to make laws or ordinances. In Michigan, most local government functions — police and fire, building and zoning, tax assessment, street maintenance, etc. — are the responsibility of individual cities and townships.