County outline
Where Schoolcraft County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 62.2% of Schoolcraft County’s measured area and water for 37.8%. Its combined area converts to 4,879.4 square kilometers or approximately 1,205,715 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 1,171.876 | 3,035.145 | 750,000.6 |
| Water | 712.054 | 1,844.211 | 455,714.6 |
| Total | 1,883.93 | 4,879.356 | 1,205,715.2 |
How Schoolcraft County compares
By original Census land area, Schoolcraft County ranks #4 of 83 in Michigan and #525 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 2.064 times the Michigan county-equivalent median of 567.8 square miles. It accounts for 2.1% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Michigan ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Schoolcraft County
The Census Bureau estimates that 8,187 people lived in Schoolcraft County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #2,635 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #79 of 83 in Michigan. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 8,044, the population has grown by 143 (+1.8%), compared with +0.5% for Michigan as a whole.
With 1,171.9 square miles of land, that is 7 people per square mile (2.7 per km²), placing Schoolcraft County #2,766 nationally for density and #81 in Michigan. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Michigan median is 62. Put another way, there are about 92 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 8,049 | 8,037 | 8,166 | 8,149 | 8,166 | 8,187 |
| Change | — | −12 | +129 | −17 | +17 | +21 |
U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 population estimates. Estimates are revised each year and are not decennial census counts. Density divides the whole population by the whole county’s land area, so it describes an average, not how settlement is distributed within the county. Population sources and methods.
Cities and towns in Schoolcraft County
Schoolcraft County is divided into 9 municipalities and townships. In Michigan, county subdivisions are local governments, and together they cover all of the county’s land and residents.
The most populous is Manistique city, with 2,868 residents (35% of the county). The largest by land is Hiawatha township, at 277.4 mi², or 23.7% of the county’s land. Among those with at least 1,000 residents in 2020, Manistique township grew fastest since then (+2.1%).
| County subdivision | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manistique cityCounty seat | 2,868 | +1.1% | 3.209 | 0.3% |
| Hiawatha township | 1,326 | +2% | 277.4 | 23.7% |
| Manistique townshipCounty seat | 1,066 | +2.1% | 149.9 | 12.8% |
| Thompson township | 831 | +2.6% | 112.4 | 9.6% |
| Inwood township | 666 | +2.1% | 120.2 | 10.3% |
| Doyle township | 574 | +1.8% | 146.1 | 12.5% |
| Germfask township | 481 | +2.1% | 66.4 | 5.7% |
| Mueller township | 266 | +2.3% | 83.6 | 7.1% |
| Seney township | 109 | +1.9% | 212.6 | 18.1% |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each subdivision inside Schoolcraft County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Schoolcraft County is not part of any metropolitan or micropolitan statistical area in the Office of Management and Budget’s July 2023 delineation; 1,306 other county equivalents are also outside one. These areas are built around an urban core of at least 10,000 people plus the counties tied to it by commuting, so counties outside them are generally rural.
ZIP codes
7 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Schoolcraft County; 4 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
49817498364984049854498834988449895
ZIP Code Tabulation Areas are the Census Bureau’s approximations of USPS ZIP Code service areas, from the 2020 Census relationship files. Lighter codes have less than half of their land in this county. Post-office-box and single-address ZIP Codes have no tabulation area.
Counties bordering Schoolcraft County
Schoolcraft County shares a land border with 4 county equivalents. It has more land than every one of them. The largest neighbor is Delta County (1,171.1 mi²) and the smallest is Luce County (899.1 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Schoolcraft County forms a block of 5,179 mi² of land, of which it holds 22.6%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Schoolcraft | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delta County | 1,171.1 | about the same | Compare |
| Mackinac County | 1,021.9 | 1.1× smaller | Compare |
| Alger County | 915 | 1.3× smaller | Compare |
| Luce County | 899.1 | 1.3× smaller | Compare |
How big is Schoolcraft County compared with U.S. states?
Schoolcraft County has more land than 1 of the 50 states. It is about 1.1 times the land area of Rhode Island (1,033.9 mi²), while Delaware, the next larger state, has 1.7 times as much land (1,948.6 mi²). Michigan’s county land could hold about 48 areas the size of Schoolcraft County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 34.2 miles (55.1 km) on each side. Real county shapes are rarely square, so this is a scale reference rather than a width or driving distance.
State figures are the sums of each state’s county-equivalent land measurements in the same Census release, so states and counties are compared on the same basis. Published state totals can differ slightly because of rounding. Compare all states · Counties bigger than entire states.
What stands out about Schoolcraft County?
Schoolcraft County has more land than 2,697 of the other 3,221 county equivalents in the dataset.
A median is the middle county-equivalent measurement, not the average of the largest and smallest. All three bars use the same linear scale. Very small areas may appear as a thin sliver; the labels retain their values.
Does including water change its rank?
Using land plus water places Schoolcraft County at #347 nationally by total area, 178 places closer to the top than its land rank. The water assigned to this geography moves it ahead of some county equivalents with more land.
Its water share is 37.8%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 36.6 percentage points higher. This describes the statistical geography’s land/water mix, not flood exposure or developable land.
Closest positions in the national land ranking
These entries sit immediately beside Schoolcraft County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #524 | Vermilion Parish, Louisiana | 1,172.1 | Compare |
| #525 | Schoolcraft County, Michigan | 1,171.9 | This county |
| #526 | Delta County, Michigan | 1,171.1 | Compare |
Calculated from the same Census release as the area table. Total-area order uses original ALAND + AWATER; water shares and chart labels use published square miles. Calculation details.
Representative coordinates
The Census internal point is 45.986249, -86.218067. It represents a location inside the geography; it is not necessarily the centroid or the address of a courthouse.
Source and precision
U.S. Census Bureau, 2026 Gazetteer Files, Counties. Original ALAND: 3,035,145,650 m²; AWATER: 1,844,210,496 m². Rankings use ALAND; exact ties use ascending GEOID. Tables preserve Census-published square miles to three decimals, with conversions based on those values.
Common questions
How big is Schoolcraft County?
Schoolcraft County, Michigan has 1,171.9 square miles (3,035.1 km²) of land and 712.1 square miles of water, for a total area of 1,883.9 square miles. It ranks #525 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Schoolcraft County the largest county in Michigan?
No. Schoolcraft County ranks #4 of 83 in Michigan by land area. The largest is Marquette County, with 1,809.1 square miles of land.
What counties border Schoolcraft County?
Schoolcraft County shares a land border with Alger County, Delta County, Mackinac County, and Luce County.
What is the population of Schoolcraft County?
The Census Bureau estimates Schoolcraft County had 8,187 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #2,635 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 7 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Schoolcraft County?
The county seat of Schoolcraft County is Manistique.
What cities and towns are in Schoolcraft County?
Schoolcraft County has 9 county subdivisions (cities, towns and townships). The most populous five are Manistique city, Hiawatha township, Manistique township, Thompson township, and Inwood township.
Is Schoolcraft County part of a metropolitan area?
No. Schoolcraft County is outside every metropolitan and micropolitan statistical area in the July 2023 OMB delineation.
How many ZIP codes are in Schoolcraft County?
7 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Schoolcraft County, and 4 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Schoolcraft County compare with U.S. states?
It has more land than 1 of the 50 states, including Rhode Island (1,033.9 square miles of land).
How many acres of land are in Schoolcraft County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 750,001 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 1,205,715 acres. One square mile equals 640 acres.
Why might another source show a different area?
Check whether it reports land or total area, its Census vintage, and its rounding. Our guide explains how to reconcile county area figures.
Can this establish a property boundary?
No. Statistical measurements and generalized maps do not establish property lines. Consult the relevant local surveying or land-records authority.