History of Macomb County, Michigan in Timeline

By Popular Timelines Editorial Team · Updated: March 20, 2025

Macomb County, Michigan, a part of the Detroit metropolitan area, is the state's third-most populous county with 881,217 residents as of 2020. Bordering Detroit to the north, it encompasses numerous northern suburbs and contains 27 cities, townships, and villages. Mt. Clemens serves as the county seat, while Warren is its largest community. The majority of Macomb's population is concentrated south of Hall Road (M-59), a primary thoroughfare within the county.

1950: Population Growth

In 1950, Macomb County began experiencing rapid population growth after World War II due to suburbanization.

1960: Peak Population Growth

Between 1950 and 1960, Macomb County saw the most population growth at 102.5%.

March 19, 1964: End of Passenger Train Service

On March 19, 1964, the last Bay City to Detroit passenger train through Warren made its final stop.

1980: Slower Population Growth

Since 1980, the population growth rate in Macomb County has slowed.

1992: Conservative Populist Candidate Success

In 1992, Pat Buchanan, an outsider candidate with a conservative-populist bent, performed well in Macomb County.

2000: Age Distribution

In 2000, 24.10% of Macomb County's population was under the age of 18, with a median age of 37 years.

2000: Language Spoken at Home

In 2000, 87.6% of county residents spoke only English at home; while 1.7% spoke Italian.

2000: Native American Population

In 2000, Native American tribes had more than 2,478 residents in Macomb County.

2000: Household Statistics

In 2000, there were 309,203 households in Macomb County, with an average household size of 2.52.

2006: American Community Survey

According to the 2006 American Community Survey, the average family size in Macomb County was 3.15.

May 2008: County Executive Approval

In May 2008, Macomb County voters approved including a County Executive in a new charter to be submitted by 2010.

November 2008: Charter Commission Election

In November 2008, a charter commission was elected to draft a charter for submission to Governor Granholm.

November 2009: Charter Passage

In November 2009, the Macomb County Charter passed with a 60.4% to 39.6% margin.

2010: United States Census Data

According to the 2010 United States Census, the population of Macomb County was 840,978.

2010: Charter Submission

By 2010, a new charter including a County Executive, was submitted to the voters.

2012: Obama Support

In 2012, Sterling Heights voted for Barack Obama.

2016: RTA Proposal Failure & Trump Victory

In 2016, Macomb County voters were primarily responsible for the failure of the Regional Transit Authority proposal. Donald Trump also won the election.

2016: Trump Support

In 2016, Sterling Heights voted for Trump by about 12 points.

2018: Whitmer and Stabenow Support

In 2018, Sterling Heights voted for Gretchen Whitmer and Debbie Stabenow by 3 points.

2020: Shift Towards Republicans

After the 2020 elections, the Republican party gained control of the Board of Commissioners for the first time and four of the five countywide offices.