Racial and ethnic composition 2020 census As of the
2020 census, the county had a population of 296,200. The median age was 36.1 years. 23.7% of residents were under the age of 18 and 15.9% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 95.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 93.2 males age 18 and over. The racial makeup of the county was 84.0%
White, 1.8%
Black or African American, 0.5%
American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.7%
Asian, <0.1%
Native Hawaiian and
Pacific Islander, 4.0% from some other race, and 6.9% from
two or more races.
Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 9.9% of the population. 78.8% of residents lived in urban areas, while 21.2% lived in rural areas. There were 107,239 households in the county, of which 32.0% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 58.0% were married-couple households, 15.0% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 21.7% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 22.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
2000 census As of the
2000 United States census, there were 238,314 people, 81,662 households, and 61,328 families in the county. The population density was . There were 86,856 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 91.52%
White, 1.05%
Black or
African American, 0.36%
Native American, 2.09%
Asian, 0.02%
Pacific Islander, 3.48% from
other races, and 1.48% from two or more races. 7.00% of the population were
Hispanic or
Latino of any race. 37.3% reported being of
Dutch, 14.6%
German, 6.2%
English, 5.6%
Irish and 5.4% American ancestry, 91.5% spoke only English at home; 5.4% spoke Spanish. There were 81,662 households, out of which 39.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.60% were married couples living together, 7.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.90% were non-families. 19.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.25. The county has numerous seasonal residents during the summer.
Port Sheldon Township has many lakefront homes and other inland retreats that serve as summer getaways for residents of Grand Rapids, Detroit, and Chicago. No official statistics are compiled on seasonal residents. In the county, 28.70% of the population was under the age of 18, 11.90% was from 18 to 24, 29.30% from 25 to 44, 20.00% from 45 to 64, and 10.10% was 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.20 males. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation ranks Ottawa County as Michigan's second-healthiest county, preceded only by the leisure-oriented Traverse City area. The median income for a household in the county was $52,347, and the median income for a family was $59,896. Males had a median income of $42,180 versus $27,706 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,676. About 3.10% of families and 5.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.70% of those under age 18 and 4.90% of those age 65 or over.
Religion • The
Catholic Church has 11 churches and 24,700 members. • The
Christian Reformed Church in North America has 67 churches and 33,700 members. •
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has two meetinghouses in the county. • The Protestant Reformed Churches have around 10 large congregations in the county. • The
Reformed Church in America has 47 congregations and 33,300 members. ==Government==