Michigan (/ˈmɪʃɪɡən/ ⓘ MISH-ig-ən) is a peninsular state in the Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, Indiana and Illinois to the southwest, Ohio to the southeast, and the Canadian province of Ontario to the east, northeast and north. With a population of 10.14 million and an area of 96,716 sq mi (250,490 km2), Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the largest by total area east of the Mississippi River. The state capital is Lansing, while its most populous city is Detroit. The Metro Detroit region in Southeast Michigan is among the nation's most populous and largest metropolitan economies. Other important metropolitan areas include Grand Rapids, Flint, Ann Arbor, Kalamazoo, the Tri-Cities, and Muskegon.
Michigan | |
|---|---|
| Nicknames: "The Great Lakes State", "The Wolverine State", "Water (Winter) Wonderland" | |
| Motto(s): Si quaeris peninsulam amoenam circumspice (English: "If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you") | |
| Anthem: "My Michigan" | |
 Location of Michigan within the United States | |
| Country | United States |
| Before statehood | Michigan Territory |
| Admitted to the Union | January 26, 1837 (26th) |
| Capital | Lansing |
| Largest city | Detroit |
| Largest county or equivalent | Wayne |
| Largest metro and urban areas | Detroit |
| Government | |
| • Governor | Gretchen Whitmer (D) |
| • Lieutenant Governor | Garlin Gilchrist (D) |
| Legislature | Michigan Legislature |
| • Upper house | Senate |
| • Lower house | House of Representatives |
| Judiciary | Michigan Supreme Court |
| U.S. senators | Gary Peters (D) Elissa Slotkin (D) |
| U.S. House delegation | 7 Republicans 6 Democrats (list) |
| Area | |
• Total | 96,716 sq mi (250,493 km2) |
| • Land | 58,110 sq mi (150,504 km2) |
| • Water | 38,606 sq mi (99,990 km2) 41.8% |
| • Rank | 11th |
| Dimensions | |
| • Length | 456 mi (734 km) |
| • Width | 386 mi (621 km) |
| Elevation | 900 ft (270 m) |
| Highest elevation | 1,979 ft (603 m) |
| Lowest elevation | 571 ft (174 m) |
| Population (2024) | |
• Total |  10,140,459 |
| • Rank | 10th |
| • Density | 174/sq mi (67.1/km2) |
| • Rank | 17th |
| • Median household income | $71,100 (2023) |
| • Income rank | 38th |
| Demonym(s) | Michigander, Michiganian, Yooper (Upper Peninsula) |
| Language | |
| • Official language | None (English, de facto) |
| • Spoken language | English 91.11% Spanish 3.86% Arabic 1.05% Other 4.92% |
| Time zones | |
| Most of state | UTC−05:00 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−04:00 (EDT) |
| 4 U.P. counties (Gogebic, Iron, Dickinson, and Menominee) | UTC−06:00 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−05:00 (CDT) |
| USPS abbreviation | MI |
| ISO 3166 code | US-MI |
| Traditional abbreviation | Mich. |
| Latitude | 41°41′ N to 48°18′ N |
| Longitude | 82°7′ W to 90°25′ W |
| Website | michigan |
Michigan consists of two peninsulas: the heavily forested Upper Peninsula (commonly called "the U.P."), which juts eastward from northern Wisconsin, and the more populated Lower Peninsula, stretching north from Ohio and Indiana. The peninsulas are separated by the Straits of Mackinac, which connects Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, and are linked by the 5-mile-long Mackinac Bridge along Interstate 75. Bordering four of the five Great Lakes and Lake St. Clair, Michigan has the longest freshwater coastline of any U.S. political subdivision, measuring 3,288 miles. The state ranks second behind Alaska in water coverage by square miles and first in percentage, with approximately 42%, and it also contains 64,980 inland lakes and ponds.
The Great Lakes region has largely been inhabited for thousands of years by Indigenous peoples such as the Ojibwe, Odawa, Potawatomi, and Wyandot. Some people contend that the region's name is derived from the Ojibwe word ᒥᓯᑲᒥ (mishigami), meaning "large water" or "large lake". While others say that it comes from the Mishiiken Tribe of Mackinac Island, also called Michinemackinawgo by Ottawa historian Andrew Blackbird, whose surrounding lands were referred to as Mishiiken-imakinakom, later shortened to Michilimackinac.
In the 17th century, French explorers claimed the area for New France. French settlers and Métis established forts and settlements. After France's defeat in the French and Indian War in 1762, the area came under British control and later the U.S. following the Treaty of Paris (1783), though control remained disputed with Indigenous tribes until treaties between 1795 and 1842. The area was part of the larger Northwest Territory; the Michigan Territory was organized in 1805.
Michigan was admitted as the 26th state on January 26, 1837, entering as a free state and quickly developing into an industrial and trade hub that attracted European immigrants, particularly from Finland, Macedonia, and the Netherlands. In the 1930s, migration from Appalachia and the Middle East and the Great Migration of Black Southerners further shaped the state, especially in Metro Detroit.
Michigan has a diversified economy with a gross state product of $725.897 billion as of Q1 2025, ranking 14th among the 50 states. Although the state has developed a diverse economy, in the early 20th century it became widely known as the center of the U.S. automotive industry, which developed as a major national economic force. It is home to the country's three major automobile companies (whose headquarters are all in Metro Detroit). Once exploited for logging and mining, today the sparsely populated Upper Peninsula is important for tourism because of its abundance of natural resources. The Lower Peninsula is a center of manufacturing, forestry, agriculture, services, and high-tech industry.
