Jury Pool Profile
Berrien County, Michigan
- County seat
- St. Joseph
- Judicial district
- 2nd Judicial Circuit Court
- Population (July 2025 estimate)
- 152,444
- Census PEP. The five-year ACS survey average is 153,288.
At a glance
Berrien County is a 152,444-person venue. The county population is 74% White and 13% Black (Census race-alone categories). Median household income is $68,882, $3,454 below the MI state median of $72,336; 30.9% of residents 25 and over hold a bachelor's degree or higher. 7.9% of residents 5 and older speak a language other than English at home, most commonly Spanish and German or other West Germanic. The largest published sector is Education & health services, at 21.7% of covered employment, average pay $57,167/year. Trailing-12-month unemployment is 4.86%, below the 4.98% state average. The county carried the Republican presidential candidate in 2016, 2020, and 2024, taking 53% to 54% of the vote across the three.
- Population
- 153,288
- Median household income
- $65,425
- Unemployment
- 4.9%
Who sits on a jury?
≥70% White (race-alone) and <20% Black. This county: 74% / 13%.
Berrien County has a population of 153,288, with a median age of 42.7. By Census race-alone categories, White residents make up 73.9%; Black residents 13.2%. Independently, 6.3% of residents identify as Hispanic or Latino of any race.
The median household earns $68,882; 30.9% of residents 25 and over hold a bachelor's degree or higher; 13.4% live below the federal poverty line.
Economic context
Counting the cells BLS withholds (private jobs estimated from Census County Business Patterns, government jobs from the statewide mix), the two largest sectors are within 20% of each other: Education & health services about 13,330, Trade, transportation & utilities about 12,640.
Education & health services is the largest published sector at 21.7% of covered employment, followed by Trade, transportation & utilities at 19.9%. Trailing-12-month unemployment is 4.86%, below the Michigan state average.
Political composition
Republican candidate carried this county in 2016, 2020, and 2024 (avg winning share: 53%). 'Strongly' threshold: ≥60% avg.
Berrien County was carried by the Republican candidate in the 2016, 2020, and 2024 cycles, with 53.2% in 2024, 52.8% in 2020, 53.8% in 2016.
Languages, households, faith & health
Family households are 63% of all households (thresholds: ≥70% = 'family-dominant'; 50–70% = 'family-majority'; <50% = 'singles/nonfamily-majority'). 7.9% of residents 5 and older speak a language other than English at home (threshold for 'linguistically diverse' is ≥10%).
7.9% of residents 5 years and older speak a language other than English at home. The most common are Spanish, German or other West Germanic, French, Haitian, or Cajun. Veterans account for 6.1% of the adult civilian population (7,328 individuals).