2025

Cities in Cass County, MI ranked by White Population

This list ranks the 22 cities in Cass County based on their White population, as estimated by the United States Census Bureau. It also highlights population changes in these cities over the past five years.
Updated Jan 24, 2025

Top 5 cities with the largest White population in Cass County

View All
  • 1
    Niles
    White population in Niles is 9,900
    39.43% of Niles population is White
  • 2
    Niles
    White population in Niles is 9,900
    39.43% of Niles population is White
  • 3
    Ontwa township
    White population in Ontwa township is 6,736
    91.81% of Ontwa township population is White
  • 4
    Howard township
    White population in Howard township is 5,762
    87.09% of Howard township population is White
  • 5
    Dowagiac
    White population in Dowagiac is 4,714
    77.44% of Dowagiac population is White

List of 22 cities in Cass County, MI by White Population

View Methodology
Rank by White Population
City
White Population
% of Total City Population
% of Total Cass County White Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Niles 9,900 39.43% 16.19%
1 Niles 9,900 39.43% 16.19%
2 Ontwa township 6,736 91.81% 11.02%
3 Howard township 5,762 87.09% 9.42%
4 Dowagiac 4,714 77.44% 7.71%
5 Porter township 3,781 92.85% 6.18%
6 Milton township 3,105 93.83% 5.08%
7 3,033 93.90% 4.96%
8 2,774 67.05% 4.54%
9 2,711 86.81% 4.43%
10 2,455 92.78% 4.01%
11 2,419 91.18% 3.96%
12 2,152 95.73% 3.52%
13 1,945 89.51% 3.18%
14 1,786 77.65% 2.92%
15 1,564 93.88% 2.56%
16 1,463 74.53% 2.39%
17 1,231 94.77% 2.01%
18 1,154 89.46% 1.89%
19 1,116 55.77% 1.82%
20 1,081 95.66% 1.77%
21 269 67.59% 0.44%

Methodology

This ranking list is based on data from the American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. The ACS is one of the most reliable sources for understanding population trends across different locations, and it provides estimates for various racial and ethnic groups at city, county, state and all geography levels down to the Census block group.
This list ranks cities in Cass County, MI by their White population, using the most recent ACS data available.

How the Census Defines White Population

The U.S. Census Bureau allows people to self-identify their race, meaning individuals can choose one or more racial categories when responding to the survey. In this ranking, we include everyone who identifies as White, whether alone or in combination with another race.
Here are a few important things to know about how race is reported:
  • Some people identify as White alone, while others identify as White along with another race (such as White and White).
  • Hispanic / Latino origin is reported separately from race, so someone can be both Hispanic and White .
  • We’ve used the “White alone or in combination” category unless noted otherwise, which gives a broader picture of the White population in each area.

How We Ranked the Data

This ranking is based on the total number of people who identified as White alone or in combination in cities. To provide additional context, we’ve also included two key percentages:
  1. % of Total City Population – This shows what percentage of the total state population identifies as White .
  2. % of Total Cass County White Population – This tells us how much of the entire U.S. White population lives in that state.
To keep things simple, all population numbers have been rounded to the nearest whole number, and percentages are rounded to one decimal place. Because of rounding, some percentages may not add up to exactly 100%.

Things to Keep in Mind

Like all survey-based data, ACS estimates come with some limitations. Here are a few things to be aware of:
  • In places with very small White populations, the numbers may not be reported at all due to privacy protections or sampling variability in the survey.
  • Since the ACS is based on a sample, the numbers are estimates, not exact counts. That means they may slightly differ from other sources like the decennial U.S. Census.
  • Cities that don’t have any reported White population are not included in the ranking but are listed separately below for reference.
This ranking is meant to provide a clear, data-driven look at where White populations are most concentrated while keeping the numbers easy to understand.

Sources

U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2019-2023 5-Year Estimates.