How it works
Pick a random city in Michigan from all 281 cities and 252 villages in the Census Bureau's 2025 estimates. Forestville, with 84 people, comes up as often as Detroit, with 649,095.
Read the full guide
Random cities in Michigan, one county at a time
Oakland County has 40 places and Wayne County 33, so about one open draw in seven lands in one of the two. The County list holds 80 of the 83 counties. Oscoda County has no city or village, and Alcona and Keweenaw Counties have none of 500 people, so Harrisville, Lincoln and Ahmeek turn up only in a draw from every county.
A village can be bigger than a city
Size does not decide whether a card says city or village: Beverly Hills, the largest village, has 10,449 people, more than 195 of the 281 cities.
- Twenty-seven places share a name with the county they are in, Kalamazoo and Saginaw among them. Mason does not: it is in Ingham County.
Questions and answers
How many cities are in Michigan?
The Census Bureau's 2025 estimates list 533 incorporated places in Michigan: 281 cities and 252 villages, counting Manchester, which became a city in November 2023. The state's 1,240 townships are not on the list.
What is the difference between a city and a village in Michigan?
A village remains part of its township: people who live there pay both township and village taxes and share the township's services. A city is not under any township.
What is the smallest city in Michigan?
Omer, in Arenac County, with 281 people in the 2025 estimates. Lake Angelus in Oakland County has 289 and Gaastra in Iron County has 319. Thirty-six villages are smaller than Omer.
What are the largest cities in Michigan?
Detroit, then Grand Rapids with 201,183 people, Warren with 137,138, Sterling Heights with 133,931 and Ann Arbor with 122,233. Lansing, the capital, is sixth with 113,884.