Clawson is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. A northern suburb of Detroit, Clawson is located about north of downtown Detroit. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 11,389.
History
This area was occupied by the historic Potowatomi people, who were among the indigenous peoples in the Detroit territory. They traded furs for goods for years with the French Canadians and English colonists.
The city's name is a misspelling of the surname of John C. Lawson, an early European-American settler. It was founded by European Americans in 1829 and was originally known as Pumachug and The Corners. The name was inspired by the sound made by the Cider Mill and Saw Mill on each corner of the main intersection. The sound was described as "pum-a-chug, pum-a-chug." The city was incorporated as Clawson in 1920 as a village; in 1940 it was incorporated as a city.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Clawson had a population of 11,389. The median age was 39.4 years. 14.9% of residents were under the age of 18 and 17.8% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 100.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 98.1 males age 18 and over.
100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 5,607 households in Clawson, of which 18.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 38.5% were married-couple households, 25.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 28.5% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 41.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. there were 11,825 people, 5,460 households and 2,992 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 5,791 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup was 93.4% White, 1.9% African American, 0.3% Native American, 2.0% Asian, 0.4% from other races, and 1.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.1% of the population.
There were 5,460 households, of which 23.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.8% were married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 45.2% were non-families. 38.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.88.
The median age was 39.9 years. 17.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 31.4% were from 25 to 44; 28.4% were from 45 to 64; and 14.8% were 65 years of age or older. The sex makeup was 49.0% male and 51.0% female.
2000 census
At the 2000 census, council members. The city council appoints a city manager, who manages the day-to-day operations of the city.
Federal, state, and county legislators
{| class="wikitable"
|+United States House of Representatives
!District
!Representative
!Party
!Since
|-
|11th
|Haley Stevens
| |Democratic
|2019
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+Michigan Senate
!District
!Senator
!Party
!Since
|-
|3rd
|Stephanie Chang
| |Democratic
|2023
|-
|8th
|Mallory McMorrow
| |Democratic
|2019
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+Michigan House of Representatives
!District
!Representative
!Party
!Since
|-
|56th
|Sharon MacDonnell
| |Democratic
|2023
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+Oakland County Board of Commissioners
!District
!Commissioner
!Party
!Since
|-
|2
|Penny Luebs
| |Democratic
|2019
|}
Education
The city of Clawson is entirely within the boundaries of Clawson Public Schools.
Japhet School, a private school, is located in a former YWCA building in Clawson. It moved there in August 2013 from its previous location in Madison Heights.
Notable people
- Mark Campbell, tight end for the New Orleans Saints
- Lou Cotton, Musician We Came As Romans
- Tim Gleason, defenseman for the Toronto Maple Leafs; 2010 Olympian, ice hockey
- Jon Jansen, offensive tackle for the Washington Redskins
- David Robert Mitchell (born 1974), American film director
- Dan Scanlon, director at Pixar Animation Studios
- Drew Schultz, Motown Musician, composer, and producer.