Pentwater is a village in Oceana County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 890 at the 2020 census. The village is located within Pentwater Township. Pentwater is home to Mears State Park. The name Pentwater comes from Pent or Penned up waters. The entrance to the channel is notoriously shallow and for many years dictated the size of vessels that the village was able to accommodate.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the hamlet has a total area of , of which is land and is water. Pentwater is the biggest community in Oceana County due to the community's area.

Transportation

  • passes east of the village and runs south toward Muskegon and north toward Ludington.
  • is a former business loop that ran through downtown Pentwater until May 4, 2023.
  • is a county-designated highway running southerly from Pentwater, closer to (but generally not within sight of) Lake Michigan.

thumb|left|Pentwater harbor and beach

Eight streets within the village: Hancock, Carroll, Wythe, Rutledge, Rush, Ellery, Morris, and Clymer, are named after signers of the Declaration of Independence.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 857 people, 450 households, and 269 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 997 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 97.3% White, 0.1% African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.9% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.5% of the population.

There were 450 households, of which 13.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.0% were married couples living together, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 40.2% were non-families. 36.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.89 and the average family size was 2.38.

The median age in the village was 60.3 years. 11.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 4.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 10.1% were from 25 to 44; 36.2% were from 45 to 64; and 38.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 45.5% male and 54.5% female.

2000 census

As of the census