Menominee County is a county located in the Upper Peninsula in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the population was 24,029. The county seat is Menominee. The county's name comes from an American Indian word meaning "wild rice eater" used to describe a tribe. The county was originally created under the name of Bleeker in 1861. When county government was organized in 1863, the name was changed to Menominee.