Benzie County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the population was 17,970. The county seat is Beulah. The county was initially set off in 1863 and organized in 1869. At 321 square miles, Benzie County is the smallest of the 83 counties in Michigan in terms of land area. Benzie County is part of the Traverse City metropolitan area. Part of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is located within the county.