Alcona County, Michigan Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Alcona County, MI Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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C
Health Below averageLess healthy than 88% of counties in Michigan
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D
Income Well below averageLess wealthy than 83% of counties in Michigan
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D
Education Well below averageLess educated than 70% of counties in Michigan
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Alcona County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 10,397 | 10,068,405 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 5.8 | 104.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.07% | 0.19% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 58.9 | 40.3 | 37.3 |
| Households | 5,305 | 4,073,089 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Alcona County declined by 8.5% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 10,397 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Alcona County is Boomers, aged 61–79, at 35.6% of residents. That is 17.3 points above Michigan as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 1,230 11.8% -9.3 pts
- Millennials 29–44 1,293 12.4% -8.3 pts
- Gen X 45–60 2,351 22.6% +2.1 pts
- Boomers 61–79 3,703 35.6% +17.3 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Michigan, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 49.8% of the people living in Alcona County and men 50.2%.
- Women 49.8% Michigan 50.5%
- Men 50.2% Michigan 49.5%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Alcona County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Alcona County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Alcona County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $56,104 | $72,977 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.89% | 4.60% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.5% | 5.7% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Alcona County is about 23% lower than in Michigan.
Housing
| Metric | Alcona County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $152,842 | $138,713 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $866 | $1,129 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 89.6% | 73.2% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Alcona County is about 14.7 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $866 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Alcona County spend about 46 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 192 hours, about 8.0 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Alcona County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 23.0 | 21.3 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 46.0 | 42.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 192 | 178 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,940 | $5,509 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 10.9% | 13.5% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,623 | 8,204 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 382 | 1,585 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Michigan:
Luce County (11.4 min), Dickinson County (12.2 min), Schoolcraft County (12.5 min).
Slowest:
Lapeer County (31.3 min), Lake County (31.1 min), Livingston County (28.6 min).
The average commute time in Alcona County is 23 minutes, longer than the 21 minutes in Michigan.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Alcona County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Alcona County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 19.2% | 28.8% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 1.94 | 2.42 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Michigan:
Washtenaw County (0.4), Oakland County (0.4), Leelanau County (0.4).
Lowest:
Lake County (0.2), Oscoda County (0.2), Kalkaska County (0.2).
Health
Alcona County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Alcona County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 76.5 | 78.3 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 19.4% | 16.4% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 20.6% | 20.9% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Michigan:
Washtenaw County (0.8), Ottawa County (0.8), Livingston County (0.8).
Lowest:
Clare County (0.8), Oscoda County (0.8), Lake County (0.8).
Alcona County, MI Compared With Nearby Counties
Alcona County, MI is the smallest of the 4 counties compared here, 10,397 residents against a local median of 28,880. Alcona County, MI's commute, at 23.0 min, runs 45% above the 15.9 min typical of the counties around it. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
Median home price tells the same story from another angle: $152,842 against a local median of $125,833, 21% above it. The counties themselves sit within 3.6 min of each other on commute, a tighter band than the gap between any of them and Alcona County, MI, which makes it a genuine outlier here rather than one end of a wide local spread. Alcona County, MI has the 4th lowest commute of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alcona County, MI | 10,397 | $56,104 #2/4 | $152,842 #1/4 | 23.0 min #4/4 |
| Iosco County, MI | 25,347 | $50,099 | $139,147 | 15.9 min |
| Alpena County, MI | 28,880 | $54,138 | $125,833 | 13.5 min |
| Huron County, MI | 31,113 | $58,914 | $52,500 | 17.1 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Alcona County, Michigan.
How many people live in Alcona County, Michigan?
About 10,397 people live in Alcona County, Michigan, in 5,305 households of 1.9 people on average. The median age is 58.9, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 22 years.
Is Alcona County, Michigan urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Alcona County, Michigan has 6 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 7% of the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Alcona County, Michigan?
The median home costs 2.7 times the median household income ($152,842 against $56,104), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $866 a month takes about 19% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
What share of adults in Alcona County, Michigan have a college degree?
19.2% of adults in Alcona County, Michigan hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 5), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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