Alger County, Michigan Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Alger 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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B
Health Around average
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D
Income Well below averageAmong the 3 least wealthy counties in Michigan
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D
Education Well below averageLess educated than 78% of counties in Michigan
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Alger County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 8,761 | 10,068,405 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 1.7 | 104.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.87% | 0.19% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 47.2 | 40.3 | 37.3 |
| Households | 3,531 | 4,073,089 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Alger County declined by 7.9% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 8,761 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Alger County is Boomers, aged 61–79, at 25.4% of residents. That is 7.1 points above Michigan as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 1,499 17.1% -4.1 pts
- Millennials 29–44 1,531 17.5% -3.2 pts
- Gen X 45–60 2,060 23.5% +3.0 pts
- Boomers 61–79 2,225 25.4% +7.1 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 43.5% of the people living in Alger County and men 56.5%.
- Women 43.5% Michigan 50.5%
- Men 56.5% Michigan 49.5%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Alger County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Alger County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Alger County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $62,450 | $72,977 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.35% | 4.60% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 6.8% | 5.7% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Alger County is about 14% lower than in Michigan.
Housing
| Metric | Alger County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $173,436 | $138,713 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $714 | $1,129 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 86.3% | 73.2% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Alger County is about 20.2 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $714 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Alger County spend about 35 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 146 hours, about 6.1 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Alger County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 17.5 | 21.3 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 34.9 | 42.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 146 | 178 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,513 | $5,509 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 8.2% | 13.5% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,963 | 8,204 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 153 | 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 Alger County is 17 minutes, shorter 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
Alger County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Alger County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 19.0% | 28.8% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.19 | 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
Alger County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Alger County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 81.2 | 78.3 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 16.7% | 16.4% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 21.8% | 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).
Alger County, MI Compared With Nearby Counties
Alger County, MI is the smallest of the 4 counties compared here, 8,761 residents against a local median of 36,813. Alger County, MI's commute, at 17.5 min, runs 31% above the 13.3 min typical of the counties around it. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves sit within 1.8 min of each other on commute, a tighter band than the gap between any of them and Alger County, MI, which makes it a genuine outlier here rather than one end of a wide local spread. Alger County, MI has the 4th lowest commute of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alger County, MI | 8,761 | $62,450 #3/4 | $173,436 #3/4 | 17.5 min #4/4 |
| Marquette County, MI | 66,775 | $66,054 | $185,162 | 13.9 min |
| Delta County, MI | 36,813 | $58,589 | $52,647 | 13.3 min |
| Dickinson County, MI | 25,954 | $65,732 | $377,272 | 12.2 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Alger County, Michigan.
What is the population of Alger County, Michigan?
About 8,761 people live in Alger County, Michigan, in 3,531 households of 2.2 people on average. The median age is 47.2, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 10 years.
How densely populated is Alger County, Michigan?
Averaged over its land area, Alger County, Michigan has 2 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 2% of the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Alger County, Michigan?
The median home costs 2.8 times the median household income ($173,436 against $62,450), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $714 a month takes about 14% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is it hard to find a job in Alger County, Michigan?
Unemployment in Alger County, Michigan is 6.8%, well above the U.S. rate of 5.2%, so job seekers may face more competition than elsewhere.
How common is a college degree in Alger County, Michigan?
19.0% of adults in Alger 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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