Bay City, Michigan Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Bay City, 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 average
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D
Income Well below average
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F
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population
| Metric | Bay City | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 32,332 | 10,068,405 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 2886.7 | 104.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.68% | 0.19% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 40.8 | 40.3 | 37.3 |
| Households | 14,625 | 4,073,089 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Bay City declined by 5.4% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 32,332 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Bay City is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 21.8% of residents. That is 1.0 points above Michigan as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 6,827 21.1% on par
- Millennials 29–44 7,038 21.8% +1.0 pts
- Gen X 45–60 6,693 20.7% +0.2 pts
- Boomers 61–79 5,466 16.9% -1.4 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 52.5% of the people living in Bay City and men 47.5%.
- Women 52.5% Michigan 50.5%
- Men 47.5% Michigan 49.5%
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Economy
Bay City has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Bay City | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $49,255 | $72,977 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.68% | 4.60% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 6.7% | 5.7% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Bay City is about 33% lower than in Michigan.
Housing
| Metric | Bay City | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $104,721 | $138,713 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $766 | $1,129 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 70.0% | 73.2% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Bay City is about 11.4 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $766 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Bay City spend about 35 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 145 hours, about 6.0 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Bay City | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 17.3 | 21.3 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 34.7 | 42.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 145 | 178 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,480 | $5,509 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 8.4% | 13.5% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 11,809 | 8,204 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 2,800 | 1,585 | 1,355 |
The average commute time in Bay City 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
Bay City has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Bay City | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 15.4% | 28.8% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.18 | 2.42 | 2.53 |
Health
Bay City has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Bay City | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 75.1 | 78.3 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 18.7% | 16.4% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 25.2% | 20.9% | 19.0% |
Bay City, MI Compared With Nearby Cities
How Bay City, MI compares with the 1 cities closest to it.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bay City, MI | 32,332 | $49,255 #1/2 | $104,721 #1/2 | 17.3 min #2/2 |
| Saginaw, MI | 43,642 | $38,361 | $39,424 | 16.1 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Bay City, Michigan.
How big is Bay City, Michigan by population?
About 32,332 people live in Bay City, Michigan, in 14,625 households of 2.2 people on average. The median age is 40.8, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 4 years.
How densely populated is Bay City, Michigan?
Averaged over its land area, Bay City, Michigan has 2,887 people per square mile, a density typical of urban and suburban areas. That is about 33 times the U.S. average of 86.
Is Bay City, Michigan an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 2.1 times the median household income ($104,721 against $49,255), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $766 a month takes about 19% 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 Bay City, Michigan?
Unemployment in Bay City, Michigan is 6.7%, well above the U.S. rate of 5.2%, so job seekers may face more competition than elsewhere.
How educated are people in Bay City, Michigan?
15.4% of adults in Bay City, Michigan hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 7), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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