Bay County, Michigan Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Bay 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.
-
B
Health Around average
-
C
Income Below average
-
D
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Bay County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 103,008 | 10,068,405 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 163.2 | 104.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.31% | 0.19% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 42.5 | 40.3 | 37.3 |
| Households | 45,092 | 4,073,089 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Bay County declined by 5.6% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 103,008 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Bay County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 21.5% of residents. That is 1.0 points above Michigan as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 19,693 19.1% -2.0 pts
- Millennials 29–44 20,127 19.5% -1.2 pts
- Gen X 45–60 22,113 21.5% +1.0 pts
- Boomers 61–79 22,003 21.4% +3.0 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 51.0% of the people living in Bay County and men 49.0%.
- Women 51.0% Michigan 50.5%
- Men 49.0% Michigan 49.5%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Bay County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Bay County has a the economy index of C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.
| Metric | Bay County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $62,107 | $72,977 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 3.91% | 4.60% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.3% | 5.7% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Bay County is about 15% lower than in Michigan.
Housing
| Metric | Bay County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $104,654 | $138,713 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $860 | $1,129 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 77.0% | 73.2% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Bay County is about 10.1 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $860 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Bay County spend about 40 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 167 hours, about 7.0 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Bay County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 20.1 | 21.3 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 40.1 | 42.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 167 | 178 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,183 | $5,509 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 8.6% | 13.5% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 7,639 | 8,204 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,943 | 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 Bay County is 20 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 County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Bay County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 19.0% | 28.8% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.26 | 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
Bay County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Bay County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 77.0 | 78.3 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 16.6% | 16.4% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 22.3% | 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).
Bay County, MI Compared With Nearby Counties
Bay County, MI is the 2nd largest of the 5 counties compared here, 103,008 residents against a local median of 68,368. Nothing separates Bay County, MI sharply from the counties around it. Each measure below lands within 15% of the local median, close enough that the differences are within what survey sampling alone would produce.
The largest of those small differences is median home price, 11% below the local median at $104,654 against $116,982. Bay County, MI has the 3rd highest median home price of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bay County, MI | 103,008 | $62,107 #3/5 | $104,654 #3/5 | 20.1 min #3/5 |
| Saginaw County, MI | 188,665 | $60,674 | $95,147 | 18.2 min |
| Midland County, MI | 83,757 | $78,496 | $157,692 | 18.8 min |
| Gladwin County, MI | 25,693 | $56,129 | $98,213 | 23.9 min |
| Tuscola County, MI | 52,980 | $63,906 | $135,750 | 23.4 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Bay County, Michigan.
What is the population of Bay County, Michigan?
About 103,008 people live in Bay County, Michigan, in 45,092 households of 2.3 people on average. The median age is 42.5, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 5 years.
How densely populated is Bay County, Michigan?
Averaged over its land area, Bay County, Michigan has 163 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 1.9 times the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Bay County, Michigan?
The median home costs 1.7 times the median household income ($104,654 against $62,107), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $860 a month takes about 17% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How common is a college degree in Bay County, Michigan?
19.0% of adults in Bay 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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