Branch County, Michigan Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Branch 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.
-
C
Health Below averageLess healthy than 78% of counties in Michigan
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C
Income Below average
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F
Education Well below averageLess educated than 89% of counties in Michigan
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Branch County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 45,300 | 10,068,405 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 87.2 | 104.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.48% | 0.19% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 41.1 | 40.3 | 37.3 |
| Households | 16,906 | 4,073,089 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Branch County declined by 1.3% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 45,300 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Branch County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 20.6% of residents. That is 0.1 points above Michigan as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 8,785 19.4% -1.8 pts
- Millennials 29–44 9,138 20.2% -0.5 pts
- Gen X 45–60 9,350 20.6% +0.1 pts
- Boomers 61–79 8,823 19.5% +1.2 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 48.0% of the people living in Branch County and men 52.0%.
- Women 48.0% Michigan 50.5%
- Men 52.0% Michigan 49.5%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Branch County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Branch County has a the economy index of C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.
| Metric | Branch County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $64,556 | $72,977 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.23% | 4.60% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.7% | 5.7% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Branch County is about 12% lower than in Michigan.
Housing
| Metric | Branch County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $97,058 | $138,713 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $958 | $1,129 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 77.7% | 73.2% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Branch County is about 8.4 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $958 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Branch County spend about 36 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 148 hours, about 6.2 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Branch County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 17.8 | 21.3 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 35.6 | 42.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 148 | 178 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,597 | $5,509 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 6.2% | 13.5% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 5,109 | 8,204 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 925 | 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 Branch County is 18 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
Branch County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Branch County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 15.0% | 28.8% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.57 | 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
Branch County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Branch County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 77.2 | 78.3 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 16.8% | 16.4% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 22.5% | 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).
Branch County, MI Compared With Nearby Counties
Branch County, MI is typical in size for this group, 45,300 residents against a local median of 45,654, so the measures below are close to a like for like comparison. Nothing separates Branch 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 household income, 4% below the local median at $64,556 against $67,257. Branch County, MI has the 4th highest median household income of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Branch County, MI | 45,300 | $64,556 #4/6 | $97,058 #5/6 | 17.8 min #4/6 |
| Steuben County, IN | 34,726 | $74,906 | $65,909 | 17.0 min |
| Calhoun County, MI | 133,799 | $63,881 | $100,765 | 17.4 min |
| LaGrange County, IN | 40,805 | $83,276 | $121,830 | 20.2 min |
| Hillsdale County, MI | 45,654 | $63,646 | $100,000 | 20.5 min |
| St. Joseph County, MI | 60,969 | $67,257 | $165,178 | 16.9 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Branch County, Michigan.
How big is Branch County, Michigan by population?
About 45,300 people live in Branch County, Michigan, in 16,906 households of 2.6 people on average. The median age is 41.1, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 4 years.
Is Branch County, Michigan urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Branch County, Michigan has 87 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is close to the U.S. average of 86.
Is Branch County, Michigan an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 1.5 times the median household income ($97,058 against $64,556), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $958 a month takes about 18% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
What share of adults in Branch County, Michigan have a college degree?
15.0% of adults in Branch County, 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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