Chippewa County, Michigan Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Chippewa 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 averageLess healthy than 72% of counties in Michigan
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D
Income Well below averageLess wealthy than 93% of counties in Michigan
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D
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Chippewa County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 36,295 | 10,068,405 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 13.4 | 104.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.68% | 0.19% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 42.0 | 40.3 | 37.3 |
| Households | 14,080 | 4,073,089 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Chippewa County declined by 6.2% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 36,295 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Chippewa County is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 22.4% of residents. That is 1.2 points above Michigan as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 8,129 22.4% +1.2 pts
- Millennials 29–44 7,672 21.1% +0.4 pts
- Gen X 45–60 7,383 20.3% -0.2 pts
- Boomers 61–79 6,939 19.1% +0.8 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 45.5% of the people living in Chippewa County and men 54.5%.
- Women 45.5% Michigan 50.5%
- Men 54.5% Michigan 49.5%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Chippewa County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Chippewa County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Chippewa County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $62,983 | $72,977 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.01% | 4.60% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.2% | 5.7% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Chippewa County is about 14% lower than in Michigan.
Housing
| Metric | Chippewa County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $178,274 | $138,713 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $796 | $1,129 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 75.0% | 73.2% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Chippewa County is about 18.7 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $796 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Chippewa County spend about 27 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 112 hours, about 4.7 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Chippewa County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 13.5 | 21.3 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 27.0 | 42.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 112 | 178 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $3,485 | $5,509 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 6.5% | 13.5% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,487 | 8,204 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 478 | 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 Chippewa County is 13 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
Chippewa County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Chippewa County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 20.7% | 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
Chippewa County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Chippewa County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 78.1 | 78.3 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 18.1% | 16.4% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 24.3% | 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).
Chippewa County, MI Compared With Nearby Counties
Chippewa County, MI is the largest of the 4 counties compared here, 36,295 residents against a local median of 26,108. Where Chippewa County, MI breaks from the counties next to it is median home price, sitting 23% above the local median of $144,791 at $178,274.
Commute tells the same story from another angle: 13.5 min against a local median of 17.5 min, 23% below it. The picture is mixed rather than uniform: commute runs ahead of the neighbourhood while median household income runs behind it, so Chippewa County, MI is trading one against the other rather than simply out-performing what surrounds it. The counties themselves spread $216,951 on median home price, so Chippewa County, MI sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Chippewa County, MI has the 2nd highest median home price of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chippewa County, MI | 36,295 | $62,983 #4/4 | $178,274 #2/4 | 13.5 min #1/4 |
| Cheboygan County, MI | 25,865 | $63,766 | $144,791 | 21.3 min |
| Emmet County, MI | 34,125 | $78,983 | $109,091 | 17.3 min |
| Charlevoix County, MI | 26,108 | $76,927 | $326,041 | 17.5 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Chippewa County, Michigan.
How big is Chippewa County, Michigan by population?
About 36,295 people live in Chippewa County, Michigan, in 14,080 households of 2.3 people on average. The median age is 42.0, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 5 years.
Is Chippewa County, Michigan mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Chippewa County, Michigan has 13 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 16% of the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Chippewa County, Michigan?
The median home costs 2.8 times the median household income ($178,274 against $62,983), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $796 a month takes about 15% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
What share of adults in Chippewa County, Michigan have a college degree?
20.7% of adults in Chippewa 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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