Clare County, Michigan Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Clare 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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C
Health Below averageLeast healthy county in Michigan
-
D
Income Well below averageAmong the 5 least wealthy counties in Michigan
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F
Education Well below averageLess educated than 94% of counties in Michigan
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Clare County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 31,218 | 10,068,405 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 54.3 | 104.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.25% | 0.19% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 46.3 | 40.3 | 37.3 |
| Households | 12,521 | 4,073,089 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Clare County grew by 1.8% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 31,218 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Clare County is Boomers, aged 61–79, at 25.9% of residents. That is 7.6 points above Michigan as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 5,293 17.0% -4.2 pts
- Millennials 29–44 5,245 16.8% -3.9 pts
- Gen X 45–60 6,795 21.8% +1.2 pts
- Boomers 61–79 8,095 25.9% +7.6 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 50.1% of the people living in Clare County and men 49.9%.
- Women 50.1% Michigan 50.5%
- Men 49.9% Michigan 49.5%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Clare County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Clare County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Clare County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $49,410 | $72,977 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.47% | 4.60% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 9.5% | 5.7% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Clare County is about 32% lower than in Michigan.
Housing
| Metric | Clare County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $112,500 | $138,713 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $764 | $1,129 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 86.9% | 73.2% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Clare County is about 12.3 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $764 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Clare County spend about 48 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 199 hours, about 8.3 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Clare County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 23.9 | 21.3 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 47.8 | 42.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 199 | 178 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $6,173 | $5,509 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 10.9% | 13.5% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 4,260 | 8,204 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 824 | 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 Clare County is 24 minutes, longer 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
Clare County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Clare County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 11.5% | 28.8% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.46 | 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
Clare County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Clare County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 75.2 | 78.3 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 20.4% | 16.4% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 25.2% | 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).
Clare County, MI Compared With Nearby Counties
Clare County, MI is the 2nd largest of the 5 counties compared here, 31,218 residents against a local median of 24,715. Nothing separates Clare 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, 12% below the local median at $49,410 against $55,896. Clare County, MI has the 5th highest median household income of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clare County, MI | 31,218 | $49,410 #5/5 | $112,500 #3/5 | 23.9 min #4/5 |
| Isabella County, MI | 64,565 | $55,505 | $160,833 | 15.5 min |
| Roscommon County, MI | 23,737 | $55,664 | $130,555 | 20.8 min |
| Gladwin County, MI | 25,693 | $56,129 | $98,213 | 23.9 min |
| Osceola County, MI | 23,226 | $58,333 | $76,471 | 22.1 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Clare County, Michigan.
How big is Clare County, Michigan by population?
About 31,218 people live in Clare County, Michigan, in 12,521 households of 2.5 people on average. The median age is 46.3, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 9 years.
How densely populated is Clare County, Michigan?
Averaged over its land area, Clare County, Michigan has 54 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 63% of the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Clare County, Michigan?
The median home costs 2.3 times the median household income ($112,500 against $49,410), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $764 a month takes about 19% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is unemployment high in Clare County, Michigan?
Unemployment in Clare County, Michigan is 9.5%, well above the U.S. rate of 5.2%, so job seekers may face more competition than elsewhere.
How educated are people in Clare County, Michigan?
11.5% of adults in Clare County, Michigan hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 9), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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