Grand Traverse County, Michigan Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Grand Traverse 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 averageHealthier than 94% of counties in Michigan
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B
Income Around averageWealthier than 94% of counties in Michigan
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B
Education Around averageBetter educated than 94% of counties in Michigan
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Grand Traverse County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 96,166 | 10,068,405 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 160.0 | 104.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.73% | 0.19% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 41.9 | 40.3 | 37.3 |
| Households | 40,287 | 4,073,089 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Grand Traverse County grew by 13.0% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 96,166 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Grand Traverse County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 21.7% of residents. That is 1.2 points above Michigan as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 18,444 19.2% -2.0 pts
- Millennials 29–44 19,535 20.3% -0.4 pts
- Gen X 45–60 20,893 21.7% +1.2 pts
- Boomers 61–79 19,097 19.9% +1.5 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 50.3% of the people living in Grand Traverse County and men 49.7%.
- Women 50.3% Michigan 50.5%
- Men 49.7% Michigan 49.5%
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Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Grand Traverse County
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Economy
Grand Traverse County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Grand Traverse County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $82,482 | $72,977 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.89% | 4.60% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 3.8% | 5.7% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Grand Traverse County is about 13% higher than in Michigan.
Housing
| Metric | Grand Traverse County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $124,999 | $138,713 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,288 | $1,129 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 77.2% | 73.2% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Grand Traverse County is about 8.1 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,288 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Grand Traverse 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 150 hours, about 6.3 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Grand Traverse County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 18.0 | 21.3 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 36.1 | 42.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 150 | 178 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,656 | $5,509 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 15.2% | 13.5% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 4,174 | 8,204 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,446 | 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 Grand Traverse 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
Grand Traverse County has a education index of B, which means it is quite educated.
| Metric | Grand Traverse County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 36.0% | 28.8% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.34 | 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
Grand Traverse County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Grand Traverse County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 80.2 | 78.3 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 11.9% | 16.4% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 16.8% | 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).
Grand Traverse County, MI Compared With Nearby Counties
Grand Traverse County, MI is the largest of the 4 counties compared here, 96,166 residents against a local median of 24,127. Grand Traverse County, MI's median home price, at $124,999, runs 58% below the $294,921 typical of the counties around it.
Commute tells the same story from another angle: 18.0 min against a local median of 21.2 min, 15% below it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is commute, and at 15% below the local median it puts Grand Traverse County, MI at the better end of the local range. The counties themselves spread $192,366 on median home price, so Grand Traverse County, MI sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Grand Traverse County, MI has the 4th highest median home price of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Traverse County, MI | 96,166 | $82,482 #2/4 | $124,999 #4/4 | 18.0 min #2/4 |
| Wexford County, MI | 34,076 | $61,341 | $177,633 | 17.8 min |
| Antrim County, MI | 24,127 | $72,664 | $369,999 | 22.3 min |
| Leelanau County, MI | 22,734 | $99,683 | $294,921 | 21.2 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Grand Traverse County, Michigan.
How big is Grand Traverse County, Michigan by population?
About 96,166 people live in Grand Traverse County, Michigan, in 40,287 households of 2.3 people on average. The median age is 41.9, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 5 years.
Is Grand Traverse County, Michigan urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Grand Traverse County, Michigan has 160 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.
Can a typical household afford a home in Grand Traverse County, Michigan?
The median home costs 1.5 times the median household income ($124,999 against $82,482), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,288 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 Grand Traverse County, Michigan?
Unemployment in Grand Traverse County, Michigan is only 3.8%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
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