Ingham County, Michigan Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Ingham 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 averageHealthier than 89% of counties in Michigan
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C
Income Below average
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B
Education Around averageAmong the top 5 best educated counties in Michigan
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Ingham County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 283,163 | 10,068,405 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 504.8 | 104.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.14% | 0.19% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 31.2 | 40.3 | 37.3 |
| Households | 116,747 | 4,073,089 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Ingham County grew by 0.1% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 283,163 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Ingham County is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 30.7% of residents. That is 9.5 points above Michigan as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 86,959 30.7% +9.5 pts
- Millennials 29–44 56,646 20.0% -0.7 pts
- Gen X 45–60 48,883 17.3% -3.3 pts
- Boomers 61–79 41,570 14.7% -3.6 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 51.2% of the people living in Ingham County and men 48.8%.
- Women 51.2% Michigan 50.5%
- Men 48.8% Michigan 49.5%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Ingham County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Ingham County has a the economy index of C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.
| Metric | Ingham County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $65,698 | $72,977 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.30% | 4.60% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 6.2% | 5.7% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Ingham County is about 10% lower than in Michigan.
Housing
| Metric | Ingham County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $129,821 | $138,713 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,084 | $1,129 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 59.4% | 73.2% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Ingham County is about 10.0 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,084 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Ingham 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 149 hours, about 6.2 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Ingham County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 17.9 | 21.3 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 35.8 | 42.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 149 | 178 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,619 | $5,509 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 17.3% | 13.5% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 11,427 | 8,204 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,737 | 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 Ingham 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
Ingham County has a education index of B, which means it is quite educated.
| Metric | Ingham County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 34.4% | 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
Ingham County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Ingham County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 77.9 | 78.3 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 13.8% | 16.4% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 17.8% | 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).
Ingham County, MI Compared With Nearby Counties
Ingham County, MI is the largest of the 6 counties compared here, 283,163 residents against a local median of 109,130. Ingham County, MI's median home price, at $129,821, runs 21% below the $164,261 typical of the counties around it.
Median household income tells the same story from another angle: $65,698 against a local median of $80,261, 18% below it. The picture is mixed rather than uniform: commute runs ahead of the neighbourhood while median household income runs behind it, so Ingham County, MI is trading one against the other rather than simply out-performing what surrounds it. The counties themselves spread $30,024 on median home price, so Ingham County, MI sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Ingham County, MI has the 6th highest median home price of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ingham County, MI | 283,163 | $65,698 #6/6 | $129,821 #6/6 | 17.9 min #1/6 |
| Jackson County, MI | 160,066 | $66,829 | $152,125 | 17.9 min |
| Clinton County, MI | 79,626 | $88,737 | $165,901 | 21.3 min |
| Shiawassee County, MI | 67,991 | $67,783 | $166,666 | 26.0 min |
| Livingston County, MI | 195,818 | $103,306 | $164,261 | 28.6 min |
| Eaton County, MI | 109,130 | $80,261 | $136,642 | 20.1 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Ingham County, Michigan.
How big is Ingham County, Michigan by population?
About 283,163 people live in Ingham County, Michigan, in 116,747 households of 2.3 people on average. The median age is 31.2, so residents are younger than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 6 years.
Is Ingham County, Michigan mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Ingham County, Michigan has 505 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 5.8 times the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Ingham County, Michigan?
The median home costs 2.0 times the median household income ($129,821 against $65,698), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,084 a month takes about 20% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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