Kalamazoo County, Michigan Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Kalamazoo 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 82% of counties in Michigan
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C
Income Below averageWealthier than 78% of counties in Michigan
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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 | Kalamazoo County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 262,419 | 10,068,405 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 452.4 | 104.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.18% | 0.19% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 35.1 | 40.3 | 37.3 |
| Households | 107,400 | 4,073,089 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Kalamazoo County grew by 7.1% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 262,419 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Kalamazoo County is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 27.9% of residents. That is 6.7 points above Michigan as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 73,237 27.9% +6.7 pts
- Millennials 29–44 52,969 20.2% -0.5 pts
- Gen X 45–60 46,111 17.6% -2.9 pts
- Boomers 61–79 40,976 15.6% -2.7 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 Kalamazoo 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 Kalamazoo County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Kalamazoo County has a the economy index of C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.
| Metric | Kalamazoo County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $72,425 | $72,977 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.84% | 4.60% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.5% | 5.7% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Kalamazoo County is about 1% lower than in Michigan.
Housing
| Metric | Kalamazoo County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $141,172 | $138,713 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,093 | $1,129 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 64.5% | 73.2% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Kalamazoo County is about 10.8 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,093 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Kalamazoo 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 152 hours, about 6.3 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Kalamazoo County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 18.2 | 21.3 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 36.5 | 42.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 152 | 178 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,710 | $5,509 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 12.4% | 13.5% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 8,960 | 8,204 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,931 | 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 Kalamazoo 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
Kalamazoo County has a education index of B, which means it is quite educated.
| Metric | Kalamazoo County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 35.0% | 28.8% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.39 | 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
Kalamazoo County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Kalamazoo County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 78.9 | 78.3 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 13.9% | 16.4% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 19.3% | 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).
Kalamazoo County, MI Compared With Nearby Counties
Kalamazoo County, MI is the largest of the 6 counties compared here, 262,419 residents against a local median of 60,969. Kalamazoo County, MI's median home price, at $141,172, runs 24% above the $113,846 typical of the counties around it.
The counties themselves spread $68,120 on median home price, so Kalamazoo County, MI sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Kalamazoo County, MI has the 3rd highest median home price of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kalamazoo County, MI | 262,419 | $72,425 #2/6 | $141,172 #3/6 | 18.2 min #4/6 |
| St. Joseph County, MI | 60,969 | $67,257 | $165,178 | 16.9 min |
| Barry County, MI | 63,409 | $78,210 | $157,432 | 27.1 min |
| Calhoun County, MI | 133,799 | $63,881 | $100,765 | 17.4 min |
| Cass County, MI | 51,520 | $70,806 | $113,846 | 22.1 min |
| Branch County, MI | 45,300 | $64,556 | $97,058 | 17.8 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Kalamazoo County, Michigan.
How many people live in Kalamazoo County, Michigan?
About 262,419 people live in Kalamazoo County, Michigan, in 107,400 households of 2.4 people on average. The median age is 35.1, so residents are younger than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 2 years.
How densely populated is Kalamazoo County, Michigan?
Averaged over its land area, Kalamazoo County, Michigan has 452 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 5.2 times the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Kalamazoo County, Michigan?
The median home costs 1.9 times the median household income ($141,172 against $72,425), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,093 a month takes about 18% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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