Kent County, Michigan Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Kent 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 90% of counties in Michigan
-
B
Income Around averageWealthier than 89% of counties in Michigan
-
B
Education Around averageBetter educated than 88% of counties in Michigan
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Kent County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 662,843 | 10,068,405 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 760.5 | 104.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.64% | 0.19% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 36.7 | 40.3 | 37.3 |
| Households | 256,538 | 4,073,089 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Kent County grew by 10.1% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 662,843 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Kent County is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 23.4% of residents. That is 2.2 points above Michigan as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 155,082 23.4% +2.2 pts
- Millennials 29–44 153,727 23.2% +2.5 pts
- Gen X 45–60 123,671 18.7% -1.9 pts
- Boomers 61–79 95,935 14.5% -3.9 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 50.4% of the people living in Kent County and men 49.6%.
- Women 50.4% Michigan 50.5%
- Men 49.6% Michigan 49.5%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Kent County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Kent County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Kent County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $83,335 | $72,977 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.34% | 4.60% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.2% | 5.7% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Kent County is about 14% higher than in Michigan.
Housing
| Metric | Kent County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $223,510 | $138,713 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,242 | $1,129 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 70.3% | 73.2% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Kent County is about 15.0 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,242 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Kent County spend about 37 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 155 hours, about 6.5 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Kent County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 18.7 | 21.3 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 37.3 | 42.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 155 | 178 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,820 | $5,509 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 14.3% | 13.5% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 9,963 | 8,204 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 2,367 | 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 Kent County is 19 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
Kent County has a education index of B, which means it is quite educated.
| Metric | Kent County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 35.6% | 28.8% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.54 | 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
Kent County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Kent County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 79.7 | 78.3 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 13.8% | 16.4% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 17.7% | 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).
Kent County, MI Compared With Nearby Counties
Kent County, MI is the largest of the 6 counties compared here, 662,843 residents against a local median of 63,409. Kent County, MI's median home price, at $223,510, runs 42% above the $157,432 typical of the counties around it.
Commute tells the same story from another angle: 18.7 min against a local median of 25.8 min, 28% below it. Every measure here with a clear better direction points the same way, so Kent County, MI is not trading one advantage for another, it reads stronger than its neighbours across the board. The counties themselves spread $106,865 on median home price, so Kent County, MI sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Kent County, MI has the highest median home price of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kent County, MI | 662,843 | $83,335 #1/6 | $223,510 #1/6 | 18.7 min #2/6 |
| Ionia County, MI | 66,574 | $75,790 | $82,024 | 25.8 min |
| Montcalm County, MI | 67,816 | $67,531 | $188,888 | 28.2 min |
| Barry County, MI | 63,409 | $78,210 | $157,432 | 27.1 min |
| Newaygo County, MI | 50,792 | $63,785 | $175,000 | 23.3 min |
| Mecosta County, MI | 41,242 | $61,188 | $118,181 | 18.0 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Kent County, Michigan.
How big is Kent County, Michigan by population?
About 662,843 people live in Kent County, Michigan, in 256,538 households of 2.5 people on average. The median age is 36.7, close to the U.S. median of 37.3.
Is Kent County, Michigan urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Kent County, Michigan has 761 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 8.8 times the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Kent County, Michigan?
The median home costs 2.7 times the median household income ($223,510 against $83,335), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,242 a month takes about 18% 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 Kent County, Michigan?
Unemployment in Kent County, Michigan is only 4.2%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
Analyze any area in the US
Get local demographics for any address, aggregated by drive time or radius, on the interactive map.
Explore the map →