Lake County, Michigan Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Lake 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 averageAmong the 3 least healthy counties in Michigan
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D
Income Well below averageAmong the 3 least wealthy counties in Michigan
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F
Education Well below averageLeast educated county in Michigan
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Lake County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 11,301 | 10,068,405 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 19.7 | 104.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 1.34% | 0.19% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 46.8 | 40.3 | 37.3 |
| Households | 5,190 | 4,073,089 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Lake County grew by 47.1% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 11,301 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Lake County is Boomers, aged 61–79, at 28.2% of residents. That is 9.9 points above Michigan as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 1,721 15.2% -5.9 pts
- Millennials 29–44 1,868 16.5% -4.2 pts
- Gen X 45–60 2,577 22.8% +2.3 pts
- Boomers 61–79 3,190 28.2% +9.9 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 47.2% of the people living in Lake County and men 52.8%.
- Women 47.2% Michigan 50.5%
- Men 52.8% Michigan 49.5%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Lake County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Lake County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Lake County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $50,997 | $72,977 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 6.23% | 4.60% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 7.4% | 5.7% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Lake County is about 30% lower than in Michigan.
Housing
| Metric | Lake County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $109,376 | $138,713 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $874 | $1,129 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 82.0% | 73.2% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Lake County is about 10.4 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $874 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Lake County spend about 62 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 259 hours, about 10.8 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Lake County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 31.1 | 21.3 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 62.2 | 42.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 259 | 178 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $8,032 | $5,509 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 9.9% | 13.5% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 4,751 | 8,204 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 971 | 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 Lake County is 31 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
Lake County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Lake County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 11.8% | 28.8% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.36 | 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
Lake County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Lake County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 78.3 | 78.3 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 23.1% | 16.4% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 25.7% | 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).
Lake County, MI Compared With Nearby Counties
Lake County, MI is the smallest of the 6 counties compared here, 11,301 residents against a local median of 34,076. Lake County, MI's commute, at 31.1 min, runs 73% above the 18.0 min typical of the counties around it. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
Median home price tells the same story from another angle: $109,376 against a local median of $175,000, 37% below it. Every measure here with a clear better direction points the same way, and it is the wrong way: Lake County, MI reads weaker than its neighbours on all of them. The counties themselves sit within 6.5 min of each other on commute, a tighter band than the gap between any of them and Lake County, MI, which makes it a genuine outlier here rather than one end of a wide local spread. Lake County, MI has the 6th lowest commute of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake County, MI | 11,301 | $50,997 #6/6 | $109,376 #5/6 | 31.1 min #6/6 |
| Wexford County, MI | 34,076 | $61,341 | $177,633 | 17.8 min |
| Newaygo County, MI | 50,792 | $63,785 | $175,000 | 23.3 min |
| Osceola County, MI | 23,226 | $58,333 | $76,471 | 22.1 min |
| Mecosta County, MI | 41,242 | $61,188 | $118,181 | 18.0 min |
| Manistee County, MI | 25,350 | $64,478 | $272,572 | 16.8 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Lake County, Michigan.
How many people live in Lake County, Michigan?
About 11,301 people live in Lake County, Michigan, in 5,190 households of 2.4 people on average. The median age is 46.8, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 9 years.
Is Lake County, Michigan mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Lake County, Michigan has 20 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 23% of the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Lake County, Michigan?
The median home costs 2.1 times the median household income ($109,376 against $50,997), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $874 a month takes about 21% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How strong is the job market in Lake County, Michigan?
Unemployment in Lake County, Michigan is 7.4%, well above the U.S. rate of 5.2%, so job seekers may face more competition than elsewhere.
How common is a college degree in Lake County, Michigan?
11.8% of adults in Lake County, Michigan hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 8), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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