Montcalm County, Michigan Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Montcalm 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 average
-
C
Income Below average
-
F
Education Well below averageLess educated than 91% of counties in Michigan
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Montcalm County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 67,816 | 10,068,405 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 94.1 | 104.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.95% | 0.19% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 40.7 | 40.3 | 37.3 |
| Households | 24,511 | 4,073,089 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Montcalm County grew by 7.8% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 67,816 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Montcalm County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 21.6% of residents. That is 1.1 points above Michigan as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 13,703 20.2% -1.0 pts
- Millennials 29–44 14,233 21.0% +0.3 pts
- Gen X 45–60 14,654 21.6% +1.1 pts
- Boomers 61–79 12,392 18.3% on par
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 Montcalm 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 Montcalm County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Montcalm County has a the economy index of C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.
| Metric | Montcalm County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $67,531 | $72,977 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.74% | 4.60% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.0% | 5.7% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Montcalm County is about 7% lower than in Michigan.
Housing
| Metric | Montcalm County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $188,888 | $138,713 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $868 | $1,129 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 83.1% | 73.2% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Montcalm County is about 18.1 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $868 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Montcalm County spend about 56 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 235 hours, about 9.8 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Montcalm County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 28.2 | 21.3 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 56.5 | 42.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 235 | 178 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $7,292 | $5,509 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 6.9% | 13.5% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 7,323 | 8,204 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,238 | 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 Montcalm County is 28 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
Montcalm County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Montcalm County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 13.2% | 28.8% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.65 | 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
Montcalm County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Montcalm County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 78.7 | 78.3 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 16.6% | 16.4% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 23.2% | 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).
Montcalm County, MI Compared With Nearby Counties
Montcalm County, MI is typical in size for this group, 67,816 residents against a local median of 64,565, so the measures below are close to a like for like comparison. The measure that sets Montcalm County, MI apart most is median home price: $188,888, 60% above the local median of $118,181.
Commute tells the same story from another angle: 28.2 min against a local median of 18.4 min, 53% above it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is commute, and at 53% above the local median it puts Montcalm County, MI at the weaker end of the local range. The counties themselves spread $141,487 on median home price, so Montcalm County, MI sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Montcalm County, MI has the 2nd highest median home price of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montcalm County, MI | 67,816 | $67,531 #3/6 | $188,888 #2/6 | 28.2 min #6/6 |
| Mecosta County, MI | 41,242 | $61,188 | $118,181 | 18.0 min |
| Ionia County, MI | 66,574 | $75,790 | $82,024 | 25.8 min |
| Isabella County, MI | 64,565 | $55,505 | $160,833 | 15.5 min |
| Kent County, MI | 662,843 | $83,335 | $223,510 | 18.7 min |
| Gratiot County, MI | 41,391 | $64,123 | $98,617 | 18.4 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Montcalm County, Michigan.
What is the population of Montcalm County, Michigan?
About 67,816 people live in Montcalm County, Michigan, in 24,511 households of 2.7 people on average. The median age is 40.7, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 3 years.
Is Montcalm County, Michigan urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Montcalm County, Michigan has 94 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is close to the U.S. average of 86.
Is Montcalm County, Michigan an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 2.8 times the median household income ($188,888 against $67,531), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $868 a month takes about 15% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How educated are people in Montcalm County, Michigan?
13.2% of adults in Montcalm County, Michigan hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 8), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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 →