Ottawa County, Michigan Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Ottawa 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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A
Health Above averageAmong the top 3 healthiest counties in Michigan
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B
Income Around averageAmong the top 5 wealthiest counties in Michigan
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B
Education Around averageBetter educated than 83% of counties in Michigan
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Ottawa County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 301,203 | 10,068,405 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 184.8 | 104.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.89% | 0.19% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 37.2 | 40.3 | 37.3 |
| Households | 111,322 | 4,073,089 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Ottawa County grew by 10.6% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 301,203 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Ottawa County is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 25.3% of residents. That is 4.1 points above Michigan as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 76,179 25.3% +4.1 pts
- Millennials 29–44 60,432 20.1% -0.7 pts
- Gen X 45–60 56,508 18.8% -1.8 pts
- Boomers 61–79 45,629 15.1% -3.2 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 50.6% of the people living in Ottawa County and men 49.4%.
- Women 50.6% Michigan 50.5%
- Men 49.4% Michigan 49.5%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Ottawa County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Ottawa County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Ottawa County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $90,732 | $72,977 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.96% | 4.60% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 3.5% | 5.7% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Ottawa County is about 24% higher than in Michigan.
Housing
| Metric | Ottawa County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $259,210 | $138,713 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,210 | $1,129 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 79.3% | 73.2% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Ottawa County is about 17.9 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,210 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Ottawa 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 151 hours, about 6.3 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Ottawa County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 18.1 | 21.3 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 36.2 | 42.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 151 | 178 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,671 | $5,509 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 10.3% | 13.5% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 10,218 | 8,204 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 2,272 | 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 Ottawa 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
Ottawa County has a education index of B, which means it is quite educated.
| Metric | Ottawa County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 31.9% | 28.8% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.61 | 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
Ottawa County has a health index of A, which means it is very healthy.
| Metric | Ottawa County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 81.0 | 78.3 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 11.4% | 16.4% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 16.3% | 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).
Ottawa County, MI Compared With Nearby Counties
Ottawa County, MI is the largest of the 6 counties compared here, 301,203 residents against a local median of 75,795. Where Ottawa County, MI breaks from the counties next to it is median home price, sitting 56% above the local median of $166,666 at $259,210.
Median household income tells the same story from another angle: $90,732 against a local median of $65,879, 38% above it. Every measure here with a clear better direction points the same way, so Ottawa County, MI is not trading one advantage for another, it reads stronger than its neighbours across the board. The counties themselves sit within $68,428 of each other on median home price, a tighter band than the gap between any of them and Ottawa County, MI, which makes it a genuine outlier here rather than one end of a wide local spread. Ottawa County, MI has the highest median home price of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ottawa County, MI | 301,203 | $90,732 #1/6 | $259,210 #1/6 | 18.1 min #1/6 |
| Muskegon County, MI | 175,961 | $65,879 | $145,731 | 18.4 min |
| Allegan County, MI | 121,456 | $83,773 | $166,666 | 22.2 min |
| Van Buren County, MI | 75,795 | $68,304 | $177,987 | 22.3 min |
| Oceana County, MI | 26,915 | $63,098 | $109,558 | 18.6 min |
| Newaygo County, MI | 50,792 | $63,785 | $175,000 | 23.3 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Ottawa County, Michigan.
How many people live in Ottawa County, Michigan?
About 301,203 people live in Ottawa County, Michigan, in 111,322 households of 2.6 people on average. The median age is 37.2, close to the U.S. median of 37.3.
Is Ottawa County, Michigan urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Ottawa County, Michigan has 185 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 2.1 times the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Ottawa County, Michigan?
The median home costs 2.9 times the median household income ($259,210 against $90,732), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,210 a month takes about 16% 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 Ottawa County, Michigan?
Unemployment in Ottawa County, Michigan is only 3.5%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
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