Sanilac County, Michigan Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Sanilac 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.
-
C
Health Below averageLess healthy than 74% of counties in Michigan
-
C
Income Below average
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F
Education Well below averageLess educated than 87% of counties in Michigan
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Sanilac County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 40,462 | 10,068,405 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 25.5 | 104.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.39% | 0.19% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 45.7 | 40.3 | 37.3 |
| Households | 17,516 | 4,073,089 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Sanilac County declined by 6.5% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 40,462 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Sanilac County is Boomers, aged 61–79, at 22.4% of residents. That is 4.1 points above Michigan as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 7,422 18.3% -2.8 pts
- Millennials 29–44 7,060 17.4% -3.3 pts
- Gen X 45–60 8,886 22.0% +1.4 pts
- Boomers 61–79 9,056 22.4% +4.1 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 49.8% of the people living in Sanilac County and men 50.2%.
- Women 49.8% Michigan 50.5%
- Men 50.2% Michigan 49.5%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Sanilac County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Sanilac County has a the economy index of C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.
| Metric | Sanilac County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $58,919 | $72,977 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.22% | 4.60% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 6.0% | 5.7% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Sanilac County is about 19% lower than in Michigan.
Housing
| Metric | Sanilac County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $163,541 | $138,713 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $807 | $1,129 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 82.6% | 73.2% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Sanilac County is about 16.9 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $807 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Sanilac County spend about 45 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 189 hours, about 7.9 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Sanilac County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 22.6 | 21.3 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 45.3 | 42.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 189 | 178 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,846 | $5,509 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 8.1% | 13.5% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 3,526 | 8,204 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 672 | 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 Sanilac County is 23 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
Sanilac County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Sanilac County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 14.2% | 28.8% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.28 | 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
Sanilac County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Sanilac County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 78.7 | 78.3 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 17.7% | 16.4% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 22.3% | 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).
Sanilac County, MI Compared With Nearby Counties
Sanilac County, MI is the 5th largest of the 6 counties compared here, 40,462 residents against a local median of 88,837. Where Sanilac County, MI breaks from the counties next to it is median household income, sitting 17% below the local median of $71,019 at $58,919. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves spread $19,028 on median household income, so Sanilac County, MI sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Sanilac County, MI has the 5th highest median household income of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sanilac County, MI | 40,462 | $58,919 #5/6 | $163,541 #4/6 | 22.6 min #2/6 |
| Huron County, MI | 31,113 | $58,914 | $52,500 | 17.1 min |
| St. Clair County, MI | 160,218 | $71,019 | $248,056 | 23.0 min |
| Lapeer County, MI | 88,837 | $76,664 | $169,473 | 31.3 min |
| Tuscola County, MI | 52,980 | $63,906 | $135,750 | 23.4 min |
| Macomb County, MI | 879,566 | $77,943 | $201,923 | 23.5 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Sanilac County, Michigan.
How many people live in Sanilac County, Michigan?
About 40,462 people live in Sanilac County, Michigan, in 17,516 households of 2.3 people on average. The median age is 45.7, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 8 years.
Is Sanilac County, Michigan urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Sanilac County, Michigan has 25 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 29% of the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Sanilac County, Michigan?
The median home costs 2.8 times the median household income ($163,541 against $58,919), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $807 a month takes about 16% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
What share of adults in Sanilac County, Michigan have a college degree?
14.2% of adults in Sanilac County, Michigan hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 7), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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