St. Clair County, Michigan Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
St. Clair 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
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C
Income Below averageWealthier than 79% of counties in Michigan
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D
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | St. Clair County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 160,218 | 10,068,405 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 191.6 | 104.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.01% | 0.19% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 43.1 | 40.3 | 37.3 |
| Households | 67,815 | 4,073,089 | 130,235,071 |
Population in St. Clair County declined by 5.4% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 160,218 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in St. Clair County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 23.5% of residents. That is 3.0 points above Michigan as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 30,640 19.1% -2.0 pts
- Millennials 29–44 30,338 18.9% -1.8 pts
- Gen X 45–60 37,689 23.5% +3.0 pts
- Boomers 61–79 32,085 20.0% +1.7 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 50.2% of the people living in St. Clair County and men 49.8%.
- Women 50.2% Michigan 50.5%
- Men 49.8% Michigan 49.5%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in St. Clair County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
St. Clair County has a the economy index of C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.
| Metric | St. Clair County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $71,019 | $72,977 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.23% | 4.60% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.7% | 5.7% | 5.2% |
The median household income in St. Clair County is about 3% lower than in Michigan.
Housing
| Metric | St. Clair County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $248,056 | $138,713 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,029 | $1,129 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 80.8% | 73.2% | 65.2% |
The median home price in St. Clair County is about 20.1 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,029 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in St. Clair County spend about 46 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 192 hours, about 8.0 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | St. Clair County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 23.0 | 21.3 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 46.0 | 42.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 192 | 178 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,944 | $5,509 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 7.7% | 13.5% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 13,411 | 8,204 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 2,274 | 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 St. Clair 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
St. Clair County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | St. Clair County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 18.6% | 28.8% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.34 | 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
St. Clair County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | St. Clair County | Michigan Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 76.2 | 78.3 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 15.2% | 16.4% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 21.4% | 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).
St. Clair County, MI Compared With Nearby Counties
St. Clair County, MI is the 4th largest of the 6 counties compared here, 160,218 residents against a local median of 879,566. Where St. Clair County, MI breaks from the counties next to it is median home price, sitting 46% above the local median of $169,473 at $248,056.
The counties themselves spread $202,855 on median home price, so St. Clair County, MI sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. St. Clair County, MI has the 2nd highest median home price of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Clair County, MI | 160,218 | $71,019 #4/6 | $248,056 #2/6 | 23.0 min #3/6 |
| Macomb County, MI | 879,566 | $77,943 | $201,923 | 23.5 min |
| Sanilac County, MI | 40,462 | $58,919 | $163,541 | 22.6 min |
| Lapeer County, MI | 88,837 | $76,664 | $169,473 | 31.3 min |
| Oakland County, MI | 1,277,811 | $98,107 | $259,162 | 23.4 min |
| Wayne County, MI | 1,771,784 | $60,677 | $56,306 | 22.5 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about St. Clair County, Michigan.
What is the population of St. Clair County, Michigan?
About 160,218 people live in St. Clair County, Michigan, in 67,815 households of 2.3 people on average. The median age is 43.1, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 6 years.
Is St. Clair County, Michigan mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, St. Clair County, Michigan has 192 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 2.2 times the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in St. Clair County, Michigan?
The median home costs 3.5 times the median household income ($248,056 against $71,019), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,029 a month takes about 17% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
What share of adults in St. Clair County, Michigan have a college degree?
18.6% of adults in St. Clair County, Michigan hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 5), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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