Bay County, MI

County

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2024 Population
103,008
US Senator
Gary Peters
Democratic Party
US Senator
Elissa Slotkin
Democratic Party
2024 Median Age
43.9
0.228% 1-year increase
2024 Poverty Rate
13.2%
5.57% 1-year decrease
2024 Median Household Income
$61,763
2.05% 1-year growth
2024 Median Property Value
$152,200
12.7% 1-year growth
2024 Employed Population
48,460
0.646% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Bay County, MI reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

99.6% of the residents in Bay County, MI are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Bay County, MI are Delta College (1,178 degrees awarded in 2023) and Bayshire Academy of Beauty Craft Inc (47 degrees).

In 2024, the median property value in Bay County, MI was $152,200, and the homeownership rate was 77%.

Most people in Bay County, MI drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 23.1 minutes. The average car ownership in Bay County, MI was 2 cars per household.

United StatesMichiganBay City, MI

Population & Diversity

Bay County, MI is home to a population of 103k people, from which 99.6% are citizens. As of 2024, 1.25% of Bay County, MI residents were born outside of the country (1.29k people).

In 2024, there were 28.8 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (90.8k people) in Bay County, MI than any other race or ethnicity. There were 3.15k Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) and 2.6k White (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99.6%
2024 Citizenship
99.6%
2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 99.6% of Bay County, MI residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Bay County, MI was 99.6%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Bay County, MI compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

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Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Bay County, MI
  1. White (Non-Hispanic)
    90.8k ± 287
  2. Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
    3.15k ± 338
  3. White (Hispanic)
    2.6k ± 489
5.94%
Hispanic Population
6.12k people

In 2024, there were 28.8 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (90.8k people) in Bay County, MI than any other race or ethnicity. There were 3.15k Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) and 2.6k White (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

5.94% of the people in Bay County, MI are hispanic (6.12k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Bay County, MI as a share of the total population.

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Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the County level, so we are showing data for Michigan.
Most Common Origin
  1. Mexico
    80,580 ± 6,941 people
  2. India
    77,204 ± 6,795 people
  3. Iraq
    54,457 ± 5,714 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Michigan was Mexico, the natal country of 80,580 Michigan residents, followed by India with 77,204 and Iraq with 54,457.

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Foreign-Born Population

1.25%
2024 Foreign-Born Population
1.29k people
1.16%
2023 Foreign-Born Population
1.2k people

As of 2024, 1.25% of Bay County, MI residents (1.29k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Bay County, MI was 1.16%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Bay County, MI compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

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Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period
  1. Vietnam
    2,366 ± 303
  2. Gulf War (2001-)
    1,161 ± 251
  3. Gulf War (1990s)
    1,086 ± 309

Bay County, MI has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 2.04 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Bay County, MI.

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Economy

The economy of Bay County, MI employs 48.5k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Bay County, MI were Health Care & Social Assistance (9,611 people), Manufacturing (8,110 people), and Retail Trade (6,655 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($73,962), Public Administration ($70,069), and Manufacturing ($64,750).

Employment

Occupations

48.5k
2024 Value
± 1,616
0.646%
1 Year growth
± 4.66%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Bay County, MI grew at a rate of 0.646%, from 48.1k employees to 48.5k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Bay County, MI, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (5,739 people), Sales & Related Occupations (4,987 people), and Production Occupations (4,439 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Bay County, MI.

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Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Michigan.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Michigan (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

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Industries

Employment by Industries

48.5k
2024 Value
± 1,616
0.646%
1 Year growth
± 4.66%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Bay County, MI grew at a rate of 0.646%, from 48.1k employees to 48.5k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Bay County, MI, are Health Care & Social Assistance (9,611 people), Manufacturing (8,110 people), and Retail Trade (6,655 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Bay County, MI, though some of these residents may live in Bay County, MI and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

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Median Earnings by Industry

$50,541
Median earning men ± $1,929
$34,450
Median earning women ± $1,778

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Public Administration ($70,255), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($69,128), and Manufacturing ($65,647).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Public Administration ($67,188), Manufacturing ($61,134), and Construction ($57,167).

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Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Michigan.
Y-Axis
2.16%
Year-over-year growth
Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 4.37M people employed in Michigan. This represents a 2.16% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 23.6%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in Michigan.

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Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments
  1. 136
    Other Services (except Public Administration)
  2. 120
    Retail Trade
  3. 115
    Health Care and Social Assistance

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

The visualization shows the number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

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Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll
  1. $293k
    Health Care and Social Assistance
  2. $281k
    Manufacturing
  3. $180k
    Retail Trade

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

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Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Michigan went to Donald J. Trump with 49.7% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (48.3%), followed by Jill Stein (0.788%).

Gary Peters and Elissa Slotkin are the senators currently representing the state of Michigan. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Michigan is currently represented by 13 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Voting results are not available for Bay County, MI. Showing the available data for Michigan.
2024 Election Results
  1. Donald J. Trump (49.7%)
    Republican Party
  2. Kamala Harris (48.3%)
    Democratic Party
  3. Jill Stein (0.788%)
    Green Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Michigan went to Donald J. Trump with 49.7% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (48.3%), followed by Jill Stein (0.788%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Michigan for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

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Senator Elections

US Senators from Michigan

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Michigan.
Gary Peters
Senator from Michigan2
Assumed office on January 3, 2015
Elissa Slotkin
Senator from Michigan1
Assumed office on January 3, 2025

Gary Peters and Elissa Slotkin are the senators currently representing Michigan.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in Michigan over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

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Education

In 2023, universities in Bay County, MI awarded 1,225 degrees. The student population of Bay County, MI in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 2,823 male students and 4,927 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Bay County, MI are White (952 and 78%), Hispanic or Latino (94 and 7.7%), Black or African American (82 and 6.72%), and Two or More Races (47 and 3.85%).

The largest universities in Bay County, MI by number of degrees awarded are Delta College (1,178 and 96.2%) and Bayshire Academy of Beauty Craft Inc (47 and 3.84%).

The most popular majors in Bay County, MI are Liberal Arts & Sciences (238 and 19.4%), General Studies (177 and 14.4%), and Registered Nursing (113 and 9.22%).

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2023 there were 7,750 students enrolled in Bay County, MI, 36.4% men and 63.6% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 5,637 records, of which 62.5% were women and 37.5% men.

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Completions

Concentrations

Most Common
  1. General Studies
    177 degrees awarded
  2. Registered Nursing
    113 degrees awarded
  3. Liberal Arts & Sciences
    237 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Associates Degree recipients in Bay County, MI was General Studies with 177 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Associates Degree from schools in Bay County, MI according to their major.

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Universities

Gender
Race
Largest Universities by degrees awarded
  1. Delta College
    1,178 degrees awarded
  2. Bayshire Academy of Beauty Craft Inc
    47 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Delta College with 1,178 degrees awarded.

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Student Diversity

In 2023, 488 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Bay County, MI, which is 0.662 times less than the 737 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2023, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 952 degrees mean that there were 10.1 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Hispanic or Latino, with 94 degrees awarded.

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Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

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Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Public, 2-year ($6,420) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($830) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($1,500) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

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Housing & Living

The median property value in Bay County, MI was $152,200 in 2024, which is 0.457 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $135,100 to $152,200, a 12.7% increase. The homeownership rate in Bay County, MI is 77%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Bay County, MI have an average commute time of 23.1 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Bay County, MI is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 11.5% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Bay County, MI. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 0.657%.

Housing

Property

$152,200
Median Property Value 2024
±$3,642
$34,745
Median Property Taxes
±$1,277

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Bay County, MI the largest share of households pay taxes in the $2k - $3k range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Bay County, MI compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

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Rent vs Own

77%
Homeownership
2024
60.5%
Homeowners with Mortgage
2024

In 2024, 77% of the housing units in Bay County, MI were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 76.4%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Bay County, MI compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

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Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.
$61,763
Median Household Income
± $2,526
45.1k
Number of Households
± 1,594

In 2024, the median household income of the 45.1k households in Bay County, MI grew to $61,763 from the previous year's value of $60,523.

The following chart displays the households in Bay County, MI distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

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Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Bay County, MI is from Michigan.
0.462
2023 Wage GINI in Michigan
0.466
2022 Wage GINI in Michigan

In 2023, the income inequality in Michigan was 0.462 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.92% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Michigan was lower than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Michigan in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Michigan across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

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Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024
  1. Drove Alone (82.1%)
  2. Worked At Home (8.62%)
  3. Carpooled (6.62%)

In 2024, 82.1% of workers in Bay County, MI drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (8.62%) and those who carpooled to work (6.62%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

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Commute Time

23.1 minutes
Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Bay County, MI have a shorter commute time (23.1 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 2.51% of the workforce in Bay County, MI have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Bay County, MI compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

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Car Ownership

2 cars
Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Bay County, MI distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Bay County, MI have 2 cars.

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Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 11.5% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Bay County, MI. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 0.657%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the population living with severe housing problems.

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Poverty & Diversity

13.2% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Bay County, MI (13.5k out of 102k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 55 - 64, followed by Females 25 - 34 and then Males 55 - 64.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Bay County, MI is White, followed by Two Or More and Hispanic.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

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Children in Poverty

In 2025, 16.1% of the children was living in poverty in Bay County, MI. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 3.5%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the children living in poverty.

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Security

Crimes & Accidents

Indicator

In 2022, the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population was 328 in Bay County, MI. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator grew 18.6 per 100,000 population.

The graph shows the trend in the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population.

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Health

95.6% of the population of Bay County, MI has health coverage, with 46.3% on employee plans, 19.5% on Medicaid, 15.7% on Medicare, 12.8% on non-group plans, and 1.25% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Bay County, MI see 2,239 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (2,239 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1428 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 341 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.6% were men and 50.4% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

2,239 to 1
Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Bay County, MI

Primary care physicians in Bay County, MI see an average of 2,239 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (2,239 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Bay County, MI in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

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Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 20.7% under 18 years, 18.7% between 18 and 34 years, 38.9% between 35 and 64 years, and 21.7% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.6% were men and 50.4% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

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Uninsured People

4.42%
Uninsured
46.3%
Employer Coverage
19.5%
Medicaid
15.7%
Medicare
12.8%
Non-Group
1.25%
Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Bay County, MI declined by 6.05% from 4.71% to 4.42%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Bay County, MI changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

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Health Indicators

Health Outcomes

Indicator

In 2025, the number of deaths among residents under age 18 per 100,000 population was 40.4 in Bay County, MI.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Bay County, MI.

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Health Behaviors

Indicator

In 2025, the percentage of the adult population (age 18 and older) that reports a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 (age-adjusted) was 37.2% in Bay County, MI.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Bay County, MI.

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Clinical Care

Indicator

In 2025, the percentage of population under age 65 without health insurance was 5.7% in Bay County, MI.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Bay County, MI.

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