Traverse City, MI

Census Place

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2024 Population

15,593

US Senator

Gary Peters

Democratic Party

US Senator

Elissa Slotkin

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

42.7

1.18% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

12.3%

35.3% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$74,087

3.28% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$415,400

13% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

7,836

3.95% 1-year decline

About

None of the households in Traverse City, 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 Traverse City, MI are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Traverse City, MI are Northwestern Michigan College (562 degrees awarded in 2024).

In 2024, the median property value in Traverse City, MI was $415,400, and the homeownership rate was 63.7%.

Most people in Traverse City, MI drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 17.2 minutes. The average car ownership in Traverse City, MI was 2 cars per household.

United States Michigan Grand Traverse County, MI Leelanau County, MI Traverse City, MI Northwest Lower Peninsula (West) PUMA, MI

Population & Diversity

Traverse City, MI is home to a population of 15.6k people, from which 99.6% are citizens. As of 2024, 2.49% of Traverse City, MI residents were born outside of the country (388 people).

In 2024, there were 26.7 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (13.7k people) in Traverse City, MI than any other race or ethnicity. There were 512 Two Races Including Other (Non-Hispanic) and 450 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99.6%

2024 Citizenship

99%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 99.6% of Traverse City, MI residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Traverse City, MI was 99%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Traverse City, MI

White (Non-Hispanic)
13.7k ± 407
Two Races Including Other (Non-Hispanic)
512 ± 321
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
450 ± 187

3.61%

Hispanic Population

563 people

3.61% of the people in Traverse City, MI are hispanic (563 people).

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

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for Michigan.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
83,098 ± 7,048 people
India
80,532 ± 6,939 people
Iraq
55,181 ± 5,751 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Michigan was Mexico, the natal country of 83,098 Michigan residents, followed by India with 80,532 and Iraq with 55,181.

Foreign-Born Population

2.49%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

388 people

3.53%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

547 people

As of 2024, 2.49% of Traverse City, MI residents (388 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 Traverse City, MI was 3.53%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
222 ± 119
Gulf War (1990s)
103 ± 61
Gulf War (2001-)
64 ± 50

Traverse City, MI has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 2.16 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Traverse City, MI.

Health

96.2% of the population of Traverse City, MI has health coverage, with 47% on employee plans, 13.1% on Medicaid, 17.1% on Medicare, 18.3% on non-group plans, and 0.748% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Michigan see 1,276 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,276 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1246 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 281 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49% were men and 51% were women.

Coverage

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 19.2% under 18 years, 21.8% between 18 and 34 years, 35.5% between 35 and 64 years, and 23.4% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49% were men and 51% were women.

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

Uninsured People

3.8%

Uninsured

47%

Employer Coverage

13.1%

Medicaid

17.1%

Medicare

18.3%

Non-Group

0.748%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Traverse City, MI declined by 15% from 4.47% to 3.8%.

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

Economy

The economy of Traverse City, MI employs 7.84k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Traverse City, MI were Health Care & Social Assistance (1,331 people), Retail Trade (889 people), and Educational Services (850 people), and the highest paying industries were Wholesale Trade ($150,962), Finance & Insurance ($84,688), and Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($74,423).

Employment

Occupations

7.84k

2024 Value

± 654

−3.95%

1 Year decline

± 12.3%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Traverse City, MI declined at a rate of −3.95%, from 8.16k employees to 7.84k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Traverse City, MI, are Sales & Related Occupations (929 people), Management Occupations (877 people), and Office & Administrative Support Occupations (591 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Traverse City, MI.

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.

Industries

Employment by Industries

7.84k

2024 Value

± 654

−3.95%

1 Year decline

± 12.3%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Traverse City, MI declined at a rate of −3.95%, from 8.16k employees to 7.84k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Traverse City, MI, are Health Care & Social Assistance (1,331 people), Retail Trade (889 people), and Educational Services (850 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Traverse City, MI, though some of these residents may live in Traverse City, MI and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$52,188

Median earning men ± $6,039

$39,257

Median earning women ± $5,252

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($106,250), Wholesale Trade ($83,750), and Public Administration ($65,795).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Wholesale Trade ($190,898), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($61,953), and Manufacturing ($61,154).

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.

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

Presidential Popular Vote Over Time

Voting results are not available for Traverse City, MI. Showing the available data for Michigan.

2024 Election Results

Donald J. Trump (49.7%)
Republican Party
Kamala Harris (48.3%)
Democratic Party
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.

Senator Elections

US Senators from Michigan

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Michigan.

Gary Peters

Senator from Michigan

Assumed office on January 3, 2015

Elissa Slotkin

Senator from Michigan

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.

Education

In 2024, universities in Traverse City, MI awarded 562 degrees. The student population of Traverse City, MI in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 1,581 male students and 1,672 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Traverse City, MI are White (464 and 82.9%), Unknown (37 and 6.61%), Hispanic or Latino (23 and 4.11%), and Two or More Races (18 and 3.21%).

The largest universities in Traverse City, MI by number of degrees awarded are Northwestern Michigan College (562 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Traverse City, MI are Liberal Arts & Sciences (201 and 35.8%), Registered Nursing (62 and 11%), and Marine Science & Merchant Marine Officer (41 and 7.3%).

The median tuition cost for a public four year colleges is $9,146 for in-state students and $11,900 for out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2024 there were 3,253 students enrolled in Traverse City, MI, 48.6% men and 51.4% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 2,438 records, of which 51.2% were women and 48.8% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Liberal Arts & Sciences
201 degrees awarded
Registered Nursing
62 degrees awarded
Airline Professional Pilot & Flight Crew
32 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Associates Degree recipients in Traverse City, MI was Liberal Arts & Sciences with 201 degrees awarded.

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

Universities

Gender

Race

Northwestern Michigan College

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

562 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Northwestern Michigan College with 562 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

In 2024, 249 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Traverse City, MI, which is 0.796 times less than the 313 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 464 degrees mean that there were 12.5 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Unknown, with 37 degrees awarded.

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.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Public, 4-year or above ($9,146) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Public, 4-year or above ($1,576) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

Public, 4-year or above ($835) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

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

Housing & Living

The median property value in Traverse City, MI was $415,400 in 2024, which is 1.25 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $367,600 to $415,400, a 13% increase. The homeownership rate in Traverse City, MI is 63.7%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Traverse City, MI have an average commute time of 17.2 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Traverse City, MI is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$415,400

Median Property Value 2024

±$20,684

$4,578

Median Property Taxes

±$456

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 Traverse City, MI the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

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

Rent vs Own

63.7%

Homeownership

2024

63%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 63.7% of the housing units in Traverse City, MI were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 60.9%.

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

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$74,087

Median Household Income

± $7,199

7.19k

Number of Households

± 606

In 2024, the median household income of the 7.19k households in Traverse City, MI grew to $74,087 from the previous year's value of $71,731.

The following chart displays the households in Traverse City, 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.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Traverse City, MI is from Michigan.

0.46

2024 Wage GINI in Michigan

0.462

2023 Wage GINI in Michigan

In 2024, the income inequality in Michigan was 0.46 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.474% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Michigan was lower than than the national average of 0.474. 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.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (58.3%)
Worked At Home (19.4%)
Carpooled (6.45%)

In 2024, 58.3% of workers in Traverse City, MI drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (19.4%) and those who carpooled to work (6.45%).

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.

Commute Time

17.2 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Traverse City, MI have a shorter commute time (17.2 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 2.02% of the workforce in Traverse City, MI have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

12.3% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Traverse City, MI (1.84k out of 15k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Males 25 - 34, followed by Females 55 - 64 and then Females 75+.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Traverse City, 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.