Cost of living in Michigan

Michigan at a glance

Median rent

$1,129

Census ACS, B25064, monthly

Median household income

$72,875

Census ACS, B19013, yearly

Median home value

$231,600

Census ACS, B25077

Median property tax bill

$2,904

Census ACS, B25103, yearly, current owners

Mean commute

24 min

Census ACS, DP03, one way

Unemployment

5.7%

Census ACS, DP03

Michigan's own published state rows, never an average of its counties. Prices overall run 4% below the national average (BEA regional price parity, 2024).

Figures from the 2024 release of the Census American Community Survey, checked September 2026. Health, hazard and price-level readings name their own release beside them.

The three most populous counties in Michigan

These are the most populous places in Michigan, not a match to you. Set what matters to you on Find your fit and this becomes your three closest matches here. Made-up answers work too. This is a tool, not a survey.

• Wayne County

  Population

  1.77M

  Rent

  $1,132

  Household income

  $60,539

  Prop. tax (yearly)

  $2,904

  Set as targetPlan

• Oakland County

  Population

  1.28M

  Rent

  $1,376

  Household income

  $97,760

  Prop. tax (yearly)

  $4,371

  Set as targetPlan

• Macomb County

  Population

  880K

  Rent

  $1,211

  Household income

  $77,837

  Prop. tax (yearly)

  $3,404

  Set as targetPlan

Michigan, worth the trip

Admitted to the Union on January 26, 1837, as the 26th state. The French founded Sault Sainte Marie in 1668, the oldest European settlement in Michigan. Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac established Detroit in 1701 as a fur-trading center and administrative post.

• Isle Royale National Park

  An isolated island wilderness in Lake Superior for backpackers, hikers, boaters, paddlers and divers.

• Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

  Sandstone cliffs, beaches, waterfalls and sand dunes along the Lake Superior shore.

• Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

  Sand beaches, bluffs 450 feet above Lake Michigan, inland lakes, an island lighthouse and old farmsteads.

History: Encyclopaedia Britannica. Each place links to the page of the agency that looks after it.

Property tax in Michigan

Current owners in Michigan pay a median 1.25% of home value a year in property tax. Example: $2,904 a year, the median bill. By county, the median bill runs from $1,097 in Luce County to $5,678 in Washtenaw County. These are bills that current owners pay, as the Census measures them. Each county's own figure is in the table below.

A buyer in Michigan should expect a higher bill than these: taxable value uncaps to the state equalized value the year after a transfer of ownership. Source: Michigan Department of Treasury, changes in ownership and uncapping.

Health in Michigan

Life expectancy

76.2 yrs

County Health Rankings, from CDC NCHS vital statistics

No health insurance

5.5%

County Health Rankings, from Census SAHIE, people under 65

Poor or fair health

16.3%

County Health Rankings, from CDC BRFSS. Modeled, not counted

Injury deaths per 100K people

86

County Health Rankings, from CDC NCHS, counted deaths

Each is the figure County Health Rankings publishes for Michigan as a whole, never an average of its counties. Each county's own health readings are on its page.

Natural hazards in Michigan

Expected yearly loss, statewide

$2.9B

All natural hazards, an average year. Larger states lose more

Building loss rate

$0.95

Per $1,000 of building value, each year. Fair to compare between states

Costliest hazard

Inland flooding

$1.5B of the expected yearly loss, the largest share of any hazard FEMA assesses

Air quality

—

The EPA publishes air quality by county and metro area, never by state. It is on each county's page

FEMA publishes a risk score for counties and none for states, so none is shown here. Each county's score is on its own page.

Side by side

Wayne County, MI is the largest county here. Set it beside another place, reading by reading.

All 83 counties in Michigan

Each has its published readings on its own page. Press a column to sort by it. Pick one, or open the map to see them shaded side by side.

Household income, home value and population are on each county's own page, and in this table on a wider screen.

Where these numbers come from

Each reading is the published figure, not an estimate. A dash means the source did not publish one, or published one too uncertain to print.

• State figures: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 20245-year estimates, the state's own row (tables B25064, B19013, B25077, B25103, B01003, DP03).
• County figures: the same survey, each county's own row, as on every county page.
• Price level: Bureau of Economic Analysis, regional price parities, 2024, all items, state-level.
• Health: County Health Rankings & Roadmaps 2025, University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, the state's own row. Poor or fair health is a modeled estimate from CDC survey data. The other three are counted or calculated.
• Natural hazards: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025, state table, expected annual loss. This product uses FEMA data but is not endorsed by FEMA.
• Air quality has no state figure: the EPA publishes it by county and metro area only.
• Photographs: Wikimedia Commons and the county photo feed, each credited to its photographer under its own licence, beneath the picture.