Bay County, Michigan
Population 103,008 · Bay City, Essexville, Auburn
- Overall cost of living: −8.1% vs the US average, higher than 67% of US counties.
- Unemployment rate: 6.1%, higher than 93% of US counties.
- Sunny days / yr: 166 days, lower than 91% of US counties.
Cost & Housing
| Overall cost of living (vs US avg) | ≈−8.1% | higher than 67% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Shared figure for the whole Bay City, MI metro area. Prices are published for areas, not single counties. | ||
| Median home price | $152,200 | lower than 70% of US counties |
| Median rent | $860 | lower than 53% of US counties |
| Electric bill | $165/mo | lower than 59% of US counties |
| Child care (preschool) | $9,354/yr | higher than 77% of US counties |
| Property tax rate | 1.49% | higher than 88% of US counties |
| Sales tax | 6% | higher than 46% of US counties |
| State income tax | 4.25% | lower than 66% of US counties |
| Property tax paid / yr | $2,271 | higher than 70% of US counties |
Jobs & Career
| Median household income | $61,763 | lower than 61% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 6.1% | higher than 93% of US counties |
| Job growth (5 yr) | +0.1% | lower than 55% of US counties |
| Jobs per 1k residents | 283.1 | higher than 56% of US counties |
| Profession jobs per 1k residents | N/A |
Climate & Environment
| Sunny days / yr | ≈166 days | lower than 91% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Regional estimate: satellite grid cell about 100 km across. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| July high | 82°F | lower than 81% of US counties |
| January low | 16°F | lower than 72% of US counties |
| Annual snowfall | ≈49 in | higher than 87% of US counties |
| ≈ Weather station: Saginaw Mbs Intl Airport, MI, 10 mi from where the county’s people live. | ||
| Hot days (90°F+) | 11 days | lower than 79% of US counties |
| Freezing days (32°F or colder) | 139 days | higher than 70% of US counties |
| Severe drought | 2.7% of weeks | lower than 84% of US counties |
| Summer dew point | ≈60°F | lower than 68% of US counties |
| ≈ Regional estimate: NASA grid cell about 50 km across, read at where the county’s people live. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| Annual precipitation | 32.7 in | lower than 70% of US counties |
| Disaster damage per $100k | $115/yr | lower than 64% of US counties |
| Flood damage per $100k | $93/yr | higher than 61% of US counties |
| Hurricane damage per $100k | $0.12/yr | lower than 53% of US counties |
| Earthquake damage per $100k | $0.57/yr | lower than 79% of US counties |
| Tornado damage per $100k | $9.8/yr | higher than 52% of US counties |
| Wildfire damage per $100k | $0.02/yr | lower than 93% of US counties |
| PM2.5 air pollution | 6.2 µg/m³ | lower than 82% of US counties |
| Distance to coast | 1.1 mi | lower than 98% of US counties |
| Terrain relief | ≈211 ft | lower than 84% of US counties |
| ≈ Estimated from about 75 elevation points sampled across the county, so the true range is usually somewhat larger. | ||
Education & Health
| % Adults with a high school diploma | 91.9% | higher than 64% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| % Adults with a bachelor's degree | 22.1% | higher than 50% of US counties |
| % Adults with a graduate degree | 7% | lower than 54% of US counties |
| Colleges within 30 mi | 3 | higher than 51% of US counties |
| Student-teacher ratio | 16.8:1 | higher than 85% of US counties |
| On-time high school graduation | 79.1% | lower than 91% of US counties |
| 8th-grade math (grade level) | gr 7.32 | lower than 67% of US counties |
| 8th-grade reading (grade level) | gr 7.66 | lower than 58% of US counties |
| 3rd-grade math (grade level) | gr 2.82 | lower than 71% of US counties |
| Library visits per resident | 2 | lower than 56% of US counties |
| Primary care docs / 100k | 46/100k | higher than 51% of US counties |
| Hospitals within 25 mi | 5 | higher than 68% of US counties |
| Hospital quality (avg stars) | 2.5★ | lower than 76% of US counties |
| Life expectancy | 75.7 yrs | higher than 50% of US counties |
| % Uninsured (under 65) | 5.6% | lower than 88% of US counties |
| Mental health providers / 100k | 303/100k | higher than 78% of US counties |
| Dentists / 100k | 67/100k | higher than 78% of US counties |
| Lyme disease cases | 2.9/100k | higher than 81% of US counties |
| % Near parks or rec facilities | 77% | higher than 71% of US counties |
Transit & Connectivity
| Airport drive time | 32 min | lower than 86% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Int'l airport drive time | 134 min | higher than 64% of US counties |
| Avg commute | 23 min | lower than 55% of US counties |
| Broadband coverage | 88.2% | higher than 59% of US counties |
| Transit commute share | 0.3% | higher than 56% of US counties |
| Work-from-home share | 8.6% | lower than 50% of US counties |
| Drive to a big city | 130 min | higher than 52% of US counties |
| Street intersections | 71 per sq mi | higher than 90% of US counties |
Community & Safety
| Violent crime | 3.3 per 1k | higher than 74% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Property crime | 9.4 per 1k | higher than 60% of US counties |
| Population | 103,008 | higher than 81% of US counties |
| Median age | 43.9 | higher than 71% of US counties |
| Net domestic migration | +1.8 per 1k/yr | lower than 52% of US counties |
| % Democratic vote | 42% Dem | higher than 77% of US counties |
| % Republican vote | 56.7% Rep | lower than 77% of US counties |
| % Third-party vote | 1.3% | higher than 49% of US counties |
| % White | 88.2% | higher than 69% of US counties |
| % Hispanic or Latino | 5.9% | higher than 56% of US counties |
| % Black | 1% | lower than 64% of US counties |
| % Asian | 0.5% | lower than 55% of US counties |
| % American Indian & Alaska Native | 0.1% | lower than 50% of US counties |
| % Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander | 0.1% | higher than 73% of US counties |
| % Two or more races | 3.7% | higher than 54% of US counties |
| % Some other race | 0.5% | higher than 69% of US counties |
Recreation & Lifestyle
| Parks & protected areas | 169 parks | higher than 73% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants / 10k | 13.5 | lower than 58% of US counties |
| Arts & rec venues / 10k | 3.7 | higher than 62% of US counties |
| Drive to dark skies | 29 min | higher than 56% of US counties |
| Lakes & rivers | 29.8% | higher than 98% of US counties |
| Ski areas within 90 mi | 4 | higher than 94% of US counties |
| Golf courses within 30 mi | 39 | higher than 83% of US counties |
| Marinas & boat tours within 90 mi | 49 | higher than 80% of US counties |
| Trails (km) within 30 mi | 381 km | higher than 67% of US counties |
| Named paved greenways (km) within 15 mi | 27 km | higher than 82% of US counties |
| Gyms & fitness centers within 30 mi | 29 | higher than 67% of US counties |
| Bars within 30 mi | 93 | higher than 84% of US counties |
| Music & theater companies within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Museums within 30 mi | 6 | higher than 75% of US counties |
| Breweries within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Wineries within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Theme parks & arcades within 90 mi | 46 | higher than 77% of US counties |
| Casinos & casino hotels within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Campgrounds & RV parks within 30 mi | 11 | higher than 88% of US counties |
| Sports teams & arenas within 90 mi | 49 | higher than 74% of US counties |
| Bike paths (km) within 15 mi | 46 km | higher than 72% of US counties |
Most similar counties
Closest across all well-covered metrics.
Every number is from a public dataset; N/A means the source doesn't cover this county. Percentages compare against all US counties. ≈ marks a value not measured in the county itself; the line under it says where it comes from. Report bad data