Benzie County, Michigan
Population 18,310 · Frankfort, Benzonia, Thompsonville
- Overall cost of living: −6.6% vs the US average, higher than 73% of US counties.
- Sunny days / yr: 106 days, lower than 99% of US counties.
- On-time high school graduation: 70.5%, lower than 98% of US counties.
Cost & Housing
| Overall cost of living (vs US avg) | ≈−6.6% | higher than 73% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Shared figure for the whole Traverse City, MI metro area. Prices are published for areas, not single counties. | ||
| Median home price | $285,700 | higher than 78% of US counties |
| Median rent | $1,026 | higher than 71% of US counties |
| Electric bill | $131/mo | lower than 90% of US counties |
| Child care (preschool) | $7,665/yr | higher than 54% of US counties |
| Property tax rate | 0.79% | lower than 51% 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 | $2,262 | higher than 70% of US counties |
Jobs & Career
| Median household income | $74,834 | higher than 73% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 5.7% | higher than 90% of US counties |
| Job growth (5 yr) | +6.7% | higher than 80% of US counties |
| Jobs per 1k residents | 202.6 | lower than 72% of US counties |
| Profession jobs per 1k residents | N/A |
Climate & Environment
| Sunny days / yr | ≈106 days | lower than 99% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Regional estimate: satellite grid cell about 100 km across. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| July high | 79°F | lower than 93% of US counties |
| January low | 16°F | lower than 72% of US counties |
| Annual snowfall | ≈92 in | higher than 97% of US counties |
| ≈ Weather station: Beulah 7SSW, MI, 10 mi from where the county’s people live. | ||
| Hot days (90°F+) | ≈4 days | lower than 92% of US counties |
| ≈ Weather station: Beulah 7SSW, MI, 10 mi from where the county’s people live. | ||
| Freezing days (32°F or colder) | ≈146 days | higher than 74% of US counties |
| ≈ Weather station: Beulah 7SSW, MI, 10 mi from where the county’s people live. | ||
| Severe drought | 1.1% of weeks | lower than 94% of US counties |
| Summer dew point | ≈58.1°F | lower than 76% 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 | 34.8 in | lower than 66% of US counties |
| Disaster damage per $100k | $82/yr | lower than 91% of US counties |
| Flood damage per $100k | $77/yr | lower than 57% of US counties |
| Hurricane damage per $100k | $0.02/yr | lower than 64% of US counties |
| Earthquake damage per $100k | $0.07/yr | lower than 96% of US counties |
| Tornado damage per $100k | $2.1/yr | lower than 79% of US counties |
| Wildfire damage per $100k | $0.06/yr | lower than 77% of US counties |
| PM2.5 air pollution | 6.4 µg/m³ | lower than 80% of US counties |
| Distance to coast | 2.4 mi | lower than 97% of US counties |
| Terrain relief | ≈519.3 ft | higher than 58% 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 | 94.1% | higher than 84% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| % Adults with a bachelor's degree | 36.9% | higher than 88% of US counties |
| % Adults with a graduate degree | 14.1% | higher than 88% of US counties |
| Colleges within 30 mi | 1 | lower than 63% of US counties |
| Student-teacher ratio | 17.4:1 | higher than 89% of US counties |
| On-time high school graduation | 70.5% | lower than 98% of US counties |
| 8th-grade math (grade level) | gr 8.2 | higher than 64% of US counties |
| 8th-grade reading (grade level) | gr 8.07 | higher than 63% of US counties |
| 3rd-grade math (grade level) | N/A | |
| Library visits per resident | 5.2 | higher than 90% of US counties |
| Primary care docs / 100k | 77/100k | higher than 80% of US counties |
| Hospitals within 25 mi | 2 | lower than 60% of US counties |
| Hospital quality (avg stars) | 4★ | higher than 79% of US counties |
| Life expectancy | 78 yrs | higher than 76% of US counties |
| % Uninsured (under 65) | 5.5% | lower than 89% of US counties |
| Mental health providers / 100k | 200/100k | higher than 63% of US counties |
| Dentists / 100k | 54/100k | higher than 64% of US counties |
| Lyme disease cases | 80.3/100k | higher than 91% of US counties |
| % Near parks or rec facilities | 62.3% | lower than 53% of US counties |
Transit & Connectivity
| Airport drive time | 47 min | lower than 65% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Int'l airport drive time | 169 min | higher than 78% of US counties |
| Avg commute | 25 min | higher than 53% of US counties |
| Broadband coverage | 93% | higher than 91% of US counties |
| Transit commute share | 0.8% | higher than 81% of US counties |
| Work-from-home share | 11.1% | higher than 69% of US counties |
| Drive to a big city | 191 min | higher than 76% of US counties |
| Street intersections | 7 per sq mi | lower than 77% of US counties |
Community & Safety
| Violent crime | 1.3 per 1k | lower than 69% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Property crime | 2.4 per 1k | lower than 88% of US counties |
| Population | 18,310 | lower than 61% of US counties |
| Median age | 50.8 | higher than 94% of US counties |
| Net domestic migration | +11.1 per 1k/yr | higher than 82% of US counties |
| % Democratic vote | 45% Dem | higher than 81% of US counties |
| % Republican vote | 53.7% Rep | lower than 80% of US counties |
| % Third-party vote | 1.3% | higher than 49% of US counties |
| % White | 91.4% | higher than 80% of US counties |
| % Hispanic or Latino | 2.5% | lower than 77% of US counties |
| % Black | 0.6% | lower than 74% of US counties |
| % Asian | 0.5% | lower than 55% of US counties |
| % American Indian & Alaska Native | 0.9% | higher than 83% of US counties |
| % Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| % Two or more races | 3.2% | lower than 58% of US counties |
| % Some other race | 0.9% | higher than 92% of US counties |
Recreation & Lifestyle
| Parks & protected areas | 62 parks | higher than 54% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants / 10k | 20.8 | higher than 87% of US counties |
| Arts & rec venues / 10k | 9.3 | higher than 93% of US counties |
| Drive to dark skies | Dark here | the lowest in the US |
| Lakes & rivers | 62.8% | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Ski areas within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Golf courses within 30 mi | 35 | higher than 80% of US counties |
| Marinas & boat tours within 90 mi | 51 | higher than 81% of US counties |
| Trails (km) within 30 mi | 980 km | higher than 85% of US counties |
| Named paved greenways (km) within 15 mi | 10 km | higher than 71% of US counties |
| Gyms & fitness centers within 30 mi | 12 | higher than 52% of US counties |
| Bars within 30 mi | 30 | higher than 63% of US counties |
| Music & theater companies within 30 mi | 6 | higher than 77% of US counties |
| Museums within 30 mi | 7 | higher than 78% of US counties |
| Breweries within 30 mi | 4 | higher than 70% of US counties |
| Wineries within 30 mi | 28 | higher than 97% of US counties |
| Theme parks & arcades within 90 mi | 11 | lower than 58% of US counties |
| Casinos & casino hotels within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Campgrounds & RV parks within 30 mi | 6 | higher than 76% of US counties |
| Sports teams & arenas within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Bike paths (km) within 15 mi | 69 km | higher than 79% 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