Mason County, Michigan
Population 29,207 · Ludington, Scottville, Custer
- Overall cost of living: −11% vs the US average, higher than 53% of US counties.
- Sunny days / yr: 109 days, lower than 99% of US counties.
- Disaster damage per $100k: $56/yr, lower than 99% of US counties.
Cost & Housing
| Overall cost of living (vs US avg) | ≈−11% | higher than 53% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Shared figure for all of Michigan outside its metro areas. Prices are published for areas, not single counties. | ||
| Median home price | $219,600 | higher than 62% of US counties |
| Median rent | $896 | higher than 53% of US counties |
| Electric bill | $133/mo | lower than 88% of US counties |
| Child care (preschool) | $7,274/yr | lower than 55% of US counties |
| Property tax rate | 1.06% | higher than 68% 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 | $2,334 | higher than 72% of US counties |
Jobs & Career
| Median household income | $64,748 | lower than 53% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 6.4% | higher than 95% of US counties |
| Job growth (5 yr) | -4.7% | lower than 83% of US counties |
| Jobs per 1k residents | 316.2 | higher than 66% of US counties |
| Profession jobs per 1k residents | N/A |
Climate & Environment
| Sunny days / yr | ≈109 days | lower than 99% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Regional estimate: satellite grid cell about 100 km across. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| July high | 78°F | lower than 95% of US counties |
| January low | 17°F | lower than 69% of US counties |
| Annual snowfall | ≈93 in | higher than 97% of US counties |
| ≈ Weather station: Wellston Tippy Dam, MI, 28 mi from where the county’s people live. | ||
| Hot days (90°F+) | 5 days | lower than 90% of US counties |
| Freezing days (32°F or colder) | 149 days | higher than 75% of US counties |
| Severe drought | 1% of weeks | lower than 94% of US counties |
| Summer dew point | ≈58.3°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 | 35.8 in | lower than 64% of US counties |
| Disaster damage per $100k | $56/yr | lower than 99% of US counties |
| Flood damage per $100k | $49/yr | lower than 91% of US counties |
| Hurricane damage per $100k | $0.02/yr | lower than 64% of US counties |
| Earthquake damage per $100k | $0.26/yr | lower than 88% of US counties |
| Tornado damage per $100k | $1.7/yr | lower than 81% of US counties |
| Wildfire damage per $100k | $0.23/yr | lower than 60% of US counties |
| PM2.5 air pollution | 6.8 µg/m³ | lower than 72% of US counties |
| Distance to coast | 1.9 mi | lower than 98% of US counties |
| Terrain relief | ≈273.8 ft | lower than 74% 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 | 26.6% | higher than 68% of US counties |
| % Adults with a graduate degree | 10.3% | higher than 73% of US counties |
| Colleges within 30 mi | 1 | lower than 63% of US counties |
| Student-teacher ratio | 17.9:1 | higher than 91% of US counties |
| On-time high school graduation | 85.6% | lower than 73% of US counties |
| 8th-grade math (grade level) | gr 7.84 | higher than 51% of US counties |
| 8th-grade reading (grade level) | gr 7.82 | higher than 50% of US counties |
| 3rd-grade math (grade level) | gr 2.9 | lower than 63% of US counties |
| Library visits per resident | 3.3 | higher than 72% of US counties |
| Primary care docs / 100k | 71/100k | higher than 76% 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 | 76.4 yrs | higher than 58% of US counties |
| % Uninsured (under 65) | 5.5% | lower than 89% of US counties |
| Mental health providers / 100k | 368/100k | higher than 84% of US counties |
| Dentists / 100k | 62/100k | higher than 73% of US counties |
| Lyme disease cases | 18.8/100k | higher than 85% of US counties |
| % Near parks or rec facilities | 86.3% | higher than 85% of US counties |
Transit & Connectivity
| Airport drive time | 40 min | lower than 76% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Int'l airport drive time | 122 min | higher than 58% of US counties |
| Avg commute | 20 min | lower than 75% of US counties |
| Broadband coverage | 86.5% | lower than 54% of US counties |
| Transit commute share | 1% | higher than 86% of US counties |
| Work-from-home share | 11% | higher than 69% of US counties |
| Drive to a big city | 138 min | higher than 56% of US counties |
| Street intersections | 34 per sq mi | higher than 64% of US counties |
Community & Safety
| Violent crime | 2.8 per 1k | higher than 66% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Property crime | 5.3 per 1k | lower than 68% of US counties |
| Population | 29,207 | higher than 54% of US counties |
| Median age | 47.3 | higher than 86% of US counties |
| Net domestic migration | +6.1 per 1k/yr | higher than 67% of US counties |
| % Democratic vote | 38.6% Dem | higher than 71% of US counties |
| % Republican vote | 60% Rep | lower than 72% of US counties |
| % Third-party vote | 1.4% | higher than 55% of US counties |
| % White | 89.4% | higher than 73% of US counties |
| % Hispanic or Latino | 4.9% | lower than 51% of US counties |
| % Black | 1% | lower than 64% of US counties |
| % Asian | 0.5% | lower than 55% of US counties |
| % American Indian & Alaska Native | 0.4% | higher than 71% of US counties |
| % Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| % Two or more races | 3.7% | higher than 54% of US counties |
| % Some other race | 0.3% | higher than 46% of US counties |
Recreation & Lifestyle
| Parks & protected areas | 166 parks | higher than 73% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants / 10k | 18.1 | higher than 76% of US counties |
| Arts & rec venues / 10k | 5.5 | higher than 81% of US counties |
| Drive to dark skies | 4 min | lower than 72% of US counties |
| Lakes & rivers | 60.2% | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Ski areas within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Golf courses within 30 mi | 22 | higher than 68% of US counties |
| Marinas & boat tours within 90 mi | 59 | higher than 83% of US counties |
| Trails (km) within 30 mi | 588 km | higher than 76% of US counties |
| Named paved greenways (km) within 15 mi | 11 km | higher than 71% of US counties |
| Gyms & fitness centers within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Bars within 30 mi | 21 | higher than 56% of US counties |
| Music & theater companies within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Museums within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| 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 | 21 | higher than 55% of US counties |
| Casinos & casino hotels within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Campgrounds & RV parks within 30 mi | 23 | higher than 97% of US counties |
| Sports teams & arenas within 90 mi | 14 | lower than 54% of US counties |
| Bike paths (km) within 15 mi | 19 km | higher than 59% 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