Mecosta County, Michigan
Population 41,242 · Big Rapids, Morley, Mecosta
- Overall cost of living: −11% vs the US average, higher than 53% of US counties.
- On-time high school graduation: 73.2%, lower than 97% of US counties.
- Unemployment rate: 6.8%, higher than 96% 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 | $178,900 | lower than 53% of US counties |
| Median rent | $934 | higher than 60% of US counties |
| Electric bill | $141/mo | lower than 82% of US counties |
| Child care (preschool) | $6,790/yr | lower than 64% of US counties |
| Property tax rate | 0.99% | higher than 63% 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 | $1,778 | higher than 56% of US counties |
Jobs & Career
| Median household income | $60,951 | lower than 63% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 6.8% | higher than 96% of US counties |
| Job growth (5 yr) | -4.6% | lower than 83% of US counties |
| Jobs per 1k residents | 234.9 | lower than 60% of US counties |
| Profession jobs per 1k residents | N/A |
Climate & Environment
| Sunny days / yr | ≈162 days | lower than 92% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Regional estimate: satellite grid cell about 100 km across. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| July high | 81°F | lower than 86% of US counties |
| January low | 13°F | lower than 81% of US counties |
| Annual snowfall | 61 in | higher than 92% of US counties |
| Hot days (90°F+) | 8 days | lower than 85% of US counties |
| Freezing days (32°F or colder) | 168 days | higher than 86% of US counties |
| Severe drought | 1.3% of weeks | lower than 93% of US counties |
| Summer dew point | ≈59.1°F | lower than 72% 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 | 36.5 in | lower than 63% of US counties |
| Disaster damage per $100k | $182/yr | higher than 76% of US counties |
| Flood damage per $100k | $73/yr | lower than 62% of US counties |
| Hurricane damage per $100k | $0.04/yr | lower than 61% of US counties |
| Earthquake damage per $100k | $0.34/yr | lower than 85% of US counties |
| Tornado damage per $100k | $7.6/yr | lower than 56% of US counties |
| Wildfire damage per $100k | $0.09/yr | lower than 70% of US counties |
| PM2.5 air pollution | 7.2 µg/m³ | lower than 64% of US counties |
| Distance to coast | 54.7 mi | lower than 81% of US counties |
| Terrain relief | ≈313.5 ft | lower than 67% 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 | 91.4% | higher than 60% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| % Adults with a bachelor's degree | 22.5% | higher than 51% of US counties |
| % Adults with a graduate degree | 7.7% | higher than 53% of US counties |
| Colleges within 30 mi | 1 | lower than 63% of US counties |
| Student-teacher ratio | 19.1:1 | higher than 95% of US counties |
| On-time high school graduation | 73.2% | lower than 97% of US counties |
| 8th-grade math (grade level) | gr 7.15 | lower than 73% of US counties |
| 8th-grade reading (grade level) | gr 7.09 | lower than 80% of US counties |
| 3rd-grade math (grade level) | gr 2.96 | lower than 56% of US counties |
| Library visits per resident | 1.8 | lower than 62% of US counties |
| Primary care docs / 100k | 44/100k | lower than 50% of US counties |
| Hospitals within 25 mi | 2 | lower than 60% of US counties |
| Hospital quality (avg stars) | 3★ | lower than 48% of US counties |
| Life expectancy | 77 yrs | higher than 66% of US counties |
| % Uninsured (under 65) | 6.3% | lower than 80% of US counties |
| Mental health providers / 100k | 191/100k | higher than 61% of US counties |
| Dentists / 100k | 49/100k | higher than 58% of US counties |
| Lyme disease cases | 19.9/100k | higher than 85% of US counties |
| % Near parks or rec facilities | 57.6% | lower than 61% of US counties |
Transit & Connectivity
| Airport drive time | 75 min | higher than 74% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Int'l airport drive time | 75 min | lower than 71% of US counties |
| Avg commute | 24 min | lower than 47% of US counties |
| Broadband coverage | 82% | lower than 81% of US counties |
| Transit commute share | 0.4% | higher than 65% of US counties |
| Work-from-home share | 8.7% | higher than 50% of US counties |
| Drive to a big city | 178 min | higher than 72% of US counties |
| Street intersections | 18 per sq mi | lower than 56% of US counties |
Community & Safety
| Violent crime | 5.9 per 1k | higher than 94% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Property crime | 9.3 per 1k | higher than 59% of US counties |
| Population | 41,242 | higher than 63% of US counties |
| Median age | 40 | lower than 65% of US counties |
| Net domestic migration | +9.9 per 1k/yr | higher than 79% of US counties |
| % Democratic vote | 34.2% Dem | higher than 63% of US counties |
| % Republican vote | 64.2% Rep | lower than 64% of US counties |
| % Third-party vote | 1.6% | higher than 64% of US counties |
| % White | 89.6% | higher than 73% of US counties |
| % Hispanic or Latino | 3% | lower than 70% of US counties |
| % Black | 2.1% | higher than 50% of US counties |
| % Asian | 0.7% | higher than 51% of US counties |
| % American Indian & Alaska Native | 0.5% | higher than 76% of US counties |
| % Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| % Two or more races | 3.9% | higher than 59% of US counties |
| % Some other race | 0.2% | lower than 54% of US counties |
Recreation & Lifestyle
| Parks & protected areas | 91 parks | higher than 61% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants / 10k | 14.3 | lower than 51% of US counties |
| Arts & rec venues / 10k | 3.9 | higher than 65% of US counties |
| Drive to dark skies | Dark here | the lowest in the US |
| Lakes & rivers | 2.9% | higher than 75% of US counties |
| Ski areas within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Golf courses within 30 mi | 36 | higher than 81% of US counties |
| Marinas & boat tours within 90 mi | 53 | higher than 82% of US counties |
| Trails (km) within 30 mi | 682 km | higher than 79% of US counties |
| Named paved greenways (km) within 15 mi | 41 km | higher than 86% of US counties |
| Gyms & fitness centers within 30 mi | 13 | higher than 53% of US counties |
| Bars within 30 mi | 32 | higher than 64% 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 | 18 | higher than 50% of US counties |
| Casinos & casino hotels within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Campgrounds & RV parks within 30 mi | 10 | higher than 86% of US counties |
| Sports teams & arenas within 90 mi | 25 | higher than 57% of US counties |
| Bike paths (km) within 15 mi | 66 km | higher than 78% 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