County profile

Arenac County

Michigan · ACS 2020–2024

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Latest estimates

At a glance

U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates.

Total population
15,077
Median household income
$58,811
People below poverty
11.7%
Median home value
$150,600

Income

The median income of households in Arenac County, Michigan was $58,811. An estimated 3.7% of households had income below $10,000 a year and 3.3% had income of $200,000 or more.

Household Income in Arenac County, Michigan in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than $10,000 3.7
$10,000 to $14,999 3.4
$15,000 to $24,999 10.8
$25,000 to $34,999 10.1
$35,000 to $49,999 13.2
$50,000 to $74,999 22.7
$75,000 to $99,999 13.2
$100,000 to $149,999 15
$150,000 to $199,999 4.6
$200,000 or more 3.3

Median Earnings for Full-Time Year-Round Workers by Sex in Arenac County, Michigan in 2020-2024

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Dollars
Male 51536
Female 43462

An estimated 62.8% of households received earnings. An estimated 49.3% of households received Social Security and an estimated 36.8 % of households received retirement income other than Social Security. The average income from Social Security was $24,241. These income sources are not mutually exclusive; that is, some households received income from more than one source.

Proportion of Households with Various Income Sources in Arenac County, Michigan in 2020-2024

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Percent
Earnings 62.8
Social Security 49.3
Retirement income 36.8
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 6.6
Cash public assistance income 2.6

Poverty and Participation in Government Programs

In 2020-2024, 11.7 % of people were in poverty. An estimated 13.9% of children under 18 were below the poverty level, compared with 8.6% of people 65 years old and over. An estimated 12.6% of people 18 to 64 years were below the poverty level.

Poverty Rates in Arenac County, Michigan in 2020-2024

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Percent
People in poverty 11.7
Children under 18 years below poverty 13.9
People 65 years old and over below poverty 8.6
People 18 to 64 years below poverty 12.6

In 2020-2024, 16.1 % of households received SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). An estimated 38.6% of households that received SNAP had children under 18, and 42.9% of households that received SNAP had one or more people 60 years and over. An estimated 22.2% of all households receiving SNAP were families with a female householder and no spouse present.


Among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in Arenac County, Michigan in 2020-2024, 94% had health insurance coverage and 6% did not have health insurance coverage. Private coverage was 64.9% and public coverage was 51.9%, respectively. The percentage of children under the age of 19 with no health insurance coverage was 4.9%.


In 2020-2024, Arenac County, Michigan had a total population of 15,077 - 7,369 (48.9%) females and 7,708 (51.1%) males. The median age was 50.2 years. An estimated 18.5% of the population was under 18 years, 24.5% was 19 to 44 years, 28% was 45 to 64 years, and 27.2 % was 65 years and older.

Population by Age and Sex for Arenac County, Michigan in 2020-2024

Male Female
Under 5 358 324
5 to 9 298 379
10 to 14 541 351
15 to 19 396 405
20 to 24 321 328
25 to 29 361 332
30 to 34 426 384
35 to 39 333 401
40 to 44 433 374
45 to 49 388 369
50 to 54 471 452
55 to 59 525 593
60 to 64 745 685
65 to 69 718 653
70 to 74 645 547
75 to 79 349 311
80 to 84 287 234
85 and over 113 247

Hispanic Origin and Race

For people reporting one race alone, 93.4% were White; 0.7% were Black or African American; 9.2% were American Indian and Alaska Native; 0.2% were Asian; 0.1% were Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and 0% were Some Other Race. An estimated 5% reported Two or More Races. An estimated 2.2% of the people in Arenac County, Michigan were Hispanic or Latino. An estimated 93% of the people in Arenac County, Michigan were White alone, non-Hispanic. People of Hispanic origin may be of any race.


Households and Families

In 2020-2024, there were 6,552 households in Arenac County, Michigan. The average household size was 2.27 people.

Married-couple households made up 50.2% of the households in Arenac County, Michigan while cohabiting couple households made up 8.6% of households. Female householders with no spouse or partner present were 20.1% of all households, while 21.1% of households had male householders with no spouse or partner present. Some households had one person, as 17.3% of households were male householders living alone, and 13.5% were female householders living alone, for a total of 30.8% of all households.

In Arenac County, Michigan, 22.9% of all households had one or more people under the age of 18; 44.4% of all households had one or more people 65 years and over.

Types of Households in Arenac County, Michigan in 2020-2024

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Percent
Married-couple households 50.2
Cohabiting Couples 8.6
Male Householder
No spouse/partner present
21.1
Female Householder
No spouse/partner present
20.1

Marital Status

Among persons 15 and older, 52.3% of males and 54.4% of females were currently married.

Population 15 years and over Percent
Males
Percent
Females
Never married 26.9 22.4
Now married, except separated 52.3 54.4
Separated 0.6 1
Widowed 4.1 10.6
Divorced 16.1 11.5

Grandparents and Grandchildren

In Arenac County, Michigan, 248 grandparents lived with their grandchildren under 18 years old. Of those grandparents, 48.8% were responsible for the basic needs of their grandchildren.


Nativity and Foreign-Born

In 2020-2024, an estimated 99.2% of the people living in Arenac County, Michigan were U.S. natives. 89.2% of the Arenac County, Michigan population were living in the state where they were born.

Approximately 0.8% of Arenac County, Michigan residents in 2020-2024 were foreign-born. 52% of foreign-born were naturalized U.S. citizens and an estimated 79.5 % entered the country before the year 2010.

Foreign-born residents of Arenac County, Michigan come from different parts of the world. The bar graph below displays the percentage of foreign-born from each world region of birth in 2020-2024 for Arenac County, Michigan.

Region of Birth for the Foreign-Born Population in Arenac County, Michigan in 2020-2024

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Percent
Latin America 19.7
Asia 26
Europe 32.3
Africa 0
Northern America 22
Oceania 0

Language

Among people at least five years old living in Arenac County, Michigan in 2020-2024, 2.5 % spoke a language other than English at home. Spanish was spoken by 0.7% of people at least five years old; 0.7% reported that they did not speak English "very well."

Percentage of the Population 5 years and over who Speak a Language other than English in Arenac County, Michigan in 2020-2024

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Percent
Spanish 0.7
Other Indo-European languages 1.4
Asian and Pacific Islander languages 0.3
Other languages 0.2

Geographic Mobility

In 2020-2024, 92 % of the people at least one year old living in Arenac County, Michigan were living in the same house one year earlier.

Geographic Mobility of Residents of Arenac County, Michigan in 2020-2024

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Percent
Same house 92
Different house, same county 3.1
Different county, same state 3.8
Different state 1
Abroad 0.1

Education

In 2020-2024, 88.2 % of people 25 years and over had at least graduated from high school and 16% had a bachelor's degree or higher. An estimated 11.8% did not complete high school.

The total school enrollment in Arenac County, Michigan was 2,625 in 2020-2024. Nursery school enrollment was 187 and kindergarten through 12th grade enrollment was 2,092. College or graduate school enrollment was 346.

Educational Attainment of People in Arenac County, Michigan in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than high school diploma 11.8
High school diploma or equivalency 35
Some college, no degree 25.7
Associate's degree 11.6
Bachelor's degree 10
Graduate or professional degree 5.9

Disability

In Arenac County, Michigan, among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in 2020-2024, 17.7 % reported a disability. The likelihood of having a disability varied by age - from 4.5% of people under 18 years old, to 15.3% of people 18 to 64 years old, and to 31.5% of those 65 and over.


Employment Status and Type of Employer

In Arenac County, Michigan, 49.2 % of the population 16 and over were employed; 47.6% were not currently in the labor force.

An estimated 80.3% of the people employed were private wage and salary workers; 11.2% were federal, state, or local government workers; and 8.3 % were self-employed in their own (not incorporated) business.

Class of worker Number Percent
Private wage and salary workers 5,002 80.3
Federal, state, or local government workers 697 11.2
Self-employed workers in own not incorporated business 519 8.3

Industries

In 2020-2024, the civilian employed population 16 years and older in Arenac County, Michigan worked in the following industries:

Percent by Industry in Arenac County, Michigan in 2020-2024

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Percent
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining 3.8
Construction 7.8
Manufacturing 19.6
Wholesale trade 1.4
Retail trade 12.4
Transportation and warehousing, and utilities 6.4
Information 0.9
Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing 2.9
Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services 9.2
Educational services, and health care and social assistance 19.4
Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation, and food services 9.1
Other Services, except public administration 3.9
Public administration 3.1

Occupations

Occupations for the Civilian Employed Population 16 Years and over in Arenac County, Michigan in 2020-2024

Civilian employed population 16 years and over Number Percent
Management, business, sciences, and arts occupations 1,823 29.3
Service occupations 995 16
Sales and office occupations 1,175 18.9
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 745 12
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations 1,492 23.9

Commuting to Work

An estimated 79.3% of Arenac County, Michigan workers drove to work alone in 2020-2024, and 7.7% carpooled. Among those who commuted to work, it took them on average 26.6 minutes to get to work.

Percent of Workers 16 and over Commuting by Mode in Arenac County, Michigan in 2020-2024

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Percent
Car, truck, van -- drove alone 79.3
Car, truck, van -- carpooled 7.7
Public transportation (excluding taxicab) 0.2
Walked 2.8
Other means 1.9
Worked from home 8.1

In 2020-2024, Arenac County, Michigan had a total of 9,554 housing units. Of these housing units, 82.2% were single-family houses either not attached to any other structure or attached to one or more structures (commonly referred to as "townhouses" or "row houses"). 5.7% of the housing units were located in multi-unit structures, or those buildings that contained two or more apartments. 12.2% were mobile homes, while any remaining housing units were classified as "other," which included boats, recreational vehicles, vans, etc.

Types of Housing Units in Arenac County, Michigan in 2020-2024

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Percent
Single-family houses 82.2
Apartments in multi-unit structures 5.7
Mobile homes 12.2
Boat, RV, van, etc 0

3.4% of the housing inventory was comprised of houses built since 2010, while 10.7% of the houses were first built in 1939 or earlier. The median number of rooms in all housing units in Arenac County, Michigan was 5.9 rooms, and of these housing units 62.7% had three or more bedrooms.


In 2020-2024, Arenac County, Michigan had 6,552 housing units that were occupied or had people living in them, while the remaining 3,002 were vacant. Of the occupied housing units, the percentage of these houses occupied by owners (also known as the homeownership rate) was 86.2% while renters occupied 13.8%. The average household size of owner-occupied houses was 2.33 and in renter-occupied houses it was 1.94.

1.4% of householders of these occupied houses had moved into their house since 2021, while 15.7% moved into their house in 1989 or earlier. Households without a vehicle available for personal use comprised 6.6% and another 22.8% had three or more vehicles available for use.

The following chart provides the primary fuel used to heat houses in Arenac County, Michigan:

House Heating Fuel Used in Arenac County, Michigan in 2020-2024

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Percent
Gas 77.1
Electricity 6.2
Fuel oil, kerosene, etc 1
All other fuels 15.2
No fuel used 0.5

In 2020-2024, the median property value for owner-occupied houses in Arenac County, Michigan was $150,600.

Of the owner-occupied households, 45.6 % had a mortgage. 54.4% owned their houses "free and clear," that is without a primary mortgage or loan on the house. The median monthly housing costs for owners with a mortgage was $1,140 and for owners without a mortgage it was $495.

For renter-occupied houses, the median gross rent for Arenac County, Michigan was $761. Gross rent includes the monthly contract rent and any monthly payments made for electricity, gas, water and sewer, and any other fuels to heat the house.