County profile

Muskegon 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
175,961
Median household income
$65,024
People below poverty
14.1%
Median home value
$198,300

Income

The median income of households in Muskegon County, Michigan was $65,024. An estimated 5.2% of households had income below $10,000 a year and 4.4% had income of $200,000 or more.

Household Income in Muskegon County, Michigan in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than $10,000 5.2
$10,000 to $14,999 4.1
$15,000 to $24,999 7.8
$25,000 to $34,999 8.4
$35,000 to $49,999 12.3
$50,000 to $74,999 18.9
$75,000 to $99,999 15
$100,000 to $149,999 17.5
$150,000 to $199,999 6.6
$200,000 or more 4.4

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

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Dollars
Male 55938
Female 46551

An estimated 72.3% of households received earnings. An estimated 37.6% of households received Social Security and an estimated 29.1 % of households received retirement income other than Social Security. The average income from Social Security was $24,552. 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 Muskegon County, Michigan in 2020-2024

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Percent
Earnings 72.3
Social Security 37.6
Retirement income 29.1
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 6.5
Cash public assistance income 4

Poverty and Participation in Government Programs

In 2020-2024, 14.1 % of people were in poverty. An estimated 19.3% of children under 18 were below the poverty level, compared with 10.3% of people 65 years old and over. An estimated 13.2% of people 18 to 64 years were below the poverty level.

Poverty Rates in Muskegon County, Michigan in 2020-2024

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Percent
People in poverty 14.1
Children under 18 years below poverty 19.3
People 65 years old and over below poverty 10.3
People 18 to 64 years below poverty 13.2

In 2020-2024, 19.4 % of households received SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). An estimated 50.2% of households that received SNAP had children under 18, and 31.8% of households that received SNAP had one or more people 60 years and over. An estimated 37.9% of all households receiving SNAP were families with a female householder and no spouse present.


Among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in Muskegon County, Michigan in 2020-2024, 95.5% had health insurance coverage and 4.5% did not have health insurance coverage. Private coverage was 64.5% and public coverage was 46.8%, respectively. The percentage of children under the age of 19 with no health insurance coverage was 2.5%.


In 2020-2024, Muskegon County, Michigan had a total population of 175,961 - 88,173 (50.1%) females and 87,788 (49.9%) males. The median age was 40 years. An estimated 22.5% of the population was under 18 years, 31.7% was 19 to 44 years, 25.3% was 45 to 64 years, and 18.5 % was 65 years and older.

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

Male Female
Under 5 5113 4871
5 to 9 5457 5456
10 to 14 6017 5532
15 to 19 5680 5234
20 to 24 5302 4907
25 to 29 5903 5553
30 to 34 6091 5779
35 to 39 5164 5850
40 to 44 6020 5127
45 to 49 5180 4862
50 to 54 5336 5192
55 to 59 5581 6136
60 to 64 6106 6024
65 to 69 5706 5806
70 to 74 3759 4657
75 to 79 2528 2875
80 to 84 1434 2095
85 and over 1411 2217

Hispanic Origin and Race

For people reporting one race alone, 77% were White; 12.1% were Black or African American; 7.3% were American Indian and Alaska Native; 0.7% were Asian; 3.6% were Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and 0% were Some Other Race. An estimated 8.6% reported Two or More Races. An estimated 6.3% of the people in Muskegon County, Michigan were Hispanic or Latino. An estimated 75% of the people in Muskegon County, Michigan were White alone, non-Hispanic. People of Hispanic origin may be of any race.


Households and Families

In 2020-2024, there were 67,732 households in Muskegon County, Michigan. The average household size was 2.51 people.

Married-couple households made up 47.2% of the households in Muskegon County, Michigan while cohabiting couple households made up 9.2% of households. Female householders with no spouse or partner present were 26.8% of all households, while 16.8% of households had male householders with no spouse or partner present. Some households had one person, as 11.8% of households were male householders living alone, and 14% were female householders living alone, for a total of 25.8% of all households.

In Muskegon County, Michigan, 31.2% of all households had one or more people under the age of 18; 33.4% of all households had one or more people 65 years and over.

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

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Percent
Married-couple households 47.2
Cohabiting Couples 9.2
Male Householder
No spouse/partner present
16.8
Female Householder
No spouse/partner present
26.8

Marital Status

Among persons 15 and older, 46.9% of males and 46.3% of females were currently married.

Population 15 years and over Percent
Males
Percent
Females
Never married 36.6 30.3
Now married, except separated 46.9 46.3
Separated 0.9 1.1
Widowed 3.1 7.7
Divorced 12.4 14.5

Grandparents and Grandchildren

In Muskegon County, Michigan, 3,434 grandparents lived with their grandchildren under 18 years old. Of those grandparents, 42.6% were responsible for the basic needs of their grandchildren.


Nativity and Foreign-Born

In 2020-2024, an estimated 98.1% of the people living in Muskegon County, Michigan were U.S. natives. 84.8% of the Muskegon County, Michigan population were living in the state where they were born.

Approximately 1.9% of Muskegon County, Michigan residents in 2020-2024 were foreign-born. 52.8% of foreign-born were naturalized U.S. citizens and an estimated 78 % entered the country before the year 2010.

Foreign-born residents of Muskegon 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 Muskegon County, Michigan.

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

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Percent
Latin America 47.3
Asia 26
Europe 17
Africa 3.6
Northern America 5
Oceania 1

Language

Among people at least five years old living in Muskegon County, Michigan in 2020-2024, 4 % spoke a language other than English at home. Spanish was spoken by 2.9% of people at least five years old; 1% 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 Muskegon County, Michigan in 2020-2024

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Percent
Spanish 2.9
Other Indo-European languages 0.7
Asian and Pacific Islander languages 0.3
Other languages 0.1

Geographic Mobility

In 2020-2024, 88.6 % of the people at least one year old living in Muskegon County, Michigan were living in the same house one year earlier.

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

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Percent
Same house 88.6
Different house, same county 6.1
Different county, same state 3.7
Different state 1.4
Abroad 0.3

Education

In 2020-2024, 92.1 % of people 25 years and over had at least graduated from high school and 21.3% had a bachelor's degree or higher. An estimated 7.9% did not complete high school.

The total school enrollment in Muskegon County, Michigan was 37,817 in 2020-2024. Nursery school enrollment was 2,156 and kindergarten through 12th grade enrollment was 29,249. College or graduate school enrollment was 6,412.

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

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Percent
Less than high school diploma 7.9
High school diploma or equivalency 34.5
Some college, no degree 24.3
Associate's degree 11.9
Bachelor's degree 14.9
Graduate or professional degree 6.4

Disability

In Muskegon County, Michigan, among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in 2020-2024, 15.1 % reported a disability. The likelihood of having a disability varied by age - from 5.4% of people under 18 years old, to 13.6% of people 18 to 64 years old, and to 31.9% of those 65 and over.


Employment Status and Type of Employer

In Muskegon County, Michigan, 55.6 % of the population 16 and over were employed; 40.5% were not currently in the labor force.

An estimated 83% of the people employed were private wage and salary workers; 11.6% were federal, state, or local government workers; and 5.2 % were self-employed in their own (not incorporated) business.

Class of worker Number Percent
Private wage and salary workers 65,215 83
Federal, state, or local government workers 9,094 11.6
Self-employed workers in own not incorporated business 4,067 5.2

Industries

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

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

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Percent
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining 0.9
Construction 6
Manufacturing 24.6
Wholesale trade 1.6
Retail trade 11.2
Transportation and warehousing, and utilities 4
Information 1
Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing 3.8
Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services 7.9
Educational services, and health care and social assistance 21.9
Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation, and food services 9.3
Other Services, except public administration 4.7
Public administration 3.2

Occupations

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

Civilian employed population 16 years and over Number Percent
Management, business, sciences, and arts occupations 24,656 31.4
Service occupations 14,260 18.2
Sales and office occupations 14,944 19
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 7,018 8.9
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations 17,652 22.5

Commuting to Work

An estimated 80.9% of Muskegon County, Michigan workers drove to work alone in 2020-2024, and 9.4% carpooled. Among those who commuted to work, it took them on average 21.6 minutes to get to work.

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

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Percent
Car, truck, van -- drove alone 80.9
Car, truck, van -- carpooled 9.4
Public transportation (excluding taxicab) 0.1
Walked 1.2
Other means 1.2
Worked from home 7.2

In 2020-2024, Muskegon County, Michigan had a total of 75,266 housing units. Of these housing units, 80.1% 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"). 13% of the housing units were located in multi-unit structures, or those buildings that contained two or more apartments. 6.8% were mobile homes, while any remaining housing units were classified as "other," which included boats, recreational vehicles, vans, etc.

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

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Percent
Single-family houses 80.1
Apartments in multi-unit structures 13
Mobile homes 6.8
Boat, RV, van, etc 0

4.9% of the housing inventory was comprised of houses built since 2010, while 15.7% of the houses were first built in 1939 or earlier. The median number of rooms in all housing units in Muskegon County, Michigan was 5.7 rooms, and of these housing units 66.2% had three or more bedrooms.


In 2020-2024, Muskegon County, Michigan had 67,732 housing units that were occupied or had people living in them, while the remaining 7,534 were vacant. Of the occupied housing units, the percentage of these houses occupied by owners (also known as the homeownership rate) was 78.1% while renters occupied 21.9%. The average household size of owner-occupied houses was 2.58 and in renter-occupied houses it was 2.28.

3.1% of householders of these occupied houses had moved into their house since 2021, while 12.9% moved into their house in 1989 or earlier. Households without a vehicle available for personal use comprised 7.4% and another 20.8% had three or more vehicles available for use.

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

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

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Percent
Gas 87.5
Electricity 8.5
Fuel oil, kerosene, etc 1
All other fuels 2.6
No fuel used 0.4

In 2020-2024, the median property value for owner-occupied houses in Muskegon County, Michigan was $198,300.

Of the owner-occupied households, 56.6 % had a mortgage. 43.4% 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 $1,334 and for owners without a mortgage it was $520.

For renter-occupied houses, the median gross rent for Muskegon County, Michigan was $1,028. 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.