County profile

St. Clair 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
160,221
Median household income
$71,270
People below poverty
11.3%
Median home value
$224,600

Income

The median income of households in St. Clair County, Michigan was $71,270. An estimated 4.1% of households had income below $10,000 a year and 7.1% had income of $200,000 or more.

Household Income in St. Clair County, Michigan in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than $10,000 4.1
$10,000 to $14,999 3.5
$15,000 to $24,999 7
$25,000 to $34,999 7.8
$35,000 to $49,999 11.7
$50,000 to $74,999 18.6
$75,000 to $99,999 13.8
$100,000 to $149,999 18.6
$150,000 to $199,999 7.7
$200,000 or more 7.1

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

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Dollars
Male 64058
Female 47679

An estimated 71.9% of households received earnings. An estimated 37.8% of households received Social Security and an estimated 32.1 % of households received retirement income other than Social Security. The average income from Social Security was $25,493. 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 St. Clair County, Michigan in 2020-2024

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Percent
Earnings 71.9
Social Security 37.8
Retirement income 32.1
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 5.8
Cash public assistance income 2.5

Poverty and Participation in Government Programs

In 2020-2024, 11.3 % of people were in poverty. An estimated 15.7% of children under 18 were below the poverty level, compared with 8.1% of people 65 years old and over. An estimated 10.9% of people 18 to 64 years were below the poverty level.

Poverty Rates in St. Clair County, Michigan in 2020-2024

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Percent
People in poverty 11.3
Children under 18 years below poverty 15.7
People 65 years old and over below poverty 8.1
People 18 to 64 years below poverty 10.9

In 2020-2024, 13.3 % of households received SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). An estimated 42.6% of households that received SNAP had children under 18, and 34.4% of households that received SNAP had one or more people 60 years and over. An estimated 30.6% of all households receiving SNAP were families with a female householder and no spouse present.


Among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in St. Clair County, Michigan in 2020-2024, 95.1% had health insurance coverage and 4.9% did not have health insurance coverage. Private coverage was 71.3% and public coverage was 42.1%, respectively. The percentage of children under the age of 19 with no health insurance coverage was 3.2%.


In 2020-2024, St. Clair County, Michigan had a total population of 160,221 - 79,977 (49.9%) females and 80,244 (50.1%) males. The median age was 44.5 years. An estimated 20.3% of the population was under 18 years, 28.2% was 19 to 44 years, 29% was 45 to 64 years, and 20.4 % was 65 years and older.

Population by Age and Sex for St. Clair County, Michigan in 2020-2024

Male Female
Under 5 3959 3793
5 to 9 4299 4210
10 to 14 5143 4690
15 to 19 5214 4587
20 to 24 4533 4153
25 to 29 4908 4394
30 to 34 4609 4416
35 to 39 4343 4713
40 to 44 4645 4513
45 to 49 4895 4838
50 to 54 5634 5642
55 to 59 6351 6438
60 to 64 6399 6253
65 to 69 5369 5893
70 to 74 4462 4307
75 to 79 2422 2982
80 to 84 1660 1925
85 and over 1399 2230

Hispanic Origin and Race

For people reporting one race alone, 91.2% were White; 2.2% were Black or African American; 9.2% were American Indian and Alaska Native; 0.5% were Asian; 0.5% were Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and 0% were Some Other Race. An estimated 4.8% reported Two or More Races. An estimated 3.7% of the people in St. Clair County, Michigan were Hispanic or Latino. An estimated 89.7% of the people in St. Clair County, Michigan were White alone, non-Hispanic. People of Hispanic origin may be of any race.


Households and Families

In 2020-2024, there were 67,816 households in St. Clair County, Michigan. The average household size was 2.34 people.

Married-couple households made up 49.8% of the households in St. Clair County, Michigan while cohabiting couple households made up 7.4% of households. Female householders with no spouse or partner present were 24.1% of all households, while 18.7% of households had male householders with no spouse or partner present. Some households had one person, as 13.9% of households were male householders living alone, and 14.3% were female householders living alone, for a total of 28.2% of all households.

In St. Clair County, Michigan, 26.2% of all households had one or more people under the age of 18; 34.9% of all households had one or more people 65 years and over.

Types of Households in St. Clair County, Michigan in 2020-2024

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Percent
Married-couple households 49.8
Cohabiting Couples 7.4
Male Householder
No spouse/partner present
18.7
Female Householder
No spouse/partner present
24.1

Marital Status

Among persons 15 and older, 52.7% of males and 51.8% of females were currently married.

Population 15 years and over Percent
Males
Percent
Females
Never married 31.4 24.8
Now married, except separated 52.7 51.8
Separated 0.8 1.1
Widowed 3.1 9.7
Divorced 12.1 12.6

Grandparents and Grandchildren

In St. Clair County, Michigan, 2,123 grandparents lived with their grandchildren under 18 years old. Of those grandparents, 33.3% were responsible for the basic needs of their grandchildren.


Nativity and Foreign-Born

In 2020-2024, an estimated 98% of the people living in St. Clair County, Michigan were U.S. natives. 87.5% of the St. Clair County, Michigan population were living in the state where they were born.

Approximately 2% of St. Clair County, Michigan residents in 2020-2024 were foreign-born. 59.8% of foreign-born were naturalized U.S. citizens and an estimated 77.6 % entered the country before the year 2010.

Foreign-born residents of St. Clair 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 St. Clair County, Michigan.

Region of Birth for the Foreign-Born Population in St. Clair County, Michigan in 2020-2024

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Percent
Latin America 12.5
Asia 28.6
Europe 25.5
Africa 2.2
Northern America 29.2
Oceania 1.9

Language

Among people at least five years old living in St. Clair County, Michigan in 2020-2024, 2.5 % spoke a language other than English at home. Spanish was spoken by 1.1% 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 St. Clair County, Michigan in 2020-2024

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Percent
Spanish 1.1
Other Indo-European languages 0.9
Asian and Pacific Islander languages 0.2
Other languages 0.4

Geographic Mobility

In 2020-2024, 90.5 % of the people at least one year old living in St. Clair County, Michigan were living in the same house one year earlier.

Geographic Mobility of Residents of St. Clair County, Michigan in 2020-2024

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Percent
Same house 90.5
Different house, same county 6.3
Different county, same state 2.3
Different state 0.7
Abroad 0.2

Education

In 2020-2024, 92 % of people 25 years and over had at least graduated from high school and 20.3% had a bachelor's degree or higher. An estimated 7.9% did not complete high school.

The total school enrollment in St. Clair County, Michigan was 31,184 in 2020-2024. Nursery school enrollment was 1,829 and kindergarten through 12th grade enrollment was 24,211. College or graduate school enrollment was 5,144.

Educational Attainment of People in St. Clair County, Michigan in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than high school diploma 7.9
High school diploma or equivalency 33
Some college, no degree 26
Associate's degree 12.7
Bachelor's degree 12.8
Graduate or professional degree 7.5

Disability

In St. Clair County, Michigan, among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in 2020-2024, 16.9 % reported a disability. The likelihood of having a disability varied by age - from 7.5% of people under 18 years old, to 14.5% of people 18 to 64 years old, and to 33.4% of those 65 and over.


Employment Status and Type of Employer

In St. Clair County, Michigan, 57.2 % of the population 16 and over were employed; 39.2% were not currently in the labor force.

An estimated 81.8% of the people employed were private wage and salary workers; 12.5% were federal, state, or local government workers; and 5.7 % were self-employed in their own (not incorporated) business.

Class of worker Number Percent
Private wage and salary workers 61,911 81.8
Federal, state, or local government workers 9,424 12.5
Self-employed workers in own not incorporated business 4,306 5.7

Industries

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

Percent by Industry in St. Clair County, Michigan in 2020-2024

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Percent
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining 1.3
Construction 8
Manufacturing 20.2
Wholesale trade 1.4
Retail trade 11.9
Transportation and warehousing, and utilities 5.8
Information 1.1
Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing 3.5
Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services 7.2
Educational services, and health care and social assistance 20.6
Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation, and food services 8.6
Other Services, except public administration 5.2
Public administration 5

Occupations

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

Civilian employed population 16 years and over Number Percent
Management, business, sciences, and arts occupations 24,173 31.9
Service occupations 13,481 17.8
Sales and office occupations 14,129 18.7
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 8,752 11.6
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations 15,157 20

Commuting to Work

An estimated 79.9% of St. Clair County, Michigan workers drove to work alone in 2020-2024, and 8.8% carpooled. Among those who commuted to work, it took them on average 28.5 minutes to get to work.

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

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Percent
Car, truck, van -- drove alone 79.9
Car, truck, van -- carpooled 8.8
Public transportation (excluding taxicab) 1.1
Walked 1.1
Other means 1.3
Worked from home 7.7

In 2020-2024, St. Clair County, Michigan had a total of 72,799 housing units. Of these housing units, 81.7% 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"). 11.9% of the housing units were located in multi-unit structures, or those buildings that contained two or more apartments. 6.5% were mobile homes, while any remaining housing units were classified as "other," which included boats, recreational vehicles, vans, etc.

Types of Housing Units in St. Clair County, Michigan in 2020-2024

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Percent
Single-family houses 81.7
Apartments in multi-unit structures 11.9
Mobile homes 6.5
Boat, RV, van, etc 0

4.5% of the housing inventory was comprised of houses built since 2010, while 17% of the houses were first built in 1939 or earlier. The median number of rooms in all housing units in St. Clair County, Michigan was 6 rooms, and of these housing units 71.3% had three or more bedrooms.


In 2020-2024, St. Clair County, Michigan had 67,816 housing units that were occupied or had people living in them, while the remaining 4,983 were vacant. Of the occupied housing units, the percentage of these houses occupied by owners (also known as the homeownership rate) was 80.8% while renters occupied 19.2%. The average household size of owner-occupied houses was 2.41 and in renter-occupied houses it was 2.06.

3.1% of householders of these occupied houses had moved into their house since 2021, while 12.2% moved into their house in 1989 or earlier. Households without a vehicle available for personal use comprised 5.9% and another 25% had three or more vehicles available for use.

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

House Heating Fuel Used in St. Clair County, Michigan in 2020-2024

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Percent
Gas 85.9
Electricity 9
Fuel oil, kerosene, etc 0.9
All other fuels 3.6
No fuel used 0.7

In 2020-2024, the median property value for owner-occupied houses in St. Clair County, Michigan was $224,600.

Of the owner-occupied households, 57.3 % had a mortgage. 42.7% 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 $1,469 and for owners without a mortgage it was $600.

For renter-occupied houses, the median gross rent for St. Clair County, Michigan was $1,029. 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.