The 10 Best Counties To Live In Michigan For 2022


Using science and data, we can tell you which counties in Michigan have the most for people looking to make the move to Michigan.

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Some of you might be asking yourself, at this very moment: is Michigan a good place?

The answer is unequivocally yes… if you know where to locate the best places to live in Michigan.

Lucky for you, we’re here to help you identify the best counties to live in the Wolverine State based on the most recently available data from the Census. And this isn’t our first rodeo — we’ve been helping people find the best places to live in America for years.

So, the question becomes, if you wanted to relocate to the best part of Michigan, where would you go? To answer that we looked at crime, cost of living, and demographic data for all 83 counties in the state.

After the analytic dust settled, we identified the 10 best counties to live in Wolverine State for 2022.

Leelanau County is the county to be when it comes to living the good life in Michigan. And you might want to avoid Oscoda County if you can — at least according to the data.

So if you’re thinking of making the move Michigan, we’ve got you covered. Keep on reading for a detailed methodology.

Or, check out the best places to live in Michigan and the cheapest places to live in Michigan.

The Best Counties To Live In Michigan For 2022

1. Leelanau County

Traverse City, MI

Biggest Place: Traverse City

Population: 21,649
Median Income: $67,330.0 (7th best)
Median Home Price: $285,700.0 (best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.1% (12th best)
More on Leelanau County: PhotosData

2. Ottawa County

Coopersville, MI

Source: Public domain

Biggest Place: Holland

Population: 289,162
Median Income: $72,418.0 (5th best)
Median Home Price: $209,400.0 (6th best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.0% (8th best)
More on Ottawa County: PhotosData

3. Livingston County

Brighton, MI

Biggest Place: Fenton

Population: 190,832
Median Income: $84,274.0 (best)
Median Home Price: $256,100.0 (3rd best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.8% (5th best)
More on Livingston County: PhotosData

4. Midland County

Midland, MI

Biggest Place: Midland

Population: 83,445
Median Income: $64,078.0 (16th best)
Median Home Price: $145,900.0 (27th best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.5% (15th best)
More on Midland County: PhotosData

5. Grand Traverse County

Traverse City, MI

Biggest Place: Traverse City

Population: 92,640
Median Income: $66,457.0 (8th best)
Median Home Price: $225,400.0 (5th best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.8% (3rd best)
More on Grand Traverse County: PhotosData

6. Emmet County

Petoskey, MI

Biggest Place: Petoskey

Population: 33,175
Median Income: $55,947.0 (26th best)
Median Home Price: $206,900.0 (7th best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.0% (7th best)
More on Emmet County: PhotosData

7. Antrim County

Biggest Place: Mancelona

Population: 23,301
Median Income: $57,256.0 (23rd best)
Median Home Price: $161,700.0 (19th best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.2% (14th best)
More on Antrim County: Data

8. Eaton County

Charlotte, MI

Biggest Place: Lansing

Population: 109,730
Median Income: $67,440.0 (6th best)
Median Home Price: $160,000.0 (20th best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.6% (20th best)
More on Eaton County: PhotosData

9. Dickinson County

Iron Mountain, MI

Biggest Place: Iron Mountain

Population: 25,373
Median Income: $51,704.0 (38th best)
Median Home Price: $109,300.0 (65th best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.8% (4th best)
More on Dickinson County: PhotosData

10. Clinton County

East Lansing, MI

Biggest Place: Lansing

Population: 78,957
Median Income: $72,490.0 (4th best)
Median Home Price: $185,500.0 (10th best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.4% (2nd best)
More on Clinton County: PhotosData

Methodology: How do you determine which Michigan county is the best?

To give you the best county in Michigan, we have to look at a handful of metrics that signal the quality of a place. To do that, we need to make some assumptions about what’s a “best county” and what isn’t. And, for reference, we are trying to make the kind of argument you’d make at a bar using facts, don’t take this analysis to court.

With that in mind, we went to two of the best sources of data on the internet; the American Community Survey data and FBI Crime data for the most recent time period.

We paid particular attention to:

  • Violent Crime Rates
  • Property Crime Rates
  • Median Home Values
  • Median Income
  • Unemployment Rates
  • Adult Education Levels
  • Health Insurance Coverage
  • Poverty Rates

We then ranked each county in Michigan across each of the criteria from one to 83, with one being the best.

Taking the average rank across all criteria, we created a quality of life score with the county posting the lowest overall score being the “Best County To Live In Michigan”.

The result is some of the safest, quiet, and best counties to raise a family in the Wolverine State.

Read on to see why Leelanau County is the best county, while Oscoda County is probably in contention for being the worst county in Michigan.

Summary: The Best Counties In Michigan To Call Home For 2018

It turns out living in Michigan can vary from one part of the state to the next — who woulda thought?

But now you the know the really good parts and the parts to avoid and that’s why you came here to learn at the end of the day. And for that, you are welcome.

Here’s a look at the worst counties in Michigan according to the data:

  1. Oscoda County
  2. Lake County
  3. Montmorency County

For more Michigan reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Best Counties In Michigan

County Rank Population Median Income Median Home Price
Leelanau County 1 21,649 $67,330.0 $285,700.0
Ottawa County 2 289,162 $72,418.0 $209,400.0
Livingston County 3 190,832 $84,274.0 $256,100.0
Midland County 4 83,445 $64,078.0 $145,900.0
Grand Traverse County 5 92,640 $66,457.0 $225,400.0
Emmet County 6 33,175 $55,947.0 $206,900.0
Antrim County 7 23,301 $57,256.0 $161,700.0
Eaton County 8 109,730 $67,440.0 $160,000.0
Dickinson County 9 25,373 $51,704.0 $109,300.0
Clinton County 10 78,957 $72,490.0 $185,500.0
Oakland County 11 1,255,340 $81,587.0 $252,800.0
Monroe County 12 150,000 $65,453.0 $167,400.0
Benzie County 13 17,703 $64,257.0 $195,400.0
Barry County 14 61,045 $65,557.0 $171,800.0
Washtenaw County 15 368,385 $75,730.0 $278,500.0
Marquette County 16 66,403 $54,585.0 $154,200.0
Charlevoix County 17 26,197 $60,433.0 $171,100.0
Shiawassee County 18 68,176 $56,436.0 $127,500.0
Allegan County 19 117,104 $65,071.0 $174,000.0
Alger County 20 9,098 $45,184.0 $141,900.0
Macomb County 21 870,893 $64,641.0 $174,000.0
Kent County 22 652,617 $65,722.0 $188,500.0
Lapeer County 23 87,975 $65,197.0 $179,900.0
Ionia County 24 64,401 $60,139.0 $140,800.0
Keweenaw County 25 2,102 $51,750.0 $141,800.0
Menominee County 26 22,902 $48,548.0 $112,600.0
Baraga County 27 8,337 $46,581.0 $108,200.0
Ingham County 28 290,923 $55,253.0 $143,900.0
St. Clair County 29 159,285 $58,722.0 $162,300.0
Lenawee County 30 98,310 $57,314.0 $143,000.0
Manistee County 31 24,539 $51,658.0 $130,900.0
Mason County 32 29,062 $51,568.0 $151,400.0
Gogebic County 33 14,715 $38,625.0 $73,500.0
Kalamazoo County 34 264,322 $58,836.0 $168,500.0
Otsego County 35 24,613 $55,917.0 $147,100.0
Gratiot County 36 40,692 $49,795.0 $97,600.0
Hillsdale County 37 45,707 $51,535.0 $131,800.0
Cheboygan County 38 25,435 $49,624.0 $141,800.0
Cass County 39 51,613 $57,514.0 $155,600.0
Jackson County 40 158,174 $54,511.0 $138,900.0
Muskegon County 41 173,679 $53,478.0 $126,400.0
Montcalm County 42 63,516 $52,390.0 $121,800.0
Huron County 43 31,105 $49,541.0 $109,000.0
Iron County 44 11,099 $44,183.0 $79,500.0
Arenac County 45 15,013 $45,679.0 $98,600.0
Chippewa County 46 37,418 $50,454.0 $121,600.0
Tuscola County 47 52,683 $51,891.0 $108,200.0
Delta County 48 35,874 $47,008.0 $115,400.0
Genesee County 49 406,770 $50,269.0 $119,500.0
Wexford County 50 33,433 $50,335.0 $115,500.0
Bay County 51 103,506 $48,290.0 $106,400.0
Houghton County 52 35,890 $44,839.0 $113,700.0
Van Buren County 53 75,416 $56,652.0 $147,400.0
Alpena County 54 28,431 $42,603.0 $104,900.0
Saginaw County 55 191,166 $49,565.0 $106,200.0
Isabella County 56 70,363 $46,783.0 $136,900.0
Mecosta County 57 43,481 $45,797.0 $122,500.0
Branch County 58 43,428 $52,782.0 $118,200.0
Newaygo County 59 48,687 $51,470.0 $128,900.0
Berrien County 60 153,797 $52,500.0 $157,500.0
St. Joseph County 61 60,789 $53,253.0 $128,800.0
Schoolcraft County 62 8,031 $48,443.0 $114,400.0
Kalkaska County 63 17,725 $49,402.0 $127,600.0
Sanilac County 64 41,179 $49,852.0 $121,500.0
Calhoun County 65 133,943 $50,219.0 $115,500.0
Alcona County 66 10,396 $43,341.0 $118,700.0
Crawford County 67 13,904 $49,987.0 $111,800.0
Ogemaw County 68 20,895 $41,752.0 $103,200.0
Luce County 69 6,286 $50,000.0 $97,200.0
Missaukee County 70 15,075 $47,370.0 $123,300.0
Mackinac County 71 10,781 $50,058.0 $136,100.0
Oceana County 72 26,545 $51,161.0 $121,900.0
Presque Isle County 73 12,687 $48,734.0 $111,200.0
Ontonagon County 74 5,802 $41,776.0 $74,400.0
Gladwin County 75 25,312 $45,957.0 $111,000.0
Roscommon County 76 23,863 $41,828.0 $111,300.0
Osceola County 77 23,323 $46,969.0 $102,800.0
Wayne County 78 1,753,059 $49,359.0 $122,700.0
Iosco County 79 25,213 $42,628.0 $98,200.0
Clare County 80 30,655 $41,163.0 $91,900.0
Montmorency County 81 9,270 $42,160.0 $113,300.0
Lake County 82 11,805 $38,356.0 $89,700.0
Oscoda County 83 8,282 $43,457.0 $96,800.0
Editor’s Note: We updated this article for 2022. This is our ninth time ranking the best counties to live in Michigan.

About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.