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 counties 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 using Saturday Night Science to rank places for years.
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.
Leelanau County is the county to be when it comes to living the good life in Michigan. And you should avoid Oscoda County if you can — at least according to the data.
$99,422 median income · 3.4% unemployment
$103,039 median income · 3.4% unemployment
$90,502 median income · 3.5% unemployment
$88,210 median income · 3.8% unemployment
$81,647 median income · 3.8% unemployment
$97,760 median income · 4.8% unemployment
$83,283 median income · 3.0% unemployment
$79,597 median income · 4.5% unemployment
$78,112 median income · 3.2% unemployment
$76,531 median income · 3.4% unemployment
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Michigan’s statewide median.
Michigan statewide median: $72,875
Michigan statewide median: $259,857
Michigan statewide median: 5.7%
On the map
Where Michigan’s best counties are
Saturday Night Science
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 made assumptions about what’s in a “best county” and what isn’t. For reference, we are trying to make the kind of argument you’d make at a bar using facts, Saturday Night Science.
With that in mind, we went to two of the best data sources on the internet. Namely, the American Community Survey data and FBI Crime data for the most recent 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, quietest, and best counties to raise a family in the Wolverine State.
We updated this article for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the best counties to live in Michigan.
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.
The full plate
Detailed List Of The Best Counties In Michigan
Click any column to sort. Search by county name.
| Rank | County | Population | Median Income | Median Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leelanau County | 22,734 | $99,422 | $622,874 |
| 2 | Livingston County | 195,833 | $103,039 | $394,423 |
| 3 | Ottawa County | 301,203 | $90,502 | $389,373 |
| 4 | Clinton County | 79,626 | $88,210 | $307,952 |
| 5 | Grand Traverse County | 96,166 | $81,647 | $410,918 |
| 6 | Oakland County | 1,279,825 | $97,760 | $365,349 |
| 7 | Allegan County | 121,456 | $83,283 | $342,789 |
| 8 | Eaton County | 109,130 | $79,597 | $256,124 |
| 9 | Emmet County | 34,125 | $78,112 | $442,793 |
| 10 | Charlevoix County | 26,108 | $76,531 | $400,415 |
| 11 | Washtenaw County | 369,822 | $89,180 | $413,406 |
| 12 | Midland County | 83,757 | $77,705 | $240,607 |
| 12 | Benzie County | 18,310 | $74,834 | $398,792 |
| 14 | Kent County | 663,150 | $82,631 | $350,515 |
| 15 | Monroe County | 155,505 | $77,335 | $262,020 |
| 16 | Antrim County | 24,127 | $72,054 | $344,946 |
| 17 | Barry County | 63,409 | $77,500 | $292,490 |
| 18 | Otsego County | 25,584 | $68,183 | $250,615 |
| 19 | Dickinson County | 25,954 | $65,156 | $174,150 |
| 20 | Shiawassee County | 67,991 | $67,404 | $208,279 |
| 21 | Marquette County | 67,112 | $65,429 | $243,685 |
| 22 | Lapeer County | 88,837 | $77,306 | $290,142 |
| 23 | Kalamazoo County | 262,375 | $72,532 | $270,403 |
| 24 | Ionia County | 66,574 | $75,611 | $256,599 |
| 25 | Macomb County | 879,853 | $77,837 | $266,672 |
| 26 | St. Clair County | 160,221 | $71,270 | $252,003 |
| 27 | Lenawee County | 98,415 | $70,518 | $236,512 |
| 28 | Mason County | 29,207 | $64,748 | $264,155 |
| 29 | Jackson County | 160,060 | $66,073 | $221,075 |
| 30 | Menominee County | 23,247 | $56,435 | $177,338 |
| 31 | Kalkaska County | 18,239 | $68,578 | $223,569 |
| 32 | Alger County | 8,762 | $61,286 | $207,844 |
| 33 | Delta County | 36,813 | $57,809 | $197,757 |
| 34 | Bay County | 103,008 | $61,763 | $179,475 |
| 34 | Alcona County | 10,397 | $54,993 | $187,439 |
| 36 | Muskegon County | 175,961 | $65,024 | $247,207 |
| 37 | Gratiot County | 41,385 | $63,556 | $179,894 |
| 38 | Manistee County | 25,350 | $63,516 | $255,974 |
| 39 | Cass County | 51,520 | $70,443 | $264,053 |
| 40 | Huron County | 31,113 | $58,870 | $192,819 |
| 41 | Van Buren County | 75,795 | $68,114 | $268,116 |
| 42 | Berrien County | 153,288 | $65,425 | $271,062 |
| 43 | Tuscola County | 52,980 | $63,811 | $182,326 |
| 44 | Keweenaw County | 2,133 | $52,583 | $206,638 |
| 45 | Cheboygan County | 25,865 | $62,875 | $245,408 |
| 46 | Missaukee County | 15,207 | $66,194 | $226,792 |
| 47 | Ingham County | 283,913 | $65,526 | $221,626 |
| 48 | Newaygo County | 50,792 | $63,304 | $247,159 |
| 49 | Montcalm County | 67,816 | $67,344 | $231,036 |
| 50 | Hillsdale County | 45,654 | $64,242 | $206,560 |
| 51 | Chippewa County | 36,295 | $62,217 | $192,557 |
| 52 | Houghton County | 37,693 | $58,899 | $182,733 |
| 53 | Wexford County | 34,077 | $61,085 | $228,172 |
| 54 | Roscommon County | 23,737 | $55,246 | $186,502 |
| 55 | Ontonagon County | 5,850 | $54,398 | $129,978 |
| 56 | Mecosta County | 41,242 | $60,951 | $223,013 |
| 57 | St. Joseph County | 60,969 | $66,425 | $200,054 |
| 58 | Baraga County | 8,191 | $55,327 | $165,995 |
| 59 | Iron County | 11,667 | $55,940 | $137,827 |
| 60 | Presque Isle County | 13,209 | $59,321 | $216,761 |
| 61 | Oceana County | 26,915 | $62,417 | $248,645 |
| 62 | Calhoun County | 133,778 | $63,177 | $183,796 |
| 63 | Schoolcraft County | 8,128 | $56,782 | $188,564 |
| 64 | Gogebic County | 14,319 | $52,732 | $124,498 |
| 65 | Saginaw County | 188,665 | $60,622 | $167,796 |
| 66 | Mackinac County | 10,957 | $63,909 | $221,217 |
| 67 | Genesee County | 403,305 | $62,281 | $189,845 |
| 68 | Crawford County | 13,369 | $60,392 | $172,955 |
| 69 | Arenac County | 15,077 | $58,811 | $160,118 |
| 70 | Branch County | 45,300 | $63,724 | $201,004 |
| 71 | Alpena County | 28,880 | $53,950 | $189,253 |
| 71 | Sanilac County | 40,462 | $58,863 | $202,763 |
| 73 | Isabella County | 64,565 | $55,237 | $222,852 |
| 74 | Iosco County | 25,347 | $50,066 | $164,597 |
| 75 | Osceola County | 23,227 | $58,267 | $192,206 |
| 76 | Luce County | 6,271 | $54,893 | $129,755 |
| 77 | Montmorency County | 9,516 | $49,756 | $178,115 |
| 78 | Gladwin County | 25,693 | $55,349 | $184,536 |
| 79 | Ogemaw County | 20,885 | $54,666 | $177,332 |
| 80 | Wayne County | 1,772,259 | $60,539 | $174,830 |
| 81 | Lake County | 12,563 | $50,805 | $160,999 |
| 82 | Clare County | 31,218 | $49,384 | $156,086 |
| 82 | Oscoda County | 8,425 | $49,515 | $144,122 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS + FBI crime data via Saturday Night Science. All 83 Michigan counties.
Summary
Summary: The Best Counties In Michigan To Call Home For 2026
Living in Michigan can vary from one part of the state to the next — who woulda thought?
The best counties in Michigan are Leelanau County, Livingston County, Ottawa County, Clinton County, Grand Traverse County, Oakland County, Allegan County, Eaton County, Emmet County, and Charlevoix County.
But now you know the outstanding parts and the parts to avoid, and that’s why you came here to learn at the end of the day.
You are welcome. Not sold on Michigan? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Best Counties In Michigan FAQs
What is the best county to live in Michigan?
Leelanau County is the best county to live in Michigan for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. Livingston County and Ottawa County are next.
What are the best counties in Michigan?
The best counties to live in Michigan are Leelanau County, Livingston County, Ottawa County, Clinton County, Grand Traverse County, Oakland County, Allegan County, Eaton County, Emmet County, and Charlevoix County. We ranked all 83 Michigan counties.
How do you rank the best counties?
Counties are scored on crime, home values, income, unemployment, education, insurance coverage, and poverty, using Census American Community Survey and FBI data. The county with the best average across all seven, Leelanau County, wins.
How expensive is it to live in Leelanau County?
The median household income in Leelanau County is $99,422 and the median home costs $622,874. Statewide, the typical Michigan home runs $259,857.
Which county in Michigan should you think twice about?
Oscoda County lands at the bottom of the quality-of-life ranking for Michigan. People make good lives there anyway; the numbers just say it is the toughest of the 83 counties.
