You’re probably never going to make enough money to live in the richest counties in Michigan.
The median household income in Leelanau County, the richest county in Michigan is $99,422, significantly higher than the US median of $74,580, which means based purely on math most people never make enough to live there.
And that’s okay because it’s still fun to look at the people living in the lap of luxury.
So we used Saturday Night Science and the most recent Census to rank home prices and incomes for all 83 counties in the Wolverine State. Let’s star gaze together.
What is the richest county in Michigan? The richest county in Michigan is Leelanau County. In contrast, the poorest county in the state is Oscoda County, according to the Census data.
$99,422 median income · $622,874 median home price
$89,180 median income · $413,406 median home price
$103,039 median income · $394,423 median home price
$90,502 median income · $389,373 median home price
$97,760 median income · $365,349 median home price
$78,112 median income · $442,793 median home price
$81,647 median income · $410,918 median home price
$82,631 median income · $350,515 median home price
$83,283 median income · $342,789 median home price
$88,210 median income · $307,952 median home price
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
On the map
Where Michigan’s richest counties are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How do you determine which Michigan county is the richest?
To determine the richest county in Michigan, we have to look at a handful of metrics that correlate with how rich people are. To do that, we made assumptions about what makes a county rich. 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 the American Community Survey data and Zillow for the most recent reporting period for data on the following:
- Average Home Price
- Median Income
We then ranked each county in Michigan for each of the criteria from one to 83, with one being the richest.
Taking the average rank across the two criteria, we created a Rich Score with the county posting the lowest overall score being the “Richest County In Michigan.”
The result is some of the places with the most expensive real estate and highest earners in the Wolverine State.
We updated this article for 2026. This report is our first time ranking the richest counties to live in Michigan.
The full plate
Detailed List Of The Richest Counties In Michigan
Click any column to sort. Search by county name.
| Rank | County | Population | Median Income | Average Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leelanau County | 22,734 | $99,422 | $622,874 |
| 2 | Washtenaw County | 369,822 | $89,180 | $413,406 |
| 2 | Livingston County | 195,833 | $103,039 | $394,423 |
| 4 | Ottawa County | 301,203 | $90,502 | $389,373 |
| 4 | Oakland County | 1,279,825 | $97,760 | $365,349 |
| 6 | Emmet County | 34,125 | $78,112 | $442,793 |
| 6 | Grand Traverse County | 96,166 | $81,647 | $410,918 |
| 8 | Kent County | 663,150 | $82,631 | $350,515 |
| 9 | Allegan County | 121,456 | $83,283 | $342,789 |
| 9 | Clinton County | 79,626 | $88,210 | $307,952 |
| 11 | Charlevoix County | 26,108 | $76,531 | $400,415 |
| 12 | Benzie County | 18,310 | $74,834 | $398,792 |
| 13 | Barry County | 63,409 | $77,500 | $292,490 |
| 14 | Macomb County | 879,853 | $77,837 | $266,672 |
| 14 | Lapeer County | 88,837 | $77,306 | $290,142 |
| 16 | Antrim County | 24,127 | $72,054 | $344,946 |
| 17 | Eaton County | 109,130 | $79,597 | $256,124 |
| 18 | Monroe County | 155,505 | $77,335 | $262,020 |
| 18 | Kalamazoo County | 262,375 | $72,532 | $270,403 |
| 20 | Ionia County | 66,574 | $75,611 | $256,599 |
| 21 | Van Buren County | 75,795 | $68,114 | $268,116 |
| 21 | Cass County | 51,520 | $70,443 | $264,053 |
| 23 | Midland County | 83,757 | $77,705 | $240,607 |
| 24 | St. Clair County | 160,221 | $71,270 | $252,003 |
| 25 | Berrien County | 153,288 | $65,425 | $271,062 |
| 26 | Otsego County | 25,584 | $68,183 | $250,615 |
| 27 | Lenawee County | 98,415 | $70,518 | $236,512 |
| 28 | Mason County | 29,207 | $64,748 | $264,155 |
| 29 | Kalkaska County | 18,239 | $68,578 | $223,569 |
| 30 | Montcalm County | 67,816 | $67,344 | $231,036 |
| 31 | Muskegon County | 175,961 | $65,024 | $247,207 |
| 31 | Marquette County | 67,112 | $65,429 | $243,685 |
| 33 | Missaukee County | 15,207 | $66,194 | $226,792 |
| 34 | Manistee County | 25,350 | $63,516 | $255,974 |
| 35 | Shiawassee County | 67,991 | $67,404 | $208,279 |
| 36 | Ingham County | 283,913 | $65,526 | $221,626 |
| 37 | Newaygo County | 50,792 | $63,304 | $247,159 |
| 37 | Jackson County | 160,060 | $66,073 | $221,075 |
| 39 | Oceana County | 26,915 | $62,417 | $248,645 |
| 40 | Cheboygan County | 25,865 | $62,875 | $245,408 |
| 41 | St. Joseph County | 60,969 | $66,425 | $200,054 |
| 42 | Mackinac County | 10,957 | $63,909 | $221,217 |
| 43 | Hillsdale County | 45,654 | $64,242 | $206,560 |
| 44 | Wexford County | 34,077 | $61,085 | $228,172 |
| 45 | Branch County | 45,300 | $63,724 | $201,004 |
| 46 | Mecosta County | 41,242 | $60,951 | $223,013 |
| 47 | Alger County | 8,762 | $61,286 | $207,844 |
| 48 | Presque Isle County | 13,209 | $59,321 | $216,761 |
| 49 | Chippewa County | 36,295 | $62,217 | $192,557 |
| 50 | Tuscola County | 52,980 | $63,811 | $182,326 |
| 50 | Genesee County | 403,305 | $62,281 | $189,845 |
| 52 | Dickinson County | 25,954 | $65,156 | $174,150 |
| 53 | Calhoun County | 133,778 | $63,177 | $183,796 |
| 53 | Gratiot County | 41,385 | $63,556 | $179,894 |
| 55 | Sanilac County | 40,462 | $58,863 | $202,763 |
| 56 | Isabella County | 64,565 | $55,237 | $222,852 |
| 57 | Huron County | 31,113 | $58,870 | $192,819 |
| 58 | Delta County | 36,813 | $57,809 | $197,757 |
| 59 | Bay County | 103,008 | $61,763 | $179,475 |
| 60 | Osceola County | 23,227 | $58,267 | $192,206 |
| 61 | Houghton County | 37,693 | $58,899 | $182,733 |
| 62 | Schoolcraft County | 8,128 | $56,782 | $188,564 |
| 63 | Keweenaw County | 2,133 | $52,583 | $206,638 |
| 64 | Wayne County | 1,772,259 | $60,539 | $174,830 |
| 65 | Saginaw County | 188,665 | $60,622 | $167,796 |
| 66 | Crawford County | 13,369 | $60,392 | $172,955 |
| 66 | Gladwin County | 25,693 | $55,349 | $184,536 |
| 68 | Roscommon County | 23,737 | $55,246 | $186,502 |
| 69 | Alcona County | 10,397 | $54,993 | $187,439 |
| 70 | Alpena County | 28,880 | $53,950 | $189,253 |
| 71 | Menominee County | 23,247 | $56,435 | $177,338 |
| 72 | Arenac County | 15,077 | $58,811 | $160,118 |
| 73 | Baraga County | 8,191 | $55,327 | $165,995 |
| 73 | Ogemaw County | 20,885 | $54,666 | $177,332 |
| 75 | Iron County | 11,667 | $55,940 | $137,827 |
| 76 | Montmorency County | 9,516 | $49,756 | $178,115 |
| 78 | Lake County | 12,563 | $50,805 | $160,999 |
| 78 | Iosco County | 25,347 | $50,066 | $164,597 |
| 78 | Luce County | 6,271 | $54,893 | $129,755 |
| 80 | Ontonagon County | 5,850 | $54,398 | $129,978 |
| 81 | Gogebic County | 14,319 | $52,732 | $124,498 |
| 82 | Clare County | 31,218 | $49,384 | $156,086 |
| 82 | Oscoda County | 8,425 | $49,515 | $144,122 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS + Zillow via Saturday Night Science. All 83 Michigan counties.
Summary
Summary: The Richest Counties In Michigan For 2026
Living in Michigan can vary from one part of the state to the next, with pretty extreme variance in home prices and incomes across counties.
The richest counties in Michigan are Leelanau County, Washtenaw County, Livingston County, Ottawa County, Oakland County, Emmet County, Grand Traverse County, Kent County, Allegan County, and Clinton County.
Now you know the parts of the state where Goodwill will have the best goodies, and that’s what you came here to learn at the end of the day.
You are welcome.
