Manistee County, Michigan

MI · FIPS 26101 Republican

Located in Michigan, Manistee County has a population of 25,350 residents and a median age of 50.3 years, making it the #1,644 most populous county out of 3,222 nationwide. In terms of economic indicators, the county has a poverty rate of 12.7%. The median home value is $182,200, and the median household income is $63,516, which is 15% below the national median.

25,350
Population
#1,644 of 3,222
$63,516
Median Income
-15.5% #1,752 of 3,222
50.3 years
Median Age
+29.3% #207 of 3,222
12.7%
Poverty Rate
+0.4% #1,434 of 3,222

Demographics

Manistee County has a population of 25,350, making it the #1,644 most populous county in the US. The median age is 50.3 years, which is 29.3% above the national median.

Population Trend

Rankings →

Year-over-Year Population Growth

Age & Sex Distribution

Race & Ethnicity

Nativity

98.4%
Native Born
1.6%
Foreign Born

Geographic Mobility (Past Year)

Economy

The median household income in Manistee County is $63,516, ranking #1,752 out of 3,222 counties — 15.5% below the national median. The poverty rate is 12.7% and unemployment stands at 6.4%.

Income#1,752
$63,516
-15.5%
vs nation
46th percentile
Per Capita#1,416
$36,023
-12.7%
vs nation
56th percentile
Poverty#1,434
12.7%
+0.4%
vs nation
56th percentile
Unemployment#2,650
6.4%
+20.0%
vs nation
18th percentile

Income Distribution

Industry of Employment

Occupation

Housing

The median home value in Manistee County is $182,200 (-35.4% vs national). Renters pay a median of $842/mo and the homeownership rate is 85.8%.

Home Value#1,610
$182,200
-35.4%
vs nation
50th percentile
Rent#1,808
$842
-27.6%
vs nation
44th percentile
Homeownership#90
85.8%
+33.2%
vs nation
97th percentile

Household Type

Education

In Manistee County, 24.9% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher, which is 26.0% below the national average, ranking #1,236 out of 3,222 counties.

Bachelor's Degree or Higher
24.9% −26.0% vs nation
Rank #1,236 of 3,222
62th percentile

Bachelor's Degree or Higher Trend

Rankings →

Health & Wellbeing

Life expectancy in Manistee County is 75.2 years. 15.9% of adults report poor or fair health and 7.0% lack health insurance. Data from County Health Rankings (2025).

Life Expectancy#1,547
75.2
+0.1%
vs nation
50th percentile
Poor/Fair Health#765
15.9%
-18.7%
vs nation
76th percentile
Diabetes#465
8.9%
-20.0%
vs nation
85th percentile
Insufficient Sleep#682
33.9%
-9.1%
vs nation
78th percentile
Poor Mental Health Days#1,489
5.6
-0.7%
vs nation
53th percentile
Poor Physical Health Days#1,094
4.2
-6.7%
vs nation
65th percentile
Uninsured Rate#830
7.0%
-32.7%
vs nation
74th percentile
Physical Inactivity#815
22.9%
-13.2%
vs nation
74th percentile
Food Insecurity#1,936
15.3%
+6.2%
vs nation
38th percentile

Substance Use

17.4% of adults in Manistee County smoke , 38.0% are obese , and 21.0% report excessive drinking. The drug overdose death rate is 45.1 per 100,000.

Adult Smoking#1,435
17.4%
-3.1%
vs nation
54th percentile
Adult Obesity#1,427
38.0%
+0.2%
vs nation
55th percentile
Excessive Drinking#2,001
21.0%
+5.7%
vs nation
36th percentile
Drug Overdose Deaths#1,730
45.1
+39.5%
vs nation
18th percentile

Safety

The suicide rate is 27.3 per 100,000. Motor vehicle deaths occur at a rate of 13.3 per 100,000.

Suicide Rate#2,220
27.3
+38.3%
vs nation
13th percentile
Firearm Fatalities#1,401
17.7
-1.1%
vs nation
43th percentile
Motor Vehicle Deaths#735
13.3
-34.5%
vs nation
74th percentile

Families & Children

20.4% of children in Manistee County live in poverty . The teen birth rate is 20.8 per 1,000 females age 15–19.

Teen Birth Rate#1,560
20.8
-4.8%
vs nation
48th percentile
Child Poverty#1,966
20.4%
+7.4%
vs nation
38th percentile

Civic & Transportation

Voter turnout in Manistee County is 72.9%. The mean commute time is 23.5 min, which is 14.9% below the national average.

Voter Turnout
72.9% NaN% vs nation
Rank #NaN of NaN
th percentile

Voter Turnout Trend

Mean Commute Time
23.5 min −14.9% vs nation
Rank #2,260 of 3,222
30th percentile

Mean Commute Time Trend

Rankings →

Elections

In the 2024 presidential election, Manistee County voted Republican with a margin of 16.0%. The vote was 41.2% Dem / 57.2% Rep. Compared to 2020, the margin shifted 0.9 toward Republicans .

2024 REP +16.0%
41.2% 57.2%
Dem 15,296 votes Rep
2020 REP +15.1%
41.7% 56.8%
Dem 14,655 votes Rep
2016 REP +15.4%
39.5% 54.9%
Dem 12,598 votes Rep
2012 DEM +5.9%
52.2% 46.3%
Dem 12,385 votes Rep
2008 DEM +13.2%
55.6% 42.4%
Dem 13,009 votes Rep

Vote Share Over Time

About Manistee County, Michigan

Manistee County, Michigan has a total population of 25,350, making it the 1,644th most populous county in the United States. The median age in Manistee County is 50.3 years, which is 29.3% above the national median of 38.9 years.

The median household income in Manistee County is $63,516, which ranks #1,752 of 3,222 counties nationwide. This is 15.5% below the national median of $75,149. The poverty rate is 12.7%, higher than the national rate of 12.6%. The unemployment rate stands at 6.4%.

The median home value in Manistee County is $182,200, 35.4% below the national median. Renters in Manistee County pay a median gross rent of $842 per month. The homeownership rate is 85.8%, compared to the national rate of 64.4%.

In Manistee County, 24.9% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 26.0% below the national average of 33.7%. Health insurance coverage stands at 95.2% of the population. The average commute time for workers is 23.5 min.

Manistee County is a diverse community. The largest racial or ethnic group is White (non-Hispanic) at 87.4% of the population, followed by Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic or Latino (3.6%).

All data for Manistee County, Michigan comes from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates. These figures are estimates based on survey sampling and are subject to margin of error. For the most detailed and up-to-date data, visit the Census Bureau's official data portal.