Economic Intelligence | Any Geography

Bay County, MI

Welcome to Bay County.

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Bay County has a population of 103.8 thousand and a total area (land and water combined) of 630.7 square miles.

Total GDP for the county increased 30%, in the five years ending in 2022, to reach $4.6 billion.

Between 2000 and 2024 presidential elections, Bay County voted four out of six times for Democratic candidates and two times for Republicans.

Bay County comprises Bay City, MI metropolitan area.

The largest city in the county is Bay City.

Surrounding counties and county equivalents include: Arenac County, Gladwin County, Huron County, Midland County, Saginaw County, and Tuscola County.

Presidential Election

🔵 Democrat    🔴 Republican

Election Year
Candidates (Party)*
Votes (% Total)Landslide
Scale**
🔵🔴
2000
🔴George W. Bush
🔵Al Gore
54.71%42.9%+
2004
🔴George W. Bush
🔵John Kerry
54.42%44.6%+
2008
🔵Barack Obama
🔴John McCain
56.75%41.43%+
2012
🔵Barack Obama
🔴Mitt Romney
52.22%46.67%+
2016
🔴Donald Trump
🔵Hillary Clinton
40.85%53.47%+
2020
🔵Joe Biden
🔴Donald Trump
43.4%54.97%+
2024
🔴Donald Trump
🔵Kamala Harris
Notes:
*Presidential Tickets
2000 (R) George W. Bush & Dick Cheney; (D) Al Gore & Joe Lieberman
2004 (R) George W. Bush & Dick Cheney; (D)John Kerry & John Edwards
2008 (D) Barack Obama & Joe Biden; (R) John McCain & Sarah Palin
2012 (D) Barack Obama & Joe Biden; (R) Mitt Romney & Paul Ryan
2016 (R) Donald Trump & Mike Pence; (D) Hillary Clinton & Tim Kaine
2020 (D) Joe Biden & Kamala Harris; (R) Donald Trump & Mike Pence
2024 (R) Donald Trump & JD Vance; (D) Kamala Harris & Tim Waltz
**Landslide Scale (county)
+ Victory margin was less than 20 percent
++ Victory margin was between 20 to 49 percentage points of more votes
+++ Victory margin was more than half but below three quarters
++++ Victory margin was three quarters or more

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Economic Significance

Key IndustryAs %
County GDP
GDP
Growth*
County GDP1100%30%
Government
Enterprises
12%12%
Private Industries88%32%
Agriculture2%0%
Mining<1%0%
Utilities6%45%
Construction3%49%
Manufacturing17%46%
– Durable7%1%
– Nondurable10%87%
Trade14%42%
– Wholesale6%53%
– Retail8%36%
Transportation<1%0%
Information3%7%
Finance & Insurance3%33%
Real Estate15%0%
Professional &
Business Services
7%8%
Educational Services1%25%
Healthcare &
Social Services
11%7%
Arts, Recreation &
Entertainment
<1%38%
Accommodation &
Food Services
3%41%
Other Services23%22%
Notes:
*Growth rates are based on most recent five-year value available and are updated dynamically
1. All industry total.
2. Includes various repairs, maintenance, personal care, religious organizations, social and professional organizations etc.

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Local Vibrancy

Total*Vibrancy
Indicator
(1-100)**
🚙 Automobile Dealers1875
🪑 Furniture &
Home Furnishings
1261
📺 Electronics & Appliance863
🛒 Grocery Stores4485
🍾 Beer, Wine & Liquor Stores1678
⚕️ Health & Personal Care3381
⛽ Gasoline Stations3781
👕 Clothing Stores1361
👠 Shoe Stores328
🧳 Luggage, Leather Goods & Jewelry545
🏸 Sporting Goods1068
📚 Book Stores & News Dealers
🏬 Department Stores2482
💐 Florists564
🎁 Gift, Novelty & Souvenir Shops1171
🐕 Pet & Pet Supplies 332
🍺 Bars & Taverns3989
🍽️ Full-service restaurants6581
🍔 Limited-service restaurants7080
🏠 Offices of Real Estate Agents & Brokers1560
🛏️ Traveler Accommodation2077
Notes:
* Total counts of establishments are places of business.
** Vibrancy score is based on comparisons of relevant establishments per square mile of land area among all counties and county equivalents in the United States; A score of 100 means the county is in the top one percentile.

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Wealth Indicators

Household Income by Distribution
As % County’s
Total Household Income
Average Household Income
Maximum Household Income
Top 5%123%$445,100 N/A
Top 20%49%$237,200 $224,300
Next highest 20%22%$109,800 $130,700
Middle 20%15%$74,800 $89,100
Second lowest 20%10%$47,300 $59,900
Bottom 20%4%$19,300 $34,900
Notes:
1. Households with aggregate income above 95% of all households in the county
% Total
Households
Average Household
Income*
Wages & Salaries71%$96,200
Self-Employment11%$37,200
Investment Income120%$24,300
Social Security38%$25,100
Supplemental Security4%$13,200
Public Assistance2%Below $10,000
Retirement30%$26,200
Notes:
* Calculation based on households claim to have specific source of income; Households may have more than one source of income
1Includes interest, dividends, and net rental income

Under
25*
Age 25
to 49*
Age 50
to 64*
Age 65
& Older*
Below
$25K
1%5%6%7%
$25K
– $49K
1%5%8%10%
$50K
– $99K
1%10%12%9%
$100K
– $199K
<1%7%9%3%
$200K
& more
<1%1%2%1%
Notes:
* Age of heads of households

 

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Median Earnings by Worker Characteristics
Race/EthnicityMaleFemale
Non-Hispanic White$52,200 $31,300
African-AmericanBelow $10,000
Hispanic$40,200 $29,400
Asian
Level of Education MaleFemale
Below Highschool$47,500 $23,500
Highschool & GED$43,700 $27,400
Some College to
Associate’s
$62,000 $33,800
College/Bachelor’s
Degree
$75,700 $50,000
Graduate Degree$97,100 $70,300
OccupationMaleFemale
White-Collar1$81,100 $54,400
STEM2$79,300 $54,500
Gray-Collar3$69,300 Below $10,000
Pink-Collar4$36,900 $23,300
Sales5$68,800 $19,600
Blue-Collar6$47,100 $28,800
Notes:
1. Management, business, science, and arts occupations
2. Computer, engineering, and science occupations
3. Protective service occupations including firefighters and law enforcement
4. Personal care and service occupations
5. Sales and sales related
6.Production, transportation, and material moving occupations

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Climate Risks

Disaster CategoryNatural Hazard
Risk Rating
Annual Loss
Per Capita
Avalanche
Coastal Flooding$
Cold Waves+++$
Drought
Earthquake+$
Hail++$
Heat Waves+++$
Hurricane+$
Ice Storm++$
Landslide+
Lightning++$
Riverine Flooding++$
Strong Wind+++$
Tornado+$
Tsunami
Volcanic Activity
Wildfires+
Winter Weather+++$
Notes:
Locations with insufficient data or not rated are left blank.
+: Very low to Relatively low risk ratings
++: Relatively moderate
+++: Relatively high
++++: Very high
$: Expected per capita annual loss from the natural disaster is below $100
$$: $100-499
$$$: $500-999
$$$$: $1,000 and more

 

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ZIP Codes in Bay County