Traverse City is a city of 15,593 people in Michigan. About 47% of adults have finished a four-year degree. The foreign-born share is 2%. The median age is 42.7, about 4 years above the US median. The average commute runs 17 minutes. There are 1,884 people per square mile.
At a glance
Lower income
median household income $74,087, below the US median
US median: $82,259
Older
median age 42.7
US median: 38.9
More educated
47% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 84%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Unique to this place
What stands out about Traverse City
What changed most since 1990
Median home value (2024 dollars)$154,324 → $415,400(+169%)US over the same years: +67%
White share97.9% → 87.7%(−10.3 pts)US over the same years: −17.8 pts
Hispanic share0.4% → 3.6%(+3.2 pts)US over the same years: +9.9 pts
Traverse City's population equals 16% of Grand Traverse County's. Its number of households without a car equals 32% of the county's. Its number of veterans equals 10% of the county's.
Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.
Section 09 · Service history
Veterans
Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)12.2%(64)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)22.7%(119)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era43.9%(230)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War8%(42)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II2.7%(14)
US avg: 1%
Share of the 524 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Over time
Traverse City, decade by decade
Traverse City population, inflation-adjusted income and home value, education, and diversity by year
Year
Population
Median household income
Median home value
Bachelor's degree+
Diversity score
1990
15,157
$65,752
$154,324
28.7%
5.1
2000
14,532
$68,002
$225,521
31.2%
12.1
2010
14,674
$60,364
$256,641
39.7%
16.0
2020
15,678
$74,002
$342,886
46.7%
24.7
2024
15,593
$74,087
$415,400
47.4%
28.2
Census years come from the decennial census and the latest year from the American Community Survey, so part of any change between those two rows can reflect the different surveys. Dollar figures are adjusted for inflation to 2024 dollars; a figure ending in "+" was at the Census Bureau's reporting cap that year. The diversity score runs from 0 to 100; see how it's calculated.
