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COUNTY

Ottawa County

Michigan · 308,459 residents (2025 est.) · 564 sq mi
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The short version

Ottawa County is home to 301,203 people in Michigan. Few US counties rank higher on income. Owners hold 79% of the housing stock. Growth has run 26% since 2000, or 62,889 more people. 5% of people here were born outside the United States. Households here earn about 24% more than in Michigan as a whole.

At a glance
Wealthier
median household income $90,502, above the US median
US median: $82,259
Younger
median age 36.5
US median: 38.9
Average education
39% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 38%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Unique to this place

What stands out about Ottawa County

What changed most since 1990

  • White share93.7% → 81.7% (−12.0 pts)US over the same years: −17.8 pts
  • Population187,768 → 301,203 (+60%)US over the same years: +35%

Among the 83 counties in Michigan

  • 4th in household income$90,502
  • 11th in share with a bachelor's degree38.9%
  • 6th in home value$323,400
  • 22nd in diversity score39.9
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
301,203
+26%since 2000
from 238,314 in 2000
308,459 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Population density
535 / sq mi
+26%since 2000
from 423 / sq mi in 2000
US average: 281
Median age
36.5
+13%since 2000
from 32.3 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
564 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
176K210K244K279K313K19902000201020202024Ottawa County
2024301K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 55.5%(16,609)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 96.5%(19,646)
US avg: 6%
10 to 146.8%(20,335)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 198.3%(25,047)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 248.8%(26,591)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3412.2%(36,820)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4412.4%(37,271)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5411%(33,006)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6411.8%(35,558)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 749.8%(29,495)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 844.9%(14,658)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over2%(6,167)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$90,502
−5%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $52,347 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$42,799
+97%since 2000
from $21,676 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
59.5%
+25.2 ptssince 2009
from 34.3% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
8.3%
+2.8 ptssince 2000
from 5.5% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.428
+3%since 2010
from 0.414 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Retail trade22.2%
US avg: 9.9%
Information10.3%
US avg: 10.8%
Wholesale trade5.9%
US avg: 6.9%
Other services5%
US avg: 6.7%
Finance & insurance3.6%
US avg: 5.9%
Public administration3.6%
US avg: 4.8%
Transportation & warehousing3%
US avg: 2.2%
Professional, scientific, technical2.9%
US avg: 5.1%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing1.1%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction1.1%
US avg: 1.2%
Arts, entertainment, food1%
US avg: 1.9%
Education & health services0.7%
US avg: 0.9%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$323,400
+38%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $128,800 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,211
+15%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $579 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
79.3%
−1.4 ptssince 2000
from 80.7% in 2000
20.7% rent
Vacancy rate
5.3%
−2.9 ptssince 2009
from 8.2% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.61 people
−4%since 2009
from 2.72 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
15.6%
−10.0 ptssince 2009
from 25.6% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
47.3%
+6.7 ptssince 2009
from 40.6% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
3.6
+26%since 2009
from 2.8 in 2009
1990 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Gentrification Score
83
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic88.6%(211,058)
Black1%(2,380)
Hispanic / Latino7%(16,692)
Asian2.1%(4,940)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic81.7%(246,196)
Black1.5%(4,580)
Hispanic / Latino10.3%(30,924)
Asian2.7%(8,124)
Other3.8%(11,379)
Diversity Score
40
+33%since 2009
from 30 in 2009
1990 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Segregation Score
36
−10%since 2020
from 40 in 2020
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means White and non-White residents are more separated across neighborhoods.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican7.8%(23,412)
Cuban0.6%(1,749)
Puerto Rican0.5%(1,560)
Central American0.5%(1,385)
Guatemalan0.2%(695)
Dominican0.1%(268)
Colombian0.1%(262)
Nicaraguan0.1%(252)
Spaniard0.1%(205)
Peruvian0.1%(189)
Honduran0%(139)
+ 7 more hispanic origin groups with data
Ecuadorian0%(136)
Salvadoran0%(127)
Venezuelan0%(117)
Argentine0%(88)
Chilean0%(56)
Asian origin
Laotian0.5%(1,467)
Cambodian0.5%(1,446)
Chinese0.3%(1,009)
Korean0.3%(911)
Asian Indian0.3%(761)
Vietnamese0.3%(759)
Filipino0.1%(339)
Nepalese0.1%(208)
Thai0%(105)
Japanese0%(84)
Taiwanese0%(62)
+ 7 more asian origin groups with data
Burmese0%(46)
Bhutanese0%(42)
Mien0%(30)
Pakistani0%(18)
Kazakh0%(6)
Pacific Islander origin
Chamorro0%(117)
Guamanian0%(64)
Ancestry
Dutch26%(78,335)
German18.5%(55,607)
English9.6%(29,018)
Irish8.2%(24,567)
Polish5.5%(16,658)
American3.6%(10,745)
Italian2.9%(8,813)
French2.1%(6,225)
Swedish1.8%(5,568)
Scottish1.5%(4,454)
Norwegian0.9%(2,625)
Hungarian0.6%(1,884)
+ 45 more ancestry groups with data
Finnish0.5%(1,571)
French Canadian0.5%(1,492)
Czech0.5%(1,476)
Scotch-Irish0.5%(1,433)
Danish0.3%(1,038)
Welsh0.3%(1,026)
British0.3%(887)
Greek0.3%(879)
Arab0.3%(809)
Russian0.3%(779)
Canadian0.3%(777)
Ukrainian0.3%(772)
Lithuanian0.3%(763)
Austrian0.2%(632)
Swiss0.2%(550)
Lebanese0.1%(432)
Croatian0.1%(409)
Belgian0.1%(359)
Australian0.1%(315)
Slovak0.1%(305)
Romanian0.1%(179)
Latvian0.1%(164)
Nigerian0.1%(152)
Armenian0%(149)
Ethiopian0%(120)
Slovene0%(105)
Jordanian0%(80)
Moroccan0%(77)
Bulgarian0%(67)
Brazilian0%(65)
Serbian0%(63)
Jamaican0%(55)
Egyptian0%(53)
Syrian0%(51)
Turkish0%(48)
Iranian0%(20)
Kenyan0%(17)
Ghanaian0%(15)
Israeli0%(7)
Iraqi0%(4)
Haitian0%(4)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
38.9%
+12.9 ptssince 2000
from 26.0% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
94.4%
+7.8 ptssince 2000
from 86.6% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
13.6%
+5.6 ptssince 2000
from 7.9% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
20.1 min
+63%since 2000
from 12.3 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
77.4%
−6.6 ptssince 2009
from 84.0% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
8.1%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 8.0% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
0.4%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 0.5% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
10.3%
+6.5 ptssince 2009
from 3.8% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
2.7%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 2.6% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.3%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 0.4% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
3.7%
+0.5 ptssince 2009
from 3.3% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
3.5%
−4.8 ptssince 2011
from 8.3% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
66.9%
−1.8 ptssince 2011
from 68.7% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
77.0%
−0.2 ptssince 2020
from 77.2% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
11.3%
+1.4 ptssince 2009
from 9.9% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
41.9%
+8.7 ptssince 2009
from 33.2% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
49.6%
+0.4 ptssince 2009
from 49.2% in 2009
Female
50.4%
−0.4 ptssince 2009
from 50.8% in 2009
Foreign born
5.1%
−0.4 ptssince 2009
from 5.5% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
4.7%
−3.7 ptssince 2009
from 8.4% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
10.1%
+1.2 ptssince 2012
from 8.9% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
3.3%
−5.0 ptssince 2013
from 8.3% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
93.0%
+9.9 ptssince 2017
from 83.1% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
97.1%
+3.1 ptssince 2020
from 94.0% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
87.6%
+3.2 ptssince 2020
from 84.4% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
91.9%
+1.6 ptssince 2016
from 90.4% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
5.1%
−1.3 ptssince 2016
from 6.4% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married33.1%(39,803)
Married57.5%(69,169)
Widowed2.2%(2,607)
Divorced7.3%(8,729)
Women 15+
Never married28.7%(35,678)
Married55.7%(69,183)
Widowed6.5%(8,134)
Divorced9.1%(11,310)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
3.3%
−5.0 ptssince 2013
from 8.3% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
69.3%
−1.9 ptssince 2020
from 71.2% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
14.0%
+0.3 ptssince 2020
from 13.7% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
17.3%
+1.4 ptssince 2020
from 15.9% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
12.9%
+0.4 ptssince 2020
from 12.5% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
1.4%
−0.3 ptssince 2020
from 1.7% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
81.0%
−1.3 ptssince 2020
from 82.3% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
28.7%
+1.5 ptssince 2020
from 27.2% in 2020
US average: 36.7%

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)19%(2,087)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)18.7%(2,053)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era36.5%(4,019)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War4.9%(541)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II1.2%(128)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 11,005 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

Ottawa County, decade by decade

Ottawa County population, inflation-adjusted income and home value, education, and diversity by year
YearPopulationMedian household incomeMedian home valueBachelor's degree+Diversity score
1990187,768$87,619$178,56518.7%14.9
2000238,314$95,358$234,62926.0%26.3
2010263,801$79,258$231,89828.8%32.1
2020296,200$87,773$253,80135.1%40.4
2024301,203$90,502$323,40038.9%39.9

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.

Drill deeper

Places similar to Ottawa County

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Pop 337,697
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Pop 332,554
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Pop 317,222
Albany County
Pop 321,225
Places similar to Ottawa County
Head to head

Compare Ottawa County to nearby counties

OTTAWA COUNTY VS
Muskegon County
Income$65,024−28%
Home value$198,300−39%
Population177,901−42%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
OTTAWA COUNTY VS
Kent County
Income$82,631−9%
Home value$289,900−10%
Population675,232+119%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
OTTAWA COUNTY VS
Oceana County
Income$62,417−31%
Home value$190,100−41%
Population27,177−91%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
OTTAWA COUNTY VS
Newaygo County
Income$63,304−30%
Home value$186,700−42%
Population51,622−83%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Ottawa County, Michigan?

Ottawa County, Michigan has about 301,203 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Ottawa County, Michigan?

The typical household in Ottawa County, Michigan earns about $90,502 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Ottawa County, Michigan expensive?

In Ottawa County, Michigan, the median home is worth about $323,400, and the typical rent is about $1,211 a month.

How educated are people in Ottawa County, Michigan?

About 38.9% of adults age 25 and over in Ottawa County, Michigan hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Ottawa County, Michigan?

About 8.3% of people in Ottawa County, Michigan live below the federal poverty line.

Has Ottawa County, Michigan grown since 1990?

Yes, Ottawa County, Michigan has grown since 1990. The population has added about 113,435 residents, a change of about 60 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →

Ottawa County, Michigan: demographics, income & housing data · CensusEasy