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COUNTY · 2010 ACS

Ottawa County

Michigan · 263,801 residents · 564 sq mi
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The short version

Ottawa County is a county of 263,801 people in Michigan. Owners hold 78% of the housing stock. 6% of people here were born outside the United States. The typical home is worth $161,200. The poverty rate is 8.7%, under the national 13.8%. The average commute runs 20 minutes.

At a glance
Average income
near the US median
US median: $52,703
Younger
median age 34.5
US median: 37.2
Average education
29% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 28%
Stable housing
home values roughly flat, inflation adjusted
US median home: $225,659
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
263,801
+11%since 2000
from 238,314 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Median age
34.5
+7%since 2000
from 32.3 in 2000
US average: 37.2
Land area
564 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
176K210K244K279K313K19902000201020202024Ottawa County
2024301K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2010
Under 56.7%(17,762)
US avg: 6.5%
5 to 97.2%(19,108)
US avg: 6.6%
10 to 147.5%(19,807)
US avg: 6.7%
15 to 199%(23,811)
US avg: 7.1%
20 to 248.4%(22,095)
US avg: 7%
25 to 3411.7%(30,765)
US avg: 13.3%
35 to 4412.6%(33,212)
US avg: 13.3%
45 to 5414.2%(37,340)
US avg: 14.6%
55 to 6410.9%(28,878)
US avg: 11.8%
65 to 746.3%(16,599)
US avg: 7%
75 to 843.7%(9,877)
US avg: 4.2%
85 and over1.7%(4,547)
US avg: 1.8%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$55,095
−17%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $52,347 in 2000
US average: $52,703
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$25,045
+16%since 2000
from $21,676 in 2000
US average: $27,286
Households earning $100K+
33.4%
−0.9 ptssince 2009
from 34.3% in 2009
US average: 33.3%
Poverty rate
8.7%
+3.2 ptssince 2000
from 5.5% in 2000
US average: 13.8%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.414
US average: 0.461
Workforce by industry, 2010
Retail trade24.1%
US avg: 10.9%
Information10.9%
US avg: 11.5%
Wholesale trade5.8%
US avg: 7.2%
Other services4.9%
US avg: 7%
Finance & insurance4%
US avg: 5.1%
Transportation & warehousing3.8%
US avg: 3.1%
Public administration3.5%
US avg: 4.9%
Professional, scientific, technical3.1%
US avg: 4.2%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing1.9%
US avg: 1.9%
Construction1.8%
US avg: 1.4%
Arts, entertainment, food1.6%
US avg: 2.4%
Education & health services0.9%
US avg: 0.9%
Manufacturing0.1%
US avg: 0.5%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$161,200
−1%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $128,800 in 2000
US average: $225,659
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$726
−1%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $579 in 2000
US average: $853
Owner-occupied
78.2%
−2.6 ptssince 2000
from 80.7% in 2000
21.8% rent
Vacancy rate
8.8%
+0.6 ptssince 2009
from 8.2% in 2009
US average: 12.1%
Persons per household
2.74 people
+1%since 2009
from 2.72 people in 2009
US average: 2.60
Owner cost-burdened
25.5%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 25.6% in 2009
US average: 30.9%
Renter cost-burdened
45.8%
+5.2 ptssince 2009
from 40.6% in 2009
US average: 46.8%
Afford Score
2.9
+3%since 2009
from 2.8 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic88.6%(211,058)
Black1%(2,380)
Hispanic / Latino7%(16,692)
Asian2.1%(4,940)
Other0%
2010
White, non-Hispanic85.7%(226,156)
Black1.3%(3,551)
Hispanic / Latino8.6%(22,761)
Asian2.5%(6,576)
Other2%(5,220)

No data for the years selected.

Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican6.9%(17,905)
Puerto Rican0.4%(1,025)
Spaniard0.2%(431)
Cuban0.1%(339)
Salvadoran0.1%(246)
Guatemalan0.1%(205)
Colombian0.1%(157)
Honduran0%(130)
Dominican0%(68)
+ 8 more hispanic origin groups with data
Bolivian0%(59)
Chilean0%(45)
Argentine0%(32)
Uruguayan0%(24)
Peruvian0%(19)
Ancestry
Dutch33.7%(88,075)
German22.4%(58,514)
Irish9.7%(25,452)
English9%(23,567)
Polish5.7%(14,801)
American3.8%(10,031)
French3.6%(9,491)
Italian2.8%(7,337)
Swedish2.6%(6,706)
Scottish1.9%(4,895)
Norwegian1.2%(3,029)
Scotch-Irish1.1%(2,990)
+ 37 more ancestry groups with data
Finnish0.7%(1,942)
Hungarian0.6%(1,559)
Danish0.5%(1,302)
Welsh0.4%(1,175)
Lithuanian0.4%(1,120)
Czech0.4%(1,099)
Russian0.4%(1,012)
British0.4%(997)
Canadian0.4%(929)
Arab0.3%(677)
Greek0.3%(664)
Belgian0.2%(586)
Swiss0.2%(561)
Austrian0.2%(493)
Slovak0.2%(485)
Ukrainian0.2%(470)
Lebanese0.2%(418)
Croatian0.1%(336)
West Indian0.1%(262)
Latvian0.1%(186)
Romanian0.1%(176)
Slovene0%(127)
Iranian0%(119)
Jamaican0%(114)
Portuguese0%(109)
Brazilian0%(104)
Armenian0%(99)
Syrian0%(93)
Turkish0%(90)
Serbian0%(87)
Haitian0%(34)
Ethiopian0%(30)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
28.8%
+2.8 ptssince 2000
from 26.0% in 2000
US average: 27.9%
High school or higher
90.5%
+3.9 ptssince 2000
from 86.6% in 2000
US average: 84.9%
Graduate degree
9.4%
+1.4 ptssince 2000
from 7.9% in 2000
US average: 10.2%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
19.9 min
+61%since 2000
from 12.3 min in 2000
US average: 25.2
Drive alone to work
83.6%
−0.3 ptssince 2009
from 84.0% in 2009
US average: 76.2%
Carpooled to work
8.4%
+0.4 ptssince 2009
from 8.0% in 2009
US average: 10.4%
Public transit
0.6%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 0.5% in 2009
US average: 4.7%
Worked from home
3.8%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 3.8% in 2009
US average: 4.1%
Walked to work
2.6%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 2.6% in 2009
US average: 2.8%
Biked to work
0.3%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 0.4% in 2009
US average: 0.5%
No vehicle available
3.7%
+0.5 ptssince 2009
from 3.3% in 2009
US average: 8.7%
Section 07

Work & employment

Self-employed
9.5%
−0.4 ptssince 2009
from 9.9% in 2009
US average: 12.9%
Management & professional
32.5%
−0.8 ptssince 2009
from 33.2% in 2009
US average: 35.2%
Section 08

People & community

Male
49.1%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 49.2% in 2009
Female
50.9%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 50.8% in 2009
Foreign born
5.6%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 5.5% in 2009
US average: 12.8%
Veterans
8.0%
−0.4 ptssince 2009
from 8.4% in 2009
US average: 9.9%
Marital status (2024)
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

Showing 2024 (the nearest year with coverage data).

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
Drill deeper

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Head to head

Compare Ottawa County to nearby counties

OTTAWA COUNTY VS
Muskegon County
Income$65,024+18%
Home value$198,300+23%
Population177,901−42%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
OTTAWA COUNTY VS
Kent County
Income$82,631+50%
Home value$289,900+80%
Population675,232+119%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
OTTAWA COUNTY VS
Oceana County
Income$62,417+13%
Home value$190,100+18%
Population27,177−91%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
OTTAWA COUNTY VS
Newaygo County
Income$63,304+15%
Home value$186,700+16%
Population51,622−83%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Ottawa County, Michigan?

Ottawa County, Michigan has about 263,801 residents according to the 2010 American Community Survey.

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

The typical household in Ottawa County, Michigan earns about $55,095 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 $161,200, and the typical rent is about $726 a month.

How educated are people in Ottawa County, Michigan?

About 28.8% 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 8.7% 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 76,033 residents, a change of about 40 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 →