Isabella County, Michigan: commercial real estate data.
Isabella County, Michigan has a population of 64,565 across 573 square miles, up 1.0 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $3.27 bn in 2024, 1,423 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 35 7(a) approvals worth $14.2 m.
125 sourced county values · tier FULL · 12 sections
Isabella County
How many people live in Isabella County
- Population64,565
- Households24,914
- Average household size2.59
- Median household income$55,237
- Median age30.1
- Median gross rent$913 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$170,400
- Home value to household income3.1 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income19.8 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher31.3 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree13.5 percent
- Adults 25 and over36,489
- Population under 1811,471
- Share under 1817.8 percent
- Population 65 and over9,022
- Share 65 and over14.0 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6444,072
- Civilian labor force33,926
- Unemployment rate6.4 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over63.9 percent
- Rank by population among Michigan counties31st of 83
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents858th
Isabella County is the 31st largest of 83 Michigan counties by population. A median home costs 3.1 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 17.8 percent against 14.0 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Isabella County
Is Isabella County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base1.04 percent
- Census 2020 base population64,402
- Births, 2024572
- Deaths, 2024579
- Natural change, 2024-7
- Net domestic migration, 2024282
- Net international migration, 2024314
- Total net migration, 2024596
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 202443
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents1471st
The county has grown 1.04 percent since the 2020 census base. Deaths exceeded births in 2024, so all of the growth came from people moving in. A market held up by migration alone is more sensitive to a change in relative cost than one growing from household formation.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Isabella County
Where people moving to Isabella County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving2,027
- People arriving, from those returns3,332
- Adjusted gross income arriving$97.3 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$48,008
- Largest single originIsabella County Non-migrants (21,655 households)
- Largest single destination (21,655 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Isabella County Non-migrants | 21,655 | 42,168 | $1.49 bn |
| Other flows - Different State | 487 | 844 | $30.0 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 335 | 509 | $15.7 m |
| Other flows - South | 199 | 347 | $11.2 m |
| Clare County | 175 | 328 | $6.7 m |
| Gratiot County | 173 | 309 | $6.7 m |
| Midland County | 151 | 236 | $6.9 m |
| Other flows - West | 132 | 239 | $9.2 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Isabella County Non-migrants, which is the catchment a retail or multifamily study should look at first.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Isabella County
What the Isabella County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$3.27 bn
- County GDP, 2023$3.22 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20241.5 percent
- GDP change over five years28.4 percent
- Rank by GDP among Michigan counties26th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents925th
- GDP per resident$50,579
Output grew 1.5 percent in the latest year and 28.4 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
Isabella County
Who employs people in Isabella County
- Covered employment, annual average26,640
- Establishments reporting1,405
- Average annual pay$50,992
- Average weekly wage$981
- Sector 62, employment3,145
- Sector 62, average annual pay$43,048
- Sector 44-45, employment3,119
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$36,058
- Sector 31-33, employment2,589
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$61,354
- Sector 72, employment2,298
- Sector 72, average annual pay$21,563
- Sector 23, employment1,653
- Sector 48-49, employment936
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 62 | 3,145 | 164 | $43,048 |
| Sector 44-45 | 3,119 | 185 | $36,058 |
| Sector 31-33 | 2,589 | 69 | $61,354 |
| Sector 72 | 2,298 | 126 | $21,563 |
| Sector 23 | 1,653 | 165 | $70,988 |
| Sector 48-49 | 936 | 41 | $70,532 |
| Sector 52 | 705 | 64 | $62,104 |
| Sector 54 | 639 | 98 | $66,264 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 3,145 jobs, 11.8 percent of covered employment. Average pay per job sits below median household income, so households here typically need more than one earner.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Isabella County
What businesses operate in Isabella County
- Establishments, all industries1,423
- Employment at those establishments25,575
- Annual payroll$1.24 bn
- Establishments per 1,000 residents22.0
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Isabella County
What is being built in Isabella County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 202475
- Declared construction value permitted$16.4 m
- Single family units authorised71
- Multifamily units authorised4
- Multifamily share of units5.3 percent
- Average declared value per unit$218,199
- Units authorised per 1,000 households3.0
Multifamily is 5.3 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Isabella County
How much SBA lending happens in Isabella County
- 7(a) approvals recorded35
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$14.2 m
- Average 7(a) approval$405,774
- Median 7(a) approval$225,000
- 10th percentile approval$50,000
- 90th percentile approval$1,000,000
- Largest single approval$2,364,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)422
- Jobs per approval12.1
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active19
- Distinct industries receiving approvals24
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer22.9 percent
- Loans on real estate terms8
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter25
- Franchise loans3
- Franchise share of approvals8.6 percent
- Leading industry by approval countOffices of Dentists (3)
- Most active lenderThe Huntington National Bank (11)
- 504 approvals recorded9
- 504 gross approval dollars$4.5 m
- Average 504 approval$503,556
- Median 504 approval$270,000
- Distinct CDCs active2
- 504 jobs per approval4.7
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved9.3
- Most active CDCMichigan Certified Development Corporation (8)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals79.5 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$18.7 m
The average approval of $405,774 sits well above the median of $225,000, so a small number of large deals is pulling the mean up. The median is the better guide to what a typical borrower here actually gets. Only 22.9 percent of approvals run on real estate terms, so SBA credit here is mostly working capital and equipment rather than property acquisition.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30. US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Isabella County
Do SBA loans in Isabella County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded6
- Paid in full6
- Charged off0
- Status: Exempt from disclosure26
- Status: Paid in full6
- Status: Cancelled3
Too few loans have reached a final outcome to publish a charge off rate. only 6 resolved loans, too few to publish a rate. A rate computed on a handful of loans is noise, so none is shown.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Isabella County
Which parts of Isabella County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending8
- MOUNT PLEASANT, approvals15
- Mt Pleasant, approvals6
- WEIDMAN, approvals4
- Shepherd, approvals3
- ROSEBUSH, approvals3
- Blanchard, approvals2
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| MOUNT PLEASANT | 15 | $7,336,800 |
| Mt Pleasant | 6 | $830,000 |
| WEIDMAN | 4 | $3,707,000 |
| Shepherd | 3 | $280,000 |
| ROSEBUSH | 3 | $834,500 |
| Blanchard | 2 | $1,113,800 |
| Mt. Pleasant | 1 | $50,000 |
| CLARE | 1 | $50,000 |
MOUNT PLEASANT accounts for 15 approvals against 6 in Mt Pleasant. County level figures average over that gap, which is why a site decision is made at the submarket rather than the county.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Isabella County
How big is Isabella County
- Land area573 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Michigan counties38th of 83
- Width, east to west24.2 mi
- Height, north to south24.1 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary5
- Residents per square mile of land113
- Establishments per square mile2.48
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Isabella County
What hazards affect Isabella County
- EPA radon zone predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/LZone 3
- Communities in the NFIP Community Status Book21
- Of those, participating in the NFIP20
- NFIP participation rate95.2 percent
- Communities carrying a CRS class0
The EPA places the county in radon zone 3, a predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/L.
US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001. FEMA OpenFEMA, NFIP Community Status Book, Community Status Book, as retrieved.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Every item below could be filled with a plausible figure. None of them is. On a page a lender may read, a number that cannot be traced is worse than an absence, so the absences are named.
- Flood zone record counts are not held. The flood coverage export has not landed, so no count is shown rather than an estimated one.
- Traffic counts resolve in the platform, not in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here.
- Zoning is in build. Parcel level zoning is not published on this page.
Feasibility studies
When a Isabella County site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a Isabella County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population64,565
- Households24,914
- Average household size2.59
- Median household income$55,237
- Median age30.1
Common questions
Isabella County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Isabella County, Michigan?
64,565, in 24,914 households, ranking 31st of 83 Michigan counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Isabella County growing?
The population has grown 1.04 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 572 births against 579 deaths, with net migration of 596. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Isabella County?
$55,237. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $170,400, which is 3.1 times income, and median gross rent is $913 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Isabella County?
1,423 establishments, employing 25,575 people with an annual payroll of $1.24 bn. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is the average wage in Isabella County?
Average annual pay is $50,992, or $981 a week, across 26,640 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Isabella County?
35 7(a) approvals totalling $14.2 m since FY2020, across 19 lenders, with a median approval of $225,000, plus 9 504 approvals worth $4.5 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
What is being built in Isabella County?
75 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $16.4 m. Multifamily was 5.3 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Isabella County?
Zone 3, a predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Where do people moving to Isabella County come from?
The largest single origin is Isabella County Non-migrants, with 21,655 households. Arriving households report an average income of $48,008 against null for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Isabella County on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for Isabella County?
Not yet. The zoning layer is in build. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame with confirm locally attached.