Kalkaska County, Michigan: commercial real estate data.
Kalkaska County, Michigan has a population of 18,239 across 560 square miles, up 3.8 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $838.6 m in 2024, 353 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 22 7(a) approvals worth $8.9 m.
123 sourced county values · tier FULL · 12 sections
Kalkaska County
How many people live in Kalkaska County
- Population18,239
- Households7,789
- Average household size2.34
- Median household income$68,578
- Median age44.4
- Median gross rent$853 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$188,900
- Home value to household income2.8 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income14.9 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher19.0 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree6.9 percent
- Adults 25 and over13,436
- Population under 183,671
- Share under 1820.1 percent
- Population 65 and over3,961
- Share 65 and over21.7 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6410,607
- Civilian labor force8,269
- Unemployment rate3.8 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over56.8 percent
- Rank by population among Michigan counties66th of 83
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents1979th
Kalkaska County is the 66th largest of 83 Michigan counties by population. A median home costs 2.8 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents 65 and over outnumber those under 18, at 21.7 percent against 20.1 percent, which points demand at health care, services and single storey product rather than schools.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Kalkaska County
Is Kalkaska County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base3.80 percent
- Census 2020 base population17,937
- Births, 2024163
- Deaths, 2024262
- Natural change, 2024-99
- Net domestic migration, 2024293
- Net international migration, 20246
- Total net migration, 2024299
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 20241,017
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents726th
The county has grown 3.80 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.
Kalkaska County
Where people moving to Kalkaska County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving674
- People arriving, from those returns1,155
- Adjusted gross income arriving$40.6 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$60,263
- Largest single originKalkaska County Non-migrants (6,945 households)
- Largest single destination (6,945 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kalkaska County Non-migrants | 6,945 | 13,542 | $492.7 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 255 | 412 | $17.2 m |
| Grand Traverse County | 183 | 322 | $8.8 m |
| Other flows - Different State | 129 | 229 | $7.4 m |
| Antrim County | 79 | 142 | $3.5 m |
| Other flows - South | 59 | 109 | $2.9 m |
| Other flows - Midwest | 37 | 65 | $2.1 m |
| Other flows - West | 33 | 55 | $2.4 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Kalkaska 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.
Kalkaska County
What the Kalkaska County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$838.6 m
- County GDP, 2023$788.3 m
- GDP change, 2023 to 20246.4 percent
- GDP change over five years48.2 percent
- Rank by GDP among Michigan counties62nd
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents1997th
- GDP per resident$45,981
Output grew 6.4 percent in the latest year and 48.2 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.
Kalkaska County
Who employs people in Kalkaska County
- Covered employment, annual average4,860
- Establishments reporting388
- Average annual pay$60,400
- Average weekly wage$1,162
- Sector 23, employment559
- Sector 23, average annual pay$91,110
- Sector 44-45, employment472
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$42,574
- Sector 21, employment332
- Sector 21, average annual pay$86,903
- Sector 31-33, employment287
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$55,790
- Sector 42, employment219
- Sector 11, employment150
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 23 | 559 | 49 | $91,110 |
| Sector 44-45 | 472 | 45 | $42,574 |
| Sector 21 | 332 | 21 | $86,903 |
| Sector 31-33 | 287 | 14 | $55,790 |
| Sector 42 | 219 | 14 | $77,924 |
| Sector 11 | 150 | 18 | $48,565 |
| Sector 81 | 114 | 34 | $38,946 |
| Sector 53 | 64 | 12 | $53,888 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 559 jobs, 11.5 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.
Kalkaska County
What businesses operate in Kalkaska County
- Establishments, all industries353
- Employment at those establishments4,120
- Annual payroll$266.4 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents19.4
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.
Kalkaska County
What is being built in Kalkaska County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 202438
- Declared construction value permitted$6.3 m
- Single family units authorised38
- Multifamily units authorised0
- Multifamily share of units0.0 percent
- Average declared value per unit$164,763
- Units authorised per 1,000 households4.9
Multifamily is 0.0 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Kalkaska County
How much SBA lending happens in Kalkaska County
- 7(a) approvals recorded22
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$8.9 m
- Average 7(a) approval$404,359
- Median 7(a) approval$100,000
- 10th percentile approval$29,000
- 90th percentile approval$554,000
- Largest single approval$4,110,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)148
- Jobs per approval6.7
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active5
- Distinct industries receiving approvals12
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer13.6 percent
- Loans on real estate terms3
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter18
- Franchise loans1
- Franchise share of approvals4.5 percent
- Leading industry by approval countGeneral Freight Trucking, Long-Distance, Truckload (6)
- Most active lenderThe Huntington National Bank (14)
- 504 approvals recorded6
- 504 gross approval dollars$1.7 m
- Average 504 approval$291,167
- Median 504 approval$241,000
- Distinct CDCs active2
- 504 jobs per approval3.2
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved10.9
- Most active CDCGreat Lakes Commercial Finance (3)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals78.6 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$10.6 m
The average approval of $404,359 sits well above the median of $100,000, 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 13.6 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.
Kalkaska County
Do SBA loans in Kalkaska County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded4
- Paid in full4
- Charged off0
- Status: Cancelled7
- Status: Exempt from disclosure11
- Status: Paid in full4
Too few loans have reached a final outcome to publish a charge off rate. only 4 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.
Kalkaska County
Which parts of Kalkaska County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending4
- Kalkaska, approvals14
- Rapid City, approvals4
- South Boardman, approvals2
- S BOARDMAN, approvals2
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Kalkaska | 14 | $7,373,600 |
| Rapid City | 4 | $634,000 |
| South Boardman | 2 | $411,300 |
| S BOARDMAN | 2 | $477,000 |
Kalkaska accounts for 14 approvals against 4 in Rapid City. 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.
Kalkaska County
How big is Kalkaska County
- Land area560 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Michigan counties54th of 83
- Width, east to west23.9 mi
- Height, north to south24.1 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary4
- Residents per square mile of land33
- Establishments per square mile0.63
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.
Kalkaska County
What hazards affect Kalkaska County
- EPA radon zone predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/LZone 3
- Communities in the NFIP Community Status Book1
- Of those, participating in the NFIP1
- NFIP participation rate100.0 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 Kalkaska 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 Kalkaska County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population18,239
- Households7,789
- Average household size2.34
- Median household income$68,578
- Median age44.4
Common questions
Kalkaska County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Kalkaska County, Michigan?
18,239, in 7,789 households, ranking 66th of 83 Michigan counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Kalkaska County growing?
The population has grown 3.80 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 163 births against 262 deaths, with net migration of 299. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Kalkaska County?
$68,578. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $188,900, which is 2.8 times income, and median gross rent is $853 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Kalkaska County?
353 establishments, employing 4,120 people with an annual payroll of $266.4 m. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is the average wage in Kalkaska County?
Average annual pay is $60,400, or $1,162 a week, across 4,860 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Kalkaska County?
22 7(a) approvals totalling $8.9 m since FY2020, across 5 lenders, with a median approval of $100,000, plus 6 504 approvals worth $1.7 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
What is being built in Kalkaska County?
38 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $6.3 m. Multifamily was 0.0 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Kalkaska 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 Kalkaska County come from?
The largest single origin is Kalkaska County Non-migrants, with 6,945 households. Arriving households report an average income of $60,263 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 Kalkaska 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 Kalkaska 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.