Mason County, Michigan: commercial real estate data.
Mason County, Michigan has a population of 29,207 across 495 square miles, up 0.1 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $1.35 bn in 2024, 738 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 31 7(a) approvals worth $15.8 m.
126 sourced county values · tier FULL · 12 sections
Mason County
How many people live in Mason County
- Population29,207
- Households12,801
- Average household size2.28
- Median household income$64,748
- Median age47.3
- Median gross rent$896 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$219,600
- Home value to household income3.4 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income16.6 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher26.6 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree10.3 percent
- Adults 25 and over21,582
- Population under 185,714
- Share under 1819.6 percent
- Population 65 and over7,689
- Share 65 and over26.3 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6415,804
- Civilian labor force13,182
- Unemployment rate4.5 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over56.1 percent
- Rank by population among Michigan counties49th of 83
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents1497th
Mason County is the 49th largest of 83 Michigan counties by population. A median home costs 3.4 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents 65 and over outnumber those under 18, at 26.3 percent against 19.6 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.
Mason County
Is Mason County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base0.13 percent
- Census 2020 base population29,055
- Births, 2024230
- Deaths, 2024430
- Natural change, 2024-200
- Net domestic migration, 202463
- Net international migration, 202432
- Total net migration, 202495
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024744
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents1780th
The county has grown 0.13 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.
Mason County
Where people moving to Mason County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving787
- People arriving, from those returns1,401
- Adjusted gross income arriving$52.7 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$66,942
- Largest single originMason County Non-migrants (11,874 households)
- Largest single destination (11,874 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mason County Non-migrants | 11,874 | 23,107 | $792.0 m |
| Other flows - Different State | 241 | 454 | $19.6 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 173 | 293 | $11.8 m |
| Manistee County | 89 | 163 | $3.4 m |
| Other flows - South | 81 | 176 | $5.3 m |
| Other flows - Midwest | 74 | 135 | $6.6 m |
| Other flows - West | 66 | 105 | $6.0 m |
| Kent County | 65 | 116 | $3.4 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Mason 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.
Mason County
What the Mason County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$1.35 bn
- County GDP, 2023$1.31 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20242.9 percent
- GDP change over five years27.9 percent
- Rank by GDP among Michigan counties53rd
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents1599th
- GDP per resident$46,128
Output grew 2.9 percent in the latest year and 27.9 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.
Mason County
Who employs people in Mason County
- Covered employment, annual average10,186
- Establishments reporting717
- Average annual pay$48,523
- Average weekly wage$933
- Sector 31-33, employment1,973
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$60,424
- Sector 44-45, employment1,491
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$33,807
- Sector 62, employment1,163
- Sector 62, average annual pay$48,562
- Sector 72, employment1,014
- Sector 72, average annual pay$23,116
- Sector 23, employment545
- Sector 48-49, employment287
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 31-33 | 1,973 | 34 | $60,424 |
| Sector 44-45 | 1,491 | 100 | $33,807 |
| Sector 62 | 1,163 | 54 | $48,562 |
| Sector 72 | 1,014 | 88 | $23,116 |
| Sector 23 | 545 | 93 | $58,247 |
| Sector 48-49 | 287 | 22 | $56,521 |
| Sector 56 | 282 | 33 | $49,040 |
| Sector 52 | 240 | 35 | $68,037 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 1,973 jobs, 19.4 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.
Mason County
What businesses operate in Mason County
- Establishments, all industries738
- Employment at those establishments9,225
- Annual payroll$431.4 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents25.3
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.
Mason County
What is being built in Mason County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 2024177
- Declared construction value permitted$49.1 m
- Single family units authorised80
- Multifamily units authorised97
- Multifamily share of units54.8 percent
- Average declared value per unit$277,310
- Units authorised per 1,000 households13.8
Multifamily is 54.8 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is being built for renters rather than buyers.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Mason County
How much SBA lending happens in Mason County
- 7(a) approvals recorded31
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$15.8 m
- Average 7(a) approval$511,126
- Median 7(a) approval$350,000
- 10th percentile approval$37,500
- 90th percentile approval$1,120,500
- Largest single approval$2,641,700
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)304
- Jobs per approval9.8
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active9
- Distinct industries receiving approvals29
- Median 7(a) term180 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer41.9 percent
- Loans on real estate terms13
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter15
- Franchise loans3
- Franchise share of approvals9.7 percent
- Leading industry by approval countOffices of Dentists (2)
- Most active lenderWest Shore Bank (12)
- 504 approvals recorded11
- 504 gross approval dollars$10.2 m
- Average 504 approval$923,727
- Median 504 approval$573,000
- Distinct CDCs active3
- 504 jobs per approval11.3
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved12.2
- Most active CDCGreat Lakes Commercial Finance (6)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals73.8 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$26.0 m
The average approval of $511,126 sits well above the median of $350,000, 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. 41.9 percent of approvals run on real estate terms of 240 months or more, so this is a market where SBA credit is buying buildings, not just funding operations.
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.
Mason County
Do SBA loans in Mason County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded4
- Paid in full4
- Charged off0
- Status: Exempt from disclosure22
- Status: Paid in full4
- Status: Cancelled4
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed1
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.
Mason County
Which parts of Mason County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending8
- Ludington, approvals22
- Free Soil, approvals2
- Fountain, approvals2
- Muskegon, approvals1
- Zeeland, approvals1
- Pentwater, approvals1
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Ludington | 22 | $10,860,900 |
| Free Soil | 2 | $1,133,500 |
| Fountain | 2 | $206,500 |
| Muskegon | 1 | $585,000 |
| Zeeland | 1 | $969,000 |
| Pentwater | 1 | $1,240,000 |
| BRANCH | 1 | $510,000 |
| CUSTER | 1 | $340,000 |
Ludington accounts for 22 approvals against 2 in Free Soil. 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.
Mason County
How big is Mason County
- Land area495 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Michigan counties73rd of 83
- Width, east to west23.7 mi
- Height, north to south25.1 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary3
- Residents per square mile of land59
- Establishments per square mile1.49
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.
Mason County
What hazards affect Mason County
- EPA radon zone predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/LZone 3
- Communities in the NFIP Community Status Book15
- Of those, participating in the NFIP12
- NFIP participation rate80.0 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 Mason 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 Mason County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population29,207
- Households12,801
- Average household size2.28
- Median household income$64,748
- Median age47.3
Common questions
Mason County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Mason County, Michigan?
29,207, in 12,801 households, ranking 49th of 83 Michigan counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Mason County growing?
The population has grown 0.13 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 230 births against 430 deaths, with net migration of 95. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Mason County?
$64,748. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $219,600, which is 3.4 times income, and median gross rent is $896 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Mason County?
738 establishments, employing 9,225 people with an annual payroll of $431.4 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 Mason County?
Average annual pay is $48,523, or $933 a week, across 10,186 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Mason County?
31 7(a) approvals totalling $15.8 m since FY2020, across 9 lenders, with a median approval of $350,000, plus 11 504 approvals worth $10.2 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
What is being built in Mason County?
177 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $49.1 m. Multifamily was 54.8 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Mason 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 Mason County come from?
The largest single origin is Mason County Non-migrants, with 11,874 households. Arriving households report an average income of $66,942 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 Mason 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 Mason 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.