Mecosta County, Michigan: commercial real estate data.
Mecosta County, Michigan has a population of 41,242 across 555 square miles, up 4.0 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $1.63 bn in 2024, 727 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 35 7(a) approvals worth $12.3 m.
125 sourced county values · tier FULL · 12 sections
Mecosta County
How many people live in Mecosta County
- Population41,242
- Households16,708
- Average household size2.47
- Median household income$60,951
- Median age40.0
- Median gross rent$934 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$178,900
- Home value to household income2.9 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income18.4 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher22.4 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree7.7 percent
- Adults 25 and over27,114
- Population under 187,876
- Share under 1819.1 percent
- Population 65 and over8,399
- Share 65 and over20.4 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6424,967
- Civilian labor force18,660
- Unemployment rate4.0 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over55.9 percent
- Rank by population among Michigan counties40th of 83
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents1183rd
Mecosta County is the 40th largest of 83 Michigan counties by population. A median home costs 2.9 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents 65 and over outnumber those under 18, at 20.4 percent against 19.1 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.
Mecosta County
Is Mecosta County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base3.97 percent
- Census 2020 base population40,344
- Births, 2024381
- Deaths, 2024430
- Natural change, 2024-49
- Net domestic migration, 2024214
- Net international migration, 202460
- Total net migration, 2024274
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 20241,670
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents693rd
The county has grown 3.97 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.
Mecosta County
Where people moving to Mecosta County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving1,429
- People arriving, from those returns2,539
- Adjusted gross income arriving$75.2 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$52,638
- Largest single originMecosta County Non-migrants (13,940 households)
- Largest single destination (13,940 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mecosta County Non-migrants | 13,940 | 27,893 | $898.5 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 335 | 539 | $17.1 m |
| Other flows - Different State | 288 | 507 | $18.5 m |
| Kent County | 199 | 361 | $11.1 m |
| Osceola County | 131 | 236 | $4.9 m |
| Other flows - South | 131 | 240 | $7.5 m |
| Montcalm County | 126 | 277 | $6.4 m |
| Newaygo County | 103 | 181 | $4.2 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Mecosta 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.
Mecosta County
What the Mecosta County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$1.63 bn
- County GDP, 2023$1.64 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 2024-1.0 percent
- GDP change over five years27.0 percent
- Rank by GDP among Michigan counties47th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents1449th
- GDP per resident$39,428
Output grew -1.0 percent in the latest year and 27.0 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.
Mecosta County
Who employs people in Mecosta County
- Covered employment, annual average12,746
- Establishments reporting696
- Average annual pay$45,193
- Average weekly wage$869
- Sector 44-45, employment2,362
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$36,178
- Sector 62, employment1,597
- Sector 62, average annual pay$40,526
- Sector 31-33, employment1,226
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$64,573
- Sector 72, employment1,094
- Sector 72, average annual pay$19,790
- Sector 81, employment514
- Sector 56, employment498
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 44-45 | 2,362 | 118 | $36,178 |
| Sector 62 | 1,597 | 76 | $40,526 |
| Sector 31-33 | 1,226 | 29 | $64,573 |
| Sector 72 | 1,094 | 68 | $19,790 |
| Sector 81 | 514 | 71 | $41,428 |
| Sector 56 | 498 | 26 | $37,390 |
| Sector 48-49 | 225 | 17 | $65,655 |
| Sector 71 | 182 | 11 | $22,681 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 2,362 jobs, 18.5 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.
Mecosta County
What businesses operate in Mecosta County
- Establishments, all industries727
- Employment at those establishments9,425
- Annual payroll$401.6 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents17.6
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.
Mecosta County
What is being built in Mecosta County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 2024116
- Declared construction value permitted$28.9 m
- Single family units authorised116
- Multifamily units authorised0
- Multifamily share of units0.0 percent
- Average declared value per unit$248,819
- Units authorised per 1,000 households6.9
Multifamily is 0.0 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Mecosta County
How much SBA lending happens in Mecosta County
- 7(a) approvals recorded35
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$12.3 m
- Average 7(a) approval$352,400
- Median 7(a) approval$76,800
- 10th percentile approval$18,100
- 90th percentile approval$697,300
- Largest single approval$5,000,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)311
- Jobs per approval8.9
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active8
- Distinct industries receiving approvals26
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer2.9 percent
- Loans on real estate terms1
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter31
- Franchise loans6
- Franchise share of approvals17.1 percent
- Leading industry by approval countLimited-Service Restaurants (5)
- Most active lenderThe Huntington National Bank (25)
- 504 approvals recorded6
- 504 gross approval dollars$6.1 m
- Average 504 approval$1,017,500
- Median 504 approval$924,000
- Distinct CDCs active3
- 504 jobs per approval14.3
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved14.1
- Most active CDCMichigan Certified Development Corporation (4)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals85.4 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$18.4 m
The average approval of $352,400 sits well above the median of $76,800, 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 2.9 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.
Mecosta County
Do SBA loans in Mecosta County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded5
- Paid in full5
- Charged off0
- Status: Paid in full5
- Status: Exempt from disclosure26
- Status: Cancelled2
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed2
Too few loans have reached a final outcome to publish a charge off rate. only 5 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.
Mecosta County
Which parts of Mecosta County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending5
- Big Rapids, approvals23
- STANWOOD, approvals6
- Paris, approvals3
- Morley, approvals2
- Mecosta, approvals1
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Big Rapids | 23 | $10,759,100 |
| STANWOOD | 6 | $413,800 |
| Paris | 3 | $308,000 |
| Morley | 2 | $155,800 |
| Mecosta | 1 | $697,300 |
Big Rapids accounts for 23 approvals against 6 in STANWOOD. 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.
Mecosta County
How big is Mecosta County
- Land area555 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Michigan counties57th of 83
- Width, east to west23.9 mi
- Height, north to south24.1 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary4
- Residents per square mile of land74
- Establishments per square mile1.31
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.
Mecosta County
What hazards affect Mecosta 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 Mecosta 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 Mecosta County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population41,242
- Households16,708
- Average household size2.47
- Median household income$60,951
- Median age40.0
Common questions
Mecosta County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Mecosta County, Michigan?
41,242, in 16,708 households, ranking 40th of 83 Michigan counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Mecosta County growing?
The population has grown 3.97 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 381 births against 430 deaths, with net migration of 274. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Mecosta County?
$60,951. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $178,900, which is 2.9 times income, and median gross rent is $934 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Mecosta County?
727 establishments, employing 9,425 people with an annual payroll of $401.6 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 Mecosta County?
Average annual pay is $45,193, or $869 a week, across 12,746 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Mecosta County?
35 7(a) approvals totalling $12.3 m since FY2020, across 8 lenders, with a median approval of $76,800, plus 6 504 approvals worth $6.1 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
What is being built in Mecosta County?
116 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $28.9 m. Multifamily was 0.0 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Mecosta 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 Mecosta County come from?
The largest single origin is Mecosta County Non-migrants, with 13,940 households. Arriving households report an average income of $52,638 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 Mecosta 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 Mecosta 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.