Muskegon County, Michigan: commercial real estate data.
Muskegon County, Michigan has a population of 175,961 across 499 square miles, up 1.5 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $8.39 bn in 2024, 3,147 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 217 7(a) approvals worth $89.2 m.
128 sourced county values · tier FULL · 12 sections
Muskegon County
How many people live in Muskegon County
- Population175,961
- Households67,732
- Average household size2.60
- Median household income$65,024
- Median age40.0
- Median gross rent$1,028 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$198,300
- Home value to household income3.0 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income19.0 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher21.4 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree6.4 percent
- Adults 25 and over122,392
- Population under 1839,518
- Share under 1822.5 percent
- Population 65 and over32,488
- Share 65 and over18.5 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 64103,955
- Civilian labor force83,938
- Unemployment rate6.4 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over61.5 percent
- Rank by population among Michigan counties12th of 83
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents389th
Muskegon County is the 12th largest of 83 Michigan counties by population. A median home costs 3.0 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 22.5 percent against 18.5 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Muskegon County
Is Muskegon County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base1.54 percent
- Census 2020 base population174,737
- Births, 20241,843
- Deaths, 20241,909
- Natural change, 2024-66
- Net domestic migration, 2024841
- Net international migration, 2024171
- Total net migration, 20241,012
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 20243,004
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents1315th
The county has grown 1.54 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.
Muskegon County
Where people moving to Muskegon County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving3,394
- People arriving, from those returns5,855
- Adjusted gross income arriving$192.6 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$56,743
- Largest single originMuskegon County Non-migrants (66,509 households)
- Largest single destination (66,509 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Muskegon County Non-migrants | 66,509 | 131,580 | $4.24 bn |
| Other flows - Different State | 852 | 1,507 | $57.8 m |
| Ottawa County | 838 | 1,483 | $45.5 m |
| Kent County | 600 | 1,010 | $31.0 m |
| Other flows - South | 363 | 682 | $20.9 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 313 | 493 | $17.1 m |
| Other flows - Midwest | 218 | 371 | $18.8 m |
| Other flows - West | 218 | 373 | $15.2 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Muskegon 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.
Muskegon County
What the Muskegon County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$8.39 bn
- County GDP, 2023$7.99 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20245.1 percent
- GDP change over five years35.3 percent
- Rank by GDP among Michigan counties15th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents507th
- GDP per resident$47,693
Output grew 5.1 percent in the latest year and 35.3 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.
Muskegon County
Who employs people in Muskegon County
- Covered employment, annual average63,475
- Establishments reporting3,152
- Average annual pay$53,204
- Average weekly wage$1,023
- Sector 31-33, employment13,093
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$73,625
- Sector 44-45, employment11,104
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$34,215
- Sector 62, employment10,424
- Sector 62, average annual pay$57,635
- Sector 72, employment6,838
- Sector 72, average annual pay$22,338
- Sector 23, employment2,424
- Sector 54, employment1,848
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 31-33 | 13,093 | 285 | $73,625 |
| Sector 44-45 | 11,104 | 463 | $34,215 |
| Sector 62 | 10,424 | 340 | $57,635 |
| Sector 72 | 6,838 | 313 | $22,338 |
| Sector 23 | 2,424 | 296 | $77,963 |
| Sector 54 | 1,848 | 193 | $61,559 |
| Sector 81 | 1,828 | 300 | $35,766 |
| Sector 56 | 1,553 | 146 | $40,896 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 13,093 jobs, 20.6 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.
Muskegon County
What businesses operate in Muskegon County
- Establishments, all industries3,147
- Employment at those establishments51,826
- Annual payroll$2.63 bn
- Establishments per 1,000 residents17.9
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.
Muskegon County
What is being built in Muskegon County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 2024423
- Declared construction value permitted$105.6 m
- Single family units authorised308
- Multifamily units authorised115
- Multifamily share of units27.2 percent
- Average declared value per unit$249,639
- Units authorised per 1,000 households6.2
Multifamily is 27.2 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Muskegon County
How much SBA lending happens in Muskegon County
- 7(a) approvals recorded217
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$89.2 m
- Average 7(a) approval$410,838
- Median 7(a) approval$150,000
- 10th percentile approval$25,000
- 90th percentile approval$1,000,000
- Largest single approval$5,000,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)1,944
- Jobs per approval9.0
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active34
- Distinct industries receiving approvals101
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer18.0 percent
- Loans on real estate terms39
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter166
- Franchise loans23
- Franchise share of approvals10.6 percent
- Leading industry by approval countFull-Service Restaurants (12)
- Most active lenderThe Huntington National Bank (122)
- 504 approvals recorded48
- 504 gross approval dollars$35.4 m
- Average 504 approval$737,104
- Median 504 approval$650,000
- Distinct CDCs active2
- 504 jobs per approval9.5
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved12.9
- Most active CDCGreat Lakes Commercial Finance (25)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals81.9 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$124.5 m
The average approval of $410,838 sits well above the median of $150,000, 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 18.0 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.
Muskegon County
Do SBA loans in Muskegon County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded54
- Paid in full51
- Charged off3
- Charge off rate on resolved loans5.6 percent
- Status: Paid in full51
- Status: Cancelled20
- Status: Exempt from disclosure129
- Status: Charged off3
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed14
Of the 54 loans that have reached a final outcome, 5.6 percent were charged off. This is computed only over resolved loans, because a loan still running has not yet succeeded or failed and counting it either way would be wrong.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Muskegon County
Which parts of Muskegon County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending13
- Muskegon, approvals134
- Norton Shores, approvals29
- Ravenna, approvals12
- Fruitport, approvals9
- Montague, approvals8
- Holton, approvals7
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Muskegon | 134 | $57,785,000 |
| Norton Shores | 29 | $15,465,500 |
| Ravenna | 12 | $992,400 |
| Fruitport | 9 | $2,606,800 |
| Montague | 8 | $2,058,800 |
| Holton | 7 | $1,111,300 |
| Whitehall | 6 | $5,860,600 |
| Twin Lake | 5 | $542,000 |
Muskegon accounts for 134 approvals against 29 in Norton Shores. 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.
Muskegon County
How big is Muskegon County
- Land area499 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Michigan counties72nd of 83
- Width, east to west33.8 mi
- Height, north to south24.4 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary4
- Residents per square mile of land353
- Establishments per square mile6.31
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.
Muskegon County
What hazards affect Muskegon 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 NFIP15
- NFIP participation rate71.4 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 Muskegon 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 Muskegon County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population175,961
- Households67,732
- Average household size2.60
- Median household income$65,024
- Median age40.0
Common questions
Muskegon County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Muskegon County, Michigan?
175,961, in 67,732 households, ranking 12th of 83 Michigan counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Muskegon County growing?
The population has grown 1.54 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 1,843 births against 1,909 deaths, with net migration of 1,012. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Muskegon County?
$65,024. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $198,300, which is 3.0 times income, and median gross rent is $1,028 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Muskegon County?
3,147 establishments, employing 51,826 people with an annual payroll of $2.63 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 Muskegon County?
Average annual pay is $53,204, or $1,023 a week, across 63,475 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Muskegon County?
217 7(a) approvals totalling $89.2 m since FY2020, across 34 lenders, with a median approval of $150,000, plus 48 504 approvals worth $35.4 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans in Muskegon County get paid back?
Of the 54 loans that have reached a final outcome, 51 were paid in full and 3 charged off, a charge off rate of 5.6 percent. Loans still running are excluded, because they have not yet succeeded or failed.
What is being built in Muskegon County?
423 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $105.6 m. Multifamily was 27.2 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Muskegon 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 Muskegon County come from?
The largest single origin is Muskegon County Non-migrants, with 66,509 households. Arriving households report an average income of $56,743 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 Muskegon 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 Muskegon 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.