Otsego County, Michigan: commercial real estate data.
Otsego County, Michigan has a population of 25,584 across 515 square miles, up 4.0 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $1.50 bn in 2024, 846 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 57 7(a) approvals worth $21.5 m.
119 sourced county values · tier FULL · 11 sections
Otsego County
How many people live in Otsego County
- Population25,584
- Households11,231
- Average household size2.28
- Median household income$68,183
- Median age44.4
- Median gross rent$1,008 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$219,700
- Home value to household income3.2 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income17.7 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher26.3 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree9.6 percent
- Adults 25 and over18,471
- Population under 185,328
- Share under 1820.8 percent
- Population 65 and over5,654
- Share 65 and over22.1 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6414,602
- Civilian labor force13,204
- Unemployment rate4.0 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over65.2 percent
- Rank by population among Michigan counties56th of 83
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents1633rd
Otsego County is the 56th largest of 83 Michigan counties by population. A median home costs 3.2 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents 65 and over outnumber those under 18, at 22.1 percent against 20.8 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.
Otsego County
Is Otsego County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base3.96 percent
- Census 2020 base population25,089
- Births, 2024239
- Deaths, 2024326
- Natural change, 2024-87
- Net domestic migration, 2024334
- Net international migration, 202453
- Total net migration, 2024387
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 20241,259
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents696th
The county has grown 3.96 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.
Otsego County
Where people moving to Otsego County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving918
- People arriving, from those returns1,623
- Adjusted gross income arriving$60.6 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$66,020
- Largest single originOtsego County Non-migrants (10,128 households)
- Largest single destination (10,128 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Otsego County Non-migrants | 10,128 | 19,865 | $695.0 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 278 | 485 | $18.3 m |
| Other flows - Different State | 213 | 387 | $16.2 m |
| Other flows - South | 91 | 178 | $7.3 m |
| Other flows - West | 63 | 112 | $5.3 m |
| Other flows - Midwest | 59 | 97 | $3.6 m |
| Charlevoix County | 51 | 99 | $2.4 m |
| Crawford County | 51 | 96 | $3.0 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Otsego 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.
Otsego County
What the Otsego County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$1.50 bn
- County GDP, 2023$1.48 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20241.0 percent
- GDP change over five years33.4 percent
- Rank by GDP among Michigan counties52nd
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents1518th
- GDP per resident$58,549
Output grew 1.0 percent in the latest year and 33.4 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.
Otsego County
Who employs people in Otsego County
- Covered employment, annual average10,703
- Establishments reporting811
- Average annual pay$53,154
- Average weekly wage$1,022
- Sector 44-45, employment2,260
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$36,970
- Sector 72, employment1,353
- Sector 72, average annual pay$26,517
- Sector 31-33, employment998
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$72,405
- Sector 23, employment626
- Sector 23, average annual pay$71,488
- Sector 52, employment482
- Sector 81, employment466
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 44-45 | 2,260 | 115 | $36,970 |
| Sector 72 | 1,353 | 70 | $26,517 |
| Sector 31-33 | 998 | 33 | $72,405 |
| Sector 23 | 626 | 96 | $71,488 |
| Sector 52 | 482 | 30 | $81,671 |
| Sector 81 | 466 | 71 | $44,601 |
| Sector 48-49 | 342 | 28 | $55,338 |
| Sector 42 | 341 | 28 | $66,002 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 2,260 jobs, 21.1 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.
Otsego County
What businesses operate in Otsego County
- Establishments, all industries846
- Employment at those establishments9,372
- Annual payroll$448.1 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents33.1
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.
Otsego County
What is being built in Otsego County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 202424
- Declared construction value permitted$1.9 m
- Single family units authorised24
- Multifamily units authorised0
- Multifamily share of units0.0 percent
- Average declared value per unit$81,000
- Units authorised per 1,000 households2.1
Multifamily is 0.0 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Otsego County
How much SBA lending happens in Otsego County
- 7(a) approvals recorded57
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$21.5 m
- Average 7(a) approval$376,933
- Median 7(a) approval$100,000
- 10th percentile approval$15,000
- 90th percentile approval$840,000
- Largest single approval$4,900,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)508
- Jobs per approval8.9
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active13
- Distinct industries receiving approvals28
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer10.5 percent
- Loans on real estate terms6
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter50
- Franchise loans6
- Franchise share of approvals10.5 percent
- Leading industry by approval countPlumbing, Heating, and Air-Conditioning Contractors (7)
- Most active lenderThe Huntington National Bank (34)
- 504 approvals recorded5
- 504 gross approval dollars$1.3 m
- Average 504 approval$257,600
- Median 504 approval$253,000
- Distinct CDCs active2
- 504 jobs per approval5.6
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved21.7
- Most active CDCMichigan Certified Development Corporation (3)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals91.9 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$22.8 m
The average approval of $376,933 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 10.5 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.
Otsego County
Do SBA loans in Otsego County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded19
- Paid in full19
- Charged off0
- Charge off rate on resolved loans0.0 percent
- Status: Paid in full19
- Status: Cancelled5
- Status: Exempt from disclosure25
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed8
Of the 19 loans that have reached a final outcome, 0.0 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.
Otsego County
Which parts of Otsego County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending3
- Gaylord, approvals49
- JOHANNESBURG, approvals5
- ELMIRA, approvals3
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Gaylord | 49 | $20,437,600 |
| JOHANNESBURG | 5 | $937,600 |
| ELMIRA | 3 | $110,000 |
Gaylord accounts for 49 approvals against 5 in JOHANNESBURG. 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.
Otsego County
How big is Otsego County
- Land area515 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Michigan counties67th of 83
- Width, east to west24 mi
- Height, north to south24 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary5
- Residents per square mile of land50
- Establishments per square mile1.64
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.
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.
- No NFIP communities are listed for this county in the FEMA Community Status Book.
- 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 Otsego 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 Otsego County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population25,584
- Households11,231
- Average household size2.28
- Median household income$68,183
- Median age44.4
Common questions
Otsego County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Otsego County, Michigan?
25,584, in 11,231 households, ranking 56th of 83 Michigan counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Otsego County growing?
The population has grown 3.96 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 239 births against 326 deaths, with net migration of 387. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Otsego County?
$68,183. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $219,700, which is 3.2 times income, and median gross rent is $1,008 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Otsego County?
846 establishments, employing 9,372 people with an annual payroll of $448.1 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 Otsego County?
Average annual pay is $53,154, or $1,022 a week, across 10,703 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Otsego County?
57 7(a) approvals totalling $21.5 m since FY2020, across 13 lenders, with a median approval of $100,000, plus 5 504 approvals worth $1.3 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans in Otsego County get paid back?
Of the 19 loans that have reached a final outcome, 19 were paid in full and 0 charged off, a charge off rate of 0.0 percent. Loans still running are excluded, because they have not yet succeeded or failed.
What is being built in Otsego County?
24 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $1.9 m. Multifamily was 0.0 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Otsego County?
Zone 2, a predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 4 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Where do people moving to Otsego County come from?
The largest single origin is Otsego County Non-migrants, with 10,128 households. Arriving households report an average income of $66,020 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 Otsego 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 Otsego 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.