Census-designated place · Iosco County, Michigan

Au Sable, Michigan

Au Sable is a census-designated place in Iosco County, Michigan. It has 1,643 residents. Au Sable, Michigan has a quality-of-life score of 39 out of 100 (low), ranking #9,573 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Michigan it ranks #244 of 444 cities and towns. It ranks best on job growth (high), natural hazard risk (low) and restaurants and bars (high). It ranks worst on distance to an emergency room (high), distance to an airport (high) and flu vaccinations (low).

39Low

Quality-of-life score: #9,573 of 15,651 cities and towns
Michigan: #244 of 444 in MI
Population: 1,643 (2020-2024)
Land area: 2 mi²
Density: 781.5 /mi²
FIPS code: 2604280

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 71 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety40#9,358/15,637
Economy23#11,970/15,631
Housing52#7,201/14,977
Health15#13,296/15,609
Healthcare22#12,252/15,650
Environment85#2,307/15,453
Education17#13,027/15,649
Infrastructure27#11,353/15,650
Community80#3,123/15,651
Leisure & amenities89#1,703/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Au Sable, Michigan ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Iosco County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Job growth · high4.6%
97/100Michigan 0.3%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataIosco County value
Natural hazard risk · low2.2
97/100Michigan 10.32025Federal Emergency Management AgencyIosco County value
Restaurants and bars · high16.6 /10k
96/100Michigan 9.1 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsIosco County value
Property crime rate · low354 /100k
95/100Michigan 1,259 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationCovers part of the area: some reporting agencies or member counties have no figureIosco County value
Social associations · high16.2 /10k
94/100Michigan 9.6 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteIosco County value
Uninsured residents (under 65) · low1.9%
92/100Michigan 6.2%United States 9.8%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B27010High uncertainty

Weaknesses

Distance to an emergency room · high32.3 mi
0/100Michigan 5.8 miUnited States 5.5 miJul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesIosco County value
Distance to an airport · high143 mi
3/100Michigan 44 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauIosco County value
Flu vaccinations · low27.0%
4/100Michigan 43.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteIosco County value
Depression · high30.3%
5/100Michigan 26.5%United States 20.7%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Bachelor's degree or higher · low10.8%
8/100Michigan 32.5%United States 35.7%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
Pharmacies · low0.8 /10k
8/100Michigan 1.9 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsIosco County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationRising
1,488 (2015-2019) → 1,643 (2020-2024)
+10%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Home price to income ratioWorsening
1.7× (2015-2019) → 2.7× (2020-2024)
+56%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
41.5% (2015-2019) → 32.7% (2020-2024)
−8.8 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Average commute timeWorsening
12.6 min (2015-2019) → 17.9 min (2020-2024)
+42%5 yearsCensus table B08013US 26.9 min → 26.4 min
Uninsured residents (under 65)Improving
9.7% (2015-2019) → 1.9% (2020-2024)
−7.8 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%
Child poverty rateImproving
20.6% (2015-2019) → 14.7% (2020-2024)
−6 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Au Sable, Michigan improved on 0 of 9 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 8 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved0

No measure improved by more than its margin of error.

Declined1

Inequality+0.0720.357 → 0.428

All 9 measures

Change of every measure of Au Sable, Michigan between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	12.6 min2015-2019	17.9 min2020-2024	+5.3 min	Within the margin of error	9%
Bachelor's degree or higher	11.2%2015-2019	10.8%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Within the margin of error	25%
Broadband subscriptions	82.8%2015-2019	87.2%2020-2024	+4.3 points	Within the margin of error	28%
Effective property tax rate	1.08%2015-2019	0.81%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Within the margin of error	71%
High school diploma or higher	89.1%2015-2019	89.6%2020-2024	+0.5 points	Within the margin of error	39%
Home price to income ratio	1.7×2015-2019	2.7×2020-2024	+1.0×	Within the margin of error	24%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3572015-2019	0.4282020-2024	+0.072	Declined	10%
Median household income	$42,7732015-2019	$42,4312020-2024	−0.8%	Within the margin of error	7%
Poverty rate	15.9%2015-2019	13.5%2020-2024	−2.4 points	Within the margin of error	65%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Au Sable, Michigan five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Au Sable, Michigan in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Au Sable, Michigan itself moved −14.6 points in standing on average over the same 8 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

1,643 residents (±270)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

803 households (±158)

Au Sable, Michigan
Michigan share

Under $25k32%†253
$25k–50k23%†184
$50k–75k

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

803 households (±158)

Au Sable, Michigan
Michigan share

Own92%739
Rent8.0%†64

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+15.6 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

693 workers (±165)

Au Sable, Michigan
Michigan share

Drive alone81%559
Carpool14%†94
Public transit0.0%0

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Iosco County, the county holding most of Au Sable's residents.

Iosco County has 623 employer establishments, 245 for every 10,000 residents (0.99× the US rate of 248; 1.07× Michigan's), with 6,756 paid employees at an average annual pay of $46,997. The Census Bureau also counts 1,695 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 623; 1,695 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 245; US 248 · Michigan 228
Paid employees: 6,756
Average annual pay: $46,997; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Iosco County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	52	20.5	0.98×About typical	409	$52,516	49
Restaurants and other eating places	48	18.9	1.03×About typical	542	$20,930	10
Specialty trade contractors	45	17.7	1.14×About typical	150	$66,520	145
Construction of buildings	34	13.4	1.77×More than typical	76	$53,342	88
Full-service restaurants	25	9.8	1.28×More than typical	262	$21,408	3
Religious organizations	24	9.4	1.70×More than typical	88	$21,545	—
Building equipment contractors	21	8.3	1.37×More than typical	73	$53,192	20
Offices of physicians	20	7.9	1.22×About typical	144	$66,292	3
Limited-service restaurants	17	6.7	0.83×About typical	252	$21,333	—
Automotive repair and maintenance	16	6.3	1.25×More than typical	57	$45,298	22
Offices of other health practitioners	16	6.3	1.04×About typical	68	$45,544	17
Lessors of real estate	15	5.9	0.48×Fewer than typical	39	$28,282	233

Rank places for an industry Open Iosco County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 25,404 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $86K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Au Sable, Michigan: $52.37 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $86K; −67% vs FY2025
Per resident: $52.37; US $1,994
Sole-source: 1.2%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.0%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

LATA-CTI ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES LLC$60.5K70%
CAROLINA UNDERBRUSHING LLC$16.4K19%
AUXILIO FPM JOINT VENTURE LLC$3,1043.6%
NEW ECO, LLC$2,8753.3%
DEVERMAN BUILDING LLC$1,4281.7%

Spending by fiscal year

82.4KFY2017
21.5KFY2018
3.7KFY2019
278.2KFY2020
295.4KFY2021
381.7KFY2022
199.9KFY2023
436.1KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Remediation and other waste management services · 5629$64.5K75%
Other heavy and civil engineering construction · 2379$16.4K19%
Support activities for crop production · 1151$2,8753.3%
Nonresidential building construction · 2362$9881.1%
Facilities support services · 5612$7520.9%
Highway, street, and bridge construction · 2373$4400.5%

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Au Sable, Michigan, so they do not add up across cities.

Au Sable, Michigan's figures are part of those of Iosco County, MI ($4.5M in FY2026), never added to them: 1.9% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Au Sable is mostly in Iosco County.

See federal money in Iosco County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Au Sable, Michigan is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Jack BergmanR-MI-1 · 100% of residentsWith party 99%Missed 2.4%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Iosco County52100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Iosco County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/2604280

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends