City · Charlevoix County, Michigan

Charlevoix, Michigan

Charlevoix is a city in Charlevoix County, Michigan. It has 2,392 residents. Charlevoix, Michigan has a quality-of-life score of 73 out of 100 (high), ranking #4,304 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Michigan it ranks #79 of 444 cities and towns. It ranks best on dentists (high), drought exposure (low) and arts, entertainment and recreation (high). It ranks worst on income inequality (Gini index) (high), distance to an airport (high) and distance to an Amtrak station (high).

73High

Quality-of-life score: #4,304 of 15,651 cities and towns
Michigan: #79 of 444 in MI
Population: 2,392 (2020-2024)
Land area: 2 mi²
Density: 1,160.5 /mi²
FIPS code: 2614780

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 72 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.

Safety85#2,417/15,637
Economy17#12,968/15,631
Housing17#12,441/14,977
Health50#7,785/15,609
Healthcare79#3,317/15,650
Environment90#1,468/15,453
Education73#4,161/15,649
Infrastructure34#10,321/15,650
Community97#466/15,651
Leisure & amenities95#827/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Charlevoix, Michigan ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Charlevoix 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

Dentists · high134 /100k
99/100Michigan 82 /100kUnited States 75 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteCharlevoix County value
Drought exposure · low0%
98/100Michigan 13%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAACharlevoix County value
Arts, entertainment and recreation · high15.0 /10k
98/100Michigan 4.6 /10kUnited States 5.5 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsCharlevoix County value
Voter turnout · high82.9%
98/100Michigan 74.6%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionCharlevoix County value
Restaurants and bars · high17.3 /10k
97/100Michigan 9.1 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsCharlevoix County value
Child care cost burden · low19.4%
96/100Michigan 25.4%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteCharlevoix County value

Weaknesses

Income inequality (Gini index) · high0.622
1/100Michigan 0.465United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083
Distance to an airport · high164 mi
2/100Michigan 44 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauCharlevoix County value
Distance to an Amtrak station · high161 mi
4/100Michigan 25 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauCharlevoix County value
Depression · high29.4%
8/100Michigan 26.5%United States 20.7%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Poverty rate · high24.8%
10/100Michigan 13.4%United States 12.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001
Home price to income ratio · high6.9×
12/100Michigan 3.2×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077

Trends

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

Broadband subscriptionsImproving
69.7% (2015-2019) → 87.5% (2020-2024)
+18 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Child poverty rateWorsening
28.0% (2015-2019) → 45.5% (2020-2024)
+18 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
48.1% (2015-2019) → 62.9% (2020-2024)
+15 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Median household incomeImproving
$31,885 (2015-2019) → $47,917 (2020-2024)
+50%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
32.0% (2015-2019) → 39.8% (2020-2024)
+7.8 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
5.3× (2015-2019) → 6.9× (2020-2024)
+31%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×

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, Charlevoix, Michigan improved on 2 of 11 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.

Improved2

Broadband+18 points69.7% → 87.5%
Household income+50%$31,885 → $47,917

Declined1

Inequality+0.1220.500 → 0.622

All 11 measures

Change of every measure of Charlevoix, Michigan between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	13.8 min2015-2019	13.2 min2020-2024	−0.6 min	Within the margin of error	55%
Bachelor's degree or higher	32.0%2015-2019	39.8%2020-2024	+7.8 points	Within the margin of error	83%
Broadband subscriptions	69.7%2015-2019	87.5%2020-2024	+18 points	Improved	86%
Child poverty rate	28.0%2015-2019	45.5%2020-2024	+18 points	Within the margin of error	6%
Effective property tax rate	1.36%2015-2019	1.09%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Within the margin of error	70%
High school diploma or higher	95.9%2015-2019	93.5%2020-2024	−2.4 points	Within the margin of error	13%
Home price to income ratio	5.3×2015-2019	6.9×2020-2024	+1.7×	Within the margin of error	7%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.5002015-2019	0.6222020-2024	+0.122	Declined	3%
Median household income	$31,8852015-2019	$47,9172020-2024	+50%	Improved	85%
Poverty rate	19.8%2015-2019	24.8%2020-2024	+5 points	Within the margin of error	12%
Rent-burdened households	48.1%2015-2019	62.9%2020-2024	+15 points	Within the margin of error	15%

“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 Charlevoix, Michigan five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Charlevoix, 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, Charlevoix, Michigan itself moved −4.3 points in standing on average over the same 9 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

2,392 residents (±343)

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

1,304 households (±162)

Charlevoix, Michigan
Michigan share

Under $25k31%†409
$25k–50k21%†278
$50k–75k

Homes

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

Owners and renters

1,304 households (±162)

Charlevoix, Michigan
Michigan share

Own62%807
Rent38%497

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+13.7 points).

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

1,045 workers (±204)

Charlevoix, Michigan
Michigan share

Drive alone75%784
Carpool5.9%†62
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 Charlevoix County, the county holding most of Charlevoix's residents.

Charlevoix County has 891 employer establishments, 341 for every 10,000 residents (1.38× the US rate of 248; 1.50× Michigan's), with 9,264 paid employees at an average annual pay of $56,107. The Census Bureau also counts 2,786 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 891; 2,786 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 341; US 248 · Michigan 228
Paid employees: 9,264
Average annual pay: $56,107; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	79	30.3	1.96×More than typical	373	$61,123	297
Restaurants and other eating places	68	26.1	1.42×More than typical	733	$35,424	9
Construction of buildings	50	19.2	2.53×More than typical	223	$57,758	195
Ambulatory health care services	46	17.6	0.85×About typical	886	$56,950	93
Services to buildings and dwellings	41	15.7	2.33×More than typical	206	$72,820	255
Lessors of real estate	38	14.6	1.18×About typical	174	$56,989	372
Full-service restaurants	37	14.2	1.85×More than typical	461	$42,386	7
Limited-service restaurants	27	10.3	1.29×More than typical	244	$24,033	—
Religious organizations	26	10	1.80×More than typical	116	$22,940	—
Landscaping services	24	9.2	2.63×More than typical	143	$87,552	58
Building equipment contractors	23	8.8	1.46×More than typical	117	$58,402	25
Real estate agents and brokers	22	8.4	1.73×More than typical	81	$79,333	91

Rank places for an industry Open Charlevoix County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 26,096 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 $21.1K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Charlevoix, Michigan: $8.83 per resident (US $1,995).

Obligations: $21.1K; +247% vs FY2025
Per resident: $8.83; US $1,995
Sole-source: 0.0%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.6%; 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

Department of the Army$21K99%
Defense Logistics Agency$3,02214%

Top recipients

MORRISH-WALLACE CONSTRUCTION, INC.$12.8K61%
ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICAL CORPORATION$8,29839%
BAY SHORE STEEL WORKS LLC$3,02214%
GENERAL DYNAMICS LAND SYSTEMS INC.$00.0%
PLEXUS-AYUDA JOINT VENTURE LLC-$1050.0%

Spending by fiscal year

1.4KFY2017
-15.2FY2018
73.7FY2019
465.5FY2020
8.4KFY2021
9.4KFY2022
9.4KFY2023
96.4KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Other heavy and civil engineering construction · 2379$12.8K61%
Remediation and other waste management services · 5629$8,19339%
Architectural and structural metals manufacturing · 3323$1,2295.8%
Other transportation equipment manufacturing · 3369$5282.5%
Steel product manufacturing from purchased steel · 3312$4832.3%
Hardware manufacturing · 3325$471

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 6, 2026, loaded Oct 6, 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 Charlevoix, Michigan, so they do not add up across cities.

Charlevoix, Michigan's figures are part of those of Charlevoix County, MI ($6.7M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.3% of that total.

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

See federal money in Charlevoix 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.

Charlevoix, 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.

Charlevoix County94100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Charlevoix 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/2614780

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends