Census-designated place · Grand Traverse County, Michigan

Chums Corner, Michigan

Chums Corner is a census-designated place in Grand Traverse County, Michigan, part of the Traverse City, MI metro area. It has 1,186 residents. Chums Corner, Michigan has a quality-of-life score of 94 out of 100 (very high), ranking #905 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Michigan it ranks #7 of 444 cities and towns. It ranks best on poverty rate (low), uninsured residents (under 65) (low) and voter turnout (high). It ranks worst on time spent in the emergency room (high), distance to an airport (high) and distance to an Amtrak station (high).

94Very high

Quality-of-life score: #905 of 15,651 cities and towns
Michigan: #7 of 444 in MI
Population: 1,186 (2020-2024)
Land area: 3 mi²
Density: 446.5 /mi²
FIPS code: 2615715

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.

Safety68#5,014/15,637
Economy89#1,706/15,631
Housing—
Health70#4,664/15,609
Healthcare98#349/15,650
Environment88#1,785/15,453
Education71#4,585/15,649
Infrastructure60#6,214/15,650
Community79#3,268/15,651
Leisure & amenities93#1,072/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Poverty rate · low0.0%
100/100Michigan 13.4%United States 12.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001
Uninsured residents (under 65) · low0.0%
100/100Michigan 6.2%United States 9.8%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B27010
Voter turnout · high82.3%
98/100Michigan 74.6%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionGrand Traverse County value
Natural hazard risk · low2.4
97/100Michigan 10.32025Federal Emergency Management AgencyGrand Traverse County value
Mammography screening · high58.0%
97/100Michigan 49.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteGrand Traverse County value
Primary care physicians · high136 /100k
97/100Michigan 81 /100kUnited States 76 /100k2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteGrand Traverse County value

Weaknesses

Time spent in the emergency room · high259 min
2/100Michigan 163 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesGrand Traverse County value
Distance to an airport · high127 mi
4/100Michigan 44 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauGrand Traverse County value
Distance to an Amtrak station · high122 mi
7/100Michigan 25 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauGrand Traverse County value
Comfortable days · low23.4%
12/100Michigan 23.1%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationGrand Traverse County value
Depression · high26.8%
20/100Michigan 26.5%United States 20.7%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Public transit commuters · low0.0%
27/100Michigan 0.9%United States 3.2%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08301

Trends

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

PopulationRising
984 (2015-2019) → 1,186 (2020-2024)
+21%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
100.0% (2015-2019) → 0.0% (2020-2024)
−100 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Bachelor's degree or higherWorsening
47.8% (2015-2019) → 30.6% (2020-2024)
−17 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Child poverty rateImproving
14.7% (2015-2019) → 0.0% (2020-2024)
−15 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
80.4% (2015-2019) → 94.9% (2020-2024)
+15 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
2.7× (2015-2019) → 3.7× (2020-2024)
+38%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, Chums Corner, Michigan improved on 2 of 7 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 5 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

Inequality−0.1210.466 → 0.345
Broadband+15 points80.4% → 94.9%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 7 measures

Change of every measure of Chums Corner, Michigan between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Bachelor's degree or higher	47.8%2015-2019	30.6%2020-2024	−17 points	Within the margin of error	0%
Broadband subscriptions	80.4%2015-2019	94.9%2020-2024	+15 points	Improved	78%
High school diploma or higher	94.2%2015-2019	97.5%2020-2024	+3.2 points	Within the margin of error	70%
Home price to income ratio	2.7×2015-2019	3.7×2020-2024	+1.0×	Within the margin of error	22%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4662015-2019	0.3452020-2024	−0.121	Improved	98%
Median household income	$86,9352015-2019	$100,8552020-2024	+16%	Within the margin of error	25%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%

“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 Chums Corner, Michigan five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Chums Corner, 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.

No place that looked like Chums Corner, Michigan five years ago has more measures that improved than declined, with a higher standing among its peers today.

For comparison, Chums Corner, Michigan itself moved +10.7 points in standing on average over the same 6 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

1,186 residents (±317)

Men
Women

80 and over
70–79†
60–69†
50–59†
40–49†
30–39†
20–29†
10–19†
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: 50–59 men (+11.0 points).

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

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

1,186 residents (±317)

Chums Corner, Michigan
Michigan share

White85%1,006
Black0.0%0
Hispanic or Latino0.0%0

Education

915 residents (±254)

Chums Corner, Michigan
Michigan share

No high school diploma2.5%†23
High school or GED17%†157
Some college32%†

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

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

Household income

431 households (±119)

Chums Corner, Michigan
Michigan share

Under $25k0.0%0
$25k–50k10.0%†43
$50k–75k30%†130
$75k–100k8.4%†36
$100k–150k25%†106
$150k–200k8.6%†37
$200k or more18%†79

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $50k–75k (+24.2 points).

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

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

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

Owners and renters

431 households (±119)

Chums Corner, Michigan
Michigan share

Own91%392
Rent9.0%†39

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

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

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

39 households (±46)

Chums Corner, Michigan
Michigan share

Under $7500.0%0
$750–1,00051%†20
$1,000–1,50049%†19

Home values

392 homes (±114)

Chums Corner, Michigan
Michigan share

Under $150k0.0%0
$150k–250k21%†83
$250k–400k38%†149

Age of homes

508 homes (±152)

Chums Corner, Michigan
Michigan share

2010 or later3.7%†19
2000–200927%†138
1980–199914%†71

Size of homes

508 homes (±152)

Chums Corner, Michigan
Michigan share

Studio4.3%†22
1 bedroom0.0%0
2 bedrooms3.7%†19

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

671 workers (±218)

Chums Corner, Michigan
Michigan share

Drive alone80%†534
Carpool9.8%†66
Public transit0.0%0
Walk0.0%0
Bike0.0%0
Work from home8.0%†54
Other2.5%†17

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

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

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

617 workers (±221)

Chums Corner, Michigan
Michigan share

Under 15 min26%†162
15–29 min64%†392
30–44 min7.3%†

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Traverse City, MI

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 Grand Traverse County, the county holding most of Chums Corner's residents.

Grand Traverse County has 3,549 employer establishments, 368 for every 10,000 residents (1.48× the US rate of 248; 1.61× Michigan's), with 47,454 paid employees at an average annual pay of $59,137. The Census Bureau also counts 10,828 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 3,549; 10,828 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 368; US 248 · Michigan 228
Paid employees: 47,454
Average annual pay: $59,137; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	292	30.3	1.45×More than typical	3,423	$82,700	576
Specialty trade contractors	245	25.4	1.64×More than typical	2,153	$71,909	752
Restaurants and other eating places	214	22.2	1.21×About typical	4,096	$28,789	28
Construction of buildings	168	17.4	2.31×More than typical	847	$66,417	504
Lessors of real estate	151	15.7	1.27×More than typical	500	$55,340	1,323
Services to buildings and dwellings	125	13	1.92×More than typical	773	$54,809	706
Offices of other health practitioners	110	11.4	1.88×More than typical	435	$50,853	312
Full-service restaurants	96	10	1.30×More than typical	2,467	$31,425	4
Limited-service restaurants	88	9.1	1.14×About typical	1,370	$24,536	15
Offices of physicians	87	9	1.39×More than typical	1,462	$115,566	136
Automotive repair and maintenance	85	8.8	1.75×More than typical	800	$53,494	103
Building equipment contractors	80	8.3	1.38×More than typical	929	$66,884	102

Rank places for an industry Open Grand Traverse County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 96,375 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 $0 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Chums Corner, Michigan: $0 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $0
Per resident: $0; US $1,994
Sole-source: —; US 30%
Single offer: —; 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

Spending by fiscal year

602.2FY2017
867.3FY2018
296KFY2019
487.1KFY2020
9KFY2021
515.8FY2022
3.4KFY2023

What was bought

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 Chums Corner, Michigan, so they do not add up across cities.

Chums Corner, Michigan's figures are part of those of Grand Traverse County, MI ($35.7M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.0% of that total.

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

See federal money in Grand Traverse 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.

Chums Corner, 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.

Grand Traverse County94100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Traverse City, MI93

Other cities and towns in Grand Traverse 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

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