Scores by category

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

Safety62#5,969/15,637
Economy73#4,278/15,631
Housing52#7,182/14,977
Health75#3,835/15,609
Healthcare31#10,741/15,650
Environment76#3,777/15,453
Education54#7,146/15,649
Infrastructure72#4,310/15,650
Community91#1,416/15,651
Leisure & amenities89#1,790/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Voter turnout · high85.9%
99/100Michigan 74.6%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionAntrim County value
Drought exposure · low0%
98/100Michigan 13%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAAntrim County value
Property crime rate · low409 /100k
93/100Michigan 1,259 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationCovers part of the area: some reporting agencies or member counties have no figureAntrim County value
Child care cost burden · low21.0%
92/100Michigan 25.4%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAntrim County value
Public libraries · high2.0 /10k
92/100Michigan 0.7 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesAntrim County value
Lack of reliable transportation · low5.3%
91/100Michigan 8.8%United States 8.3%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate

Weaknesses

Distance to an airport · high146 mi
3/100Michigan 44 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAntrim County value
Average weekly wage · low$853
3/100Michigan $1,362United States $1,5142025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAntrim County value
Distance to an Amtrak station · high142 mi
5/100Michigan 25 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAntrim County value
Distance to an emergency room · high16.2 mi
6/100Michigan 5.8 miUnited States 5.5 miJul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesAntrim County value
Mental health providers · low65 /100k
9/100Michigan 371 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAntrim County value
Dentists · low29 /100k
10/100Michigan 82 /100kUnited States 75 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAntrim County value

Trends

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

PopulationRising
1,494 (2015-2019) → 1,624 (2020-2024)
+8.7%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
78.4% (2015-2019) → 93.2% (2020-2024)
+15 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Uninsured residents (under 65)Improving
11.8% (2015-2019) → 2.2% (2020-2024)
−9.7 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
3.8× (2015-2019) → 5.5× (2020-2024)
+46%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
37.0% (2015-2019) → 45.4% (2020-2024)
+8.3 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Poverty rateImproving
10.4% (2015-2019) → 3.7% (2020-2024)
−6.7 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%

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, Elk Rapids, Michigan improved on 3 of 11 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 7 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.

Improved3

Poverty−6.7 points10.4% → 3.7%
Bachelor's++8.3 points37.0% → 45.4%
Broadband+15 points78.4% → 93.2%

Declined1

Price / income+1.8×3.8× → 5.5×

All 11 measures

Change of every measure of Elk Rapids, Michigan between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	18.9 min2015-2019	18.4 min2020-2024	−0.5 min	Within the margin of error	54%
Bachelor's degree or higher	37.0%2015-2019	45.4%2020-2024	+8.3 points	Improved	85%
Broadband subscriptions	78.4%2015-2019	93.2%2020-2024	+15 points	Improved	79%
Effective property tax rate	1.42%2015-2019	0.98%2020-2024	−0.4 points	Within the margin of error	87%
High school diploma or higher	93.0%2015-2019	98.0%2020-2024	+4.9 points	Within the margin of error	81%
Home price to income ratio	3.8×2015-2019	5.5×2020-2024	+1.8×	Declined	6%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4462015-2019	0.4252020-2024	−0.021	Within the margin of error	68%
Median household income	$60,5362015-2019	$70,9382020-2024	+17%	Within the margin of error	27%
Poverty rate	10.4%2015-2019	3.7%2020-2024	−6.7 points	Improved	86%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent-burdened households	33.3%2015-2019	31.6%2020-2024	−1.8 points	Within the margin of error	62%

“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 Elk Rapids, Michigan five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Elk Rapids, 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, Elk Rapids, Michigan itself moved +7.3 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

1,624 residents (±217)

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

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 B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

1,624 residents (±217)

Elk Rapids, Michigan
Michigan share

White90%1,466
Black0.0%0
Hispanic or Latino3.1%†51

Education

1,334 residents (±182)

Elk Rapids, Michigan
Michigan share

No high school diploma2.0%†27
High school or GED23%†301
Some college20%†

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

898 households (±127)

Elk Rapids, Michigan
Michigan share

Under $25k12%†112
$25k–50k22%†202
$50k–75k18%†159
$75k–100k14%130
$100k–150k18%†166
$150k–200k3.2%†29
$200k or more11%†100

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $200k or more (+6.3 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

898 households (±127)

Elk Rapids, Michigan
Michigan share

Own75%675
Rent25%†223

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

212 households (±90)

Elk Rapids, Michigan
Michigan share

Under $7506.6%†14
$750–1,00040%†85
$1,000–1,50046%†98

Home values

675 homes (±120)

Elk Rapids, Michigan
Michigan share

Under $150k9.0%†61
$150k–250k10%†70
$250k–400k32%217

Age of homes

1,297 homes (±168)

Elk Rapids, Michigan
Michigan share

2010 or later5.9%†76
2000–20098.7%†113
1980–199925%325

Size of homes

1,297 homes (±168)

Elk Rapids, Michigan
Michigan share

Studio0.0%0
1 bedroom9.8%†127
2 bedrooms41%538

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

808 workers (±163)

Elk Rapids, Michigan
Michigan share

Drive alone75%607
Carpool1.2%†10
Public transit0.0%0
Walk10%†83
Bike1.2%†10
Work from home12%†93
Other0.6%†5

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Carpool (−13.1 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 B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

715 workers (±156)

Elk Rapids, Michigan
Michigan share

Under 15 min41%†293
15–29 min33%†234
30–44 min20%†143

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

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 Antrim County, the county holding most of Elk Rapids's residents.

Antrim County has 625 employer establishments, 256 for every 10,000 residents (1.03× the US rate of 248; 1.12× Michigan's), with 4,502 paid employees at an average annual pay of $45,845. The Census Bureau also counts 2,232 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 625; 2,232 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 256; US 248 · Michigan 228
Paid employees: 4,502
Average annual pay: $45,845; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	53	21.7	1.40×More than typical	224	$58,683	252
Restaurants and other eating places	42	17.2	0.94×About typical	518	$30,145	—
Construction of buildings	38	15.6	2.06×More than typical	170	$53,888	143
Lessors of real estate	30	12.3	1.00×About typical	117	$41,274	258
Full-service restaurants	25	10.2	1.33×More than typical	371	$32,660	—
Services to buildings and dwellings	25	10.2	1.52×More than typical	26	$81,269	244
Building equipment contractors	23	9.4	1.57×More than typical	130	$58,969	44
Religious organizations	23	9.4	1.70×More than typical	64	$17,672	—
Landscaping services	20	8.2	2.34×More than typical	21	$96,810	59
Ambulatory health care services	18	7.4	0.35×Fewer than typical	134	$55,881	68
Automotive repair and maintenance	16	6.6	1.30×More than typical	81	$47,531	20
Amusement, gambling and recreation industries	14	5.7	2.16×More than typical	57	$53,456	16

Rank places for an industry Open Antrim County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 24,416 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 $855.1K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Elk Rapids, Michigan: $527 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $855.1K; +7.7% vs FY2025
Per resident: $527; US $1,994
Sole-source: 0.0%; 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

Agricultural Marketing Service$855.1K100%

Top recipients

BURNETTE FOODS, INC.$855.1K100.0%

Spending by fiscal year

110.6KFY2017
188.8KFY2018
441.5KFY2019
1.7MFY2020
983.9KFY2021
464.7KFY2022
1.1MFY2023
809.7K

Top industries (NAICS)

Fruit and vegetable preserving and specialty food manufacturing · 3114$855.1K100.0%

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 Elk Rapids, Michigan, so they do not add up across cities.

Elk Rapids, Michigan's figures are part of those of Antrim County, MI ($21.5M in FY2026), never added to them: 4.0% of that total.

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

See federal money in Antrim 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.

Elk Rapids, 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.

Antrim County78100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Antrim 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/2625320

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends