Scores by category

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

Safety6#14,617/15,637
Economy55#7,006/15,631
Housing51#7,324/14,977
Health34#10,374/15,609
Healthcare43#8,985/15,650
Environment39#9,364/15,453
Education41#9,253/15,649
Infrastructure65#5,456/15,650
Community48#8,202/15,651
Leisure & amenities23#12,066/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Natural hazard risk · low7.6
88/100Michigan 10.32025Federal Emergency Management AgencyGenesee County value
Distance to an Amtrak station · low7 mi
85/100Michigan 25 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauGenesee County value
Voter turnout · high72.5%
77/100Michigan 74.6%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionGenesee County value
Poor or fair health · low14.8%
76/100Michigan 19.3%United States 19.9%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Job growth · high0.9%
75/100Michigan 0.3%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataGenesee County value
Lack of reliable transportation · low6.6%
75/100Michigan 8.8%United States 8.3%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate

Weaknesses

Homicide rate · high12.0 /100k
5/100Michigan 4.7 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataGenesee County value
Violent crime rate · high574 /100k
6/100Michigan 416 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationCovers part of the area: some reporting agencies or member counties have no figureGenesee County value
Depression · high28.6%
9/100Michigan 26.5%United States 20.7%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Preventable hospital stays · high3,942 /100k
10/100Michigan 3,367 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteGenesee County value
Drug overdose deaths · high28.1 /100k
11/100Michigan 16.2 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataGenesee County value
Comfortable days · low23.4%
11/100Michigan 23.1%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationGenesee County value

Trends

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

New homes permittedImproving
1.5 /1k (2021) → 4.5 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+201%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
27.0% (2015-2019) → 39.2% (2020-2024)
+12 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
83.5% (2015-2019) → 93.8% (2020-2024)
+10 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Child poverty rateImproving
16.0% (2015-2019) → 9.1% (2020-2024)
−6.9 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
2.3× (2015-2019) → 2.9× (2020-2024)
+29%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Median household incomeImproving
$63,036 (2015-2019) → $80,000 (2020-2024)
+27%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604

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, Fenton, Michigan improved on 3 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 10 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

Property tax−0.5 points1.65% → 1.12%
Bachelor's++12 points27.0% → 39.2%
Broadband+10 points83.5% → 93.8%

Declined1

Inequality+0.0640.354 → 0.418

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Fenton, Michigan between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	32.7 min2015-2019	31.3 min2020-2024	−1.4 min	Within the margin of error	64%
Bachelor's degree or higher	27.0%2015-2019	39.2%2020-2024	+12 points	Improved	94%
Broadband subscriptions	83.5%2015-2019	93.8%2020-2024	+10 points	Improved	61%
Child poverty rate	16.0%2015-2019	9.1%2020-2024	−6.9 points	Within the margin of error	75%
Effective property tax rate	1.65%2015-2019	1.12%2020-2024	−0.5 points	Improved	92%
High school diploma or higher	96.1%2015-2019	97.8%2020-2024	+1.8 points	Within the margin of error	56%
Home price to income ratio	2.3×2015-2019	2.9×2020-2024	+0.7×	Within the margin of error	39%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3542015-2019	0.4182020-2024	+0.064	Declined	12%
Median household income	$63,0362015-2019	$80,0002020-2024	+27%	Within the margin of error	48%
Poverty rate	11.1%2015-2019	6.9%2020-2024	−4.2 points	Within the margin of error	77%
Rent as share of income	28.6%2015-2019	29.7%2020-2024	+1.1 points	Within the margin of error	46%
Rent-burdened households	45.5%2015-2019	49.6%2020-2024	+4.1 points	Within the margin of error	41%
Unemployment rate	4.4%2015-2019	8.7%2020-2024	+4.3 points	Within the margin of error	5%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	9.8%2015-2019	5.9%2020-2024	−3.9 points	Within the margin of error	82%

“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 Fenton, Michigan five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Fenton, 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, Fenton, Michigan itself moved −1.3 points in standing on average over the same 10 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

11,906 residents (±37)

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: 10–19 women (+3.8 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

11,906 residents (±37)

Fenton, Michigan
Michigan share

White88%10,468
Black2.2%†266
Hispanic or Latino2.3%†274
Asian3.4%†401
American Indian and Alaska Native0.0%0
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander0.0%0
Other or two or more races4.2%†497

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Asian (+3.4 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 B03002View table on data.census.gov

Education

8,350 residents (±423)

Fenton, Michigan
Michigan share

No high school diploma2.2%†180
High school or GED25%2,096
Some college23%1,895
Associate degree11%904
Bachelor's degree24%1,996
Graduate degree15%1,279

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Bachelor's degree (+7.1 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 B15003View 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.

Income

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

Household income

5,208 households (±328)

Fenton, Michigan
Michigan share

Under $25k13%†684
$25k–50k13%668
$50k–75k24%1,231
$75k–100k8.4%437
$100k–150k18%942
$150k–200k11%†591
$200k or more13%†655

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $200k or more (+11.6 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

5,208 households (±328)

Fenton, Michigan
Michigan share

Own63%3,288
Rent37%1,920

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

Table view

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

Rent paid

1,893 households (±261)

Fenton, Michigan
Michigan share

Under $75011%†201
$750–1,00014%†257
$1,000–1,50051%967

Home values

3,288 homes (±244)

Fenton, Michigan
Michigan share

Under $150k18%†606
$150k–250k37%1,205
$250k–400k36%1,180

Age of homes

5,451 homes (±325)

Fenton, Michigan
Michigan share

2010 or later7.2%†390
2000–200918%1,004
1980–199926%1,418

Size of homes

5,451 homes (±325)

Fenton, Michigan
Michigan share

Studio0.5%†27
1 bedroom12%†660
2 bedrooms33%1,782

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

6,142 workers (±479)

Fenton, Michigan
Michigan share

Drive alone76%4,689
Carpool6.3%†384
Public transit0.4%†27
Walk0.5%†30
Bike0.0%0
Work from home16%994
Other0.3%†18

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Work from home (+9.7 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

5,148 workers (±513)

Fenton, Michigan
Michigan share

Under 15 min24%1,223
15–29 min29%1,483
30–44 min18%947

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 Flint, 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 Genesee County, the county holding most of Fenton's residents.

Genesee County has 7,733 employer establishments, 193 for every 10,000 residents (0.78× the US rate of 248; 0.84× Michigan's), with 121,033 paid employees at an average annual pay of $50,797. The Census Bureau also counts 31,433 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 7,733; 31,433 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 193; US 248 · Michigan 228
Paid employees: 121,033
Average annual pay: $50,797; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	961	23.9	1.15×About typical	10,523	$62,980	1,878
Restaurants and other eating places	608	15.1	0.82×About typical	13,111	$19,217	170
Specialty trade contractors	389	9.7	0.63×Fewer than typical	4,629	$78,623	2,095
Offices of physicians	387	9.6	1.49×More than typical	3,452	$97,067	231
Limited-service restaurants	322	8	1.00×About typical	7,177	$16,883	75
Lessors of real estate	272	6.8	0.55×Fewer than typical	1,469	$44,490	2,492
Religious organizations	239	6	1.07×About typical	1,448	$23,296	—
Full-service restaurants	225	5.6	0.73×Fewer than typical	5,231	$22,310	52
Automotive repair and maintenance	222	5.5	1.10×About typical	2,359	$36,198	422
Services to buildings and dwellings	221	5.5	0.82×About typical	1,962	$36,351	2,483
Offices of other health practitioners	201	5	0.82×About typical	1,494	$40,850	622
Construction of buildings	189	4.7	0.62×Fewer than typical	1,179	$61,969	1,215

Rank places for an industry Open Genesee County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 401,351 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 $50.5K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Fenton, Michigan: $4.24 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $50.5K; +57% vs FY2025
Per resident: $4.24; US $1,994
Sole-source: 5.0%; US 30%
Single offer: 64%; 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

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service$32.3K64%
Defense Logistics Agency$15.6K31%
Department of the Navy$2,5155.0%

Top recipients

FREEWAY SPORT CENTER, INC$32.3K64%
BARGAIN BUSINESS SUPPLIES, INC$15.6K31%
OMNI-TECH CALIBRATION SERVICES, INC.$2,5155.0%
EPIC MACHINE, INC$00.0%

Spending by fiscal year

1.5MFY2017
707.3KFY2018
114.2KFY2019
70.5KFY2020
62.1KFY2021
1.4MFY2022
549KFY2023
36.5KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Other motor vehicle dealers · 4412$32.3K64%
Semiconductor and other electronic component manufacturing · 3344$15.6K31%
Software publishers · 5132$2,5155.0%

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 Fenton, Michigan, so they do not add up across cities.

Fenton, Michigan's figures are part of those of Genesee County, MI, Livingston County, MI and Oakland County, MI ($1.1B 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: Fenton is mostly in Genesee County.

See federal money in Genesee 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.

Fenton, Michigan is split between congressional districts: each representative is shown with the share of its residents in their district (current boundaries).

House

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.

Genesee County30100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Flint, MI26

Other cities and towns in Genesee 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
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
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/2627760

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends