Census-designated place · Saginaw County, Michigan

Freeland, Michigan

Freeland is a census-designated place in Saginaw County, Michigan, part of the Saginaw, MI metro area. It has 7,557 residents. Freeland, Michigan has a quality-of-life score of 52 out of 100 (moderate), ranking #7,490 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Michigan it ranks #156 of 444 cities and towns. It ranks best on rent as share of income (low), broadband subscriptions (high) and uninsured residents (under 65) (low). It ranks worst on violent crime rate (high), mental health care shortage (high) and primary care shortage (high).

52Moderate

Quality-of-life score: #7,490 of 15,651 cities and towns
Michigan: #156 of 444 in MI
Population: 7,557 (2020-2024)
Land area: 7 mi²
Density: 1,147.1 /mi²
FIPS code: 2630540

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 73 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.

Safety16#13,091/15,637
Economy79#3,284/15,631
Housing79#3,130/14,977
Health51#7,696/15,609
Healthcare54#7,194/15,650
Environment29#10,985/15,453
Education37#9,900/15,649
Infrastructure86#2,252/15,650
Community48#8,213/15,651
Leisure & amenities32#10,684/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Rent as share of income · low22.9%
94/100Michigan 30.2%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071
Broadband subscriptions · high97.9%
94/100Michigan 90.5%United States 91.0%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B28002
Uninsured residents (under 65) · low2.2%
90/100Michigan 6.2%United States 9.8%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B27010High uncertainty
Income inequality (Gini index) · low0.366
89/100Michigan 0.465United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083
Drought exposure · low7%
83/100Michigan 13%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAASaginaw County value
Average commute time · low19.5 min
83/100Michigan 24.2 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013

Weaknesses

Violent crime rate · high784 /100k
2/100Michigan 416 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationSaginaw County value
Mental health care shortage · high19.0
4/100Michigan 9.3United States 9.9Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationSaginaw County value
Primary care shortage · high17.0
9/100Michigan 8.3United States 6.2Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationSaginaw County value
Food environment index · low6.7
10/100Michigan 7.1United States 7.62019 & 2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSaginaw County value
Comfortable days · low23.3%
10/100Michigan 23.1%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationSaginaw County value
Math scores · low2.66
12/100Michigan 2.85United States 3.032019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSaginaw County value

Trends

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

PopulationRising
6,898 (2015-2019) → 7,557 (2020-2024)
+9.6%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
11.7% (2015-2019) → 35.1% (2020-2024)
+23 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
26.9% (2015-2019) → 34.5% (2020-2024)
+7.6 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Median household incomeImproving
$83,889 (2015-2019) → $110,547 (2020-2024)
+32%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Child poverty rateWorsening
0.0% (2015-2019) → 5.6% (2020-2024)
+5.6 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Rent as share of incomeWorsening
18.0% (2015-2019) → 22.9% (2020-2024)
+4.9 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%

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, Freeland, 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

Bachelor's++7.6 points26.9% → 34.5%
Household income+32%$83,889 → $110,547

Declined1

Rent / income+4.9 points18.0% → 22.9%

All 11 measures

Change of every measure of Freeland, Michigan between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	22.8 min2015-2019	19.4 min2020-2024	−3.3 min	Within the margin of error	81%
Bachelor's degree or higher	26.9%2015-2019	34.5%2020-2024	+7.6 points	Improved	82%
Broadband subscriptions	93.6%2015-2019	97.9%2020-2024	+4.3 points	Within the margin of error	27%
Effective property tax rate	1.28%2015-2019	1.29%2020-2024	+0 points	Within the margin of error	15%
High school diploma or higher	94.1%2015-2019	93.1%2020-2024	−0.9 points	Within the margin of error	23%
Home price to income ratio	2.0×2015-2019	2.4×2020-2024	+0.4×	Within the margin of error	52%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3232015-2019	0.3662020-2024	+0.044	Within the margin of error	19%
Median household income	$83,8892015-2019	$110,5472020-2024	+32%	Improved	59%
Poverty rate	2.7%2015-2019	5.5%2020-2024	+2.8 points	Within the margin of error	21%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	18.0%2015-2019	22.9%2020-2024	+4.9 points	Declined	23%

“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 Freeland, Michigan five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Freeland, 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, Freeland, Michigan itself moved −2.6 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

7,557 residents (±743)

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 (+3.4 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 B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

7,557 residents (±743)

Freeland, Michigan
Michigan share

White77%5,830
Black9.4%710
Hispanic or Latino4.3%†323

Education

5,352 residents (±498)

Freeland, Michigan
Michigan share

No high school diploma6.9%†369
High school or GED28%1,513
Some college19%1,038

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

2,174 households (±272)

Freeland, Michigan
Michigan share

Under $25k8.9%†194
$25k–50k7.5%†162
$50k–75k13%†285
$75k–100k17%†376
$100k–150k22%†480
$150k–200k16%†346
$200k or more15%†331

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $150k–200k (+10.8 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 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

2,174 households (±272)

Freeland, Michigan
Michigan share

Own84%1,828
Rent16%†346

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

325 households (±135)

Freeland, Michigan
Michigan share

Under $7506.5%†21
$750–1,0006.2%†20
$1,000–1,50061%†197

Home values

1,828 homes (±272)

Freeland, Michigan
Michigan share

Under $150k16%†284
$150k–250k30%†543
$250k–400k45%823

Age of homes

2,256 homes (±300)

Freeland, Michigan
Michigan share

2010 or later15%†328
2000–200923%523
1980–199931%700

Size of homes

2,256 homes (±300)

Freeland, Michigan
Michigan share

Studio0.0%0
1 bedroom3.3%†75
2 bedrooms12%†279

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

3,061 workers (±419)

Freeland, Michigan
Michigan share

Drive alone78%2,394
Carpool3.1%†95
Public transit0.0%0
Walk0.1%†4
Bike0.2%†5
Work from home18%537
Other0.8%†26

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Work from home (+15.7 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

2,524 workers (±392)

Freeland, Michigan
Michigan share

Under 15 min22%543
15–29 min65%1,634
30–44 min10%†262

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 Saginaw, 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 Saginaw County, the county holding most of Freeland's residents.

Saginaw County has 4,092 employer establishments, 218 for every 10,000 residents (0.88× the US rate of 248; 0.96× Michigan's), with 77,361 paid employees at an average annual pay of $53,420. The Census Bureau also counts 12,027 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 4,092; 12,027 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 218; US 248 · Michigan 228
Paid employees: 77,361
Average annual pay: $53,420; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	410	21.8	1.05×About typical	5,868	$62,732	633
Restaurants and other eating places	314	16.7	0.91×About typical	7,268	$19,368	57
Specialty trade contractors	228	12.1	0.78×Fewer than typical	1,987	$78,836	750
Limited-service restaurants	161	8.6	1.07×About typical	3,510	$16,199	25
Offices of physicians	144	7.7	1.18×About typical	1,695	$81,047	117
Religious organizations	137	7.3	1.32×More than typical	1,038	$24,472	—
Full-service restaurants	123	6.6	0.85×About typical	3,389	$22,873	20
Clothing and accessories stores	121	6.4	1.78×More than typical	1,543	$21,120	115
Automotive repair and maintenance	117	6.2	1.24×About typical	697	$40,725	125
Construction of buildings	103	5.5	0.73×Fewer than typical	750	$78,175	325
Lessors of real estate	100	5.3	0.43×Fewer than typical	362	$46,155	1,091
Building equipment contractors	99	5.3	0.88×About typical	1,062	$80,777	153

Rank places for an industry Open Saginaw County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 187,758 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 $12.1K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Freeland, Michigan: $1.60 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $12.1K; −86% vs FY2025
Per resident: $1.60; US $1,994
Sole-source: 3.7%; US 30%
Single offer: 43%; 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

Federal Aviation Administration$5,32644%
Department of the Air Force$5,21943%
Defense Logistics Agency$1,56013%

Top recipients

QUAD J INC$5,30144%
PF MARKEY INC$5,21943%
ACCURATE SAFETY DISTRIBUTORS INC$1,56013%
BATHTUB SOFTWARE LLC$4433.7%
J & J 2000 INC-$25.570.0%
PORT GRAHAM DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION

Spending by fiscal year

34.8KFY2017
168.3KFY2018
148.7KFY2019
64.4KFY2020
51.1KFY2021
15.9KFY2022
35.1KFY2023
38.2KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Commercial and service industry machinery manufacturing · 3333$5,21943%
Building equipment contractors · 2382$4,90841%
Apparel accessories and other apparel manufacturing · 3159$9838.1%
Business schools and computer and management training · 6114$4433.7%
Aerospace product and parts manufacturing · 3364$3472.9%
Medical equipment and supplies manufacturing · 3391

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

Freeland, Michigan's figures are part of those of Saginaw County, MI ($12.5M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.1% of that total.

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

See federal money in Saginaw 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.

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

House

Kristen McDonald RivetD-MI-8 · 100% of residentsWith party 89%Missed 2.2%

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.

Saginaw County33100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Saginaw, MI35

Other cities and towns in Saginaw 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/2630540

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends