Census-designated place · Chippewa County, Michigan

Kincheloe, Michigan

Kincheloe is a census-designated place in Chippewa County, Michigan, part of the Sault Ste. Marie, MI metro area. It has 2,524 residents. Kincheloe, Michigan has a quality-of-life score of 44 out of 100 (moderate), ranking #8,737 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Michigan it ranks #205 of 444 cities and towns. It ranks best on natural hazard risk (low), hot days (low) and broadband subscriptions (high). It ranks worst on distance to an airport (high), frequent mental distress (high) and adult smoking (high).

44Moderate

Quality-of-life score: #8,737 of 15,651 cities and towns
Michigan: #205 of 444 in MI
Population: 2,524 (2020-2024)
Land area: 1 mi²
Density: 1,993.9 /mi²
FIPS code: 2643180

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.

Safety64#5,567/15,637
Economy5#14,785/15,631
Housing65#5,261/14,977
Health16#13,087/15,609
Healthcare30#10,964/15,650
Environment95#841/15,453
Education35#10,229/15,649
Infrastructure75#3,839/15,650
Community28#11,203/15,651
Leisure & amenities58#6,554/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Kincheloe, Michigan ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Chippewa 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 · low0.6
100/100Michigan 10.32025Federal Emergency Management AgencyChippewa County value
Hot days · low0 days
99/100Michigan 5 daysUnited States 42 days2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationChippewa County value
Broadband subscriptions · high98.2%
97/100Michigan 90.5%United States 91.0%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B28002
Home price to income ratio · low1.9×
93/100Michigan 3.2×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Property crime rate · low447 /100k
92/100Michigan 1,259 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationChippewa County value
Restaurants and bars · high13.0 /10k
91/100Michigan 9.1 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsChippewa County value

Weaknesses

Distance to an airport · high245 mi
0/100Michigan 44 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauChippewa County value
Frequent mental distress · high24.8%
1/100Michigan 20.0%United States 18.6%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Adult smoking · high27.7%
1/100Michigan 17.1%United States 16.1%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
New business applications · low6.5 /1k
1/100Michigan 15.0 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauChippewa County value
Distance to an Amtrak station · high234 mi
2/100Michigan 25 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauChippewa County value
Comfortable days · low21.9%
2/100Michigan 23.1%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationChippewa County value

Trends

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

PopulationFalling
3,818 (2016-2020) → 2,524 (2020-2024)
−34%4 yearsCensus table B01003US 331,578,104 → 340,003,797
Unemployment rateImproving
27.6% (2016-2020) → 15.1% (2020-2024)
−12 pts4 yearsCensus table B23025US 8.1% → 4.0%
Child poverty rateImproving
53.1% (2016-2020) → 41.6% (2020-2024)
−12 pts4 yearsCensus table B17001US 15.7% → 15.5%
Poverty rateImproving
35.6% (2016-2020) → 25.1% (2020-2024)
−10 pts4 yearsCensus table B17001US 11.9% → 12.1%
Median household incomeImproving
$40,221 (2016-2020) → $57,644 (2020-2024)
+43%4 yearsCensus table B19013US $67,340 → $81,604
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
90.2% (2016-2020) → 98.2% (2020-2024)
+8 pts4 yearsCensus table B28002US 85.2% → 91.0%

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.

There is not enough history to compare Kincheloe, Michigan over five years.

Cities and towns like Kincheloe, Michigan five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Kincheloe, 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 Kincheloe, Michigan five years ago has more measures that improved than declined, with a higher standing among its peers today.

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

2,524 residents (±227)

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

† 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

2,524 residents (±227)

Kincheloe, Michigan
Michigan share

White55%1,391
Black1.4%†35
Hispanic or Latino5.1%†129

Education

1,466 residents (±171)

Kincheloe, Michigan
Michigan share

No high school diploma8.5%†124
High school or GED31%456
Some college23%334

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

788 households (±116)

Kincheloe, Michigan
Michigan share

Under $25k20%†154
$25k–50k27%†213
$50k–75k20%†160
$75k–100k14%†109
$100k–150k13%†106
$150k–200k5.1%†40
$200k or more0.8%†6

† 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

788 households (±116)

Kincheloe, Michigan
Michigan share

Own47%370
Rent53%418

Table view

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

Rent paid

412 households (±96)

Kincheloe, Michigan
Michigan share

Under $75027%†113
$750–1,00044%†180
$1,000–1,50026%†106

Home values

370 homes (±90)

Kincheloe, Michigan
Michigan share

Under $150k64%†236
$150k–250k33%†123
$250k–400k0.3%†1

Age of homes

847 homes (±115)

Kincheloe, Michigan
Michigan share

2010 or later0.5%†4
2000–20090.6%†5
1980–19998.0%†68

Size of homes

847 homes (±115)

Kincheloe, Michigan
Michigan share

Studio0.0%0
1 bedroom1.5%†13
2 bedrooms13%†114

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

916 workers (±137)

Kincheloe, Michigan
Michigan share

Drive alone83%760
Carpool13%†120
Public transit2.1%†19
Walk0.0%0
Bike0.0%0
Work from home1.3%†12
Other0.5%†5

† 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

904 workers (±136)

Kincheloe, Michigan
Michigan share

Under 15 min36%†325
15–29 min42%378
30–44 min19%†173

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 Sault Ste. Marie, 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 Chippewa County, the county holding most of Kincheloe's residents.

Chippewa County has 778 employer establishments, 214 for every 10,000 residents (0.86× the US rate of 248; 0.94× Michigan's), with 8,650 paid employees at an average annual pay of $43,487. The Census Bureau also counts 2,085 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 778; 2,085 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 214; US 248 · Michigan 228
Paid employees: 8,650
Average annual pay: $43,487; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	60	16.5	0.90×About typical	672	$23,307	3
Specialty trade contractors	57	15.7	1.02×About typical	180	$74,372	160
Ambulatory health care services	50	13.8	0.66×Fewer than typical	532	$67,090	59
Full-service restaurants	33	9.1	1.18×About typical	365	$25,542	—
Construction of buildings	32	8.8	1.17×About typical	150	$96,873	92
Automotive repair and maintenance	25	6.9	1.37×More than typical	73	$32,164	31
Lessors of real estate	22	6.1	0.49×Fewer than typical	89	$36,427	158
Limited-service restaurants	22	6.1	0.76×Fewer than typical	283	$20,449	—
Religious organizations	22	6.1	1.09×About typical	78	$16,538	—
Banks and credit unions	21	5.8	1.79×More than typical	196	$48,383	—
Gasoline stations	20	5.5	1.70×More than typical	136	$28,029	—
Traveler accommodation	20	5.5	3.05×More than typical	1,305	$34,686	30

Rank places for an industry Open Chippewa County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 36,276 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 $7,678 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Kincheloe, Michigan: $3.04 per resident (US $1,995).

Obligations: $7,678
Per resident: $3.04; US $1,995
Sole-source: 100%; 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

U.S. Coast Guard$7,678100%

Top recipients

KINROSS FAB & MACHINE INC$7,678100%

Spending by fiscal year

29.5KFY2017
14.2KFY2018
116KFY2019
23KFY2020
30.2KFY2021
384.5KFY2022
159.9KFY2023
175.1KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Architectural and structural metals manufacturing · 3323$7,678100%

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

Kincheloe, Michigan's figures are part of those of Chippewa County, MI ($140.8M 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: Kincheloe is mostly in Chippewa County.

See federal money in Chippewa 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.

Kincheloe, 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.

Chippewa County56100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Sault Ste. Marie, MI53

Other cities and towns in Chippewa 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/2643180

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Cities and towns like Kincheloe, Michigan five years ago that improved