City · Manistee County, Michigan

Manistee, Michigan

Manistee is a city in Manistee County, Michigan. It has 6,275 residents. Manistee, Michigan has a quality-of-life score of 40 out of 100 (moderate), ranking #9,367 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Michigan it ranks #228 of 444 cities and towns. It ranks best on job growth (high), preventable hospital stays (low) and average commute time (low). It ranks worst on gyms and fitness centers (low), depression (high) and distance to an airport (high).

40Moderate

Quality-of-life score: #9,367 of 15,651 cities and towns
Michigan: #228 of 444 in MI
Population: 6,275 (2020-2024)
Land area: 3 mi²
Density: 1,913.8 /mi²
FIPS code: 2650720

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 76 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.

Safety39#9,586/15,637
Economy21#12,420/15,631
Housing40#8,970/14,977
Health33#10,413/15,609
Healthcare53#7,282/15,650
Environment75#3,814/15,453
Education19#12,680/15,649
Infrastructure41#9,303/15,650
Community74#4,089/15,651
Leisure & amenities54#7,222/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Job growth · high6.6%
99/100Michigan 0.3%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataManistee County value
Preventable hospital stays · low1,541 /100k
96/100Michigan 3,367 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteManistee County value
Average commute time · low15.2 min
96/100Michigan 24.2 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Hot days · low2 days
94/100Michigan 5 daysUnited States 42 days2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationManistee County value
Public libraries · high2.3 /10k
93/100Michigan 0.7 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesManistee County value
Median Air Quality Index · low33
91/1002025U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyManistee County value

Weaknesses

Gyms and fitness centers · low0.0 /10k
4/100Michigan 1.0 /10kUnited States 1.3 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsManistee County value
Depression · high29.7%
7/100Michigan 26.5%United States 20.7%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Distance to an airport · high104 mi
9/100Michigan 44 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauManistee County value
New business applications · low8.5 /1k
10/100Michigan 15.0 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauManistee County value
Distance to an Amtrak station · high97 mi
10/100Michigan 25 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauManistee County value
High ozone days · high7 days
12/100Michigan 3 daysUnited States 7 days2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyManistee County value

Trends

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

Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
42.7% (2015-2019) → 54.9% (2020-2024)
+12 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Rent as share of incomeWorsening
26.9% (2015-2019) → 34.2% (2020-2024)
+7.3 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
Median household incomeImproving
$44,878 (2015-2019) → $60,541 (2020-2024)
+35%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
82.5% (2015-2019) → 88.5% (2020-2024)
+6 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Child poverty rateWorsening
21.7% (2015-2019) → 25.8% (2020-2024)
+4.1 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Poverty rateWorsening
13.1% (2015-2019) → 16.8% (2020-2024)
+3.7 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, Manistee, Michigan improved on 3 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 11 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 points1.64% → 1.10%
Household income+35%$44,878 → $60,541
Broadband+6 points82.5% → 88.5%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Manistee, Michigan between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	16.8 min2015-2019	15.2 min2020-2024	−1.6 min	Within the margin of error	67%
Bachelor's degree or higher	24.2%2015-2019	23.1%2020-2024	−1.1 points	Within the margin of error	21%
Broadband subscriptions	82.5%2015-2019	88.5%2020-2024	+6 points	Improved	38%
Child poverty rate	21.7%2015-2019	25.8%2020-2024	+4.1 points	Within the margin of error	23%
Effective property tax rate	1.64%2015-2019	1.10%2020-2024	−0.5 points	Improved	92%
High school diploma or higher	93.1%2015-2019	91.8%2020-2024	−1.3 points	Within the margin of error	20%
Home price to income ratio	2.4×2015-2019	2.7×2020-2024	+0.3×	Within the margin of error	62%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3992015-2019	0.4402020-2024	+0.041	Within the margin of error	21%
Median household income	$44,8782015-2019	$60,5412020-2024	+35%	Improved	65%
Poverty rate	13.1%2015-2019	16.8%2020-2024	+3.7 points	Within the margin of error	17%
Rent as share of income	26.9%2015-2019	34.2%2020-2024	+7.3 points	Within the margin of error	14%
Rent-burdened households	42.7%2015-2019	54.9%2020-2024	+12 points	Within the margin of error	19%
Unemployment rate	5.8%2015-2019	6.7%2020-2024	+0.9 points	Within the margin of error	31%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	4.5%2015-2019	4.6%2020-2024	+0.2 points	Within the margin of error	44%

“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 Manistee, Michigan five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Manistee, 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, Manistee, Michigan itself moved −12.2 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

6,275 residents (±19)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69

Income

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

Household income

2,880 households (±167)

Manistee, Michigan
Michigan share

Under $25k20%589
$25k–50k20%572
$50k–75k21%607

Homes

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

Owners and renters

2,880 households (±167)

Manistee, Michigan
Michigan share

Own73%2,107
Rent27%773

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

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

2,676 workers (±193)

Manistee, Michigan
Michigan share

Drive alone76%2,037
Carpool6.8%†181
Public transit0.0%0

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 Manistee County, the county holding most of Manistee's residents.

Manistee County has 574 employer establishments, 225 for every 10,000 residents (0.91× the US rate of 248; 0.99× Michigan's), with 5,667 paid employees at an average annual pay of $49,713. The Census Bureau also counts 1,878 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 574; 1,878 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 225; US 248 · Michigan 228
Paid employees: 5,667
Average annual pay: $49,713; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	38	14.9	0.96×About typical	156	$57,558	177
Ambulatory health care services	37	14.5	0.70×Fewer than typical	195	$52,549	75
Restaurants and other eating places	37	14.5	0.79×Fewer than typical	453	$20,821	3
Construction of buildings	25	9.8	1.30×More than typical	111	$67,423	111
Lessors of real estate	20	7.8	0.64×Fewer than typical	25	$46,000	196
Religious organizations	19	7.4	1.34×More than typical	112	$24,714	—
Automotive repair and maintenance	18	7.1	1.40×More than typical	86	$54,756	21
Services to buildings and dwellings	18	7.1	1.05×About typical	45	$45,467	162
Full-service restaurants	17	6.7	0.87×About typical	163	$22,761	—
Gasoline stations	17	6.7	2.06×More than typical	152	$30,783	—
Landscaping services	16	6.3	1.79×More than typical	33	$50,273	46
Limited-service restaurants	16	6.3	0.78×Fewer than typical	245	$19,543	—

Rank places for an industry Open Manistee County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 25,516 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 $36.2K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Manistee, Michigan: $5.77 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $36.2K; −70% vs FY2025
Per resident: $5.77; US $1,994
Sole-source: 59%; 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

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Acquisition and Property Management Division$21.4K59%
Department of the Army$14.3K39%
U.S. Coast Guard$5591.5%

Top recipients

LITTLE RIVER GOVERNMENT CONTRACTING, LLC$21.4K59%
MIDWEST CONSTRUCTION CO$9,85427%
ANLAAN CORPORATION$4,44812%
ADAM N EVE SAFETY LLC$5591.5%

Spending by fiscal year

118KFY2017
27.3KFY2018
5.2KFY2019
2.4KFY2020
979.6FY2021
61.2KFY2022
1.3KFY2023
13.7KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Facilities support services · 5612$16.8K46%
Other nonmetallic mineral product manufacturing · 3279$9,85427%
Other specialty trade contractors · 2389$4,55013%
Other heavy and civil engineering construction · 2379$4,44812%
Building equipment contractors · 2382$5591.5%

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

Manistee, Michigan's figures are part of those of Manistee County, MI ($1.6M in FY2026), never added to them: 2.2% of that total.

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

See federal money in Manistee 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.

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

House

John R. MoolenaarR-MI-2 · 100% of residentsWith party 98%Missed 0.3%

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.

Manistee County52100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Manistee 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/2650720

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends