Scores by category

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

Safety82#2,766/15,637
Economy13#13,572/15,631
Housing69#4,672/14,977
Health16#13,115/15,609
Healthcare18#12,803/15,650
Environment64#5,533/15,453
Education29#11,094/15,649
Infrastructure20#12,463/15,650
Community45#8,609/15,651
Leisure & amenities50#7,777/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Marlette, Michigan ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Sanilac 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 · high6.0%
99/100Michigan 0.3%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataSanilac County value
Property crime rate · low329 /100k
96/100Michigan 1,259 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationSanilac County value
Homicide rate · low0.0 /100k
94/100Michigan 4.7 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataSanilac County value
Time spent in the emergency room · low111 min
92/100Michigan 163 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesSanilac County value
Public libraries · high2.0 /10k
91/100Michigan 0.7 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesSanilac County value
Drought exposure · low3%
89/100Michigan 13%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAASanilac County value

Weaknesses

Pharmacies · low0.3 /10k
2/100Michigan 1.9 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsSanilac County value
Depression · high30.5%
4/100Michigan 26.5%United States 20.7%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Access to exercise opportunities · low40.5%
6/100Michigan 85.7%United States 84.5%2022 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSanilac County value
Unemployment rate · high10.3%
9/100Michigan 5.2%United States 4.3%2020-2024U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census table B23025
Suicide rate · high24.8 /100k
9/100Michigan 14.5 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataSanilac County value
Frequent mental distress · high21.3%
9/100Michigan 20.0%United States 18.6%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate

Trends

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

PopulationFalling
2,030 (2015-2019) → 1,850 (2020-2024)
−8.9%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Child poverty rateImproving
53.7% (2015-2019) → 25.1% (2020-2024)
−29 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
70.5% (2015-2019) → 89.2% (2020-2024)
+19 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Poverty rateImproving
35.3% (2015-2019) → 18.0% (2020-2024)
−17 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
57.4% (2015-2019) → 40.6% (2020-2024)
−17 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Median household incomeImproving
$28,843 (2015-2019) → $48,571 (2020-2024)
+68%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, Marlette, Michigan improved on 5 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 9 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.

Improved5

Poverty−17 points35.3% → 18.0%
Child poverty−29 points53.7% → 25.1%
Household income+68%$28,843 → $48,571
Inequality−0.0860.534 → 0.448
Broadband+19 points70.5% → 89.2%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Marlette, Michigan between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	22.4 min2015-2019	25.3 min2020-2024	+2.9 min	Within the margin of error	20%
Bachelor's degree or higher	11.2%2015-2019	12.1%2020-2024	+0.8 points	Within the margin of error	33%
Broadband subscriptions	70.5%2015-2019	89.2%2020-2024	+19 points	Improved	88%
Child poverty rate	53.7%2015-2019	25.1%2020-2024	−29 points	Improved	97%
Effective property tax rate	1.60%2015-2019	1.14%2020-2024	−0.5 points	Within the margin of error	89%
High school diploma or higher	85.5%2015-2019	92.1%2020-2024	+6.5 points	Within the margin of error	88%
Home price to income ratio	2.5×2015-2019	2.7×2020-2024	+0.2×	Within the margin of error	68%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.5342015-2019	0.4482020-2024	−0.086	Improved	94%
Median household income	$28,8432015-2019	$48,5712020-2024	+68%	Improved	94%
Poverty rate	35.3%2015-2019	18.0%2020-2024	−17 points	Improved	98%
Rent as share of income	33.7%2015-2019	28.0%2020-2024	−5.7 points	Within the margin of error	85%
Rent-burdened households	57.4%2015-2019	40.6%2020-2024	−17 points	Within the margin of error	91%
Unemployment rate	9.4%2015-2019	10.3%2020-2024	+0.9 points	Within the margin of error	31%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	11.6%2015-2019	9.9%2020-2024	−1.7 points	Within the margin of error	66%

“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 Marlette, Michigan five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Marlette, 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, Marlette, Michigan itself moved +17.6 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

1,850 residents (±234)

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

1,850 residents (±234)

Marlette, Michigan
Michigan share

White87%1,605
Black1.0%†19
Hispanic or Latino7.7%†143
Asian1.3%†24
American Indian and Alaska Native0.1%†1
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander0.0%0
Other or two or more races3.1%†58

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Asian (+1.3 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 B03002View table on data.census.gov

Education

1,224 residents (±141)

Marlette, Michigan
Michigan share

No high school diploma7.9%†97
High school or GED43%525
Some college23%284
Associate degree14%170
Bachelor's degree8.1%†99
Graduate degree4.0%†49

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: No high school diploma (−6.5 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

790 households (±101)

Marlette, Michigan
Michigan share

Under $25k27%214
$25k–50k24%193
$50k–75k17%137
$75k–100k13%†103
$100k–150k13%†100
$150k–200k3.3%†26
$200k or more2.2%†17

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Under $25k (−15.8 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

790 households (±101)

Marlette, Michigan
Michigan share

Own56%443
Rent44%347

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

335 households (±74)

Marlette, Michigan
Michigan share

Under $75030%†100
$750–1,00036%†122
$1,000–1,50026%†88

Home values

443 homes (±66)

Marlette, Michigan
Michigan share

Under $150k57%252
$150k–250k35%156
$250k–400k4.5%†20

Age of homes

877 homes (±101)

Marlette, Michigan
Michigan share

2010 or later4.0%†35
2000–20091.8%†16
1980–199913%†112

Size of homes

877 homes (±101)

Marlette, Michigan
Michigan share

Studio1.0%†9
1 bedroom13%†115
2 bedrooms31%270

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

712 workers (±133)

Marlette, Michigan
Michigan share

Drive alone74%526
Carpool16%†113
Public transit0.0%0
Walk5.8%†41
Bike0.0%0
Work from home3.5%†25
Other1.0%†7

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 B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

687 workers (±129)

Marlette, Michigan
Michigan share

Under 15 min42%290
15–29 min21%†147
30–44 min16%†109

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 Sanilac County, the county holding most of Marlette's residents.

Sanilac County has 848 employer establishments, 210 for every 10,000 residents (0.85× the US rate of 248; 0.92× Michigan's), with 8,997 paid employees at an average annual pay of $46,409. The Census Bureau also counts 3,198 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 848; 3,198 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 210; US 248 · Michigan 228
Paid employees: 8,997
Average annual pay: $46,409; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	66	16.3	0.78×Fewer than typical	364	$51,154	127
Restaurants and other eating places	59	14.6	0.80×Fewer than typical	716	$18,656	10
Specialty trade contractors	59	14.6	0.94×About typical	248	$59,593	339
Religious organizations	36	8.9	1.61×More than typical	86	$21,360	—
Truck transportation	36	8.9	1.76×More than typical	249	$63,269	125
Construction of buildings	34	8.4	1.11×About typical	132	$49,470	217
Full-service restaurants	32	7.9	1.03×About typical	306	$21,206	5
Offices of physicians	27	6.7	1.03×About typical	148	$62,764	6
Banks and credit unions	26	6.4	1.99×More than typical	208	$56,457	—
Gasoline stations	26	6.4	1.99×More than typical	206	$25,636	—
Services to buildings and dwellings	25	6.2	0.92×About typical	66	$42,864	251
Insurance agencies and brokerages	23	5.7	1.30×More than typical	89	$49,303	31

Rank places for an industry Open Sanilac County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 40,389 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 $0 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Marlette, Michigan: $0 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $0
Per resident: $0; US $1,994
Sole-source: —; US 30%
Single offer: —; 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

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

2.6KFY2017
2.3KFY2018
2.5KFY2019
1.4KFY2020
2.5KFY2021
-1.8KFY2022

What was bought

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

Marlette, Michigan's figures are part of those of Sanilac County, MI ($13.6M 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: Marlette is mostly in Sanilac County.

See federal money in Sanilac 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.

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

House

Lisa C. McClainR-MI-9 · 100% of residentsWith party 98%Missed 2.7%

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.

Sanilac County45100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Sanilac 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/2651820