City · Midland County, Michigan

Midland, Michigan

Midland is a city in Midland County, Michigan, part of the Midland, MI metro area. It has 42,724 residents. Midland, Michigan has a quality-of-life score of 73 out of 100 (high), ranking #4,270 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Michigan it ranks #77 of 444 cities and towns. It ranks best on homicide rate (low), high school diploma or higher (high) and voter turnout (high). It ranks worst on mental health care shortage (high), distance to an emergency room (high) and job growth (low).

73High

Quality-of-life score: #4,270 of 15,651 cities and towns
Michigan: #77 of 444 in MI
Population: 42,724 (2020-2024)
Land area: 35 mi²
Density: 1,238.1 /mi²
FIPS code: 2653780

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 72 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.

Safety92#1,292/15,637
Economy53#7,391/15,631
Housing43#8,549/14,977
Health76#3,723/15,609
Healthcare60#6,323/15,650
Environment55#6,927/15,453
Education81#3,021/15,649
Infrastructure66#5,360/15,650
Community69#4,839/15,651
Leisure & amenities28#11,342/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Homicide rate · low0.0 /100k
94/100Michigan 4.7 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataMidland County value
High school diploma or higher · high97.1%
93/100Michigan 92.1%United States 89.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
Voter turnout · high77.4%
92/100Michigan 74.6%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionMidland County value
Property crime rate · low471 /100k
91/100Michigan 1,259 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationMidland County value
Injury deaths · low58 /100k
89/100Michigan 88 /100kUnited States 87 /100k2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteMidland County value
Average commute time · low20.0 min
87/100Michigan 24.2 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013

Weaknesses

Mental health care shortage · high19.0
4/100Michigan 9.3United States 9.9Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationMidland County value
Distance to an emergency room · high16.7 mi
5/100Michigan 5.8 miUnited States 5.5 miJul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesMidland County value
Job growth · low-2.4%
10/100Michigan 0.3%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataMidland County value
Comfortable days · low23.4%
11/100Michigan 23.1%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationMidland County value
Grocery stores · low1.0 /10k
12/100Michigan 1.5 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsMidland County value
Public libraries · low0.2 /10k
14/100Michigan 0.7 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesMidland County value

Trends

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

New homes permittedWorsening
1.9 /1k (2021) → 1.4 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−26%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
45.3% (2015-2019) → 50.4% (2020-2024)
+5.1 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
86.7% (2015-2019) → 90.8% (2020-2024)
+4.1 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
2.4× (2015-2019) → 2.8× (2020-2024)
+18%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Median household incomeImproving
$63,812 (2015-2019) → $73,325 (2020-2024)
+15%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Rent as share of incomeWorsening
27.8% (2015-2019) → 30.3% (2020-2024)
+2.5 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, Midland, Michigan improved on 2 of 15 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 11 moved within the margin of error and 1 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

Broadband+4.1 points86.7% → 90.8%
Household income+15%$63,812 → $73,325

Declined1

Price / income+0.4×2.4× → 2.8×

All 15 measures

Change of every measure of Midland, Michigan between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	19.1 min2015-2019	20.0 min2020-2024	+0.9 min	Within the margin of error	37%
Bachelor's degree or higher	44.9%2015-2019	44.6%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Within the margin of error	25%
Broadband subscriptions	86.7%2015-2019	90.8%2020-2024	+4.1 points	Improved	26%
Child poverty rate	12.1%2015-2019	10.6%2020-2024	−1.5 points	Within the margin of error	53%
Effective property tax rate	1.85%2015-2019	1.59%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Little change	68%
High school diploma or higher	95.2%2015-2019	97.1%2020-2024	+1.8 points	Within the margin of error	57%
Home price to income ratio	2.4×2015-2019	2.8×2020-2024	+0.4×	Declined	53%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4812015-2019	0.4742020-2024	−0.006	Within the margin of error	56%
Median household income	$63,8122015-2019	$73,3252020-2024	+15%	Improved	23%
Poverty rate	10.6%2015-2019	10.3%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Within the margin of error	47%
Public transit commuters	1.0%2015-2019	0.8%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	23%
Rent as share of income	27.8%2015-2019	30.3%2020-2024	+2.5 points	Within the margin of error	36%
Rent-burdened households	45.3%2015-2019	50.4%2020-2024	+5.1 points	Within the margin of error	37%
Unemployment rate	5.1%2015-2019	4.1%2020-2024	−0.9 points	Within the margin of error	68%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	4.9%2015-2019	5.0%2020-2024	+0.1 points	Within the margin of error	45%

“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 Midland, Michigan five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Midland, 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, Midland, Michigan itself moved −5.8 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

42,724 residents (±170)

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

18,535 households (±429)

Midland, Michigan
Michigan share

Under $25k18%3,345
$25k–50k17%3,239
$50k–75k15%2,782

Homes

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

Owners and renters

18,535 households (±429)

Midland, Michigan
Michigan share

Own67%12,437
Rent33%6,098

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

19,271 workers (±620)

Midland, Michigan
Michigan share

Drive alone76%14,674
Carpool8.1%1,555
Public transit0.8%†148

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

Midland County has 1,795 employer establishments, 214 for every 10,000 residents (0.86× the US rate of 248; 0.94× Michigan's), with 37,324 paid employees at an average annual pay of $73,662. The Census Bureau also counts 5,755 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 1,795; 5,755 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 214; US 248 · Michigan 228
Paid employees: 37,324
Average annual pay: $73,662; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	187	22.3	1.07×About typical	2,154	$94,323	267
Restaurants and other eating places	128	15.3	0.83×About typical	2,698	$19,266	15
Specialty trade contractors	111	13.2	0.85×About typical	1,514	$70,380	365
Individual and family services	90	10.7	3.83×More than typical	1,028	$24,565	63
Offices of physicians	77	9.2	1.42×More than typical	786	$176,174	60
Limited-service restaurants	66	7.9	0.98×About typical	1,453	$18,065	4
Construction of buildings	63	7.5	0.99×About typical	424	$59,667	253
Religious organizations	57	6.8	1.22×About typical	465	$25,929	—
Automotive repair and maintenance	50	6	1.18×About typical	289	$39,301	54
Lessors of real estate	49	5.8	0.47×Fewer than typical	198	$34,924	514
Offices of other health practitioners	44	5.2	0.86×About typical	301	$45,196	153
Services to buildings and dwellings	44	5.2	0.78×Fewer than typical	228	$38,404	300

Rank places for an industry Open Midland County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 83,915 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 $169.9K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Midland, Michigan: $3.98 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $169.9K; +383% vs FY2025
Per resident: $3.98; US $1,994
Sole-source: 0.3%; US 30%
Single offer: 10%; 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

Food and Drug Administration$148.8K88%
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Financial Resources$17.6K10%
U.S. Geological Survey$2,9681.7%
Defense Logistics Agency$5430.3%

Top recipients

LWH ENTERPRISES, INC$148.8K88%
SOLUTION PLANNING AND CONTRACT ENVIRONMENT, INC.$17.6K10%
EMILY SCHULTHEIS$2,9681.7%
UP ENTERPRISES LLC$5430.3%

Spending by fiscal year

357.3KFY2017
875.7KFY2018
685.4KFY2019
4.5MFY2020
-153.5KFY2021
917.2KFY2022
167.5KFY2023
8.2KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Dairy product manufacturing · 3115$148.8K88%
Management, scientific, and technical consulting services · 5416$17.6K10%
Other professional, scientific, and technical services · 5419$2,9681.7%
Paint, coating, and adhesive manufacturing · 3255$5430.3%

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

Midland, Michigan's figures are part of those of Midland County, MI and Bay County, MI ($2.9M in FY2026), never added to them: 5.9% of that total.

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

See federal money in Midland 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.

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

House

Senate

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Midland County83100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Midland, MI83

Other cities and towns in Midland 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/2653780

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends